Salvimar wetsuits - anyone got one?

[Fishstab]

Got my eye on a cheapish salvimar wetsuit but have read that different brands vary significantly in their fit.
I’m 185cm 90kg, athletic build. Their XL wetsuits got 180-190cm and 80-100kg which puts me slap bang in the middle. 80-100kg is a huge range though which worries me a bit so just wanted to ask if anyone has any experience?

 

[Diving Gecko]

Can’t help with the fit since I’m a lot smaller but I have two Salvi suits and besides them being cheap I can’t say much good about them. They seem to focus more on making them look great than using a good neoprene as they are some of the stiffest suits I’ve ever tried. One is 1.5mm Atlantis and the other a 3.5mm freedive suit so both should be quite flexible but they aren’t at all. As such I’d only consider getting one if the fit is close to perfect as it won’t be malleable enough to adapt to you.
I like quite a few other Salvi products so this is not me hating on their brand - just being honest and disappointed with their suits.
RA and EPS are two I’ve tried that have been great.


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[Fishstab]

Can’t help with the fit since I’m a lot smaller but I have two Salvi suits and besides them being cheap I can’t say much good about them. They seem to focus more on making them look great than using a good neoprene as they are some of the stiffest suits I’ve ever tried. One is 1.5mm Atlantis and the other a 3.5mm freedive suit so both should be quite flexible but they aren’t at all. As such I’d only consider getting one if the fit is close to perfect as it won’t be malleable enough to adapt to you.
I like quite a few other Salvi products so this is not me hating on their brand - just being honest and disappointed with their suits.
RA and EPS are two I’ve tried that have bee great.


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I thought this would be the case. I’ve actually ordered an Omer Black Stone suit now as a friend is a similar size and says his Omer fits great.

if you’re in the UK it’s basically impossible to try before you buy!

 

[Mr. X]

Wow, 80-100kg is a huge range, especially if the neoprene is stiff! Surprised to read they are stiff.

I prefer the stiffer rubber of my made to measure Eliossub 5mm spearo wetsuit - but the key point is that it is made to my measurements. I also have an off the shelf Mares 5.5mm wetsuit that is quite soft and very stretchy. Perhaps it could cover that range? I think mine is an XL, might be XXL.

Re. UK, I wonder if you can try on Rob Allen wetsuits at the new Spearfishing.co.uk store in Cornwall (St. Austell?)?

 

[landshark sa]

I have a XXL Salvimar Nebula suit (5mm). Since you already ordered another suit it will not be of much relevance, but for your size in the Salvimar I'd definitely recommend to go for an XXL- I'm more or less your size and find the XXL on the limit of what I can fit into.

My Salvimar suit is also pretty stiff. I thought the stiffness was related to the sandwich construction of the Nebula neoprene but as @Diving Gecko mentions his suits are also stiff it must be a Salvimar thing.

Checking my Omer suit it says size 7 which I think translates to XXXL. I was very happy with the omer suit and will most probably once again go for Omer when I replace the Salvimar.

 

[DiveHacker]

I cannot try before I buy either, so I feel I am in a similar situation as the original question.

I decided I am just going to go with the company with wetsuit line I like the most, from cold to warm water. I figure, if I screw up the size once, I can send it back and get the next size up or down. then be set as far as buying the same size from the same company in the future.

I chose Epsealon. I just like their wetsuit line. They have some great lookimg lycra suits, and thin wetsuits, which is mainly what I will he using. So anyway, that is my theory.

 

[Diving Gecko]

EPS, formerly Epsealon, is a good choice. They use good rubber and of course their Yamamoto line is good, too.
For mass produced suits I think it’s one of the most flexible ones I have tried.


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[Mr. X]

I have a XXL Salvimar Nebula suit (5mm). Since you already ordered another suit it will not be of much relevance, but for your size in the Salvimar I'd definitely recommend to go for an XXL- I'm more or less your size and find the XXL on the limit of what I can fit into.

My Salvimar suit is also pretty stiff. I thought the stiffness was related to the sandwich construction of the Nebula neoprene but as @Diving Gecko mentions his suits are also stiff it must be a Salvimar thing.

Checking my Omer suit it says size 7 which I think translates to XXXL. I was very happy with the omer suit and will most probably once again go for Omer when I replace the Salvimar.

Just checked my Mares wetsuit, size 6. Sounds like that might be XXL then. I think the stretch in my suit likely comes from the stretch "nylon"(and lycra?) outer, as well as the soft neoprene. My Elios suit is stiffer, which sounds uncomfortable but it's not.

My weight currently fluctuates around 90-99kg. For 90kg XXL sounds about right to me too.

 

[Leander]

Assuming the actual neoprene is made using the same process, the softer one will also be more fragile and more susceptible to compression.

If a company doesn't say what they use, or are vague about it (i.e. 'japanese neoprene') then they will use the cheapest possible.

I like my Elios suit. Got it made in medium-density Heiwa. The much praised Yamamoto 45 is more flexible (and nore expensive), but also more fragile. Heiwa MD gives a good mix between cost/performance/durability imho.

 

[Mr. X]

Yes, the softer neoprene does compress more. I suspect that is why they use 5.5mm neoprene rather than 5mm and also why the high waisted pants are very high even higher than my Elios spearo pants, which are very high.

 

[Leander]

I think the 5 vs 5.5 is just whether they include the fabric layer in the measurement or not. Just like with fin stiffness there is no standard here.

 

[Mr. X]

Possibly a marketing ploy, as it is written on the outside of the suit! Not that great of a ploy though, as I didn't realise until quite sometime after purchase. . So not a factor in the purchase (fit and price were the key factors).

 

[Diving Gecko]

As a rule you can definitely count on almost all the mass produced euro brands not telling you which rubber they use - except if they have a Yamamoto line which is the case with e.g. EPS (and RA).

Also, a lot of the lesser known neoprene manufacturers which account for a large, large part of the market like e.g. Sheico will probably have rubbers ranging from very good to far from very good but there’s just no way of knowing which make it into suits when buying from e.g. Salvi, Omer and Mares.
With Yamamoto and Heiwa a minority of spearos are beginning to get a feel for the difference between the rubbers they offer but that’s probably because of the custom suit makers and the higher Yamamoto lines of a few big brands. The rest of the market is a jungle.

Ah, come to think about it. One other model I have tried and was close to getting and which some Danish spearo buddies favor is the Cressi Technica(?) series - not sure of the name but it’s fairly close.


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[stefpix]

I actually like my Salvimar Blend. 5.5 mm wetsuit. It is way more durable than my Mares 3mm Wetsuit.
I used to have a Cressi apnea which was more rigid.
I am 182 cm 74 kg. I have a Large size. The pants would be better if they were M, but it is not a big deal. I tried also Medium. I can fit, but was a bit tight in the neck.
I bought also an Atlantis used for less than half price. Since it is only 1.5mm I rarely use t in NY.
I would fit in a M.
anyway I was 80 kg 2 years ago and I would fit comfortably in the L Salvimar. The neck was a bit tight initially. But you can stretch it with a ball.