Isurus wetsuit, definitely worth taking a serious look at

Man you did a stellar job covering all the bases discretely, rep of the month award dec 2013.

Regardless, I will have to agree that any new technology in wetsuits is worth taking a look into. Every year it seems they get better. thanks for the info.

 

Yeah man, thanks for taking the time to put together such a thorough review. Sounds like you scored an awesome suit.

 

So how much was the suit? How much would you pay without your black Friday discount?

 

My experience with Isurus is a bit different. I own a 4/5/4 i-soldier and 222 SAF

The cons

1. Fit is an issue with most people. The suit is designed to fit very tight. The compression technology makes it very difficult to pull the suit on if you have the correct size. Two guys I know must use the plastic bag trick to get into their suits.

2. The neoprene is very fragile and subject to tears easily. You can't let your finger nails get even a touch long or they can tear the suit due to the force required to pull it on.

3. The suits tend to leak at the ankles a bit, but are generally water tight otherwise. Several people have confirmed this.

4. The neoprene tape they use to seal the seams is too thick, counter-acting some of the buttery flex of the Yamamoto neoprene. In fact the 4/5/4 i-soldier has similar flex to a 5/4 dry lock, but the actual neoprene is much much more flexible. This is a huge miss in the design in my opinion.

The pros

1. The neoprene absorbs no moisture making it noticeably the lightest weight suit I've ever worn.

2. In the 222 SAF, which has no neoprene seam tape, the flex and feel of the suit is better than any I've ever worn.

3. The hoods are designed well.

4. The suit is super warm. I'm usually roasting in the 4/5/4 i-Soldier even in 45 degree water and 35 degree air. The water needs to be below 40 and air temps below freezing for me to get cold in the suit. Usually I'd be wearing a 6/5/4 in these conditions.

5. The anatomical cut and buttery neoprene make the suit a pleasure to wear. Not nearly as uncomfortable as other suits. It also aids in paddling and posture while surfing.


So there you have it. Right now my Isurus 222 SAF is probably my favorite suit I've ever owned, but because of a few minor design issues I actually prefer my 3.5/4.5 ebomb over the 4/5/4 i-Soldier for average winter surf. I'll usually opt for the i-Soldier when it gets really cold. I'd love to try a 4/3/4 i-evade for comparison, but I'd like to see an improvement in the neoprene tape used before dropping the hefty amount of cash these suits cost.

 

Well i'll be damned. you should contemplate getting into it, that was a pretty in depth review. And im jealous of life up there.

 

i got a oneill 4/3 epic and it has been great.

 

They are worth the money. I have an 454 isoldier and I love it. Its tough to get into but other than that its a great suit and its super warm.

 

My i-Soldier has it throughout the entire suit on all the seams. I think if it were only in the torso it would make a huge difference in the flex of the suit. My 222 has no seam tape and it's the best suit I've ever owned. I think this is a actually a design change because I remember seeing seam tape on the 434 in the store in 2012. Glad they made the change. I might need to check one of these out now.

 

dragging up an old thread here while thinking about picking up last year's evade 454.

I spent last winter in a 4mil oneill psycho that i picked up before moving to NJ, which really wasn't too bad outside of december - february. at the risk of whining, suffered through those 3 months and had to get creative poor man style with a 1 mil vest underneath a few times. it didn't really work, but funds had to be allocated to different priorities at the time, and I wasn't able to sit at home when it was firing. we had a good winter.

my wetsuit experience prior was limited to a fall/winter surfing in northern europe in a 5 mil oneill mutant that wasn't spectacular, but took care of bidness. I wasn't too impressed with it or my current 4 mil, and am set on switching allegiances.

anyways: reading all the tech stuff on isurus, sounds like the 454 is pretty toasty. saw a couple of other NJ area fellas on here that mentioned these suits... what did you think about the warmth from dec-feb? isurus website has a lot of tech info listed about how warm/stretchy/light/sensational their product is - and I don't doubt it - but is this 5 mil really 6 mil warmth?

 

Warmest and lightest wetsuit I've ever had. I've got the 4/3/4 which is must lighter than the 3/2 Oneil that I have. I lived in RI and NJ for years and used to surf the winters there. This would have been the suit to have back them but it didn't exist. My only problem is that if the water is in the high 60s I tend to overheat. The website says my suit is for 50-57 degree water and I'd say that's accurate. After that its too warm. i'm looking into getting a 2/3/2 which should be better for the 60 degree temps.

 

Almost all the new suits from every company (minus hyperflex) are insane these days. You almost can't go wrong. We are definitely spoiled with our hi tech warm stretchy suits.

 

Great suits. Have the 222 and the i-soldier for the winter. I have only really used ONeill suits in the last 25 years until I bought these 2 suits. They are really light and warm. The soldier in Feb is toasty and light . But as mentioned earlier they are fragile can tear easy.

 

Wow this tread is bringing out all sorts of cats that never post! Obscure wetty, obscure posters!

 

The most difficult suit I've ever attempted to take off...had to get my buddy to help me. I've been told that they need time to break in but it was brutal. Still the concept absolutely makes sense to me...hopefully grabbing an I-solider this winter.

 

"Bro, can you give me two hands getting this wetty off?"

Words I hope never to say. It would take a broken or dislocated limb. And I'd be asking the nearest wahine.

 

Upon reading my **** Wasteland comment in the beginning, I gotta say that ever since reading this thread back in december and moving back to Rhode Island isurus has been on the radar big time. Take some time to check these suits out at a shop if you can, they are pretty sick looking. Might be on the purchase list for this winter...

I can get a pyrotech for cheap through work, but im skeptical, so i might have to drop the extra 400 hundo to get one of these.

 

I've said this a couple of times on here.... but the pyrotech is something else. the 5/4 is HOT. I had it out in 10 degree air and 35 water and was hot. overheating hot. I see myself using it very few days this year. I might make the whole year with the 4/3. My only complaint is that the chest is a bit restrictive for me, but my chest is almost in between sizes.