My O'neill Psychotech 5.5/4 is the best wetsuit I've ever owned, and not by a close margin. I'm cheap as f and would buy one at full price without thinking twice.
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I asked Jim. Same Yamamoto #40. I told him, as did a friend, he needs to update the site to scream that information. People care about that... a lot. Jim is all about the highest quality, so he didn't think it was something that he needed to mention. I told him: MENTION IT.Interesting. They don’t talk much about the rubber other than mentioning low absorption.
Two choices:
1. Isurus, as started by Jim B but know he's no longer there.
OR
2. Jim's new company since he split with Isurus: Winterleaf Wetsuits. www.winterleaf.surf
Same great guy, new great company.
Wut?Traditional bilateral design symmetry balanced with authentic fabrics and materials. Winterleaf is expanding the standard by providing maximum freedom of paddle, warm, comfortable insulation, and lighter, low water-absorption, resulting in advantage and joy.
No smooth skin either.I see taped seams.
Highest quality ≠ taped seams
My current choice as well. Hoping to get through my third winter with this suit. Starting to get a bit tattered (so am I . After 26 years of surfing here in Alaska, I have tried more than a few wetsuits.My O'neill Psychotech 5.5/4 is the best wetsuit I've ever owned, and not by a close margin. I'm cheap as f and would buy one at full price without thinking twice.
Well, their 344 doesn't.No smooth skin either.
Maybe they assume people won't be worried about wind protection from the front in 50 mph onshore winds.Cuz clearly you won't need any extra warmth/protection from the wind/water absorption/evaporative cooling on the front of your core.
How much do you surf?I have a Billabong with no smooth skin and it is plenty warm, I think with the new liners smooth skin is not needed.
Going on 2nd season, still warm. In the water at least 3 or 4 days a week surfing or paddling, swimming when water gets over 50.How much do you surf?
These suits tend to be OK for low use when the neoprene is impermeable or if your session is short.
All neoprene breaks down and eventually takes on more and more water.
If you're surfing 3 or 4 days a week you'll soon find out.
Yes, a good liner helps.
But there's a good reason the vast majority of suits made for the coldest waves use smoothskin. It's just warmer. Because it's a water barrier.
I will say out of all the OTR suits I've looked at the top of line Bong looked best.
I have not seen any any of the O'neills people are raving about but I did see some of the Technobatter falling apart on the rack.
Threw me too. There's an internal neck gasket that attaches in back in addition to the gasket in front. So... symmetry... I think.Wut?
Wut?
The factory for the door and window company I work for is in Porto, Portugal (Porto). Winter Leaf's website copy is pretty bananas and reminds me of the Google translated superfluous Portuguese I've had to rewrite for some of our marketing materials.Threw me too. There's an internal neck gasket that attaches in back in addition to the gasket in front. So... symmetry... I think.
And marketing.
But everyone needs something to stand out from the pack.
My 3 mil and 5 mil (two new suits that haven't hit the site yet) both have smooth skin at the shoulder yoke and hood. No smooth skin below the shoulders. Suits are glued and double blind stitched, so the taping isn't a BS gimmick as you'll see with the "liquid seam" crap in other suits that lasts about 1 season. Not year - season. I still have my original Isurus from Jim (2009, I think) and it works just as great as day one. Same taping and GDBS. Maybe that's an anomaly, but I trust Jim's work & workmanship.
As some may know, I used to be purely in the Patagonias for personal reasons. I still rep and wear their products, but the wetsuits just were killing me. Seams would not last.
So I'm happy to be back and helping out Jim B.
That's me. YMMV.
Smoothskin sucks. The glue line that attaches it to the rest of the suit cracks/rips and then the suit is not warm any more and it's difficult to repair.How much do you surf?
These suits tend to be OK for low use when the neoprene is impermeable or if your session is short.
All neoprene breaks down and eventually takes on more and more water.
If you're surfing 3 or 4 days a week you'll soon find out.
Yes, a good liner helps.
But there's a good reason the vast majority of suits made for the coldest waves use smoothskin. It's just warmer. Because it's a water barrier.
I will say out of all the OTR suits I've looked at the top of line Bong looked best.
I have not seen any any of the O'neills people are raving about but I did see some of the Technobatter falling apart on the rack.
The factory for the door and window company I work for is in Porto, Portugal (Porto). Winter Leaf's website copy is pretty bananas and reminds me of the Google translated superfluous Portuguese I've had to rewrite for some of our marketing materials.
Smoothskin is warmer and provides protection from wind.Smoothskin sucks. The glue line that attaches it to the rest of the suit cracks/rips and then the suit is not warm any more and it's difficult to repair.