Cressi wetsuits

[bsnyder]

Wanted to know if anyone has tried both or either of the cressi competition (5mm) and super-competition (6.5/5mm) wetsuits and your opinions. Specifically what temp range you feel they are good for, quality of construction and durability.

Thanks in advance

[Chefkoch]

Hi bsnyder!
I have a Cressi Supercompetition suit, and I'm very happy with it!
It has opencell neoprene on the inside, with a thinn metal coating.
The adhesive force of the coated opencell neoprene is not very high, so you can easily put the suit on. On the other hand this makes the fit absolutely important: if it fits, you'll have a damn good suit for the really cold dives. I dive in German lakes, where you always have 4°C below 20m. Usually I tend to overheat while preparing at the surface, at about 23°C.
Then I'm really happy when freefalling into the cold...
The quality of the suit is good, it is also very very comfortable.

[icarus pacific]

You can do a lot worse than a SuperComp 6.5. I've accomplices that regularly wear them all day here in temps to 43F. Lube 'em up, trim your nails and go for it.

sven

[bsnyder]

Thanks for the info. I had been leaning towards the supercomp, especially since I am not that fond of farmer john style pants. So I went ahead and ordered one and hope that it does fit well enough. Most all the measurements were right on except I am a little thinner around the chest. With a little luck it might just be perfect.

[JimGlynn]

As you know I have the supercomp and after a few weeks of diving all the time, the suit now looks like a mold of my body. Very cool and an excellent fit. Good luck.
Jim

[Joakim]

I've just bought the supercomp and it fits nicelly. There is one problem though and that is that the wrists and ankles leak i.e. there not tight enough. Do any of you have this problem and if you have this problem have you done anything about it and then what have you done?

[Ward2]

Hello Joakim and welcome to the forums!

I dive in a Supercomp here and never have leakage problems, but I'm also a big guy - i.e. large wrists and ankles, 50" chest, 6' tall, 230 lbs. - so perhaps that is why the wrist and ankle seals don't leak.

Are you diving with gloves and socks? If the ankle seals leak with your socks tucked under them, then there is either a manufacturing problem or the suits to big for you. Be that as it may, I've heard that some people duct tape there seals, but that seems like quite a hassle to me. Perhaps the almighty Sven will chime in here.

Don't know if I've been much help.

Happy Diving,

Ward

[Bill]

Aloha Joakim
A buddy of mine had this problem. He went to a person that was very good with neoprene glue and had them roll the cuff. If the cuff is loose enough, you can fold a few cm back and glue it. Inside is better for the seal but outside is easier to glue and to put on. An elastic band of exactly the right size is far easier and may work better. With the right super glue you can make elastic bands any size.
Bill

[icarus pacific]

If you elect to keep the suit, assuming it's the right size evrywhere else on you, take a really sharp, as in new, razor blade and slit the seals in a long "V" shape and reglue.

This requires a clean and hard surface to cut on and to glue. Prime the raw edges with the glue, let dry, then add some more glue, let it tack up and stick together. Let dry, then go get wet.

sven

[Joakim]

Im a bit puzzled by the long V shape bit. DO you mean to just cut half the wrist lock of and glue it on the inside on the other half to make it fit better or are you explaning something more of a diffucult procedure?

Please be more aloborate in the description of the procedure, so that I understand.

Regards joakim

[icarus pacific]

OK, let me E laborate...

Looking at your wrist as you wear the suit, envision a long, narrow V, like a slice of lignonberry pie, with the two "legs" of the V at the outermost edge of the cuff, where the suit ends, and the point of the V at the seam wear the seal ends and the full thickness of the suit begins, 2-3 inches up from the edge of the suit cuff. When you cut the V, you can vary the width of the V to fit your wrist pretty tight or however you like. Start with a 1/4" or so and pinch the seal and see if it fits better- if it's still loose, cut the V a bit wider....

I can't emphasize enough that you get the edges really straight and clean and that you follow the glue manufacturers instructions, which with neoprene cement is what I described earlier. Stay away from Aquaseal or any hard drying cement as it will tear from the suit. And don't use oil to lube the suit up, use some watered down hair conditioner.

You're not anywhere near Mora by chance?

sven

[bsnyder]

Well my suit arrived today and I what from elated to bummed out in about 15 minutes. Even though I had carefully taken my measurements and used the cressi fit chart from diveinn I wound up with a suit that is unquestionably too big. The most irritating thing is that the only measurement that I was a little small on for the size 4 suit was the chest. While it was certainly loose in the chest, my thighs and biceps were actually bigger than the chart listed yet those too were loose. So loose that that each needs to be about a half inch removed to even start to make that section stretch.

Has anyone else noted this and needed to undersize their suit? Also I already sent it back , but can anyone tell me how easily diveinn accepted returns?

Thanks,
Bryan

[Joakim]

Thank you for the great description of the V shape. Now I understand.

And sorry Im in the south i the town called Växjö, right in the middle of Småland.


Thanks again.