The Great Unbiased Wetsuit Review Thread

PRCD

Tom Curren status
Feb 25, 2020
12,503
8,538
113
It's not bad luck.

Most suits just suck.

Water-based glues for wetsuits and shitty stitching.
The only non-Cyber suit I'd buy is a used one I fixed with Black Witch contact cement. Otherwise, not worth the price.
 

mundus

Duke status
Feb 26, 2018
36,721
15,939
113
The kitboarding suit I bought is the best quality i have ever had. The big brands have a captive audience and they know it, they could make them much better.
 
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ChaseTMP

Billy Hamilton status
Apr 6, 2014
1,703
3,109
113
S. Redondo
That stinks. Ours were the same batch so I guess I can expect leaks imminently. Mine has felt good so far but I haven’t used it much yet. I haven’t had flushing through hood or chest. The chest cinch issue seemed to be resolved with their addition of the little extra piece that someone (maybe @ChaseTMP ?) on here lost on day 1. Shame quality seems to have dropped with the move to china production.
Yeah, that was mine where the little butterfly latch came off first go out. It's weird, there are people who have five year old Isurus suits that are still going strong, but I had two back-to-back issues with new suits, the cinch and then seams on the replacement after 20+ surfs. I know they're working to address the issues, but it's a bummer when you're paying a premium price.

I'm using a 4/3 Evade and the difference in weight and flexibility compared to the Shield 3.3 hooded is very noticeable. It takes some serious effort to get the lower legs in and even tougher getting it off. I've only worn it twice, so maybe it'll loosen up a tad. I'm taking it off in my shower and in that scenario I'm still puffed cheeks and sore thumbs even with a few breather breaks. I think if I had to take it off in a parking lot or on a rocky shoreline I would roll into a ball and cry.

I much prefer the fit/feel of the Shield to the Evade. The Evade has has lined panels in the back and the lower red colored one is thicker than the rest of the suit and feels kind of strange. Neither suit is incredibly warm, or any warmer than my two year old Vissla High Seas.
 
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rowjimmytour

Tom Curren status
Feb 7, 2009
11,534
5,832
113
54
The seams on my Matuse disintegrated and became sticky and started giving me free waxing of my pubic and anal regions everytime I took the suit off. Not sure if this was a bug or a feature.
You should've gone machado pro model comes with anal bleaching:shaka:
 
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oeste858

Phil Edwards status
Sep 11, 2017
6,931
17,272
113
San Diego, CA
The seams on my Matuse disintegrated and became sticky and started giving me free waxing of my pubic and anal regions everytime I took the suit off. Not sure if this was a bug or a feature.
That’s standard on the women’s suits Maybe you grabbed one by mistake. it’s a real time saver for the SCSD hipster ladyshredders.
 
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May 31, 2011
72
53
18
Yeah, that was mine where the little butterfly latch came off first go out. It's weird, there are people who have five year old Isurus suits that are still going strong, but I had two back-to-back issues with new suits, the cinch and then seams on the replacement after 20+ surfs. I know they're working to address the issues, but it's a bummer when you're paying a premium price.

I'm using a 4/3 Evade and the difference in weight and flexibility compared to the Shield 3.3 hooded is very noticeable. It takes some serious effort to get the lower legs in and even tougher getting it off. I've only worn it twice, so maybe it'll loosen up a tad. I'm taking it off in my shower and in that scenario I'm still puffed cheeks and sore thumbs even with a few breather breaks. I think if I had to take it off in a parking lot or on a rocky shoreline I would roll into a ball and cry.

I much prefer the fit/feel of the Shield to the Evade. The Evade has has lined panels in the back and the lower red colored one is thicker than the rest of the suit and feels kind of strange. Neither suit is incredibly warm, or any warmer than my two year old Vissla High Seas.
I can't speak to the Shield, but I have the Evade 4.3 and after about five sessions it loosened up considerably. Other than the ankle cuffs being a touch loose I found the suit to be really good. I can't say i love the zipper but it's not a deal breaker for me.
 

ChaseTMP

Billy Hamilton status
Apr 6, 2014
1,703
3,109
113
S. Redondo
I can't speak to the Shield, but I have the Evade 4.3 and after about five sessions it loosened up considerably. Other than the ankle cuffs being a touch loose I found the suit to be really good. I can't say i love the zipper but it's not a deal breaker for me.
Yeah, that floppy zipper is a strange selection on Isurus' part. A little nylon snap-down tab would have been an obvious (to me) design choice if that was the better zipper for warranty issues.
 
Sep 26, 2022
60
25
18
I can't speak to the Shield, but I have the Evade 4.3 and after about five sessions it loosened up considerably. Other than the ankle cuffs being a touch loose I found the suit to be really good. I can't say i love the zipper but it's not a deal breaker for me.
I didn't like the zipper at first, but I just learned how to zip it more easily after a while.. Seems really tough, and with the "backwards" action I'm guessing it won't fail like my other chest zips.