Best Wetsuits
Hello, i am looking to purchase a wetsuit, and want to buy the best out there. I am looking one that has the best arm movement, and still has great buoyancy? If money isn't a concern, which one would you buy, I am doing St george in a month and Vineman in Cali. Please help, Thanks
0
Comments
I always like sleeves because if its cold enough for a wetsuit I assure you, Im freezing and well.... a little more buoyancy couldn't hurt right?! ha! Good luck at St. George!
After that, there are a few things to consider. One is that the most expensive suits tend to be made of rubber that is the easiest to tear. I had one until recently that — I swear — would get some small little tear every time I put it on. Fortunately, they were all small little rips and not a rip all the way through. (And yes, I know all the rules about how to put them on...and my other suit doesn't do that.) Maybe this comes into the "money is no object" thing.
Another is your body position. If you have sinky legs, you might actually want a suit that is only 3-4 mm in the chest but 5 mm in the legs in order to help with your body position more than one that is a uniform 5 mm throughout. Here, you'd have a preference for one brand over another, but not necessarily one model within that brand. I am pretty sure HUUB has models with variable thickness, and there may be others.
My daughter got a Roka Maverick through her club and it does seem to be very nice. I haven't used it, obviously.
I can't speak highly enough about my First Wave de Soto wetsuit. Check out this website to see the discussion about thickness that WJ mentions.
I have an ORCA sleeveless that seems fine, but like Mariah if it's wetsuit legal I'd rather use full sleeves b/c I am cold (and a terrible swimmer).
Mostly I've used a TYR Freak for the last 3 seasons. Very expensive and while it was comfortable and I got a lot of use out of it, it is exactly as William describes in that it would nick & tear despite my attempts to take good care with it. Between that and aggressive wetsuit strippers at races I was sick of patching the patches after each race. A friend and I each bought one at the same time (to get a discount) and each had to send our first ones back for replacement. TYR was fantastic with customer service on this, but the 2nd suit wasn't much better.
Because of this and a great sale I just bought a Desoto 1st Wave 2-piece suit (bib & pullover with sleeves). I only have one swim in it done, but like it a lot. Buying 2 pieces separately lets you get sizing just right, and also is not restrictive in the shoulders. It seems easier/quicker to get on & off, but this weekend will be my first race in it to confirm.
Also I am impressed with Desoto's customer service. After you order they contact you and go through some more details to make sure you get the right size for you, and they let you return the suit after using it (15-days, I think) if you don't like it.
I have an Xterra Vendetta and Roka Maverick Pro... I have done the same exact swim with both suits many times and can say without doubt that I am faster in the ROKA... How much faster? about 15-30 seconds per mile or 1-2+ minutes for an IM... Very much worth it for me... The downside on the ROKA is its thinner and colder , and reference WJ 2nd paragraph it does not hold up nearly as well as the Xterra does...
@Peter- I have had the hots to try the DeSoto First Wave .... Main reason was looking for a warmer suit.... But I'm currently considering the new Blueseventy Thermal Helix instead.
My local tri team has a deal with ROKA this year, so I'll be using their Elite model this calendar year. We'll see if they can live up to my expectations with the b70.