Is anyone swimming in Synergy wetsuits that can share their opinions? Specifically I am considering purchasing their top end “hybrid” model but at the same time am wondering what the main difference is to their mid-level model, the “adrenaline”. Thanks in advance.
-Chris.
Made of airdome rubber, 5mm front and a super stretchy back rubber. Well designed, along the design lines of an orca. The owner is an ex-orca wetsuit designer.
I found it to be rather fast, fit quite well and be comfortable. For really thin people the stretchy back panels may be too much material, but for thicker through the chest and/or shoulders it should probably fit rather well.
Click on my blog link, there is a write up about the suit.
My Synergy Hybrid came in the mail two days ago. Trying it on, it fits very well for me (broader chest, wider shoulders, swimmers build). This suit is ridiculously stretchy in the arms/shoulders. Quality is what you would expect from a high end suit. I have yet to swim in it so I won’t be able to give a full review but so far I am very happy with it.
Thanks desertdude for the link, I will read it shortly. I am a bit on the thin side, 150ish, 5’8", but did have reconstructive shoulder surgery so I am interested in the suit for its stretchability. Moberballs, give me your opinion of the suit when you swim in it.
I’ve gotten 2 chances to swim in the Synergy Hybrid suit, once last weekend for an easy open water session and today at the San Jose International race.
Some background on me first, I come from a competitive swimming background of around 60k / week, until I burned out and started focusing on triathlons. My swimming isn’t as strong as it was back in the day but I can still hold my own (18-20 min oly, around 44-47 for 2.4 miles).
I’ve tried several different brands of wetsuits in the past, but have never really been super happy with any of them in terms of flexibility or comfort. Most of them have felt pretty restrictive.
Now on to the suit. This suit is very well made, pretty much what you would expect from a suit of its level. I don’t think it is as fragile as some other suits, and rightly so as Synergy markets this suit to be durable with its super stretchy rubber. That’s another thing about it, the arms, upper body is so incredibly stretchy its ridiculous. Well, maybe not that much but they don’t lie when they say it stretches to like 600% of its normal length.
Putting it on, I found the suit very difficult to pull on all the way while dry. Once getting in the water , it was much easier to slide the arms and legs all the way up to ensure that my shoulders had the most mobility possible.
The suit didn’t feel exceptionally comfortable or anything wile dry, but then again most wetsuits don’t. When wet however, this suit felt amazing. It fit perfectly (I’m 5’11", 160ish lbs, broader shoulders/upper body) and it was really barely noticeable. I was able to swing my arms around completely, as if I weren’t wearing a wetsuit. Neckline was comfortable unlike many suits, instead of being constricting it felt as if I was just wearing a t-shirt.
Swimming in the Hybrid was extremely comfortable. The immobility I’ve experienced in the past with other suits caused me to mostly abandon my form and mostly just muscle through the water. With the Synergy, however, there was no fighting with the rubber, I was able to focus completely on my form and stroke. I felt just like I was swimming in a pool without a suit. I’m still amazed at how easy it was to swim in the Hybrid.
I also found the Synergy to be very buoyant. As a swimmer, buoyancy isn’t something I notice so much while actually swimming, but I did notice that I was kicking much less than normal without my legs sinking (which actually proved to be a bit of a problem in today’s race as I felt like I had absolutely zero blood in my legs for the first few miles of the bike…something to work on). I was able to lie facing up in the water and stay afloat without any effort, as if I were on one of those inflatable bed things people sunbathe on in swimming pools. I could probably fall asleep in this thing and just lie there in the water without drowning.
I did experience a bit of chafing on the back of my neck the first time swimming in the Hybrid, but it was nothing a bit of BodyGlide couldn’t fix. Other than that, sighting was not an issue at all.
Removal of the suit was easy, but that is never something I’ve had any problems with. I’d probably cut an inch or so off the legs just for those extra 2 seconds in transition, and so my legs aren’t so buoyant so I remember to kick a little bit more to get the blood flowing. I’ve done this with all of my wetsuits in the past, simply my preference.
All in all, I am extremely happy with the Synergy Hybrid. The fit is perfect and the ease of swimming in it is absolutely unreal. I will definitely be sticking with Synergy for quite awhile, I feel like it would be very hard for me to find a suit that rivals the hybrid in flexibility and comfort.
Feel free to ask me any questions about the Hybrid if you have any.
Just received my hybrid and cant wait to get out in it for my first ows of the season (we’re behind in ows’ in upstate NY, it’s cold!!). I’ll let you know what I think as well after swimming in it. Thanks for your lengthy review!