I’ve never worn a wetsuit and am looking into buying one. Can any of you recommend full suits which offer better flexibility in the shoulders compared to other brands? Thanks for the help.
Basically across all high end suits you will get a very good range of motion in your arms/upper back.
Let us know your build/body type and swimming ability and we’ll probably be able to point you to something more specific.
I’ve personally been looking at Synergy suits lately, check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6Z_d-pnOzg
Look for suits with #40 rubber across the shoulders as well as thinner rubber (1-2.5mm).
Height: 5’9" Weight: 155 I have larger than average shoulders for my size which is my main concern with buying a suit. Sorry, I don’t have any exact measurements. As far as ability, I am still getting myself back into swimming shape, but I go about 6:15 for a 500 (25yd pool) right now. I expect to go faster (hopefully) in the not so distant future. I am hoping to keep myself under $300 but would probably budge a little bit. Thanks for the help, and I’ll check out the Synergy suits.
Try looking into either Xterra or Orca. Xterra has some pretty good sales a few times a year where you can get the vector pro x2 for relatively cheap. Orca’s Sonar suit is also right around your price range. I also have wider shoulders, and have used both brands comfortably. The Orca and the Xterra (I think?) are both 39 rubber, which is the next best thing in buoyancy and flexibility to 40 which will cost you more.
Definitely get yourself to try them on before you buy though. If you haven’t figured it out already, a good fit is essential in having a good wetsuit.
Be careful here.
We did a long and protracted wetsuit test that resulted in more confusion than results but eventually saw some utterly counter-intuitive trends.
Firstly, we assumed that a more flexible suit would be faster. Makes sense: it’s easier to move in. Our time trials in the pool and in the open water suggested one of the stiffest suits we swam in was fastest. It featured a non-absorbent liner in the upper body that felt very stiff compared to high end full suits with stretchy “action panels” that made it easier to swim. It was also the fastest despite being the most restrictive feeling.
If you are going for comfort (as opposed to speed) the more flexible suits are where its at- they are easier to swim in. They aren’t necessarily faster though. In cases we found the most flexible suit, a very expensive high end suit, was on of the slowest. The stiffest suit was the fastest.