- Hi, guys! I'm Mark, a scuba diving instructor
from Safe Diving.
- And I'm Mark Evans,
Editor-in-Chief of Scuba Diver Magazine.
- So in this series of videos we're going
to be taking a closer look at an entire range
of the newest scuba diving equipment,
and all of these videos are sponsored
by Mike's Dive Store,
the UK's largest scuba diving retailer
and they hold most of these items
in stock at all times.
- They're also doing their bit for sustainability
by moving to eco-friendly packaging
and they also donate 1% of all their online profits
to the marine conservation charity Sea Changers.
- So, let's jump straight in.
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- So this is a Fourth Element Argonaut Drysuit.
This is a trilaminate suit.
You want to see their neoprene suit,
if you want to check here,
you'll see our review of their Hydra.
Now back to this suit.
This is their top of the range suit.
It's more described as a technical suit.
Doesn't mean you have to be a technical diver
to dive it.
It's just it's really been in the expedition divers,
it's very tough.
A lot of cave divers use it
and so the good thing is
if you're only doing recreational diving
you know it's going to withstand the rigors
that you put it through,
because you're not going to be putting
it through the ringer like they would be.
So let's start from the bottom
and work our way up.
The Argonaut boot, great boot,
nice thick sole.
So again, when you're walking on any rough terrain
you're not going to feel any sharp stone through.
So if you're doing off-shore diving
or anything, very comfortable.
The neoprene strap that goes around here
that holds the ankle in it prevents any migration
of air down your leg into your feet.
So you don't end up with the floaty feet syndrome.
So that's a nice, neat feature.
It's got these nice kneel pads on there.
Not that you should be kneeling down too much anyway
but if you're scrabbling around setting your kits up
at the beginning this will just prevent
any abrasion on the suit itself.
Now, while we're here let's talk about the material.
This is the Argonaut Stealth.
They do it in two different versions.
They do it with a normal trilaminate membrane material
but this Stealth material is very thin
and light-weight.
It's got a little bit of a stretch to it as well.
So when you're in, it's nice to move around in.
There's no restriction or anything
but apart from the boots,
which are the little bit of weight
because of them being rubber.
It's actually a very light suit.
So if you were using this to go to the Mediterranean
for instance in the winter,
it's not going to eat up all
of your valuable baggage allowance.
It's a trilaminate torso suit
which is nice because it's easy to get into
with the cross-torso zip,
and then you have this crotch zip
which comes underneath.
So it basically just holds everything down nice and tight.
It's got a pocket on either side,
a big bellows pocket.
On the flap, it has a zipper here
which is handy for small things,
a back-up torch, a small cutting tool, etc.
(Velcro opening)
but inside there's loads of room
for a DSMB in a spool, etc.
There are D-rings inside for securing your gear
and they've also got these little bungee cords,
and there's a little slot down the back
where you can put a slate if you're an instructor.
I've often seen people attaching their slates to them
so they can pull them out, refer to them,
but if they had drop them,
they're not going to disappear.
They're the same on both sides
so you've got plenty of storage space.
The cross-torso zip is the light-weight plastic zip.
So very flexible, and easy to move in compared
to a more traditional metal zip.
The end you do need to make sure that you put some
of the little gel that you get with the suit on,
otherwise you will get wet.
Believe me, I know.
Just make sure you do it out on every dive
and you'll be fine.
Moving up, got nice traditional apex inflation valve
it swivels for wherever your dry suit whip comes round.
Nice easy push-button, works liked you'd expect.
Same with the shoulder valve,
just a traditional apex one.
Spin it open,
spin it to lock,
or just anywhere in-between
to your heart's desire,
or you can just press it and it will vent as well
in an emergency if it was fully locked.
It's got a nice soft latex neck seal
and with this neoprene surround
which just adds a bit of extra warmth.
When you got your hood on you can tuck it inside
and it just prevents any cold water sitting
in there and making you feel a little bit chilled.
This is actually my suit
which is why it looks a little bit worn.
It's been well used
and it's a great suit.
Like said, nice and light-weight.
You can travel with it
but it will more than be up to the rigors
of your weekend cold water diving.
Now with the Argonaut you get this nice bag
from Fourth Element.
It actually doubles as a dry bag.
Nice Velcro opening.
Once you've got your dry suit folded up at the end
of the day you put it in here.
This is completely and utterly dry,
so you don't have to worry about it
leaking all over the floor
in the back of your car,
which is a nice feature.
You get five milli hood
nice colorful, comfortable hood
from Fourth Element.
Probably one of the better ones on the market.
Keeps you nice and warm.
You also get a set of their comfort insteps
to go into the bottom of the Argonaut boots
but they're currently fitted.
Definitely put them in.
Does make a vast difference to the comfort of your feet.
Believe me.
Remember, if you want to find out about this suit
or any more suits
check out MikesDiveStore.com
or you can go into the store.
Go and see them,
they'll size you up, make sure that the dry suit
is going to fit you properly.
So if you like what what we're doing,
hit that subscribe button, ring that bell,
and you'll never miss out on any future installments.
If you're still undecided,
check out this video,
where you can find out why you should be diving
in a dry suit,
or check out this video,
which is every thing you need to know about diving
in a dry suit in general.
Stay safe.
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