I am buying a new wetsuit which I need desperately. I will be the first to admit it. I am a weaker swimmer and I need all the help I can get when it comes to buyancy in the water. I am wearing an old O’Neil wetsuit that does not feel good at all so the question is. DeSoto, Ironman or Orca? These are the three that I like, but i can’t try them in the water at all. Has anyone tried the different wetsuits and compared them. All the wetsuit compainies say their suit is the best. I am leaning toward the DeSoto. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
A $400 wetsuit is a $400 wetsuit. A $200 wetsuit is a $200 wetsuit. So what ever your price range get one that fits you. Wetsuits are sort of like saddles. What works for one doesn’t always for another.
I’m big on DeSoto but they are the only wetsuits I have owned.
I went with DeSoto because of a couple different reasons:
-Two piece which means you can basically get a custom fit suit.
-Buoyancy and arm angle which seem to be spot on.
-Customer Service which is absolutely second to none. Do a search on what others have said about Emilio.
-Check out these links on articles about wetsuits. These helped me initially as well.
Good Luck and like Trevor said try them on and see what fits.
I love my T1. The top is very stretchy and easy to swim in. It is easy to get out of as well. When I got mine last year, they said I could give it a trial swim,but once I put my name in it, it was mine. Email them. They are very helpful.
I love my aquaman. Super fast to get out of!
Dave
I’ve had about everything out there (3 different QR wetsuits - loved the Superfull), Ironman, DeSoto, etc. I agree that to some extent that one good one is about like another… weil, I did agree until I got my DeSoto. I love the fact that I could get two different sized parts, and even two different levels of rubber. I got the First Wave top, very stretchy, arms positioned right, no chaffing on the neck, and the Black Pearl bottom. It’s not quite as stretchy, but I don’t kick much (I wish less of you out there did… especially you freakin’ breast strokers!), so the little loss of flexibilty was no big deal. And the Black Pearl bottom was a lot cheaper.
Easy (as a wetsuit can be) to don, and a breeze to remove. I couldn’t be happier. And, as an earlier poster said, they’ll even let you try it out (you get a couple of weeks) in the water, and if you’re not happy, send it back. Unless you write your name in it.
Best part, I’ve always had trouble with wetsuits being too short in the torso… always felt like my shoulders were being pulled toward my knees, even when I hiked the crotch up so high I could sing in a higher key. With the two separate pieces, no problem.
Good luck with your choice… at the sharp end, the choices are good, but I’d sure give the DeSoto a run through at least.
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The T1 is the best wetsuit that I have used. As stated above it’s like getting a custom wetsuit. I’ve tried the P-flex. If you don’t have a short upper body then it will feel like it’s pulls down on your neck given you that choking feel.
It seems as if the T1 owners are happy, but I have one more question about that suit. Given it’s 2 pieces, does water get in? The reason the suit looks appealing is because you can make it fit with the two pieces. All is all I know all brands of top of the line $400 wetsuits will be good, but people seem to love the DeSoto T-1. Thanks for all of the great info so far.
Count me as another satisfied T1 owner, though I’ve never used another one, so nothing to compare to. I’ve never had a problem with water getting in the suit - it has always kept me very warm, even in water that had my face and feet FREEZING.
“Given it’s 2 pieces, does water get in?”
in general it’s a dryer suit than a one-piece suit. where the two pieces overlap the seal is always tight, no water gets in. but because there is no zipper closure at the top of the neck on a T1’s pullover, no water gets in there as you’re swimming, this makes the suit quite a bit more resistant to water entry, and also makes the neck a lot more comfortable.
I was choosing between the same three and based on fit and test swims I went with the Ironman. I would highly recommend www.trisports.com if you are looking to test the suit first. Best test/return policy I could find and great prices. I think you also get a discount as a slowtwitcher but am not positive…just ask when you order. I ordered several suits all at the same time on a credit card, tested them in a pool all side by side and then returned the ones I didn’t want for a full refund. Only had to pay for shipping and insurance.
Michael
I’ve had a QR, Ironman, Orca and now I have a T1. The problem with most one piece wetsuits is that they’re made from a “standardized” cut. It’s really not a problem if you have the body type that the silhouette of the suit is cut for. One of my best friends is the triathlon coach for the local Team In Training group and I can tell you from first hand experience that the Orca wetsuits that TNT utilized were definitely cut for people who have a more, ahem, “elite” bodytype and not the “formerly sedentary” types that the TNT that he was coaching seemed to attract.
I second what everyone else is saying about the DeSoto suit. I’m lucky in that I fall in the “bell curve” and my top and bottom are the same size but for people who are perhaps possessing of a longer torso or are all legs I think being able to order a different size bottom and top is the closest thing you can get to having a “custom” suit.
FWIW, my friend who coaches has an “elite”, athletically-proportioned body (5’11" 165lbs, 7% bodyfat) and can use just about any suit out there. It’s like bikes and shoes…get the one that fits the best. IMO it’s easier to get a good fit with a 2 piece than with a 1 piece UNLESS you’ve got one of those model bodies in which case you can make anything look good (and probably fit nicely as well).
This is great advice and since I have not tried these suits in the water I will take the expert advice that water does not get in the T-1 suit and that is always something that bugs me on a wetsuit is the rubbing neck and that somewhat restrivtive feel unless you are totally fit all of the time, which I am not. This is more than enough info to purchase the T1 and hopefully it will be my suit for a while. Thanks again so much. This is fantastic information.
I have previously owned a T1 and an Ironman Stealth and I have tried Orca’s. They are all inferior to the Aquaman Metal Cell. The T1 has several problems. It is hard to get aff as quickly as the one piece suits. The top tends to ride up in the back which feels wierd and can chaffe your neck. The worst neck chaffe I ever got was with my T1. The claims about increased arm mobility with the T1 are total Bull. Some people here love theirs but I didn’t and sold it after a year. A couple of my training buddies also got the T1 based on the hype and were dissappointed. Also why did they add a Zipper when they previously touted all the great reasons not to have a Zipper.
Aquaman is a great suit. the mast well thought out on the market. the “upside down” zipper is the way to go, can’t be accidentaly unzipped during the race and comes off the fastest.
Look at Oneils…awesome suits and great prices…they dont advertise the tri suits as much…But think about it,who really is the wetsuit GURU?