Xcel Wetsuits - Surf vs. Dive

[Iristyle]

I'm relatively new to diving and I'm looking into (finally) purchasing a wet suit. I've been primarily looking at the Henderson HyperStretch 7/5 (which my LDS sells), and the Xcel 765 Infiniti. Since my LDS doesn't sell Xcel suits, I've been calling around in the immediate area to compare prices, check stock, etc.

I do live in New England and obviously, the Xcel suits are going to be more popular on the west coast, given Xcel is a Hawaiian company -- so I look to the ScubaBoard members for assistance

Now for the question -- I've come across a really great deal on the Hooded Infiniti (6/5/4) -- but this is a surf suit, and aside from the obvious 1mm difference in thicknesses, it has a small number of functional differences including (from the Xcel web site):

- apparently no comfort system on the neck
- tapered ankles instead of zippered
- front shoulder area zippers instead of a back zipper
- + probably a few other minor things not shown on the site

Otherwise, the surf suit is overwhelmingly similar to the dive suit -- Titanium lining, stretch, etc. I've talked to the shop owner who has this surf suit, and he tells me that the suit he has is a 6/5/4, but it has no hood (which is actually what I'm looking for anyway) -- even though the Xcel site doesn't show a suit like that (perhaps its a previous years model?).

In any event, I'm not concerned with the fit (as I've measured myself per the detailed measurement sheet on the Xcel site), or the temperature range of the suit (I do a lot of snowboarding in the winter, and generally don't get cold easily - so the 1mm shouldn't be a problem). But I am interested in opinions on some of the functional differences with zippering and the like.

Can anyone who's used / seen / is familiar with these suits offer an opinion? The financial difference is significant, so I'm really looking to find out if it's worth saving a chunk of change and sacrificing on a suit that isn't totally designed for diving? Or is there something radically different b/w these two suits that I'm not aware of as a newbie / or is the difference more marketing than anything else?

Thanks in advance for your assistance.


-e

 

[5615mike]

Xcel makes both surf and dive wetsuits. The 765 Infinity is a dive suit not surf. Have you checked their website? Being in NE I would opt for the Polar Quad density suit with hood. I have the Hyperstretch you mentioned and it's a great suit but you have to remember that the material is not as dense as a regular suit. It compresses the deeper you go and you loose some of the warming characteristics. I always wear a microprene underneath but I don't do long dives with long deco stops in that cold of water so it your planning on that, go dry or semi-dry. My last dive was about 30 minutes with 55 water temp. Was fine til I got out in the 60 degree surface temps. Xcel makes a fine suit, better than Henderson IMO. Seams have better attention to detail and are sealed better. Did not know of them until I bought the high dollar Henderson. We all learn lessons the hard way at times. Go Xcel.

 

[zboss]

Xcel makes both surf and dive wetsuits. The 765 Infinity is a dive suit not surf. Have you checked their website? Being in NE I would opt for the Polar Quad density suit with hood. I have the Hyperstretch you mentioned and it's a great suit but you have to remember that the material is not as dense as a regular suit. It compresses the deeper you go and you loose some of the warming characteristics. I always wear a microprene underneath but I don't do long dives with long deco stops so it your planning on that, go dry or semi-dry. Xcel makes a fine suit, better than Henderson IMO. Seams have better attention to detail and are sealed better. Did not know of them until I bought the high dollar Henderson. We all learn lessons the hard way at times. Go Xcel.

I have a 3 MM and a 1.5... they are very comfortable and strechy. Also - very well built.

 

[divingdreams]

I wear a 7 mm and a 2.5 mmEcel wetsuit and I love it. I have done over 60 dives in one and 80 in the other and they have both held up wonderfully. I don't have zippers on the legs or wrists, as I don't think I need them. The only zipper I have is across my chest and it is hooded. A note about Ecel, they will custom modify what ever you need...if you are a guy, they will give you a "relief zipper" if you ask for one. But, bottom line, they are great quality suits,and their natural seams are lifetime warranty I believe. if they separate, you send it back and they will repair it...check that out...I am not sure how many other companies offer that deal.

Aloha

 

[10X]

I spent a lot of time in several dive shops looking at the Hyperstretch, Xcel Infinity, and Harvey's Kobalt, and getting opinions from the various owners. I ruled out the Harvey's because I couldn't get what I wanted in a one piece.

After trying on the Hyperstretch and Xcel, I preferred the Xcel. It's a little stiffer than the Hyperstretch but not really harder to get on because of the slippery lining. It's similar to Gold Core but Xcel calls it Titanium.

I liked the fit better too. The Hyperstretch 2XL was a bit snug while the 3XL had way too much material and it was easy to pinch it away from my body. It was just a little too loose. The Xcel fit snuggly without binding. I could easily do a valve adjustment, squats, and move easily in any direction. It was just as easy in the 7/6/5 as in the 4/3.

The Xcel also has a velcro friendly exterior, which is nice since I have the velcro held weight pockets on my Seaquest BC.

The Xcel material probably isn't quite as stretchy as the Henderson but it's stretchy enough. I also liked the ankle zippers on the Xcel that the Hyperstretch did not have.

I asked for prices on 2 suits; a 3mm and 7/5 Hyperstretch, and a 4/3 and 7/6/5 Infinity for the Xcel. The price difference was negligible, about $5. I added a 6/4 Xcel hood and a pair of Harvey's 7mm gloves and paid just shy of $780, including tax, out the door.

You can take this for what it's worth since I'm a newbie. I've only been certified for about a year and these are my first wetsuits. But I'm very happy with my purchase.

 

[mech]

I dive an xcel 976 in cold CA waters.
Damn nice suit I'm warm in the high 40's with it.
Never been cold in it either and some of the days are 3+ dive days.
If I had to complain it would have to be that it's too good of a suit.
I'm thinking of putting all $500 of it on a hanger to use as a spare because i want to go dry.
Shoulda took the fundy class sooner.

 

[Iristyle]

Thanks to all who have replied thus far.

There's certainly no doubt in my mind about the quality of Xcel suits -- this board was how I found out about them in the first place. Of the brands that I'm looking at, I'm certainly leaning towards the Xcel Infiniti product over anything Henderson has to offer.

However -- one of my initial concerns remains unanswered regarding the "good buy" I've found. What makes a surf suit (in this case the Infiniti 6/5/4) different from a dive suit (in this case the Infiniti 7/6/5)? Other than what's listed on the Xcel site, I'm looking for some real world / functional differences -- I believe there is a $50 difference in MSRP, and I'd like to know why. I suspect that the real difference is how the suits are marketed, and some minor tweaks -- but since there's no place nearby where I can see the differences in person, I'm hoping an expert in this area could confirm my suspicions. Like I said earlier, I don't want to end up with something that doesn't fit my needs, etc. Perhaps I'll contact Xcel directly and report back my findings.

Thanks again

-e

 

[Iristyle]

For those interested in the answer to my question...

I ended up calling the Xcel warehouse in Hawaii -- and the person who answered the phone there was very helpful in explaining the major difference between the surf and dive suits. I was told that the Neoprene used in the two suits is much different b/c of the suits purpose -- apparently the surf suits are designed to be much more flexible as compression is a non-issue with them. The dive suits on the other hand are stiffer because they are designed with compression resistance in mind (which I presume means the neoprene is denser), hence they insulate much better under the strenous pressure that divers face at depth. In other words, they're designed to keep divers warmer.

So I think that means I'm going to have to make sure to buy the dive variety suit