wetsuits to avoid?

[ianw2]

The difference is in the forumlation of the rubber surrounding the bubbles.

A surfer needs to have a flexible suit that can offer thermal protection. The surfer is not going to dive to depths deep enough to compress the neoprene and can afford to trade the strength needed in the SCUBA wetsuit for the lfexibility needed to ride a surf board.

The SCUBA diver is not going through gyrations that require a huge degree of flexibility. The SCUBA diver can trade some of the flexibility for the resilitancy and strength of a SCUBA wetsuit.

The surfing wetsuit CAN be used for SCUBA diving. The problem is that the compression and expansion will break the suit down quickly. The SCUBA wetsuit can be used for surfing. The problem is that there isn't going to be the extreme flexibility in the suit to allow the range of motion required to surf a short board.

As far as the gas in the bubbles, I wonder if any of the neoprene manufactureers has data on gas composition and thermal protection that they can share? Some drysuit divers use argon in their drysuits because of the superior thermal insulation properties of that gas.

Ian

 

[wreckchick]

I avoid "previously owned". Every other one I've had has worked fine.

Rachel

 

[robint]

as far as what kind of gas, I can't remember right now. I went through a seminar with a manufacturer a few years ago where we cut apart various suits, ran tests, etc. and saw a demo on resilience of bubbles. It was a huge eye opener for me as I thought neoprene was neoprene.

Personally, I have several suits, different thicknesses and uses, and fit is a very important factor, too. BUT a cheaper surfing wetsuit is worthless to me. I wear a 3mm fullsuit in 80 degree water, and 7mm with gloves and hood in 60 degree water. I dive in a drysuit also but that's a whole other animal completely.

 

[covediver]

I have owned a lot of different wetsuits. The only one I would never recommend is Body Glove. I would have at one time, but in pursuit of the mass market they sacrificed quality (in my opinion) and have never quite recovered.

I know people who dive surf suits. For them, depends on a lot of things. They have pointed out to me that surf "polar" suits work well for them for diving. But these are teenagers with high energy levels. Also, as a matter of design, surf suits tend to be cut to allow more movement in the torso and shoulder. So while you can use some surf suits, I wouldn't count on it.

 

[Cleavitt]

Interesting. I too always thought that neoprene was neoprene (except normal vs high-stretch types). I'll have to keep this in mind next time I purchase a wetsuit.

 

[offthewall1]

Avoid overpriced wetsuits
a 3mm shorty should cost no more than $75
a 3mm full suit no more than $125
a 5mm suit no more than $175
a 7mm suit no more than $275

Modern wetsuits are much the same as all other modern dive equipment. Too often you overpay for name recognition. There are a couple of exceptions to the above rule... but not many. One super nice wetsuit that is worth paying more for is the Seasoft X Series suits. With built in neck seal, a thigh pocket, ankle zippers and more.. it stands out as one worth more than the others

Good suits that I've worn:
Seasoft
Henderson
Cressi-sub
Akona
Tilos

Hope that helps...

 

[JahJahwarrior]

I have noticed thatthe blue stripe on my wetsuit has faded a good amount in the past year, with about 35 dives on it. it's a used suit, but the blue used to be much more vibrant.

 

[robint]

Avoid overpriced wetsuits
a 3mm shorty should cost no more than $75
a 3mm full suit no more than $125
a 5mm suit no more than $175
a 7mm suit no more than $275

Modern wetsuits are much the same as all other modern dive equipment. Too often you overpay for name recognition. There are a couple of exceptions to the above rule... but not many. One super nice wetsuit that is worth paying more for is the Seasoft X Series suits. With built in neck seal, a thigh pocket, ankle zippers and more.. it stands out as one worth more than the others

Good suits that I've worn:
Seasoft
Henderson
Cressi-sub
Akona
Tilos

Hope that helps...

Some suits may cost in the price range you are giving but not all suits that are good are that inexpensive. Henderson, Aqualung, and Pinnacle make really exceptional suits in my opinion and the suits last well. I am also a big fan of the super-stretchy suits as they are easier to put on when you are on a moving boat plus they allow for a moderate amount of weight gain/loss without having to buy a new suit. They do tend to be double the $$ of their counterpart but to ME they are worth it. I dive alot and I hate getting tired putting on and taking off my suit. So it all depends on how much you dive and how much you have to spend.

robint

 

[cold diver]

I have an Oceanic (don't remember the model) 7MM John and 7MM shorty, it has about 50 dives on it and it isn't as warm as it was new, and is wearing badly around the zippers. I wouldn't buy it again. Wife has a Waterproof brand, very nice and heavy compared to my suit. Your milage may vary but I think I got what I paid for, an inexpensive suit. My next suit is going to be dry.

 

[CoyKoi]

Based just on my experience, avoid Seaquest X-Flex wetsuits with the powdery blue fabric. Mine started to fall apart after just 25 dives. The legs fell off within 1-2 years. I've heard other divers diving that wetsuit have better luck if the fabric isn't the powder blue one. I think they changed the fabric they used after a while.

I've found that most of the light blue fabrics on wetsuits I've owned deteriorate far more quickly than the rest of the suit. I wonder if anyone else has had that experience?

I've seen your raggedy ol' suit, Dr. Bill -- Isn't that what you're still diving?

(By the way, folks, this is said with affection. Dr. Bill is one of the best divers I know and a heck of a nice guy!)