wet suit

My first wetsuit was a TYR Category 1 (though a women's--I'm female!) Honestly was not that impressed. It's adequate, however.

On the plus side, it is warm and provides a lot of buoyancy. Good for beginners or others who are weak swimmers, or very cold water.

On the minus side, I felt like the shoulder area was too restrictive and my arms felt more fatigued than normal while swimming in it. This may have been partly a fit issue, or one with my strength and body build. I'm really slightly built and strength is not my forte. This was also the first wetsuit I ever had, so maybe I just wasn't used to swimming in one. When I got my next suit, a slightly higher-end model from a different company, the shoulder panels had thinner, more flexible material, and I found it was a lot easier to swim, without sacrificing warmth. But maybe I had just gained some pper-body strength during that time. It also seemed like the Category 1 wasn't that durable. I only wore it for a few races a year, but even in the first year it developed some tears, I think from other athletes' fingernails. (Maybe more of an issue for women-only start waves?!). After three years and probably only six or seven races plus maybe ten training swims, it was beyond repair and had to be replaced. I wasn't impressed.

That being said, I did swim my fastest HIM split in that suit. (That was when the latest tear became a pretty big hole and I did the whole swim terrified it would fill with water and I would have to get out of the suit mid-race--actually possible in that particular event as we were circling a lake with lots of docks--and freeze in 62 degree water!)

thanks for the reply and all of the good info. All Im really looking for is something to wear for a couple of sprints this year. If I decided to continue with tris next year (I'm sure I will) i will spend some money for an upgrade.

Just realized I didn't answer the second question. The difference between sleeved and sleeveless would be mainly in the area of shoulder mobility. But you would sacrifice a bit of warmth and buoyancy for that. Probably not much of an issue if you're a strong swimmer and don't plan on swimming in really cold water (under about 60-65F, depending on your comfort level). But weaker swimmers and the cold-sensitive would probably be better off in a sleeved suit.

The Cat. 1 is fine as a "first suit", just not really that great compared to slightly more expensive ones.