FUSION REVIEW PART 2 - By JAMES FLENNER

*This review was posted by James Flenner on Scubaboard and The Deco Stop*

As promised, here's the 20 dive update. It's worth pointing out that I am (literally) world-renowned for the anal way I take care of my equipment, so take that into account when you evaluate wear and tear.

The suit has no leaks, and when looked at from the inside, still appears new. From the exterior, surprisingly, the only wear marks are:A small patch of pilling in the lycra at the small of the back, from the bottom of the backplate:


















And, a small amount of pilling inbetween the butt cheeks, presumably from the scooter crotch strap.















Despite crawling around on concrete, the knees, elbows, etc. have no marks on them. The shoulders are in great shape, I especially looked for wear where the BP shoulder straps cross over the zipper, and found none.

I end up with wet wrist cuffs on my undies after virtually every dive; however this happens to me with any drysuit without dry gloves. Angular, skinny wrists.

The suit has had it's share of snags and rubs, consistent with easy (not climbing over barnacles) walk-in shore diving and scootering in close proximity to rocks and stuff underwater. It has not been inside or around a snaggy old wreck.

The suit zipper slides easily and hasn't leaked. The Si-Tech valves have been, well, Si-Tech valves, just another reliable day at the office. I have to say I've fallen in love with the zipper placement, it is amazingly easy to get into and out of.

Something I really liked at first was the push-on inflator fitting. Now that the newness has worn off I'm kind of meh. I still like it, although I could care less, and would be just as happy with a regular fitting with one of Tobin's hose hats.

The lowest temp has been 49 degrees F. In this I used the Whites Mk1 underlayer and the Whites Mk3 garment, and was very warm after 55 minutes of scootering. My right (scooter) hand has been a bit cold, I am wearing 5mm wet gloves.Janet has placed Si Tech Squeezes-On dry glove rings on her suit and seems inordinately pleased with them.

I was all poised to do the same, but, was forced to step in to help teach a huge class of OW students (150!) for a friend that is now in the hospital. This has neccesitated 8 hours a day in a 74 degree pool. After enduring one frozen day in a 3mm, I have switched to the Fusion, with expedition weight DuoFold Varitherm bottoms, and midweight Varitherm longsleeve top as undies. Perfect, I am not too hot, and still warm at the end of the day. However, the warm/cold mixed use has me holding off on the rings for now.

I find that I am surprised by the way the suit has held up. I was expecting the double-fabric layer to hold up well, but so far it's been better than expected. Every time I've snagged it or really rubbed against something, I end up looking the suit over fairly carefully after the dive, and start questioning my recollection, because you can't see the point of snag.

And, last night I was turning it inside out to evaporate the condensation, and it struck me how laughabally easy it was compared to the CF200.

As for the pocket issue, the factory loaned me one of the hybrid outer skins, the ones with sections of lycra and 1mm neoprene. The loaner they gave me is some truly butt-ugly material let me tell you! This supported surrogate pockets surprisingly well, and I sense a copy of this as an additional outer skin in my future. (in a different color than the "pizza puke" I have now)

So, I guess the summary so far for me is:
No glaring issues
Warmer than expected
More durable than expected

More versatile than expected Of course, this is only a short look at the suit. I will keep you posted.All the best, James

PS - OK, there is a down side. Somebody made the comment that the suit made us look like Power Rangers. I went home and looked it up and it's true. Sigh.
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Review by Cody Brown - Jr. Master Scuba Diver

One of the most impressive features of the Fusion is that the young diver with lots of growing to do can get a drysuit and simply grow into it. Cody Brown (Jr. Master Scuba Diver & Columnist for North West Dive News) is using the Fusion, here's what he has to say.

Diving in the White's Fusion Dry Suit is a great experience. It gives
me plenty of mobility in my arms more than that of a wet suit, and
keeps my core exceptionally warm at the same time. When I jump in the
water I hardly even notice the dry suit is there. I also find the
zipper modification very convenient as it goes from one shoulder to the
other in a crescent shape, rather than from one shoulder to the torso.
This way, both arms are below the zipper so there isn't any fussing
with them. Overall I think the Fusion Suit is a great suit for all
kinds of cold-water diving!

Cody Brown
Author "Scuba For Kids"
PADI Jr. Master Diver
Columnist Northwest Dive News "Cody's Corner"
Email: cody@scubaforkids.com
Web: www.scubaforkids.com

Review from North Carolina

Subject: Fusion
17 November 2007
Eric,

"I dove my new Fusion drysuit for the first time yesterday. Man, was I impressed!! You had spoken very highly of the suit, but I assumed that as a salesman you were simply doing your job. Everything you said and what White's claims about this suit is true. I felt like I was diving a wetsuit only warmer. I had more flexibility and mobility than in a 7mm wetsuit, much less a standard drysuit. There was no restriction. I had a complete range of motion even with a complete complement of undergarments. It was like wearing a 2mm wetsuit. And because of the reduced bulk, my BC fit as always, rather than being maxed out like it is when I wear a standard drysuit. "

"I used less air in the suit and because of the compressing of the outer skin the air was distributed evenly around my body keeping me warm all over. And buoyancy control was easier than ever. Again, because of the outer skin compressing the inner core, it was like adjusting your buoyancy with your BC. A little air in and bingo, perfect buoyancy. And all it took to decrease buoyancy was a little tilt to the right and the outer skin pushed the air out of the suit. No waiting for the air to shift from one area to another. Bam, it was out. "

"In short, this was the warmest, easiest and best drysuit dive I have ever made! And I've been diving drysuits for almost 15 years, everything from neoprene to vulcanized rubber to bi and trilaminates. I have never given serious thought to training my Open Water divers in drysuits because of the extra time required to master the inherent buoyancy problems. But I am giving the idea some very serious consideration. I honestly believe a new diver could master this drysuit as fast as they can master buoyancy control with their BC. White's has hit a grand slam home run with the new Fusion!"

"Keep me informed as to the development of the new outer skins and their availability. I am particularly interested in a slightly tougher skin for our local dive rescue teams."

Take care and keep in touch,

Ronnie L. McLamb,
OwnerPro Scuba Center,
Inc.Rocky Mount, NC

Whites Fusion Review

The Following is a Fusion Review that was submitted on http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/exposure-suits/207580-review-whites-fusion-drysuit-say-goodbye-cave-cut.html Our thanks go out to James for a great review!

"Whites Fusion: say goodby to cave cut!"
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I’ll admit it, I am an “early adopter”. I see the utility in something, and jump right in, first generation and all. Although this is occasionally a cause for angst, usually I get the joy of an extended timeline with the “good stuff”, as it has been with the X.

This is a review of the Whites Fusion Drysuit. When I first saw this suit, I was skeptical. Several months later, when I tried on a prototype, I was so impressed that I ordered one on the spot. What won me over was two big things:
Mobility
Fit
The mobility was better than my 3 mil wetsuit; the fit was way better than custom, actually, it fits like spray paint.

The suit reviewed here is one of the first production run of 200. The manufacturer and regional rep have been extremely cooperative, and suggestions made from these initial suits are being incorporated into the next version.


The Fusion is a shell suit in two layers. The inner layer is a thinner shell that is built a couple of sizes “too big”; the outer layer is a heavyweight lycra coverall that is built a couple of sizes “too small”. The two are held together at the wrists and ankles by Velcro, so it is a single unit.

The result is a suit that looks somewhat comical when you hold it up next to you, here’s my suit, which is a size 2XL-3XL.

Since the interior shell is essentially non-stretchy, just like a TLS350 (yes, I know you think it stretches), it presents practically zero resistance when you move because it’s way too big for your size. The fabric never gets stretched tight (tightness restricts motion).

This floppy inner layer is held in check by the Lycra. This is tight enough that it holds in all the excess, and incidentally, makes for some impressive streamlining for a dry suit.


As you can see below, Janet was wearing blue jeans under the suit, the suit fits so well you can see where the waistband of the blue jeans are.


So that’s the idea behind the suit. The big question is, does it work?

As I’d said, this suit is one of the first batch of 200. So it was with some excitement I received it and first pulled it on. This being a shell suit, it is quite a change for me; all I’ve used are neoprene dry suits, and lately, a CF200.

To say I was astounded by the fit is an understatement. I apparently have one of those hard to fit bodies, and every custom suit has been sent back at least twice for changes. Legs too long and shoulders too wide, apparently. Anyway, this suit fit me exactly like custom. Exactly. And it’s what you’d expect, with the lycra pulling everything tight.

To get an idea of how this fits, here’s a look at the suit with the zipper open. As you can see, the outside follows the contours of the undergarments.


All this shrink-wrap fit is worthless if you can’t move. As it turns out, you can do stuff that’s impossible (at least for me) in an ordinary dry suit. I really felt that the only thing restricting my motion was my undergarments (more on that later), and even with that, I would be forced to admit that my 3 mil warm-water wet suit is more of a restriction.



Another thing that’s unique about the Fusion is the suit zipper placement. Wow. Different is a good word here. I was very pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to get your arms into the sleeves, without a conventional back entry that hits you in the face, or, a side zip.

As for getting your head into the neck seal, it’s like reaching over your head for ejection seat handles; grab, pull, and pop, your head’s in place. A total non-event that is rather unlike the side zip neck-bend hip shimmy.

This is also the first zipper that I can zip up completely without help, and feel confident about. Cool!

The undergarments are rather different from the one-piece Flecton 200 that I’m used to. After a bit of reflection, I realized that the one-piece snowmobile suit idea was really restricting motion, so I gave the Whites undies a try. They are certainly well built, and most importantly have stretch fabric and stretchy neoprene in the places that need it the most, like the knees/elbows/small if the back. They are easily ¼ as restrictive as a one-piece. And, they have the “union suit” zipper in the back that allows easy bathroom trips without dropping your undies on the bathroom floor, yuck.

So with all this new stuff, Janet and I put in some dives. Lake Tahoe is a balmy 53 degrees F right now, so I figured this was about average and a good workout for the suit.

The first thing that’s “different” is getting the suit on. It has two layers, so it’s not as easy as a conventional suit; you have to pull on only the inner bladder as you get your feet into the legs.

After your feet are in the legs, it’s easy to pull up the suspenders. Then, pull up the lycra to your waist. This is easier than it sounds, it’s just like pulling on a pair of pants, and after this point, it’s just like any other drysuit.

Did I mention how easy the weird front zipper is? Well it is. Easy, that is. And weird, after years with a side zip.

Something else that’s “different” is the new inflator hose that Whites includes with the suit. All you have to do is push it on the inflator nipple, you don’t have to pull back the collar on the hose fitting. As trivial as it sounds, this is as cool as can be, and makes connections easy even with thick gloves. If this new fangled fitting makes you uneasy, with the vague extra failure point of a ball bearing or two, you are welcome to use your old school connector which works perfectly (since the suit nipple is the standard one).

In 53 degree water, I was wearing the Mk 1/ Mk2 undies and was plenty warm, although not as warm as I would have been with a CF200. In conversations with folks that switch between CF and shell suits, I was told “of course dummy”, and “just stack on an extra thin layer”. This does the trick and warm as can be, and those who know me can attest, I am the king of the cold weanies.

A big concern was fit and flexibility underwater. Mobility was superb, and the fit was something to behold! Here’s Janet:



And a close-up of her leg:


Something I’d anticipated was scootering speed. As far as I could tell (we haven’t run a measured mile yet, but that’s coming) the speed is identical to being in a wetsuit, my reference suit is a 7mm semi-dry. It is certainly appreciably faster than the CF200! Being a scooter-aholic, this is reason enough for me to get one.



This is also the easiest drysuit I’ve ever flown. Just as a test, I flipped fins-up and waited for the air to rush into my legs. I wanted to see how easy it was to backpedal out of the position and recover.

The result was really, really unexpected – the air just kind of meandered into my feet. The lycra controls air movement! After a while kind of hanging there I got bored and flipped back level. After some reflection, this worried me, because I often cruise along with air in my feet to keep them warmer, and I wasn’t into something that would prevent it! So I tried it, without a problem, if anything it’s easier to meter how much air goes into the feet.

I’m not a Weezle kind of guy, so I’m not sure how( or if) the lycra would cause issues for these types of undies. With undies that don’t count on large amounts of loft, like thinsulate, this suit is perfect. I’m looking to try a layer of 4th Element stuff, too.