Akona wetsuit.

[Heath74]

I just wanted to know does anyone out there own an Akona wetsuit and what you think of it?



Thanks

 

[BigDiver]

My Dad and I both have Akona 7mm wetsuits. We love them for a couple reasons. They were very cheep and they work great. From my experience a wetsuit is a wetsuit. Alot of the time your just paying for name. I don't believe in all that fancy knee protecting because you should not be bouncing off the bottom anyways. But as a side note the Akona does have the knee protectors. They are also shaped for the human body, refering to the suit having natural bends in the arms and legs. The zipper is nice and large, so if the suit is snug (like is should be) the zipper will not bust.

Well there you go, that is what I think of the Akona wetsuit

 

[jonnythan]

I've got the Akona 7 mm farmer john with the 7 mm step in jacket. I absolutely love it. Comfy, fits me well, seriously warm, quite durable, and most of all inexpensive (not cheap).

Gotta agree with BigDiver... the rubber knee pads are sweet, as are the "pre-bent" legs and arms... makes for a far more natural feel than even my straight leg 3 mm farmer john.

 

[buff]

I have tried on Akona wetsuits and they are very nice.

 

[Lemonade]

Got brand new Akona 7 mil full suit yesterday. Will dive it on Saturday.

It does seem like a decent suite, fits well, looks good, but overall quality might be an issue.
Mine came with poor stitching on one sleeve (had to tie them to stop further unstitching) and one of the kneepads halfway undone (bought some glue, will fix)

I did not send it back because both problems can be easily fixed, and, if I went for another brand, I probably would have to pay at least twice as much.

So, considering the price, I’d rate it OK, but that’s about it.

Also, if it is a factor for you, Akona IS made in USA.
:huh:

 

[Curly]

Is your 7mm Akona the jumpsuit or farmer john w/ LS shortie?

If it's the jumsuit, what temperature ranges have you used it in? I really like the price of this suit, but need to decide if the farmer john would be a better buy -- most of my dives will be in the northeast. Many in lakes (read: Thermoclines). Not deep. But 55 degree waters will be encountered... Any thoughts?

 

[BigDiver]

Both my Dad and I have the 7mil jumpsuit. Lets see......
The first dives that we made this year were in 40 degree water at 80ft. Last weekend we made 5 dives in 46 degree water. The 80 ft dive wasn't too bad. (don't get me wrong at 80ft in 40 degree water your suit is paper thin and so it is cold, but not unbearable) Also note that we were not at that depth for a long time. Last weekend with the 5 dives, the most important part in staying warm was our surface interval. Since the air temp was 55-60 degrees we were sure to dry off our heads and put on a hat and coat.

So to make a long story short the coldest that I have been in was 40 degrees and it was tolerable.

PS. I did not get the farmer john because it had too much bouancy for my taste.

 

[BigDiver]

I forgot to mention that most of my diving is in lakes and quarries. So I am QUITE familiar with thermoclines. Like I had said before all those dives were short, about 30mins long.

Also we make sure that we eat good before we dive, so our body had alot of calories(energy) to pump out the heat.

 

[Curly]

Many thanks! That's exactly what I was looking for. Most of my dives, too, are lake & quarry (with the occasional ocean treat), and I just wanted to hear from someone who'd donned the 7mm jumpsuit and done some cold water diving -- and yours certainly is about as cold and deep as I will probably ever dive. Like I said, this looked like a good deal, and I've read some decent things about it, but wanted to ask those who've used it before making a decision.

Happy diving!

 

[martinjc]

I own the 3MM shorty and 6.5 MM farmer John - I like them both - and for the rpice, they can't be beat! (Man - I need a lot of weight for that Farmer John, though...)