I am going to try an experiment and would be curious to hear your experiences as well. According to the mileage in my FLOG, my first Speedo Endurance (50% poly/50% PBT) suit lasted for 297 miles (mostly in saline pools), before the stitching gave way and I had to retire the suit. My second Speedo Endurance suit has lasted for 242 miles (also mostly in saline pools), however, the stitching has started to come out in the neckline. Remembering what happened to my previous suit after getting out of the pool on a cruise ship ( :mooning: :blush: ), I have ordered another suit to have ready for when my Speedo falls apart. (I will be watching the stitching in the bottom carefully, as to avoid a repeat of the unintended mooning I gave the other cruise ship passengers...)
This time, I have ordered the "Blue Streak" (second one down):
www.swimdownhill.com/id54.html
After hearing so many great things about George Park and his Yingfa suits, I thought I would give one a try. Not only was the price right ($28); it included shipping! And, George replied to my e-mails immediately, when I had questions about sizing. He even offered to send me two suits with a return envelope, so I could return the one that didn't fit. George's customer service can't be beat!
I will keep track of my mileage on this suit and report back when it takes a dump. (Stretching out doesn't count; I only retire a suit when it gets to this point: :afraid:)
Meanwhile, has anybody else out there kept track of the durability of their suits? I would be curious to know how long your suits have lasted (mileage, if known, to compare fairly). How do the various brands compare?
Former Member
I love the Speedo endurance & Nike endurance the most - but I have no problems fixing torn stitching! What retires my suits is when the strap elastic becomes brittle & nasty - usually after about 18-24 months. The TYR suits do NOT hold up as long for me.
This seems to happen a lot with Nike suits-any way to prevent this?
I have been most happy with my 4 endurance suits,bought about 4 years ago.They spend 1-2 hours in the pool 3-4 times a week....and so far the stitching is holding up great,only the lining in 2 has shredded,so I cut it out and double up 2 suits.I love that they dry in no time,in case I can't change that is a plus!
My son wears endurance jammers and a pair he's worn every other practice-maybe 3 times a week(2 hours) for the last 2 years-is still going strong,the other one bought at the same time just got chucked because he snagged a hole in the back and he refused to wear a drag suit to cover it up.
Speedo Endurance swim suits are good for practice they do create drag. I have noticed a lot of swimmers wear them during competition. They usually have them 1 or 2 sizes to large, ripples allover the place.
I've had very good luck with endurance suits. I have one that's lasted a couple years no problem. I do however feel like mens suits last longer than womans.
I would have to assume the mileage is pretty low, but I've been using the same TYR poly brief in pretty much every workout since Summer of 2008. I prefer the cut of TYR suits. Speedo briefs are really thick on the sides these days.
I go cheap and buy lycra. And I find them at TJ Maxx and Marshalls for no more than $15 each. Most are $10. I believe I have 6 suits in my stockpile as I buy them when they have them.
I rotate between 3 suits and find that I get a year out of them when they are in 3-4 times a week. Usually they stretch out too much before they are worn out.
Right now I have 2 Nikes and a Speedo that I'm using. The Speedo is well over a year old and the Nikes are about 3 months old.
I've had moderate luck with Speedo Endurance. Stitching just doesn't last more that 6-9 months. I've pretty much given up and now use cheap nylon suits with an Arena drag suit over them. The nylon suits are stretched and deteriorated beyond being wearable anywhere other than a locker room. I wear one only in case my drag suit destitches in the wrong location. The drag suit is going on 6 months right now and holding up pretty well.
I prefer to train in a racing suit, so what if they fall apart. Although if you wear the size above what you would race in they do last. I have worn my suit for 8 months and it shows no sign of wear. I like the lift in body position from my present suit. My training suit is a size XXXL, I weigh 245 lbs waist size 40 inches.
I use speedos square nylon and speedo square mesh suits for workout. For the most part they last me about a year. Maybe 10 years ago though they switched the drawstring material and I find that this often breaks or wears thin long before the suits give out. I wish I could find a spool of the old drawstring material somewhere and I'd be set. My suits would last years in this case...
