Are Scuba Lab Tests reliable?

[tomgrogan]

I have been looking for a 7 mm wetsuit to purchase and have been researching several brands on the web. Scuba Diving Magazine does list some cold water suits but does not recommend one over the other. That is not much help because there seems to be close parity among several of the brands listed. I have notices on one website, Scubaboard.com, that Scuba Lab has an icon next to one wetsuit stating that it is a tester's choice as well as an editor's choice. Can one rely on their assessment? I know that one should try on several brands of suits to see which fits well but I do not live in an area where it is possible to check out more than one or two suits. Thus, I rely on reviews initially before I start to travel to try on different suits. By the way, Scuba Lab recommended the Henderson H2 Titanium Hyperstretch 7 mm suit as its choice.

 

[cerich]

In the far distant past some manufs stopped participating in Scubalab reviews because it was apparent that the reviews were flawed. My personal experience when as a sales manager of a major brand was that they took a reg apart, reassembled it incorrectly and then rated it as bad for bubble dispersion...they put the exhaust tee on upside down...

I personally don't trust the process, I have been assured they have changed protocol while being asked to pay for "Scubalab" videos that they promise will be positive to my product....maybe that would make me feel warm and fuzzy if I wanted to control the "review" but....

By the way, I think the H2 is a decent suit, I also really like the Scubapro Nova Scotia

 

[tomgrogan]

Thank you for your insight. Is there a source or a method, in your view, to determine the quality of a wetsuit without trying it on?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Best bet is to talk to people who use it. Ask them how it has held up over a year, two years, etc. How many dives are they putting on it and in what conditions. My Pinnacle 5 mil merino has around 100 dives on it. But it also has limestone mud ground into the knees and elbows from crawling through it to get into a flooded passage. It has seen saltwater and fresh. Been patched with bits of neoprene and aquaseal. Had pockets glued onto it. And it is still one tough suit that works and keeps me warm in the conditions I will use it in. My BARE 5mm is now a student suit and been abused by some good people. It is still going after 6 years and maybe 100 dives on it between me and others. Looks like less than a year old.

 

[fire_diver]

Do you think they would give a negative review to anything sold by one of thier sponsors? Have you EVER seen a bad review of anything they "tested"?

 

[Aqua-Andy]

Do you think they would give a negative review to anything sold by one of thier sponsors? Have you EVER seen a bad review of anything they "tested"?

Actually I believe I have seen one bad review. It was For an IST reg a R20 or something and they actually said they don't recommend it.

 

[fire_diver]

Actually I believe I have seen one bad review. It was For an IST reg a R20 or something and they actually said they don't recommend it.

Is IST an advertiser with that magazine?

 

[cerich]

that was like 15 years ago

Is IST an advertiser with that magazine?