Difficult choice...

[arehelgesen]

I have decided to buy a suit from Elios after alot of reading in the forum. They gave me alot to choose from and I think i´ve managed o narrow it down to a few:

2) Suit 5mm New Black coating cell inside / Nylon elastic Black outside
Neoprene Heiwa Price Euro 224,00 (see photo 0132) (include knee pads)
This is the Top-model for freediving, very elastic, warmth, aderent to
the body and good also for deep divings, but also very slippery to get
into.

7) Suit 5mm Thermic Plush lining inside / Smoothskin Black outside
Neoprene Heiwa Price Euro 199,00 (not available knee pads) It's a good
solutions, very warmth, comfortable, durable and easy to wear without
lubes. (extra-low water-resistance)

8) Suit 5mm Superelastic lining inside / Smoothskin black outside
Neoprene Heiwa Price Euro 207,00 (not available knee pads) it's the the
most elastic suit in the world, super-comfortable, easy to wear like a
t-shirt and more more durable with lining inside.(low
water-resistance)

9) Suit 5mm Nylon elastic Green inside / Smoothskin Black outside
Neoprene Heiwa Price Euro 182,00 (not available knee pads) it's the
ultimate solutions, very elastic, easy to wear without lubes,
comfortable, durable and reversible. (can wear on both side, depend from
your needs) (low water-resistance)

13) Suit 5mm Nylon superelastic inside / Mesh skin black outside
Neoprene Nam Liong Price Euro 207,00 (not available knee pads) this is
just arrived, very elastic, warmth aderent to the body, little more
durable than classic smoothskin and easy to wear like a t-shirt.


Its not easy to choose Does anyone have any recommendations?

From the threads I´ve read, its seems to me that smoothskin on the outside is extremely fragile. Should I avoid that? Will that affect the water resistance much?

I am very new to freediving, but would really like a good suit. ....There´s so many different options

[DJones]

Why not an open cell inside?? With nylon outside if you want a solid suit.
Open cell inside is a bit warmer.

[Bill]

If you're ordering knee pads you must be worried about wear on the outside. I think that you'll find #2 well worth the extra price. Nylon outside is best and you can turn it inside out if you need an extra meter (maybe) during competition. I used a 3mm version for years with no real damage and still use it (cut into a shorty) in the pool.

[Fondueset]

Nylon out/open cell in is best for a first suit. You can get a coating on the open cell if you want - but you will still need lube to put it on. I have kneepads on one of mine and I'd suggest avoiding them unless you really need them - they make the suit a little stiff in the knees.

The main advantage of smoothskin out is that it wicks less heat away if the air is cold where you dive. If you dive in cold conditions I'd recommend maybe a smooth out/open in top with nylon out/open in bottoms. But the most durable is nylon out for sure. Of what you have listed #2 is the only one I'd recommend - I have one and it has held up very well.

[dotey]

BILL you say turn it inside out for depth ?? does that really work

[trux]

Originally Posted by dotey

BILL you say turn it inside out for depth ?? does that really work

Yes, it does (with some wetsuits at least). Normally, I use my 3mm wetsuit with the nylon coating inside, and the smooth side out - not really because of the glide as Bill suggested (though that indeed works), but because it is very easy to put on even without lube. Only when it is very cold or when I crawl on rocks, I reverse it.

[dotey]

i am going to have to try that thank you for that tip

[sanso]

If You want warmth, forget about any inner lining, but go for open cell.

The black coating on the open cells is well worth the extra buck if this is Your first open cell suit, as it makes putting on and taking off much easier. I got kneepads with my first suit but found that I don't really need them. If You want to do aspetto or other rock-crawling activities, You might want them, though.

As for smooth skin. I recommend against that for a beginner. For now, don't let the gear get You deeper, but work on mastering the art. You can still get a smoothskin suit once You have mastered diving and want to let the gear add the extra bonus.

[arehelgesen]

wow guys, thanks for all the feedback! It seems to me from your recommendations that the nr. 2 suit would suit me best so far...But does anyone recommend any "better" coatings than the black coating in alternative 2 inside?

But Fondueset, you said that I still would need lube to get it on...Is that really so? What kind of impact does the lube have on my skin if I wear it often, and what impact has it got on the suit? I think I read somewhere that constant lube is bad for the skin and the suit?

The difficult choice now lies with nylon lining or smooth skin on the outside...maybe I`ll go for Fondusets recommendaton with different top/bottom, but then again, I must agree with Sanso, that I should probably work on my technique now, and let the equipment take me further when I have mastered everything else..I haven`t tried freediving outside yet, so maybe it`s smart to have nylon lining over all...

Does anyone have anything to say about Heiwa neoprene by the way?

Thanks so much, all you freediving mentors!