Fourth Element Argonaut – First Look November 5, 2012 by lukesheppard

Devoted fans all over the world have been waiting for Fourth Element to announce their own dry suit for years and now the wait is over. Divers that attended Eurotek and NEC Dive Show were able to see the first Argonaut suit with main divers providing positive feedback and comments upon the design and features. Fourth Element also took the opportunity to take on board a number of suggestions to further improve the final product when it is officially launched at DEMA in a couple of weeks time.

The Argonaut has been designed for use in even the harshest of conditions with careful thought about the trilaminate material composition, reinforcement panels, components and integrity of the suit to provide a tough and hard wearing suit that is also comfortable to wear and reasonably light. Each suit will be custom finished to the owner to provide a much better fit and also allow a level of customisation with regards to the components, seals and boots that can be fitted to the suit. Divers will currently be able to choose between three wrist seal options including latex or silicone seals and the Kubi dry glove system. Boots are also customisable with a choice of a standard boot, a more flexible boot for tech divers (makes it more comfortable to use in fancy kick styles) and also the option for neoprene socks. The neck seal can also be upgraded from latex to a silicone seal system. This degree of flexibility does mean that each suit will take around four to six weeks to finish with the hope that the lead time will be brought down to within four weeks once the initial orders have been fulfilled. The Fourth Element Argonaut uses the Cordura Flex trilaminate that gives great mobility without adding unnecessary weight or bulk to the suit but also ensures that the watertightness of the suit is not compromised. As an extra layer of protection all seams are taped on the outside with Duratex tape and tape lined on the inside for maximum strength. Rather than a traditional metal zip Fourth Element have fitted a T-Zip Masterseal 10 diagonal front entry zip that has an outer protective zip as well. The T-Zip is a very flexible composite zip that is not prolong to snapping between the teeth like a traditional dry zip. The zip is also able to self heal light damage to prolong the life of the zip.

The other specifications of the suit include:

• Warm neck collar
• Apeks inflate and deflate valves
• Telescopic torso for improved freedom of movement
• Two large thigh pockets with both bungee loops and hook and loop fastenings
• Duratex reinforcement panels in high wear areas

  The Fourth Element Argonaut is expected to retail at around £1599