I'm in the process of buying a wetsuit and I can't make up my mind Omer or Picasso? I really like the biotermic picasso suits but does the biotermic really keep you that much warmer, and to the stitching and seams hold up? I hear that the Omer suits are top quality and real rugged. What do you guys recommend?
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wetsuits, Omer or Picasso???
- Thread starter Johnspear04
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
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Why limit yourself.
Try a tailormade http://www.eliossub.com
http://www.fridykning.se/freediving/features/eliossub.html
Sebastian/Sweden
Try a tailormade http://www.eliossub.com
http://www.fridykning.se/freediving/features/eliossub.html
Sebastian/Sweden
From what I hear, Omer is the 'Ferrari' of wetsuits when it comes to hunting. The mimitec camo-pattern is apparently unique in it's design, as it was based on the way light reflects off a fish near the surface, causing your eye to actually 'lose' part of the fish.
Some camo suits are just camo, with no real fore-thought, whereas the Omer camo causes the diver 's profile to be broken and lost.
Again, I have never tried Omer, but this is what I have been told by some experienced spearo's. ( Who incidently do not use Omer either, they're quite costly here !!)
Regards
Jeff
Some camo suits are just camo, with no real fore-thought, whereas the Omer camo causes the diver 's profile to be broken and lost.
Again, I have never tried Omer, but this is what I have been told by some experienced spearo's. ( Who incidently do not use Omer either, they're quite costly here !!)
Regards
Jeff
Elios vs. Off the Rack Suits (Omer, Picasso).
I think alot depends on your body type. If you're tall and thin, you definitely should get a custom fitted suit. If you're average build, off the rack suits are fine. I just got an Omer 5mm Reef Mimetic and I'm very happy with it. I'm getting a lot closer to those wily large calicos.
I wanted to try an Omer because of 1. the reinforced shins, knees, forearms and elbows, 2. the particular orange/green camo pattern (seems just like So Cal kelp and reefs). The interior of it is fine, not clammy and metalic like some others. The long johns are 5mm all the way up, so this suit is super warm. What little water that gets in gets heated up... hot and stays that way! It almost feels like freshly released urine! I can't imagine another 5mm suit being any warmer. My only gripe is the hood seal is not perfect, particularly the chin, a little water gets in. But before I really knock the hood, I'm going to cut my long, mangy hair and shave my beard (should help the seal)! I'll definately need a 3mm for summer and will probably go with an Elios to get a better fit. I don't like the Elios nylon exterior camo neprene, so I'll probably consider the smooth camo but the delicacy worries me. For that reason I may choose the Picasso. Confused yet? So am I.
If companies like Picasso and Omer would go to sizing options like Xcel, Body Glove and O'Neill (10-14 different stock sizes) they would clean up the spearo market. It's always baffled me why they only offer 4 or 5 sizes.
I think alot depends on your body type. If you're tall and thin, you definitely should get a custom fitted suit. If you're average build, off the rack suits are fine. I just got an Omer 5mm Reef Mimetic and I'm very happy with it. I'm getting a lot closer to those wily large calicos.
I wanted to try an Omer because of 1. the reinforced shins, knees, forearms and elbows, 2. the particular orange/green camo pattern (seems just like So Cal kelp and reefs). The interior of it is fine, not clammy and metalic like some others. The long johns are 5mm all the way up, so this suit is super warm. What little water that gets in gets heated up... hot and stays that way! It almost feels like freshly released urine! I can't imagine another 5mm suit being any warmer. My only gripe is the hood seal is not perfect, particularly the chin, a little water gets in. But before I really knock the hood, I'm going to cut my long, mangy hair and shave my beard (should help the seal)! I'll definately need a 3mm for summer and will probably go with an Elios to get a better fit. I don't like the Elios nylon exterior camo neprene, so I'll probably consider the smooth camo but the delicacy worries me. For that reason I may choose the Picasso. Confused yet? So am I.
If companies like Picasso and Omer would go to sizing options like Xcel, Body Glove and O'Neill (10-14 different stock sizes) they would clean up the spearo market. It's always baffled me why they only offer 4 or 5 sizes.
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I just got a 5mm Picasso Apnos Mimetic, and I am very happy with it. It is very comfortable and warm. I go spearfishing with Roan, and have examined his Omer suit. I have to agree that his suit is more rugged and better built for reef hunting, and the camo pattern is very nice. Even though the rubber is not Yamamoto neoprene, I couldn't tell the difference. I don't think you can go wrong with any of this freediving suits. It really depends on how much money you want to spend.
Hooch has hit the nail on the head. Most of these suits are great.
I dive in a custom made 5mm Rabitech predator suit, warm, comfortable, well made.
At the end of the day, send a good spearo down in a 1970 Zero wetsuit with a hole in the croch, and he will shoot fish. Send a monkey down in a 2004 Picasso or Omer suit, and he will look 'stylin', but will probably come home empty handed ! :=)
Cheers
jeff
Originally posted by Roan
If companies like Picasso and Omer would go to sizing options like Xcel, Body Glove and O'Neill (10-14 different stock sizes) they would clean up the spearo market. It's always baffled me why they only offer 4 or 5 sizes.
Because OMER and Picasso are huge mass producers and those 4-5 different size cover almost all the speros. To make extra size they need to spend to huge amount of money to redesign machines/moulds that will not make any profit for them to cover few more speros...
Murat,
Thank you for addressing the question I posted.
Perhaps yours is the right answer and it is one I have considered. But wetsuits are not made by molds as far as I know so I don't think new machines would have to be purchased. The pieces of neoprene that make up an individual wetsuit are cut from templates. The companies would only need to design more varied and finely tuned templates to make up suit sizes that fit the wider ranges of bodies that are out there. Once they've made an initial effort in "designing" more suit sizes it just becomes part of the same mass production process that they're now using. Again, I point to surf suit manufactures that offer many more sizes than Omer and Picasso. I understand there are many more surfers in the world than spearos, but I would think the ratio of body-type variations between the two groups would be about the same. I still don't quite see why they can't make a little more effort in designing at least a few more varied suit sizes and then mass producing them (my Omer is made in China). Anyway, having said all that, I love my Omer suit and your comments about the economics & production of suits is probably right on.
(BTW Murat, if you ever find yourself over here in California, look me up. You can stay at my pad and we'll go shoot some fish!)
Thank you for addressing the question I posted.
Perhaps yours is the right answer and it is one I have considered. But wetsuits are not made by molds as far as I know so I don't think new machines would have to be purchased. The pieces of neoprene that make up an individual wetsuit are cut from templates. The companies would only need to design more varied and finely tuned templates to make up suit sizes that fit the wider ranges of bodies that are out there. Once they've made an initial effort in "designing" more suit sizes it just becomes part of the same mass production process that they're now using. Again, I point to surf suit manufactures that offer many more sizes than Omer and Picasso. I understand there are many more surfers in the world than spearos, but I would think the ratio of body-type variations between the two groups would be about the same. I still don't quite see why they can't make a little more effort in designing at least a few more varied suit sizes and then mass producing them (my Omer is made in China). Anyway, having said all that, I love my Omer suit and your comments about the economics & production of suits is probably right on.
(BTW Murat, if you ever find yourself over here in California, look me up. You can stay at my pad and we'll go shoot some fish!)
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Hey Roan, my theory( and it is only that) on the wetsuit size thing is that most apnea wetsuit manufacturing companies are european, and build their suits to fit the majority of their customers- seems to me most of the missing sizes are in the larger end and us Gringos tend to be a bit broad across the beam. Perhaps if Carls JR expanded operations into spain and europe, we might get some larger suits. All wild speculation aside, went diving up at Crystal Cove with an OC budy of mine, didnt see much worth taking home for dinner, but did get a chance to try out my new Picasso Apnos suit. It kept me quite warm. My buddy, who was wearing a surf suit(like I used to), ran out of gas and got the shivers about 1.5 hours into things, so I stayed out for another hour without him. This was my first time in an open cell suit. Difference between that and the old suit was mind blowing
Talk at ya later,
Boyd
. All wild speculation aside, went diving up at Crystal Cove with an OC budy of mine, didnt see much worth taking home for dinner, but did get a chance to try out my new Picasso Apnos suit. It kept me quite warm. My buddy, who was wearing a surf suit(like I used to), ran out of gas and got the shivers about 1.5 hours into things, so I stayed out for another hour without him. This was my first time in an open cell suit. Difference between that and the old suit was mind blowingTalk at ya later,
Boyd
I'd also reccomend the Elios suits, custom or off the shelf. They're made well, many different patterns and a few different sizing options. I had a Omer Mimitec 5mm, used it a few times but just didn't like it that much. I then got a 3mm Elios gold lined smooth skin outside, bottom camo. Kind of fragile but and excelent suit(not good for bottom work). Last year I also got a 5mm gold lined, nylon outside bottom camo. Excellent suit. I personally think they're just as good as Omer or Picasso and cheaper even w/ shipping. Just my 2 cts.
Jay
Jay
...could be the stretchiness of the suit covers 'most all spearos; I was pleasantly surprised a stock size would/could fit my
curves!and
Originally posted by IB Boyd
"...but did get a chance to try out my new Picasso Apnos suit. It kept me quite warm. My buddy, who was wearing a surf suit(like I used to), ran out of gas and got the shivers about 1.5 hours into things, so I stayed out for another hour without him. This was my first time in an open cell suit. Difference between that and the old suit was mind blowing..."
...now there's another difference as well: great fit, superb performance and durability...made me a strong advocate of Picasso suits. Mine performed very well in NorCal waters, I couldn't have been more pleased. The termic lining makes donning the suit a breeze.
You guys should check out Elios sub wet suits.
I just recieved my new suit and it's insane!
It's a 5mm (for Cyprus) Heiwa neoprene, their new black super warm inner lining, and the amazing new Freedown outer skin.
Very warm and very fast. The water just beads up when you pour it over the suit.
They are relatively inexpencive and very helpful in choosing the right suit for what you are doing. Very fast service, it only took 10 day from the time I ordered to when it arrived on my doorstep in Hawaii, coming all the way from Italy.
Check out their site http://www.eliossub.com
DSV
I just recieved my new suit and it's insane!
It's a 5mm (for Cyprus) Heiwa neoprene, their new black super warm inner lining, and the amazing new Freedown outer skin.
Very warm and very fast. The water just beads up when you pour it over the suit.
They are relatively inexpencive and very helpful in choosing the right suit for what you are doing. Very fast service, it only took 10 day from the time I ordered to when it arrived on my doorstep in Hawaii, coming all the way from Italy.
Check out their site http://www.eliossub.com
DSV