I'm currently demoing the Roka Maverick Pro and Elite wetsuits, still undecided about which to keep. I got the Elite a few weeks ago, and with the current sale, was able to get the Pro for the same price. I thought it would be a straightforward upgrade, and I'd keep the Pro and return the Elite, but after a first swim in the Pro yesterday, I'm not so sure. In addition to being interested in whether others have experienced both and what their verdicts were, I notice there's very little out there comparing them, so I figured this might be useful to some. I'll note my first impressions below, and will update once I get in another swim or two.
The Pro uses more flexible #40 neoprene in the upper portions of the suit, versus #39 in the Elite. The difference was more subtle than I expected, and one unexpected consequence of it seemed to be a little bit of armpit chafing (despite being properly seated). But it was extremely minor, don't think it'll be much of an issue in the final decision.
The Pro has an Aerodome neoprene center panel versus the non-Aerodome neoprene in the Elite, and my impression is it was slightly more buoyant, and also contributed to more dynamic rotation, together with the different leg construction described below.
The Pro has strips of thinner neoprene running down the sides of both legs, which is supposed to help with more dynamic rotation. I definitely found the Pro to rotate more dynamically, i.e. to have more "snap," though it also felt like I could easily over-rotate. And my legs felt like they sank slightly more during rotation as a function of that reduced buoyancy, though the highly buoyant neoprene on the legs in general kept them near the surface even with minimal kicking.
The thinner neoprene strips do act as channels for a little bit of water entry, both because they cause the ankles to seal a tad less robustly and because they leave a little gap between the skin and suit that runs all the way up the sides of the legs. The effect is very modest, and unavoidable given the design, since the thinner neoprene either needs to align with the thicker neoprene on the outside of the suit, as it does, or on the inside, which would leave a groove running down the outside of the leg.
The Pro has fabric panels on the forearms, where other suits put their catch panels. Like some others, I am skeptical of the catch panel trend, I'm not convinced they actually allow more water to be pulled, plus they create unneeded complexity in a part of the suit that gets stressed repeatedly. Roka's panels aren't supposed to be catch panels, but are instead supposed to aid proprioception, i.e. feel, of the water. I'm not sure I get it, i.e. if I can in fact feel a little more of the water as it flows over my forearms, and that's a pretty subtle effect through the fabric, why would that help my stroke mechanics? Does anyone actually like this feature, i.e. if Roka were building you a custom wetsuit, would you have this included? It makes the suit come off a little less cleanly, insulate a little less well (in a spot where lots of blood flows right under the surface of the skin), and I suspect it's a failure point down the road. I find it, frankly, a bit gimmicky (and I say that as someone who's generally a huge Roka fanboy).
The Pro neckline feels slightly higher to me, though eyeballing both suits, they appear identical. Functionally this didn't seem to matter, though I preferred the feeling of the Elite neckline (assuming there is in fact a difference, maybe I was imagining it?).
Both the Pro and the Elite feel like they put me in an optimal swimming position, with a slight "downhill swimming" feeling. This is a nice contrast to some other wetsuits out there, which swathe the upper body in thicker neoprene and float it too high relative to the legs.
Curious if others have compared these suits and what their reactions were. Also interested if folks who just have experience with one of the suits want to chime in. Part of me wishes I'd ordered a Comp, too, just to be able to compare, though my guess is I'd find the Elite a significant upgrade over it, so I doubt it would ultimately be in the running.
The Pro uses more flexible #40 neoprene in the upper portions of the suit, versus #39 in the Elite. The difference was more subtle than I expected, and one unexpected consequence of it seemed to be a little bit of armpit chafing (despite being properly seated). But it was extremely minor, don't think it'll be much of an issue in the final decision.
The Pro has an Aerodome neoprene center panel versus the non-Aerodome neoprene in the Elite, and my impression is it was slightly more buoyant, and also contributed to more dynamic rotation, together with the different leg construction described below.
The Pro has strips of thinner neoprene running down the sides of both legs, which is supposed to help with more dynamic rotation. I definitely found the Pro to rotate more dynamically, i.e. to have more "snap," though it also felt like I could easily over-rotate. And my legs felt like they sank slightly more during rotation as a function of that reduced buoyancy, though the highly buoyant neoprene on the legs in general kept them near the surface even with minimal kicking.
The thinner neoprene strips do act as channels for a little bit of water entry, both because they cause the ankles to seal a tad less robustly and because they leave a little gap between the skin and suit that runs all the way up the sides of the legs. The effect is very modest, and unavoidable given the design, since the thinner neoprene either needs to align with the thicker neoprene on the outside of the suit, as it does, or on the inside, which would leave a groove running down the outside of the leg.
The Pro has fabric panels on the forearms, where other suits put their catch panels. Like some others, I am skeptical of the catch panel trend, I'm not convinced they actually allow more water to be pulled, plus they create unneeded complexity in a part of the suit that gets stressed repeatedly. Roka's panels aren't supposed to be catch panels, but are instead supposed to aid proprioception, i.e. feel, of the water. I'm not sure I get it, i.e. if I can in fact feel a little more of the water as it flows over my forearms, and that's a pretty subtle effect through the fabric, why would that help my stroke mechanics? Does anyone actually like this feature, i.e. if Roka were building you a custom wetsuit, would you have this included? It makes the suit come off a little less cleanly, insulate a little less well (in a spot where lots of blood flows right under the surface of the skin), and I suspect it's a failure point down the road. I find it, frankly, a bit gimmicky (and I say that as someone who's generally a huge Roka fanboy).
The Pro neckline feels slightly higher to me, though eyeballing both suits, they appear identical. Functionally this didn't seem to matter, though I preferred the feeling of the Elite neckline (assuming there is in fact a difference, maybe I was imagining it?).
Both the Pro and the Elite feel like they put me in an optimal swimming position, with a slight "downhill swimming" feeling. This is a nice contrast to some other wetsuits out there, which swathe the upper body in thicker neoprene and float it too high relative to the legs.
Curious if others have compared these suits and what their reactions were. Also interested if folks who just have experience with one of the suits want to chime in. Part of me wishes I'd ordered a Comp, too, just to be able to compare, though my guess is I'd find the Elite a significant upgrade over it, so I doubt it would ultimately be in the running.