It is January 11. I am sure it is pretty darn slow for just about anyone in the industry of outdoor and endurance sports. I see this as a time for R&R, R&D, SBR, GRV and getting creative, thus my question in the subject line. I am not saying I am going to do it, but if I did, it would only be on this forum, and I am not saying I won’t. If you have time I would really appreciate you replying answering a few questions.
Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit?Do you currently own a T1 Wetsuit?Have you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit?If yes, what stopped you from buy it?What brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now?Would you buy one at 50% off right now?
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No (but I have raced exclusively in DeSoto Forza 2 and 1 pieces since 2005).
slightly,
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.
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)
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.
Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? NODo you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? NOHave you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? YESIf yes, what stopped you from buy it? PRICEWhat brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now? **ROKA Maverick Pro (which was gifted to me)**Would you buy one at 50% off right now? 40% chance I’d pull the trigger.
Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? NoDo you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? NoHave you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? NoIf yes, what stopped you from buy it?What brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now? Huub AgilisWould you buy one at 50% off right now? Maybe
Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? Yes-but bought in classifieds and top didn’t fit, so I resold it. 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, at the time I spent less on a competitor. It did the job, but don’t love it. 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. Would you buy one at 50% off right now? I’d really strongly consider it!
Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? YesDo you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? NoHave you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? YesIf yes, what stopped you from buy it? Had one, but moved to a sleeveless wetsuit for max shoulder rotation and comfortWhat brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now? B70Would you buy one at 50% off right now? No
Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? YesDo you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? Yes 3 of them Have you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? Yes If yes, what stopped you from buy it? I bought 3 over the years as my body changed size What brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now? T1 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
Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? NoDo you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? NoHave you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? YesIf yes, what stopped you from buy it? Price and featuresWhat brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now? Roka Elite, Blue Seventy Swim Run, and a Synergy Endorphin Quick JohnWould 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….
Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? YESDo you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? YESHave you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? YESIf yes, what stopped you from buy it? NOTHING, I bought itWhat brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now? QR (not sure on model) and De Soto T1Would 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.
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
Have you ever owned a T1 Wetsuit? YesDo you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? YesHave you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? YesIf yes, what stopped you from buy it?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).Would you buy one at 50% off right now? No, not in the market currently.
From a DeSoto user since 1999, and a T1 user since 2005:
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.Do you currently own a T1 Wetsuit? YES.Have you ever considered a T1 Wetsuit? YES.If yes, what stopped you from buy it? I didn’t. I bought it. Honestly, my weight (sometimes) fluctuates, and the T1 always fits What brand and model wetsuit so you swim in now? DeSoto T1 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.
