Been racing in a B70 NeroTX. Six meets and twelve competition days. On the second day of the meet at Auburn, it started to show those white frayed thinning areas in the chest, crotch and back seam. So it's obviously on its way out.
I have taken good care of it. Always rinsing in clear water after each day, not taking it on and off too much, always hanging immediately to dry, never leaving wadded up in my swim bag.
Now that we've been racing in the new generation of suits since July, I was curious about other's experience with their suits. What brand are you wearing and how has it held up? Is my suit life typical or have your suits lasted longer?
You'll probably find responses from females more useful, but I find my Tyr Tracer Light jammers pretty durable. I use them for 4-5 meets before I replace them, and they would probably last longer. I don't take care of them as well as I should.
I've also tried a pair of FINIS jammers (the HydroSpeed 2). I like the fit and comfort (and price) quite a bit, but I don't think they are as durable as the Tyr and they don't give as much compression either.
Good luck.
I found that I could get Spring yards meets and summer LCM meets with one tyr Tracer Light. Of course, I don't use them for every meet. For inseason meets, I just use practice suits.
As much I like the Tracer Light, I am curious about getting an Arena suit. I use the 34 Tracer Light and it fits perfectly. The Speedo fastskin of the same size is a little loose on the thighs
Former Member
Tech suits are to make more $$$ for the suit companies and it's a typical case of planned obsolecence.
The faster they wear out, the more money they make. :bump:
D2
This is such a qualitative discussion - how long a suit "lasts" depends on what you think that means - until it rips, starts to ripple from material stretch, see-throughness, etc.....
I agree. Additionally, what was the "in water" time versus sitting on deck? I don't write it down, but I keep track of my suits by total number of minutes that I've worn them in the water. Most of the suits are treated with a water repellent chemical that goes away far before the suit falls apart. When the water stops beading off the suit, I relegate it to smaller meets/open water/postal events.
I rarely warm up using a tech suit to save on its race time.
I agree. I wear a tech suit at all meets. Why just wait for the "right" meet. It might pass you by while you are waiting.
I know from experience I'm just not going to swim close to best times unless I'm shaved and tapered. I applaud those who can swim best times in season, but I'm definitely not one of them. The rubber suits were a different story. With those I could just get in and swim fast any time. Not so with textile jammers.
I've used my Tracer Light jammer at a ton of meets and it hasn't gotten stretched or worn out at all. I ripped a little hole in a seam during the first meet, but the stitching is good and the hole hasn't gotten bigger.
Ditto, without the tear. My Tyr Tracer Light jammer is holding up very well after 6 meets. My old Tyr Tracer Light leggings are in good shape too; although I don't know what I'll ever use them for, I haven't thrown them away.
I know from experience I'm just not going to swim close to best times unless I'm shaved and tapered. I applaud those who can swim best times in season, but I'm definitely not one of them.
Kirk, agree with you here. I will wear a tech suit if I'm in a larger meet at a fast pool like Auburn but still don't anticipate swimming close to my shaved and tapered times.
Karlene, I don't think I'd expect these suits to last much more than 6 meets. As Chowmi points out, they may not be falling apart, but they will get very stretched out, especially if you're in them all day.
I was suspecting that six meets may be about the limit. My suit is still plenty snug but it was uncomfortably tight when I first wore it back in May.
And i'd like to head Dophin 2 off right now. I am a bit tired of hearing ad nauseum (sp) his well-known dislike of tech suits and the $$$ involved. The $$$ is unambiguous, you just have to budget your $$, and suits are something I think are worthwhile TO ME to spend lots of $$$ on.
Amen, Michelle! I had already purchased a second kneeskin a month ago in anticipation of my current one wearing out. I figure I can get one or two more local meets out of the disintigrating suit. I'll be purchasing yet another tech suit so that I always have two in good condition on hand. Compared to other sports, a few tech suits per year is a minor investment. It's my money and my choice to maximize my training efforts with a decent suit.
I've never used the Yingfa but Patrick Brundage has:
forums.usms.org/blog.php
Unfortunately he didn't know about durability, which is your main question. I don't know if he has been following this thread but maybe he can chime in (or you can PM him and report back to us). I know he has a meet this weekend.
What I will say, is that I will take a durable but more expensive suit over a cheap piece of junk any day b/c it will be cheaper (and more convenient) in the long run. The ones you want to avoid, obviously, are those expensive pieces of fluff that last only a meet or two.
Fit/comfort are perhaps just as important to me as durability and price. If the thing doesn't fit well, or is painful to wear, I don't want it. I don't like distractions come race time.
I've never used the Yingfa but Patrick Brundage has:
forums.usms.org/blog.php
Unfortunately he didn't know about durability, which is your main question. I don't know if he has been following this thread but maybe he can chime in (or you can PM him and report back to us). I know he has a meet this weekend.
What I will say, is that I will take a durable but more expensive suit over a cheap piece of junk any day b/c it will be cheaper (and more convenient) in the long run. The ones you want to avoid, obviously, are those expensive pieces of fluff that last only a meet or two.
Fit/comfort are perhaps just as important to me as durability and price. If the thing doesn't fit well, or is painful to wear, I don't want it. I don't like distractions come race time.
I got a Yingfa suit also, and have used it for my past 2 meets, and it seems to be doing just fine. I like the feel of it in the water, my times were fast, but that's not only the suit. Lots of hard work has gone into training this swimming machine. :bow: I'll be using it again on Sunday. Heck...for $33, it's great!!! I'd rather pay that for a suit than spend hundreds on another suit that will last just the same amount of time and/or give the same effect in the water. I'm not shooting for any National records/Olympics/etc., so a $33 suit that holds up well and feels fast works for me. :applaud:
