Elios Suits.

[Murat]

My friend asked for suits to me and i said i will make some search to find out which is best for him and probably for me

Well he is spearo and used to open cell suits so it will be opencell.

What i did not decide is outer lining. We don't want smoothskin coz everybody says its fragile for spearfishing. But as i read in elios web site now they have "shark skin" outer lining which is the comprimise between. Anyother advise?

Which neoprene? Yamamato 45 or Heiwa? Which density? and why?

 

[Snorkel Bum]

Hey! Well I have a smoothskin suit from Merou... I have been bouncing around reefs and havent noticed any scratches. The only "injury is from the boat where a sharp metal thing stabbed my leg and ripped a tiny tiny little bit... nothing to worry though. Even though it is quite resistant so far, it does have quite a mental impact, whenever i hit something i think "OH SH*T" and turn around and chek out the area... it is quite annoying especially when diving deep and serious spearing (uses oxygen and scares fish)
Anyway, thats my opinion about smoothskin...
BTW it really is smooooooooooooth, it is great gliding around in the water!

 

[DeepThought]

Yamamoto is more insulating & flexible, yet more delicate.
And has more buoyancy change (which could be good or bad, depends on whom you ask).
Heiwa is more durable.
I'de say go for Heiwa, since it's still offers a lot regarding all the above properties.

Regarding density, Eric F says that low dens. Heiwa is indestructable.

I don't know the sharkskin, sorry. Elios should know if it's durable enough for spearfishing. If not sharkskin, then nylon superstretch should be a good enough compromise between flexibility and durability.

I'de say spearing with smoothskin is a sort of a gumble, can't tell'ya the odds though. Consider that snorkel bum's suit might have a different neopren that is more resistable than the heiwa/yamamoto you'll have.
If still going for smooth out, than consider taking sandwhich=open in, nylon superstretch in the middle and smooth out.

 

[feign]

I have worn an elios open cell/nylon elastic outside (low density Heiwa) since the beginning of summer for spearfishing & freediving. It has been very durable & warm, but still very flexible and comfortable. I like the reassurance of nylon on the outside for rocks and stuff. The open cell of the heiwa is very resistant to damage. I don't know anything about the sharkskin. The only thing I would recommend is getting elios to sew in a loading chest pad, I didn't on mine and regret that.

 

[LutzSpearo]

What does "open cell" mean exactly?

 

[peskydor]

Wet suit material is made from foamed neoprene which has small bubbles in the material. Therefore, 'open cell' means that the bubbles and voids are exposed on the surface. Neoprene that is produced with a 'skin' has a smooth surface with no visible bubbles.
Pesky

 

[feign]

Open cell is very tacky when rubbed against skin. It must therefore be lubed with water & conditioner or something else to put on. Once it is on though, it seals nicely and is like a second skin.

 

[Murat]

what about new freedown is it really stronger than smoothskin so its ok for spearfishing.

 

[GALADION]

What is freedown? Never heard of it!

 

[Murat]

its show in elios website. www.eliossub.com they advertise it as faster and stronger and more flexible than smoothsikin.:hmm

 

[feign]

I have a sample of the freedown. I don't know of anyone who dives the suit. The exterior surface of the freedown is more slick than normal smooth skin. Also, the open cell side is more slick as well. It is not coated, but almost feels like there is a coating on it. It slides ok against the skin. What I understood from elios is that this neoprene was mainly designed for competition freediving, to minimize drag in the water.

The freedown does feel more dense than the low density heiwa, so it may be a little more durable, though you may give up flexiblity because of this. The freedown is very resistant to damage from nicks and tears, but then again so does the heiwa. Subjective tests I have done stretching the heiwa vs freedown (same thickness) seems the heiwa is a bit more flexible. When compared to a heiwa suit that is exterior lined with nylon vs straight freedown - who knows which would be more flexible?

I still think that a nylon exterior lined suit is the way to go for spearfishing unless you have a lot of extra money because you have to consider the cost of the freedown is significantly more than a heiwa suit.

 

[portinfer]

Hey
I recently bought an Elios suit.
5mm
open cell inner
kanoko outer

Works well and is abrasive resistant - really good fit too.

Ed

 

[Murat]

what is kanoku?

May be i should try sandwich, opencell inside, superstrech nylon middle and smooth skin outside or freedown outisde. What you think? This will be surable enough? Even if the outer part get scratch or something, neoprene on lining in the middle shoul compensate it...:hmm

 

[DeepThought]

I'm not sure it'll be enough Murat, rocks would still likely to make cuts on the open cell side.

On the other hand, kanuko is probably the most durable outer layer there is, so it might be an overkill.

Why won't you ask Elios, I'm sure they deal with a lot of italian spearos.

 

[Murat]

i e-amiled them few days before but still no response. If they are that slow it will take ages for me to decide which suit is right for my friend:head

 

[portinfer]

Kanoko is a tough outer fabric - looks like nylon but is tougher - I would recommend kanoko outer - here the rock is granite - very very rough and causes cuts in neoprene but not through kanoko.

Just keep it simple, kanoko outer / opencell inner - whatever thickness you think you need (5mm here in 16 C water is warm)

Heiwa is fine too.

I think I have mid density Heiwa in 5mm - dive down to about 14m so far but generally in the 6m to 12m area when spear fishing - hope this is helpful - Ed

 

[Snorkel Bum]

Hallo guys...
I emailed the guys for some info on the freedown suits... here ya go!

Hello,
thank you in advance for this contact and about your request, we can inform:

- Freedown neoprene is an ultimate products, made in Neoflex Rubber, medium density!
it's very good for deep divings, and perfect for more speed in the water.
The Smoothskin surface is very very slippery (20% more slide than classic smooth)
The open cell Slide cell inside is more easy to wear (50% more easy to get into than open cell) and it's also more durable than classic unlined suits!
it's available in 3mm / 5mm / 6mm / 7mm / 7,5mm.
it was studied with the major Freedivers in the world and can help you for achieve more deep results!

The price for a tailor made suit Freedown in 5mm, complete of jacket closed with hood incorporated + high waist pants amount to Euro 239,00
The freight cost by Quick Pack post amount to Euro 33,00 (*note from Snorkel Bum "This is the price to france")
Payment directly by Credit Card.

If you have need some other informations, don't hesitate to contact us.
Wait your news...
Best regards


Tadum! Hope that helps a bit

 

[Murat]

they also answered my email last week and it was a good, detailed one. When i got the second mail from them i think the my problem will be solved They are just bit slow...


Now options in my mind are, freedown because supposed to be stronger than classic smoothskin, classic superstrech nylon outside open cell inside because of the price, sandwich opencell inside nylon middle smoothskin outside, they said sandwich is harder (i assume they meant to be less flexible but can it be less flexible than nylon outside suit?), or combo one, nylon outside pants and freedown or smoothskin on the top....

 

[Donna]

I have a freedown suit and I don't think its suitable for spearing. It tears very easily if its caught on anything - I know from experience!

It is a noce suit though - very comfortable with very little, if any compression at depth and also very warm.

Donna

 

[Huan]

Murat, I would stick with nylon outside, I have an opencell omer Mim, med and after 2.5 years of tough diving rocks, barnacles etc it is showing little wear,in fact the knees and ass are made from kanoko which is probably even tougher. If you do get a smoothskin outside get a big tube of that Picasso suit glue to fix all the tears and cuts before they spread.
I think that the quality of outside nylon is important the stuff omer uses is actually more like Lycra, and seems really strong.