I got my B70 Axis wetsuit just over 2 years ago. It has been great, loved the suit, but this weekend I noticed that the dimpled neoprene around the butt and legs has started to perish.
When you stretch the material of that one panel it is covered in tiny cracks, some of which have started to become holes. There is no way I will be able to fill these holes as they appear, there will be far too many. The non dimpled material is fine. In fact the cracking stops dead at the seams where the dimpled fabric meets the standard wetsuit fabric.
I spoke to Blue Seventy. They said the suit is out of warranty, I assume the warranty is a year, and that there must have been an external source causing it to degrade. They mentioned chlorine or something in the lake water (I have never used it in a pool and swim in Canadian fresh water lakes) so I don’t think it can be that. There is also the fact that it affects one panel only and stops dead at the seam, the other dimpled panels on the leg are unaffected. I am quite particular about my suit (in fact about all of my kit) and take a great deal of care with it. The rest of the suits is in great condition.
I thought there may have been an issue with the material used for that particular panel. They said no-one else had reported anything … so the main point of my post is to ask people about the condition of the dimpled neoprene used in B70 suits … I think the Axis and Helix both use it.
They kindly offered a discount on another suit but a $600 suit should last more than a couple of seasons.
I was getting about 1 year per Helix. Never in a pool. Treated very well. But the material would start to crumble and small pore like holes would start to develop. I assumed it was from the very flexible material and the amount of stretching the material took on. Really annoying and frustrating.
Here are some example. I have a feeling it is that particular panel that is at fault, a bad batch maybe. As you can see from the first image, as soon as it gets to the seam and the material changes to the non dimpled neoprene it is in perfect condition. I am not sure whether to take the discount and buy another suit from B70 or cut my losses and go elsewhere.
My Orca 3.8 (high end, stretchy, thin panels in the shoulders and limbs) is incredibly delicate. Tears if I look at it wrong. I’m on my second suit in 2 years (first one leg tore beyond repair) and already I had to patch it twice.
The Orca Sonar (mid range, 5mm throughout, shoulders not so flexible) is a tank. I bought it 5 years ago and it still looks brand new.
Have you allowed your suit to sit for a while without use?
If you do take an ‘off season’ from wetsuit swimming, it is high recommended that you soak your suit before putting it on the first time in the new season.
Neoprene can dry a little bit when it sits for long periods of time, just like rubber, but faster. Once you put the suit on after a long period of no use, the stretching of the neoprene can cause some cracks to develop.
A good soak in the tub/ shower should give it back some moisture, and should help to prevent these cracks from occurring. It doesn’t take long to revive the suit.
This isn’t the end all be all for an issue such as this. But ensuring that you fully rinse the suit after each use and hang to dry will also help to prolong the life of the suit. Which it sounds like you are doing.
Life expectancy of a wetsuit is a relative term, and will depend on who you ask. In all honesty, a wetsuit will last longer when you take care of it, but neoprene isn’t a material that lasts forever. It can lose some elasticity after a lot of use, as well as start to break down a little bit. The water you swim in and how you treat your suit can affect the life of the suit. But you should get several seasons out of a suit, no matter if it’s a $200 or $1200 suit.
To be honest I did not soak the suit prior to putting it back on. It probably went unused from october 2012 to May 2013. It is always dried inside out first, out of the sun, and then right side out. I built up an extra wide hanger as well, which I have used since I had it.
Again, the issue is specific to that particular panel. Is there any form of moisturiser that can be used on neoprene? Something like 303 Protectant?
Usage … maybe 20 - 30 times a year, this is it’s third season and I have only used it four times this year so probably a lot less than 100 times in total.
The only thing that I would recommend, other than water, if you are planning to use something, would be a wetsuit conditioner.
It sounds as though you are doing a good job of caring for the suit. keep it up.
The ‘aerodome’ rubber is a very soft rubber and the area I believe you are describing sees a lot of stretching, especially when putting the suit on. This could possibly be why you are only seeing this on that one panel.
I can’t speak to the exact specifics for this suit. B70 would need to help you there, but wetsuits in general have the same care instructions.