FS 2, or FS PRO?

hey j, I've worn them all I prefer the hineck pro I wrote about them in this swim faster faster tip www.usms.org/.../showpost.php here's where I've found good prices, much lower than $450 Mens Full Body http://tinyurl.com/yu2hwd Mens LegSkins http://tinyurl.com/25hzh4 Mens Jammers http://tinyurl.com/2wree6 Womens Full body http://tinyurl.com/264te8 Womens http://tinyurl.com/3hyo4f If you're pressed for time before a meet I'd order a couple different sizes, keep the one that fits best and return the other rather than ordering the wrong size, risk it not fitting, then having to return it for a replacement, and then that replacement not arriving in time to wear at the meet you got it for in the first place. the goal is to get the suit you're going to wear in your meet at least a week or 2 before the meet starts so you can try it on at home and test it out in practice LZR's looks like LZR's won't be available till late july (they are delayed) LZRs can be faster but they have issues like What size to wear several swimmers are wearing a couple sizes down also keep in mind that the suit has sections that are like papersuit fabric and sections that are papersuit fabric with rubber over them the rubber sections hardly stretch at all so any give the suit has is due to the papersuit sections between rubber panels They can be hard to get on. Zippers Break I've personally seen 3 hineck LZR zippers break at meets one in a race in all cases the hineck LZR was zipped up (on tall men) and the teeth broke apart It was quite difficult to pull the zippers back to the base I've heard good things about the new generation of TYR suits I'd like to test both and see which one produces the best times. hope this helps Ande The more I read about these tech suits (complete with the hassle of putting them on, taking them off, zippers breaking, etc.), the more I think I’m developing a case of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) with an uncontrollable urge to start flinging off all of my clothes right down to my Fruit Of The Loom undies.!!! :bolt: And when everyone is grumbling about gas being $4 a gallon, there are some people who will actually pony up $450 for one of these suits? :bitching: Yeee Gadds, due to this suit technology stuff, swimming has undergone a complete metamorphosis from a simple, comfortable, and affordable athletic art into a hyper-competitive monstrosity. I wish we could just “Tivo” this lousy swimming movie backwards to the 1970s ASAP. :applaud: Happy swimming- Dolphin 2

It's all about Top Ramen, my man! :) ADDICT FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Heehee! What a funny thread! You can never have too many racing suits, just like you can never have too many specialized strollers for your kids. The FS PRO is like a miracle suit. It really makes you look about 10 lbs lighter which is why I love mine!!! Or maybe it's because I got the zipper back instead of racerback. I'll also add that this was a total impulse buy the day before nationals! I wanted spare goggles and said if I can fit into a certain target size, and if they have it in black, i'm going to buy it! I also recommend the colored FSII's. Thumbs up on style. But watch out - they are sized smaller than the standard FSII (black w/grey tone). I'm buying at least 1 LZR when they come out.

The FS PRO is like a miracle suit. It really makes you look about 10 lbs lighter which is why I love mine!!! Or maybe it's because I got the zipper back instead of racerback. Yahoo!!! Michelle has hit upon the #1 reason why masters swimmers (male and female both) like the tech suits!!! Jonathan, buy whichever suit fits you and your budget best and whichever you prefer. Just make sure you have a backup tight-fitting drag suit at your meet, because these tech suits work best when they're as tight as possible... and the tighter the fit, the more likely you might stick your fingernail through the suit putting it on! :eek:

But the fact is for an elite swimmer who's immediate financial future can be won or lost on tenths or even hundredths of seconds, I say more power to them, if they think buying a $500 suit or even a $10,000 suit makes sense for THEM, go for it. It's all about determining your return on investment. And that return does not have to be in money, it can be in happiness, personal satisfaction, bragging rights, what have you. And by the way, I bought a FS Pro 2 months ago for $50 on Ebay because there was a negative perceived ROI with buying a LZR. Just thought you'd like to know. Paul

Yahoo!!! Michelle has hit upon the #1 reason why masters swimmers (male and female both) like the tech suits!!! Might be why they are commonly referred to as 'Fat Skins'

Yes my opinion IS judgmental – just like any economist will tell you that most Americans have a serious personal debt problem and they had better get a handle on their spending. I chose to own my home and make the mortgage payments instead of spending money on fancy cars and other expensive personal items while many others are still just renters and their net worth is -zero-. Umm, I know many renters whose net worth is significantly higher than zero. Likewise, there are many people who chose to own their own home whose net worth is deep in the red. In fact, a lot of those people who chose to own their own homes are a big part of the reason that America has a serious debt problem. Not that I'm discounting all of the other forms of credit binging that have gone on... Furthermore I find it ironically amusing how people are grousing and fuming about the high price of gas (which requires $Billions to drill for and produce) yet they will not hesitate to run out and plunk down $450 for an LZR (which is probably made in China for a few cents on the dollar). So who's the biggest price gouger -Exxon Mobil or Speedo?? :lolup: Your economist from the first paragraph might point out that both companies are smart in observing the principles of supply and demand. Furthermore, the U.S. does have an obsession with sports and athletics similar to the Roman Empire and the Gladiators and too much public money is being spent on stadiums to hosting pro-sports teams. In addition, parents are aggressively prodding their children into sports at the expense of reduced academic achievement –just look at the poor test scores in reading, science, and math. My wife and my mother are both teachers, my wife working a Title I position, and I reject your argument that sports is the reason for reduced academic achievement. A big part of the reason is that parents and kids just don't care. Period. It has nothing to do with sports. I could go on about NCLB, curricula, etc, but the main reason is apathy. The American public school system is geared toward inclusiveness, which in theory has greater public utility at the expense of overall average testing. In fact, many critical thinkers have proposed that the U.S. may actually undergo a socio-economic collapse just like ancient Rome and cease to be a superpower. :lolup: We've all got to go sometime, political entities included. Or, in the words of Maimonidies, a critical thinker in his own time, "This too shall pass". Am I proposing that people paying $450 for an LZR is going to lead to the destruction of the U.S.? Obviously not –but taken in the context of the overall picture of the U.S., this kind of fanatical approach to swimming a little bit faster than someone else does give me (and quite a few others) pause for concern about what’s going on in the psyche of the American people. :doh: Oh jeez. I think competing and trying to get faster is a pretty healthy way to spend your time and/or money. In fact, I think it's much healthier than plunking down X amount of dollars each month for your meds, your junk, a shopping spree, or whatever gets you your fix. I'll take being fanatical about swimming over being fanatical about most other things like wasting your time railing against tech suits. The fact that you managed to tie in the LZR with a whole batch of social issues that you have no real grasp on is a tribute to your own mania. You shouldn't worry so much about the psyche of the American people. Now I feel dirty.

As to getting technical suits in the first place. We all have things that we splurge money and/or time on. For me personally, I don't see ever purchasing any swimsuit that is more than $50, but who knows. I do love to swim, but am nowhere near any sort of records, top 10 times, etc. So my tolerance level (both money and time) is limited. As I've said in other threads, I won't spend even an hour to shave down either. I'd love to get swimming back to where the guys at least wore $20-30 suits, but I've accepted that those days are long gone. Personally, my 'splurge' money and time seems to go for travel. I also run, and won't hesitate to spend about $100 for a good pair of running shoes. Now I am somewhat interested in some of the conversation about the suits. What if you are already at a reasonable weight, what benefit do they give then? Obviously it must be something, as the potential olympians are wearing them, but I thought they gave greater benefit to someone not quite so fit looking. I'm by far not in 100% the best shape I possibly could be, but I'm not bad. I had a near impossible time when shopping for a dress suit a few months ago, as I have a large chest and small waist. I couldn't imagine fitting into a 1-piece swimsuit covering both, and having a comfortable fit. Whenever I have to buy something as a set, there are major alterations to either the jacket, pants, or both. Heck, I even have a hard time with shirts, as ones that fit the chest are too big at the waist and come untucked easily. Do they have all sorts of shapes/sizes of these technical suits for all kinds of bodies? Do they have them customized?

From Hofffman: “Much of this seems incredibly judgmental. Who are you to say that an Average Joe buying a LZR has a serious problem? Maybe some Serious Joes think swimming very fast is very important. As for fast cars - people have enjoyed them since cars existed. To these people it is not throwing away big $$$. Are you similarly judgmental about other expensive things people spend their money on? Watches? Electronics? Shoes? Music? Art? Musical instruments?” Reply From Dolphin 2 Yes my opinion IS judgmental – just like any economist will tell you that most Americans have a serious personal debt problem and they had better get a handle on their spending. I chose to own my home and make the mortgage payments instead of spending money on fancy cars and other expensive personal items while many others are still just renters and their net worth is -zero-. Furthermore I find it ironically amusing how people are grousing and fuming about the high price of gas (which requires $Billions to drill for and produce) yet they will not hesitate to run out and plunk down $450 for an LZR (which is probably made in China for a few cents on the dollar). So who's the biggest price gouger -Exxon Mobil or Speedo?? :lolup: Furthermore, the U.S. does have an obsession with sports and athletics similar to the Roman Empire and the Gladiators and too much public money is being spent on stadiums to hosting pro-sports teams. In addition, parents are aggressively prodding their children into sports at the expense of reduced academic achievement –just look at the poor test scores in reading, science, and math. In fact, many critical thinkers have proposed that the U.S. may actually undergo a socio-economic collapse just like ancient Rome and cease to be a superpower. :lolup: Am I proposing that people paying $450 for an LZR is going to lead to the destruction of the U.S.? Obviously not. But taken in the context of the overall picture of the U.S., this fanatical approach to swimming a little bit faster than someone else gives me (and quite a few others) pause for concern about what’s going on in the psyche of the American people. :doh: Dolphin 2 Sounds like you disapprove of anyone who spends more money than you and anyone who purchases any item you deem inappropriate. How open-minded and tolerant. And what can possibly be wrong with wanting to go faster than someone?! That's the point of many sports. And it mimics the real word to some degree. Would you have us all be rec swimmers and noodlers? It doesn't even appear to me that folks are looking for tech suits as the only way to get faster. Most seem pretty interested in technique improvements, how to get stronger, and fine tuning their pool workouts. My kid are doing just fine in school while simultaneously competing in sports, as I'm sure many others are. It keeps them healthy and organized and provides a social/competitive outlet. What else would they do? Hang out at the mall every day? The $230 I spent on my FS Pro was completely within my budget.

Competing is fun and I have to believe it's healthy and natural, given how just about everybody does it in some way or another (whether competing on the sports field, or competing in the job context, competing in the dating world, etc.). In fact, sports are probably a great outlet for our inherent competitive nature. And all sports have expensive equipment associated with them (runners have super expensive shoes, bicyclists have super expensive bikes, etc.) and swimming is no different. I got "paper" suits every year as a kid and in college. These technical suits are just the modern day equivalent. They cost even more because more engineering and science went into them. Back to the true topic at hand, I own FS Pro Jammers. I bought them "down" a size and have a heck of a time getting into them. This may be due to having rather thick thighs (breaststroker thighs). I didn't find that they gave really at all. As Andy mentions, they are very similar to the paper suits of yesteryear (and you will all remember that those things would rip before they would "give"). I also agree with Andy that you should buy a few different sizes and return the ones that don't fit. I'm sure that's especially true for the full-body suits. I was able to squeeze into those jammers but if I had to pull them over my shoulders, I might have been singing up a few octaves!