Spent $700 on a fancy drysuit valve kit, wish I had just bought the cheap rebuild parts

Last fall I ordered that new titanium valve setup for my drysuit, the one everyone in the forums swore was bulletproof. Paid $700 plus shipping from a shop in Seattle. First dive out of Port Angeles, the inlet valve stuck open on a safety stop and I came up with a suit full of water. Turns out the O-rings inside were the same size as the ones on my old setup, and my buddy had a $12 rebuild kit in his truck. They were never compatible with my suit brand anyway, the threads matched but the seal face was off by a hair. I spent three weeks sending it back and forth for a refund, lost two paying jobs because I was waiting on that thing. Has anyone else got burned by "premium" drysuit gear that just needed a standard part from a hardware store?

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