AQUALA Drysuits: Old and New
May 14, 2019 14:20:30 GMT -8
SeaRat, DavidRitchieWilson, and 2 more like this
Post by Nemo on May 14, 2019 14:20:30 GMT -8
REVIEW: I've associated with Ty Alley since 1999 and bought six suits from him since 2002. I also own a vintage 1950's Aquala two-piece suit with hood. In comparison, the Aquala-ply on the old suit is thinner and (resultantly)a bit more flexible; but other than that, the style and construction methods of both suits seem about the same.
The only problem I ever had with any of the suits Ty sold me was, I believe, attributable to some bad rubber Ty received with other materials and tooling when he acquired the company. He was completely sedulous about that; bent over backwards as far as customer service goes.
And speaking of bending over backwards: I was setting up a Nautilus Crew Diver Jake with tanks and helmet, when the mannequin broke at the waist. The torso, tanks, and helmet fell backwards to the floor while the legs and boots remained standing. I can't describe how far that suit stretched but you can visualize it. I thought sure it would be torn in two. But no. We stood the whole thing back up and the suit showed no signs of trauma.
In actual use, we go through some physical gymnastics diving a Leagues rig and I have to say Ty's suits are comfortable; couldn't ask for more.
I've crawled around on rough black lava in Ty's suits, too, and I have no doubt they are more puncture-resistant than the old ones.
Ty's really been making an effort for Vintage SCUBA enthusiasts; I watched him work for years with his chemists to perfect his Aquala-ply formula and colors; they went the rounds many times and he didn't stop until they got it right.
Ty's refurbished website has some great pics of the suits he offers. Check 'em out. You can SEE the quality. Those are handcrafted, custom-made, better-than-vintage drysuits made right here in the good ol' USA. And, in my opinion, worth every penny of what they cost.
We're all lucky we have a guy like Ty Alley doing this; if not, the Vintage SCUBA community would be greatly diminished. He doesn't need the money; he does it for love of the genre. He digs doing it. And I think that's where we align because that's my main motivation in building the Leagues rigs, too.
AQUALA Drysuits: five stars all the way.
AQUALA
The only problem I ever had with any of the suits Ty sold me was, I believe, attributable to some bad rubber Ty received with other materials and tooling when he acquired the company. He was completely sedulous about that; bent over backwards as far as customer service goes.
And speaking of bending over backwards: I was setting up a Nautilus Crew Diver Jake with tanks and helmet, when the mannequin broke at the waist. The torso, tanks, and helmet fell backwards to the floor while the legs and boots remained standing. I can't describe how far that suit stretched but you can visualize it. I thought sure it would be torn in two. But no. We stood the whole thing back up and the suit showed no signs of trauma.
In actual use, we go through some physical gymnastics diving a Leagues rig and I have to say Ty's suits are comfortable; couldn't ask for more.
I've crawled around on rough black lava in Ty's suits, too, and I have no doubt they are more puncture-resistant than the old ones.
Ty's really been making an effort for Vintage SCUBA enthusiasts; I watched him work for years with his chemists to perfect his Aquala-ply formula and colors; they went the rounds many times and he didn't stop until they got it right.
Ty's refurbished website has some great pics of the suits he offers. Check 'em out. You can SEE the quality. Those are handcrafted, custom-made, better-than-vintage drysuits made right here in the good ol' USA. And, in my opinion, worth every penny of what they cost.
We're all lucky we have a guy like Ty Alley doing this; if not, the Vintage SCUBA community would be greatly diminished. He doesn't need the money; he does it for love of the genre. He digs doing it. And I think that's where we align because that's my main motivation in building the Leagues rigs, too.
AQUALA Drysuits: five stars all the way.
AQUALA
