1. No
2. No
3. Yes
4. An article on Slowtwitch led me to buying my first and only suit, which is Sailfish suit.
5. Sailfish One 7
6. I don't need more than one suit so no.

Kia Ora Emilio, and Happy New Year.

1) No
2) No (but I have raced exclusively in DeSoto Forza 2 and 1 pieces since 2005).
3) slightly,
4) but been put off by the challenges of buying from UK and New Zealand - I'm not put off by the customs charges - that's a legitimate part of life, it's the delay or more specifically the issue if something didn't fit/needed returning. In reality last time I bought then I ended up just buying a second suit as the cost of posting back would have been almost the same as the replacement, but with added grief of getting a customs declaration for export.
5) Huub Aegis that is well past replacement - rubber cracked under right armpit, neck ripped and blued back. Also have a Huub thermal that I'm not using at the moment (in fairness it's borderline no wetsuit temps)
6) Full honesty, maybe.... In part depends on how a race goes next Saturday as that's going to set my plans up for when I'd need a new 'A-race' suit. Because of my odd body shape then there is an appeal for the 2 piece. I'm really leggy tall but with 'normal' spine, so when sizing wetsuits off normal charts I've spent years going too big as the weight is actuall mainly stickign out the bottom of the wetsuit that finishes half way up my calf and then is a bit baggy around the body.

Again, I'd also note that whilst the 2005 shorts (rubber logo) finally gave up after continued use on the trainer about 2 years ago, the 2008 forza compression shorts were used on Wednesday and still in almost perfect condition despite weekly use. Still so comfortable it's freakish. Also I've never worn anything like the black and white checked forza one-piece I've used for last 4 years in relation to people commenting how good it looks - relatively rare (especially down here) and if it looks good stretched over my frame .

i'm not answering your questions directly, but i will say this. i've been in a lot of wetsuit brands, and i own a lot of wetsuits and, general rule of thumb, if open water swimming, in a race or as a workout, the very first wetsuit i pull out for the purpose is my T1. what the T1 lacks are all the fabric panels, pulling panels, and other gimmicks that don't work but you have to have them in the wetsuit in order to not be out-featured. (in my own testing, such "features" often slow the wetsuit down).

i have no trouble swimming in sailfish (for example). but one thing i have noticed is in recent years wetsuit companies are often wildly variant from their own size charts. as you know, you were one of the very last companies to produce wetsuits in the U.S., so you know what goes into this, and you had a chance to fine tune your patterns yourself, and to create size charts that match the patterns and the materials you use. many other wetsuit brands just went to china or taiwan or thailand and took for granted whatever those factories told them. as a result, a lot of today's 1pc wetsuits might fit somebody, but in many cases none of those brands' wetsuit sizes fit me. sailfish, yes. blueseventy and so on. others, no.

i don't think all wetsuits need to be 2pc, but it's god's own mystery to me why maybe half the wetsuit market isn't 2pc.

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

 

1. Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? NO
2. Do you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? NO
3. Have you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? YES
4. If yes, what stopped you from buy it? PRICE
5. What brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now? ROKA Maverick Pro (which was gifted to me)
6. Would you buy one at 50% off right now? 40% chance I'd pull the trigger.

1. Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? No
2. Do you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? No
3. Have you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? No
4. If yes, what stopped you from buy it?
5. What brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now? Huub Agilis
6. Would you buy one at 50% off right now? Maybe

 

1. Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? Yes-but bought in classifieds and top didn't fit, so I resold it.
2. Do you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? No
3. Have you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? Yes
4. If yes, what stopped you from buy it? Cost, at the time I spent less on a competitor. It did the job, but don't love it.
5. What brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now? Xterra. Don't love it. I am bigger in the chest, and feel the set up you have would be better...just spent a ton of money on other things at Christmas and not sure what the wife would think if I bought something else...but it is on my list of things to update.
6. Would you buy one at 50% off right now? I'd really strongly consider it!

---

the world's still turning? >>>>>>> the world's still turning

1. Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? Yes
2. Do you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? Yes 3 of them
3. Have you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? Yes
4. If yes, what stopped you from buy it? I bought 3 over the years as my body changed size
5. What brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now? T1
6. Would you buy one at 50% off right now? No the T1s I bought many years ago are still in perfectly good condition

Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? NO
Do you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? NO
Have you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? YES
If yes, what stopped you from buy it? Trying on the2 piece
What brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now? Roka Maverik Sleeveless
Would you buy one at 50% off right now? Really not sure. I'd be intrigued

---

David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

1. Yes
2. No
3. Yes and did
4. Sold it because of the three wetsuits I tested, it was the slowest for me
5. Xterra full suit
6. No

1. Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? No
2. Do you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? No
3. Have you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? Yes
4. If yes, what stopped you from buy it? Price and features
5. What brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now? Roka Elite, Blue Seventy Swim Run, and a Synergy Endorphin Quick John
6. Would you buy one at 50% off right now? I'd like to have a T1 Speedvest and Speedtube to add to the collection, but even at 50% off it's not cheap and it fits the same niche the Quick John currently fills.

Thanks,
Greg

Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit?
Yes
Do you currently own a T1 Wetsuit?
Yes
Have you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit?
Of course
If yes, what stopped you from buy it?
What brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now?
T1
Would you buy one at 50% off right now?
Good question. 2 things I love in my T1 are the 2 pieces AND the 5 mm arms. But current T1 has not the 5 mm arms anymore….

 

1. Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? YES
2. Do you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? YES
3. Have you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? YES
4. If yes, what stopped you from buy it? NOTHING, I bought it
5. What brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now? QR (not sure on model) and De Soto T1
6. Would you buy one at 50% off right now? Possible

Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? No.
Do you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? No.
Have you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? Yes.
If yes, what stopped you from buy it? Cost.
What brand and model wetsuit do you swim in now? Xterra Vengeance fullsuit
Would you buy one at 50% off right now? No.

1. No
2. No
3. No
4. -
5. Roka Maverick X2
6. No, I spent all my early season tri money already!

But nice job getting me to look and read about a product I've never considered :)

Here are my questions and complaints:

Looks very newbish, I almost didn't even get passed the first page with the very chunky race lines on the sleeves and the (sorry!) kinda tacky gigantic logo display on the chest. I already feel like a tool wearing the same wetsuit as everyone else. This one just makes me feel like a weirdo. I guess a weirdo is better than a tool...?

On substance --- seems like a great idea. I like that arms are less constricted. I wonder if the top half of the suit will ride up. And I wonder if I can just use the bottom half of the suit with my tri suit underneath it or are both required?

And finally, the price for the two parts together is prohibitively high even though the product does seem to offer in theory a unique selling point that no one else has. It's still pricier than I would want to spend. Naturally my Roka suit was on one of the 40-50% off sales 2 years ago, as I definitely wouldn't have bought this expensive model either. Truth be had, I feel like the neoprene in the lesser version Maverick was way more durable.

Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? No
Do you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? No
Have you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? No
If yes, what stopped you from buy it?
What brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now? Blueseventy Helix
Would you buy one at 50% off right now? No

1. Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? Yes
2. Do you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? Yes
3. Have you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? Yes
4. If yes, what stopped you from buy [sic] it?
5. What brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now? Race in a 2XU. My old T1 (silver surfer) is for occasional ows training and for taking on vacations (ex. some warmth when snorkeling).
6. Would you buy one at 50% off right now? No, not in the market currently.

---

ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

From a DeSoto user since 1999, and a T1 user since 2005:

1. Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? YES. I'm on my 2nd. 1st full suit bought in 2005, second full suit bought in 2018, Speedvest bought in 2021.
2. Do you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? YES.
3. Have you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? YES.
4. If yes, what stopped you from buy it? I didn't. I bought it. Honestly, my weight (sometimes) fluctuates, and the T1 always fits
5. What brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now? DeSoto T1
6. Would you buy one at 50% off right now? My current T1 has seen a lot of use from (almost) weekly ow swims from April through November the last few years. I might need a new one.

Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? Yes.
Do you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? No
Have you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? Yes
If yes, what stopped you from buy it? At least for me, despite the two piece design, I found the T1 too restrictive in the shoulders. I find Roka to be much more free in the shoulder area which matters to me since I have bad shoulders. This is obviously subjective but the difference was noticeable for me.
What brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now? Roka Maverick
Would you buy one at 50% off right now? No. wetsuit sales occur every year but essentially every company. It would take more than 50% to motivate me to buy what I don’t need.

1. Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? Yes
2. Do you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? Yes
3. Have you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? Yes
4. If yes, what stopped you from buy it? Initially did not purchase based on price and "perceived value" or should I say marketing of others.
5. What brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now? DeSoto T1
6. Would you buy one at 50% off right now? If i didn't already have one, yes!

I have had bad contact dermatitis (itching rash) from other wetsuits. I contacted many manufacturers and was given no advice or direction. Emilio was the only one that gave me a plan to see if I could wear his wetsuit and tolerate the materials. I followed his advice and was able to successfully wear the T1 with no rashing (so far after 2+ years!) From a purely cosmetic/vain sense, I do wish the graphics were more apealling, but hey I'll take zero graphics if it means no itching for weeks after wearing!

1. Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? Yes
2. Do you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? Yes
3. Have you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? Have Several (pullover, speed vest, speed tube)
4. If yes, what stopped you from buy it?
5. What brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now? Also have 2XU, TYR
6. Would you buy one at 50% off right now? Just bought a speed vast during the BF sale, but would consider the bib John

I really appreciate your reply. If that article was written by Dan Empfield, I hope this words in this thread will sway you to feel otherwise about our T1 Wetsuits, at least when the time comes to replace your current wetsuits.

"i'm not answering your questions directly, but i will say this. i've been in a lot of wetsuit brands, and i own a lot of wetsuits and, general rule of thumb, if open water swimming, in a race or as a workout, the very first wetsuit i pull out for the purpose is my T1. what the T1 lacks are all the fabric panels, pulling panels, and other gimmicks that don't work but you have to have them in the wetsuit in order to not be out-featured. (in my own testing, such "features" often slow the wetsuit down).
i have no trouble swimming in sailfish (for example). but one thing i have noticed is in recent years wetsuit companies are often wildly variant from their own size charts. as you know, you were one of the very last companies to produce wetsuits in the U.S., so you know what goes into this, and you had a chance to fine tune your patterns yourself, and to create size charts that match the patterns and the materials you use. many other wetsuit brands just went to china or taiwan or thailand and took for granted whatever those factories told them. as a result, a lot of today's 1pc wetsuits might fit somebody, but in many cases none of those brands' wetsuit sizes fit me. sailfish, yes. blueseventy and so on. others, no.

i don't think all wetsuits need to be 2pc, but it's god's own mystery to me why maybe half the wetsuit market isn't 2pc.

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

---

Emilio De Soto II
Maker of triathlon clothing, T1 Wetsuits, & Saddle Seat Pads and AXS since 1990
emilio@desotosport.com http://www.desotosport.com

SusanH wrote:

1. Yes
2. No
3. Yes and did
4. Sold it because of the three wetsuits I tested, it was the slowest for me
5. Xterra full suit
6. No

THANKS FOR YOUR feedback. It has been our history that if the T1 Wetsuit swims slower than others, especially the Xterra, it means you were likely in the wrong size suit. We take great pride in making sure all our customers are fitted into the correct size. In order to do this it would be most helpful if you would provide us with the following information as specified below:

• GENDER
• HEIGHT
• WEIGHT (accuracy helps us provide a more accurate size)
• CHEST (measured as the largest part of circumference right over the pectoral muscle)
• WAIST (circumference measured at the belly-button line - this is NOT the same as your pant waist size)
• HIPS (circumference measured at the widest point, NOT at your hips where your belt may go. Typically this will measure just a few inches below your hip bones and around the largest part of the glutes)

If you do not have a tape measure use a belt, or your smartphone power cord, along with a ruler or a house tape measure.
Our size chart provides a general guide to proper fit of our products. It was derived by algorithms we have created based on measurements from thousands of customers who have ordered from us over the past three decades. It compares five measurements (HEIGHT, WEIGHT, CHEST, WAIST AND HIPS) with the understanding that one cannot accurately look at just a few of the measurements and conclude the size.

---

Emilio De Soto II
Maker of triathlon clothing, T1 Wetsuits, & Saddle Seat Pads and AXS since 1990
emilio@desotosport.com http://www.desotosport.com