Thanks for the back ground on that. My plan is to take it back near the end of the winter season to have it fixed and and maybe I'll get lucky they'll just replace it with the newer version.Hotline released the original "Phoenix" suit a little bit too early. The neck stitching is a common problem. In fact, all unsold Phoenix suits from surf shops were returned so they could resolve this problem.
The "PhoenixX" (two x's) is the solution. It's a great suit, with Hotline's legendary durability. They loosened up the cut in the calves & thighs a touch, put in a different material in the forearms, and fixed the stitching in the neck. They really shot themselves in the foot by releasing the first gen. "phoenix" before solving those problems.
So, if anyone out there has a "Phoenix" suit, take it back to your surf shop and see if they can contact Hotline for you to either fix it or get you a "PhoenixX." You'll know which one you have by the lettering on the cuff -- there is an extra "X" on the newer suits.
-ShShSh
Kevin