wetsuit comparisons & info

I do not have all the info you are looking for, but I am 5'11 145 and have a medium Promotion wetsuit that fits perfect. You might need the med-tall. I hope that helps.

If you get the answers to all these quesions you will be the most popular person on the forum...

So there are a lot of wetsuits to choose from. Since you are buying on the web....first make sure you can return it if it does not fit properly. Second choose a reputable brand - there are many. Are their differences.....Most of the wetsuit companies offer several levels of wetsuits....low end to high end. The difference typically being the type of rubber used....higher end suits are usually made of better rubber making them lighter and more flexible.

Differences between manufacturers - lots of it is just personal preference. You will find people who have tried many wetsuits.....kind of like going through goggles.....and then you will have those that bought one it worked and they are satisfied. It's kind of like asking someone if they like campy or dura ace......if they ride campy they are a campy fan if they ride dura ace they are a dura ace fan....It doesn't necessarily mean one is bad and one is good.

DeSoto - wear one - sell them.......really like it. Advantage to a taller person two pieces may be fit you better and you can get two different sizes.....I think the company is a great company and they stand by their products and are always willing to help their customers. Their wetsuit is unique and I like that as well.

Rocket Science Sports is introducing their new wetsuits in a week. They are making their debut at IMAZ. They are a very innovative company with quality products so I would definately say that their wetsuits will be top quality.

I also like the nineteen wetsuits and the 2XU.

The lifetime warranty importance probably depends on how much your are going to use it and how long you realistically think you might have it....

Do you happen to have the 2006 buyers guide of inside triathlon.....they don't really compare wetsuits, but they do talk about them.

Maybe you should choose like girls choose shoes......the one that "looks" the best ~ forget comfort!!

>1. Does desoto T1 really offer any great technical advantage? They claim to be the first >maker to put you in the "downhill" swim position. Are they better or different than other >brands?

Depends who you ask... the idea of better or worse is still defined by the fit. Everything else is simple the details. If you have never worn many different styles and brands, it difficult to define the details.

The idea of swimming downhill does have it's advantages for certain swimmers. Is this advantage generic in nature? ... I am not sure. As for myself, I notice some difference and perhaps some advantage but I also can adapt my hip rotation and balance to accomodate for the wetsuits changes to my normal swim position (i.e., without a wetsuit).

That being said, the idea of downhill swimming has been countered by the competitors claim that the downhill swim position compromises the overall floatation advantage because of the reduced torso neoprene thickness. On the other hand, the thinner neoprene plus no zipper makes the flexibility unmatch... therefore, the fatique factor is less and the ability to swim stronger longer is suppose to be enhanced. As for myself... I would agree with this comfort factor of having less fatique and stronger/more complete stroke of the DeSoto two piece.

>2. Promotion offers a lifetime warranty on their seams. How important do you think this is? >I'm not aware of other makers that offer this.

All the better brand names provide some sort of warranty... having a warranty on the seams is not that imporatant since if the wetsuit fits properly the seam will far outlast the neoprene itself or the zipper. The biggest threat to the life of a wetsuit is the transition area and the damage than can occur. Overall, the most important aspect of a wetsuit is customer service... Promotion and DeSoto provide excellent customer service.

>3. On a similar note, one thing I'm interested in is the lifetime of the wetsuit. Are any brands >known to generally last longer? I don't want to plunk down an extra $100 for a better wetsuit >if it doesn't last long.

As I noted earlier, it is the care of the wetsuit that determines it's life... neoprene simply doesn't wear out in typical race use only... If you swim regularly in open water... then, yes... a wetsuit will have a shorter life. As for additional cost, well it has less to do with the life of the wetsuit as it does the material and it's bouyance and/or slickness... the bouyance is determined by a more "pure" (for lack of a better term without going into details about the chemical makeup) type of neoprene whose key advanages determines how much water is absorbed. The "slickness" determines how easy the wetsuit comes off when wet. There is also a elasticity issue... but, that is mostly a correlation to thickness and how the design applies those various thickness to provided the maximum bouyance with flexibility. Personally, there is not a huge difference between the higher end material vs. the lower cost neoprene... only if you try them simulataniously will you notice the difference.

BTW, the "skin" differences (i.e., ribbed, bumps, rough, etc.)are mostly a marketing hype that provides very little advantage for 99.99% of the swimmers.

>4. It's been really hard to tell from the forums how wetsuits compare. It seems a lot of >people like the kind they purchased. I saw several links to other websites with descriptions of >various wetsuits. But I'd like to see some head-to-head comparisons. Does anyone have any >info about this? i.e. comparisons of buoyancy or similar data?

The reason is simple... it goes back to how the suit fits. There are as many definition of what makes a good wetsuit as there are body types and sizes. The key differences are determined by the bodies natural bouyance differences and not so much the bouyance provided by the wetsuit. How the swimmer adapts to the wetsuit also makes a very big difference.

In terms of studies, there are two that I know of... one said, full wetsuits proved a more efficient of effort for swimmers when compared to sleeveless. Another, simply noted that swimmers effort is reduced by the use of a wetsuit but the time saved was a by product of the swimmer initial level of swimming proficiency... basically, if your a bad swimmer you will gain the largest percentage advantage.

> 5. Fit is obviously extremely imporant - but since I have to buy my wetsuit over the web (no >nearby shops), anyone out there who is tall and skinny - what brand do you have? I'm 6' and >155lbs.

Almost ALL wetsuit mfg. have an excellent return policy...however, if you buy it through a retailer you need to check the return policy. For example if you call DeSoto or Promotion, they will send you a couple of sizes that will most closely match you body type (not just height and weight). Try them out... swim in them (very important)... pick the one you like and send back those that don't fit as well or cause problems such as excessive chafing or rubbing (specially in the neck and underarm area).

Finally, the only way you are ever going to certain about whether or not you have the best wetsuit is to do 20 plus yrs. of triathlons using various wetsuits over hundreds of different types of triathlons in many different environments. Until then, you simply have to start out with the best wetsuit that fits within the price range that you can afford.

You will not go wrong with a wetsuit that fits. And, fit does not mean you put it on and it feels good. Nope... in fact - because of their cut, they typically don't feel good while standing in them - they usually feel better when your in a prone position with your hands over your head - just like a typical swim position... good fit means you swam in the thing for some time and it caused no problems.

FWIW Joe Moya

Edited by Joe M 2006-04-04 10:45 PM

Thanks everyone, and a shameless bump to see if any other opinions are out there...

Bought one (from her) used it once in the pool so far, absolutely LOVE it! Knocked 6 minutes off my 1.2 mile time without even puhing it. And yes, I'm a slow simmer, so any advantage to me is a good thing!

Highly recommeded!