Without incriminating myself … or asking for a friend ?!?
How old is too old for a wetsuit? If it’s in good condition do you simply continue to use it? Benefits of new wetsuits vs something old in terms of speed, buoyancy, flexibility?
Do you wear a wetsuit to go faster?
I do and
I’m at that point now. So I did a speed test with the old suit this AM
I am going to order two new suits and put them to the test
I will keep the fastest
Been thinking about this too. My wetsuit is the OG De Soto from 2002, but has seen light use. Just a handful of times per year with a long hiatus in the middle. Still in good shape, a small hole in the crotch and a nail mark or two on the bottoms. It was top of the line at the time, and to replace it with a similar suit is a substantial expense that I would rather put somewhere else given how seldom I use it. Still a very fast suit though I think there are substantial benefits to replacing it, for me primarily the ease of removal.
Do you wear a wetsuit to go faster?
I do and
I’m at that point now. So I did a speed test with the old suit this AM
I am going to order two new suits and put them to the test
I will keep the fastest
You can swim in the suits then return them?
Yeah mine is a DeSoto 2 piece from 2005. Very seldom usage. Great condition.
I’ve got a sleeveless Ironman from 2001. Swam a 1:01 at IMUSA in '02 with it. Can’t get below a 1:10 now days but I think that has less to do with the age of the suit than with the age of the swimmer 
Yeah mine is a DeSoto 2 piece from 2005. Very seldom usage. Great condition.
Mine is DeSoto 2 piece from '06.
Used semi-regularly every season for races (and back in the day, some OW training), and it still seems fine.
Granted, the past few years, my Tri race schedule has only been maybe 4-5 races a year, and mostly sprints, but still - I put it on, swim in it, and it works
(as well as a wettie can while being worn by a rockfish like me.)
If it ain’t broke…
I have two 2005 Ironman wetsuits (sleeve/sleeveless), used for 5 years, retired for 8 years, now racing again since last summer. They’re still in great condition and no plans on replacing them…
Do you wear a wetsuit to go faster?
I do and
I’m at that point now. So I did a speed test with the old suit this AM
I am going to order two new suits and put them to the test
I will keep the fastest
You can swim in the suits then return them?
Roka you can
However I think I will most likely be keeping it
Article on the front page here said he was 10 seconds faster/100
I’m rocking a 2008 vintage 2 piece Desoto with no intention of replacing it anytime soon.
I have a 2008 QR Superfull. Has a couple tears that I’ve patched over the years. Thinking of finally upgrading, but only because I don’t fit into it anymore. 
I got a 1998 QR (which I still use) (although it seems to have, erm, “shrunk” a bit…) - I also have a 2008(ish) Blue Seventy, plus another Blue Seventy which is around 2 or 3 years old.
QR is pretty floaty, although definately feels v restrictive compared to the newer stuff. And it’s had a few repairs along the way. Plus I have used it for surfing. But it still works. To be honest, I can’t tell the two Blue Seventys apart. But then I’m not a quick swimmer (around 1.05 - 1.15 for IM depending on commitment to training).
Must admit I only bought the latest Blue Seventy after a race announcer said something along the lines of “it’s great to see some of those older wetsuits still out there”. Clearly I am a marketing man’s dream consumer. I wonder how much faster I can convince myself I will go on a new bike…
Which year did De Soto start making a top with a zipper? Honestly, that zipper would be the primary reason for my upgrading since it my older, original top can be difficult to remove after a swim. Not good for my heart rate. I suppose if I upgrade, I could always just buy the top but it’s hard because it’s otherwise perfectly fine and I hardly use it as it is.
Please email me at emilio@desotosport.com. I want to give you a great deal on a new T1 Wetsuit! If you can bring the past to the present and compared a new one from back then to a new one now, you will ask yourself, why didn’t I upgrade sooner?
Same offer goes to anyone else reading this post who owns a T1 Wetsuit.