January 18, 2006: review of the O’Neill 7000x drysuit. At first glance you can't help but love the look of the O’Neill suit, And I mean loooove it . It’s a sexy looking suit, with the O’Neill logo all over it, which has become a household name in neoprene over the last 30 odd years. It comes stock with Sytech valves, which are very good valves. You see these valves more often now on good suits like Whites, DUI, Pinnacle, etc. They have chosen to go with the soft sock idea which I hate. If you are a stock large kinda guy like me, but have big feet, (even biggish) you will wrestle - sitting, standing, inverted - cursing to get the damn thing off you after the dive. O'Neill has a really cool seam sealing system using a liquid weld that holds up really well (I called the biggest O’Neill dealer in BC and asked how his dry rentals hold up). They use a standard 8 teeth per inch, medium duty zipper, and heres the bummer: neoprene wrist seals. I can't get over why anyone would want "neo-weep" wrist seals. This is like putting white walls on a Ferrari. The 3.5mm compressed model does come with latex wrists and a neoprene neck seal, which I think is the way things should be. One more negative: hope you like shoulder mounted exhaust valves, cause that’s the only place they come. Same with the 3.5 version, only it comes only on the forearm. There is also no ability for custom sizing or alterations without hassle. But hey, if you are a stock size, have small feet and don’t mind damp wrists, and sexy is big on your list, then it’s a super bargain @$995.99 MSRP... CHEAP !!!! And lets face it O’Neill is not some little back yard manufacturer. They didn’t get this big by building crap. Look for these two suits to be more flexible with options, better boot system and latex wrists soon. I give it a 7 out of 10. Hopefully my O’Neill rep doesn’t hate me for this and gives me another suit next year to test. “Breathe continuously “ Dan
Sidney Dive n Surf |