Elios suit for Ireland

[Irishdiver]

I'm thinking of treating myself to an Elios Spearfishing suit for mostly Irish diving. What are your thoughts on 5mm or 7mm? I currently have a Cressi Fisterra wetsuit Longjohns/Jacket style. It's 8mm, super warm even for scuba diving in summer, but man is it buoyant! Elios recommended me a 5mm high pants/Jacket. Just wondering if anyone spearfishing in Northern climes could chip in with some advice. I dive year round, but normally very shallow in winter (about 10m max).

 

[Mr. X]

I still use my ecoline 5mm suit. Used it for more than a decade in England. Made to measure, so excellent fit and warm.

Probably warmer than my much newer, stretchy, off- the-shelf Mares 5.5mm camo suit.

Made-to-measure (recommended), works better with cheaper, stiffer, warmer Ecoline. Elios recommended it and they know what they are talking about (or they did!).
To measure, get somebody to measure you; take lots of measurements, on both sides of your body, and at different temperatures, then discard outliers and average the rest for each position.

Good tip from a Scuba instructor friend: allow a bit extra (say a half inch or inch) at the throat. So you don't trigger some swallow effect or other.

 

[Irishdiver]

So to follow up on this because it comes up frequently. Because of the insane cost of living in Ireland I just couldn't afford the Elios suit. I settled for the Cressi Apnea 5mm from DiveInn for 179 euro. I'm about 172 cm and weigh 80kg, fairly muscular build. According to the size chart I would be M but from past experience I went for an L and was glad I did. While the leg and arm are a tiny bit long, i.e. they come right down to where my wrist meets my hand and leg meets my ankle, there is no way I would have fitted into a smaller suit. It's got blacklite coating which is supposed to negate the need for lubricant but I definitely wouldn't put it on without at least some. The coating does give the impression of making the suit more robust.
I used it yesterday in 10-11 'c water for about 2 hours and felt very comfortable throughout.