I don’t followed for the last few years the new wetsuit technology that appeared on the market. I must changed mine this year and I would like to have your opinion about which wetsuit compagny you considered is currently doing the best wetsuit for a not so bad swimmer (~20’30 / 1500m). In other words, what is the equivalent of the Cervelo P5 / Specialized Shiv in the swimming world?
Oh… and yes I know the Tyr Freak of Nature. I looking for wetsuit more in the normal range of 600-800$.
B70 Helix
TYR Cat5
Zoot zForce 4.0
Nineteen Rogue
Those are the top of the food chain. I like B70 Helix for the flexibility, but I’m itching to try the new Zoot zForce 4.0. It looks like they finally might have made a flexible shoulder suit.
What are the reasons those wetsuit set appart of the rest?
I have a Blue Seventy Helix, and I love it. Like prattzc said, the shoulders are super flexible and comfortable, even for my swimmer shoulders.
I love my DeSoto two piece.
Comfort, type of material, lack of seams, amount of different thickness panels, wrist cuffs, neck chaffing.
Lower end wetsuits tend to just use one thickness for the entire suit. Having 5mm in the shoulder area is not useful for most swimmers. 5mm in the chest, hips, and legs is good for crappy swimmers like me to keep above the water line. If you have EXCELLENT position in the water, then you really want a thinner suit. Like Michael Phelps “excellent” swimmer. For the rest of us, we want body posiotion which requires more material as I noted.
Seams: less seams = less chaffing, generally.
Low neck = water barrier and less chaffing when sighting.
Wrist cuffs = less water going in the suit on each stroke.
He said “good swimmer”.
LOL, just kidding.
I precise “not so bad” in the post description 
.
Speaking of which, are you ready for OSide? I REALLY wish I was racing it this year. I need revenge on that course. 2010 kicked my butt.
Hello, Emilio De Soto here. You are fortunate to have representatives from quite a few great wetsuit companies here on the forum. So your post will offer a number of suggestions. I will agree that fit most important, but you also need to take into account how much you want to spend, water temperatures where you will be using the wetsuits as well as what your goals are with using the wetsuit. Finally study the warranties of the brands you buy.
A two piece wetsuit has been shown to be bit more forgiving if they do not fit properly. We have witnessed many triathletes who have bought a T1 over the past 10 years either gain weight or drop weight that would require them to go up or down a size in a one-piece, but not be the case with their T1. A change in weight at most would only require replacing either the Pullover or the Bibjohn, but rarely both pieces.
Also, if you swim in a rather wide range of water temperatures, it would be important to consider how your body responds to being in one wetsuit for the varying temperatures. Many people are just fine in their wetsuit in cold water, but feel like they are going to suffocate from the heat in warmer water. With the T1 modular design, if you want a top for warmers waters, you can buy just our Speedvest to wear with your Bibjohn, or buy our Speedtube to wear with no top at all.
Finally is the issue of warranty. There are 2 year limited warranties and 5 year limited warranties. Ours is unlimited and for a long as you own your T1 Wetsuit. We cover nail tears and rips caused by using your wetsuit for something other than swimming.
I want to personally invite you to try the product out and form your own opinion. Buy it, wear it, test it, and decide for yourself. We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee so you risk nothing but the time to test it. Please read our guarantee below, see if any of our competitors will offer you the same and let me know if you have any other questions.
100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE
De Soto Sport offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee on anything you buy from our website. If you are not satisfied with one of our products at the time you receive it, or if one of our products does not perform to your satisfaction within 30 days of the purchase date, return it for a replacement, or a refund. Anything you buy from one of our authorized retailers is guaranteed through the retailer. All exchanges and refunds must be done through the retailer. Their policy may be different so please ask before purchasing.
If you would like help on getting properly sized, shoot me an email to emilio@desotosport.com.
I’ve got a Synergy Hybrid that I love. I hate swimming in a wetsuit and this is the only one that I’ve used (and I’ve tried most) that feels like I’m not wearing a wetsuit. Unreal flexibility. Just make sure you get it small enough, the neoprene stretches more than any other suit I’ve seen.
If you are asking for the best suits around, some good options were already mentioned, but I’ll have to throw the Phantom wetsuit in on this discussion.
The Phantom offers you an awesome amount of flexibility in the arms and shoulders with 1mm rubber, along with a 1mm panel into the small of your back that we call the Biostretch Zone. This is where most of the restriction comes from in most suits. Every time you reach you pull material in from the small of your back and lats. With a 1mm panel we eliminate this restriction and free up your range of motion.
To increase stability, enhance body posture, and support your core muscles (helps to improve hip rotation), we have developed the Core Power System. This is a built in support system that acts somewhat like a back brace. It helps to reduce that loose feeling a lot of wetsuits have in the torso and hips. This particular method of tightening up the midsection, does so without sacrificing comfort, flexibility, or buoyancy. It actually helps in the end run to drive your hips, making your stroke more powerful.
Our Auto Positioning Sleeve is a 5mm band that sits just above your elbow and helps to encourage a high elbow on the catch phase of your stroke. This band increases the buoyancy in your sleeve without effecting the flexibility of the most dynamic section of the suit.
With a thinner neoprene in the sleeves you can see a lot of water flushing up your sleeves upon hand entry into the water. The wrist cuff in the Phantom is placed internally about 4 inches from the cuff of the sleeve. This keeps water from flushing in and out of your sleeves.
A deep 24" reverse zipper makes entry and exit much easier also.
I agree that with a high level suit you are looking at flexibility, buoyancy, stability, and comfort in a great performing wetsuit. In a high level suit the seams should not be an issue though. Most high level suits will still have a good amount of seams, but the stitching will either be covered, or flatlock to reduce any chance of chaffing. The Phantom covers all of the bases very well.
Try some suits on. See what fits you best. At your price point you have a great selection to chose from. Find the one that fits you best and balances a mix of buoyancy, flexibility, and stability.
jake
It’s whatever fits you best. I have used Xterra wetsuits for almost 7 years. They are a great company that makes great wetsuits. I have tried some of the other wetsuits and they don’t fit me well.
It’s whatever fits you best. I have used Xterra wetsuits for almost 7 years. They are a great company that makes great wetsuits. I have tried some of the other wetsuits and they don’t fit me well.
+1
xterra vector pro 3
Interesting . . . So, I’m a mid-pack swimmer and got a great deal on last year’s BlueSeventy Helix. It’s much more comfortable but noticeably less buoyant than my previous, less-expensive, thicker-rubber suit. Might I conclude that a “less than good” swimmer could actually be slower in a neutrally-buoyant suit like the Helix, compared to a thicker-rubber suit, other variables notwithstanding?
That is a possibility. All depends on body position in the water. I know mid pack swimmers that can kick the hell out of the water but can’t pull anything with their arms. A very buoyant suit would hurt them as their legs would be up too much.
The helix is a great suit for swimmers with pretty good body position and a good pull and finish. Also swimmers with a high stroke rate will like the helix. Mid packers with mild flaws in position and stroke might benefit more from a thicker suit.
Great . . . So potentially a miscalculation on my part. We’ll see when I get into the season and can compare times on the courses. I’m newly returned to multisport and took a TI camp last fall, so my stroke rate has slowed somewhat but hopefully my form is better. Thanks for the input, either way. Might have a killer deal on a slightly used Helix in September!
Tom did a nice review of two different Aquasphere models. Good comparison on some of the differences.
The speed difference between bareback and wetsuit: huge! (like 5-10s/100yd)
The speed difference between different wetsuits… like- not measureable.