Yingfa sharkskin vs Speedo aquablade

I was going to get a speedo fastskin2 for meets, but I found something called a Yingfa sharkskin. It seems exactly like a fastskin except waayyy cheaper:). Right now I have an speedo aquablade, and was wondering which is better out of the sharkskin and the aquablade. I wear the Yingfa one for meets. I like it. I'm simple though, and it doesn't take much to please me. Plus the price is right! :banana:

I just bought a Yingfa suit last month, and after a trial at practice I will commission it this weekend at a meet. Great price, just ask about sizing before you order it.

If you are female, beware that the Yingfa's are REALLY TINY in the bum...not a lot of coverage at all!

I actually heard a lot of good things about the tyr tracer light from swimmers on my team, but some people said that they didn't last very long. I've decided to get the FS2 because they aren't too bad, in terms of pricing, on swimoutlet.com, and I've got lots of recommendations for it.

Also, they don't hold their elasticity for long. I wore my at LC Nat's this summer - brought it out again (after not wearing it since) in mid-Feb for a meet & it was waaaay stretched out. My son is a college swimmer & he says the Yingfa is only marginally better than wearing a plain old lycra suit, if at all. Course he gets free LZR's and all that. . .

Think of a Yingfa as a lycra suit. I have the sharkskin and like it; I have found the durability high and it's my suit of choice for in-season meets, as well as quality workouts. It is not, however, what one would consider a tech suit, nor is it comparable to a fastskin. For a great entry-level tech suit for guys, I have historically chosen the TYR Tracer Light. This year, I'm contemplating the Arena Powerskin ST (www.swimoutlet.com/.../25034.htm). For guys, the new 18th century rules on suits mean that suits don't really matter much these days so I wouldn't overspend. Yeah, if you're a professional and the tenths/hundredths really matter and drive your sponsorship/advertising $$, maybe the higher-end tech suits are worth it. If you're a woman, though, looking for an edge, and have the money to burn, I'd look harder at the higher end of the tech suit scale.

Think of a Yingfa as a lycra suit... It is not, however, what one would consider a tech suit, nor is it comparable to a fastskin. Totally agree. If you're expecting it to be identical to a Fastskin II you'll be disappointed.

For guys, the new 18th century rules on suits mean that suits don't really matter much these days so I wouldn't overspend. Agreed. And I too hate that training and racing matter more than wallet size nowadays (for men, anyway). Like Patrick, I like the Yingfa for in-season meets and the Tyr for taper meets. The Tyr has been pretty robust and I like the fit. Speedos have never fit as well, and I've issues with the drawstring breaking (not something you like to happen right before a race). The Arena looks intriguing, hard to know from the comments about the sizing.

Patrick will you please report your findings...I have a FS2 Jammer which won't last forever...wish I'd invested in a few when they were $49. I will do so. As a fair warning, though, I might just buy both a TYR and Arena and bring both to Greensboro, so product review might not happen until post-Nationals. Like Chris said, my TYR Tracer Light held up fabulously -- wore it across many meets starting when the dark ages began and I had to hang up my beloved B70 Nero Comp. I bought one TYR in the fall of 2010 and wore it for all my taper meets (and some non-taper USAS meets where I made finals) until just last weekend. It's a great suit.

For a great entry-level tech suit for guys, I have historically chosen the TYR Tracer Light. This year, I'm contemplating the Arena Powerskin ST (www.swimoutlet.com/.../25034.htm). Patrick will you please report your findings...I have a FS2 Jammer which won't last forever...wish I'd invested in a few when they were $49.