Does the brand matter?

[danielh03]

I have read that some people say that with a 5mil or 7mil they experience different buoncy depending on the Brand of the wetsuit. Is this myth or fact? Any personal stories

[Vegas]

nothing to report yet, but I am changing from my 7 mil ScubaPro, to my new 7 mil Hyperstretch this weekend - I will post if I notice anything worth reporting.

[RECDiver]

Fact. Different manufacturers may use different types of neopreme, so the buoyancy characteristics can be different. I particularly see this when my oldest son has had to rent a 7mm suit of different brands from different dive stores. In these cases both suits were new. He actually needed more weight with one suit vs the other. I suggest renting various brands and finding out what works best for you.

[WV Diver]

It is a fact. Age as well as brand and material make a difference. If the suit is older and has a few deep dives on it than it may be more compressed resulting in less thermal protection and less buoyancy. This usually takes a good number of dives to achieve but it does happen.

[lmorin]

Originally Posted by WV Diver

It is a fact. Age as well as brand and material make a difference. If the suit is older and has a few deep dives on it than it may be more compressed resulting in less thermal protection and less buoyancy. This usually takes a good number of dives to achieve but it does happen.

I find it hard to believe "a few deep dives" would permanently alter the thickness of any standard material. Rubber is used precisely because it is stretchy and decompresses after being squeezed. UV light combined with age might have a big effect on compressibility and durability, however.

It also continues to amaze me how much "information" is bandied about about one material, item or piece of equipment as being better than another with so little information to back up the claims. As a newbie, I found it incredibly difficult to make reasoned decisions about gear because nearly all the information consists of "opinion," rather than test results.

[Capt Hook]

Different brands may exhibit different bouncy characteristics, due to the materials used. I have never noticed it to be enough to cause problems.

[thesmoothdome]

Originally Posted by Vegas

nothing to report yet, but I am changing from my 7 mil ScubaPro, to my new 7 mil Hyperstretch this weekend - I will post if I notice anything worth reporting.

If you got good use out of your old suit, you'll definately need a few more pounds in the new one. Neoprene breaks down over time an usage, so you probably noticed that you were able to drop a few pounds after the suit was well used.

[WV Diver]

Originally Posted by lmorin

I find it hard to believe "a few deep dives" would permanently alter the thickness of any standard material. Rubber is used precisely because it is stretchy and decompresses after being squeezed. UV light combined with age might have a big effect on compressibility and durability, however.

It also continues to amaze me how much "information" is bandied about about one material, item or piece of equipment as being better than another with so little information to back up the claims. As a newbie, I found it incredibly difficult to make reasoned decisions about gear because nearly all the information consists of "opinion," rather than test results.

Neoprene rubber keeps you warm because of the many tiny gas bubbles that insulate you against the cold. The thicker it is the more warmth and more buoyancy it has. The more shallow you dive the higher the insulating factor. This is because the deeper you dive the more compressed the material is due to pressure and the smaller these tiny gas bubbles become, thereby affording you less thermal protection.

Over the years manufacturers have made suits more flexible by adding softening agents. This is a trade off, as the suit breaks down faster as a result of these agents. The more and deeper you dive the faster the gas bubbles break down and the less thermal protection the suit has. You don't have to make any deep dives, but the deeper you dive the faster the insulation breaks down. You can think of it like your shoe insoles, the more you walk on them the less cushion you get from them until they need replaced. Packaging bubbles are another good example, if you squeeze them till they pop they won't protect your fragile items nearly as well.

UV light actually degrades materials like rubber as well as neoprene rubber as does any source of ozone through oxidation and has nothing to do with pressure.

As far as making educated decisions on gear, the information is out there. You just need to find it. I am a big advocate for making informed decisions about my gear and I have been able to find most of the information I needed to satisfy my curiosity regarding most scuba related items. Keep searching. Ask those in the know and trust informed sources. Remember that the industry and manufacturers are becoming more homogenized as cost of materails and technologies decrease.

[Aussie]

Originally Posted by lmorin

I find it hard to believe "a few deep dives" would permanently alter the thickness of any standard material. Rubber is used precisely because it is stretchy and decompresses after being squeezed. UV light combined with age might have a big effect on compressibility and durability, however.

It also continues to amaze me how much "information" is bandied about about one material, item or piece of equipment as being better than another with so little information to back up the claims. As a newbie, I found it incredibly difficult to make reasoned decisions about gear because nearly all the information consists of "opinion," rather than test results.

Well welcome to Discusion forums. Your right about all the information consists of opinions from the members that post. Thats what a discusion forum is all about.

Test results you have to buy a dive magazine and read the biased "opinions" of the testers.

I thought everyone knew that wetsuits get compressed after heaps of dives. Mate in Thailand dives in a 7mm custom semi-dry and its now like a 4mm semi-dry after alot of use. 7mm in Thailiand? Well he's English.

Aussie