Cheap Wetsuits in Aldi

jackal

http://www.aldi.ie/ie/html/offers/58_6354.htm

42 Euro

I got the lidl one a few months ago and have used it about 5 times in the west coast. Its ok so far, but lets in gushes of cold water up the sleeves and neck every now and then. I dont know do all wetsuits do this or what, but I might get a better one for the winter time anyway.

c - 13

I got one of the Lidl ones before. Not very good but would be alright as a "tester" wetsuit for the warmer months to decide if you wanted to try surfing out but werent sure if you were going to continue.

Wouldnt even look at one for the winter to be honest. Brrr

Masta Chief

To be fair , Id hold on to your €42 .... If you are starting to surf , a bad suit will only put you off surfing

Notch000

wetsuits are not expensive, i bought one off ebay for 70 euro last week, a propper one !! dont mind that aldi crap, its pants and you look like a clown in it.
Buy crap & you'l have to buy twice

muggyog

Looks alright to me. At least you can check it out first, unlike eBay. Im assuming the most important factor here is fit after all neoprene only comes in one quality.

Your OK Notch, it doesent say Aldi across the front.

WithCheesePlease

muggyog wrote: »

Im assuming the most important factor here is fit after all neoprene only comes in one quality

Well... More expensive winter suits come with taped seams too. Basically just sealed seems where the stitching is so the water doesn't get in. These Aldi suits wouldn't have that. And the same more expensive suits can also come with fleecy insides for extra snugness too. And maybe the likes of a "bat wing" type dealy too to reduce the amount of water that might creep down your back.

So a few other considerations there too to bear in mind when deciding how much you might be willing to spend...

muggyog

I think we can assume that it is not in the top of the range bracket. For less than 50euro you wont be getting the fur trimmings!

Good post from other board thread courtesy of duffymagic

Fit is the most important thing in a wetsuit. A cheap suit that fits well will always outperform an expensive suit that doesn't. It should fit, to embrace the cliché, like a glove.

For surfing, you want it to be very tight everywhere but flexible in the shoulders. This is to allow for easy paddling. It's especially important to have an excellent neck seal as paddling through waves will tend to flush cold water down any cheaper suit. Don't be fooled into thinking this is normal for a "wet"suit - wetsuits should not constantly replace the water inside. This means you keep expending energy heating new cold water, only to flush it out and take more in. This is nearly as bad as having no suit at all. Also important, are tight wrists and ankles.

Wetsuits designed for windsurfing/kiteboarding tend to be slightly different. There is less importance placed on the neck seal, wrist and ankles, as most of your time is spent out of the water. Also, the forearm and wrists are particularly flexible to make it easy to hold onto the rig for hours at a time. The outside of these suits are usually protected from windchill with a rubber coating outside the neoprene.

Going back to surf suits, the most common seam types in order of merit are:
Sealed & Taped (Glued Blindstitched & 100% Taped) > Sealed (Glued and Blindstitched) > Flatlock Stitching

From wetsuit warehouse dot com:

Flatlock Stitching: Recommended for warm water above 16°C. You can recognize this seam from the outside. It looks like railroad tracks. The interior and exterior seams look about the same. The interior seam construction is flat and comfortable against the body. Some water may seep in through these seams.

Sealed (Glued and Blindstitched): Recommended for cold water 12°C and up. This construction is best for cold water because the seams are glued, then stitched. It looks similar to Flatlock stitching, but is narrower in width. Very little water will seep through these seams.

Sealed & Taped (Glued Blindstitched & 100% Taped): Recommended for very cold water 12°C and below. Same construction as above plus interior seam taping. The tape reinforces seams for added durability, and prevents any water from seeping through.

And guess what, the Aldi suit is Flatlock stitched!

CarlaHeidi

i used 1 wen i had me flowers n i leaked straight tru...
arent they suppose 2 soak it up

lorweld

CarlaHeidi wrote: »

i used 1 wen i had me flowers n i leaked straight tru...
arent they suppose 2 soak it up

wtf???? They're not sanitary towels!!!

muggyog

Check Carla's other contributions and all will be clear.

c - 13

... and bam, with that delicious sounding contribution CarlaHeidi is gone

WithCheesePlease

haha, most random post ever, I love it

Sherifu

I love lateral thinking.

jackal

OK I think this is an obvious case of buy cheap buy twice. I will go check them out tonight anyway. Might be better to save the 40 and use it to put twords an xcel instead.

Gone West

jackal wrote: »

OK I think this is an obvious case of buy cheap buy twice. I will go check them out tonight anyway. Might be better to save the 40 and use it to put twords an xcel instead.

haha you'd have to buy cheap buy 10 times to save on a good xcel. They are worth it though.

ronanoc

My girlfriend bought one of those aldi/lidl things last summer. She used it for 1 weekend. 2 or 3 surfs maybe and then it ballooned. Stretched out and wouldn't go back into shape so by the end of the weekend her wetsuit was just filling up with water. She had to buy a new one this year.

You can get a decent wetsuit for not much more than €100, so I'd save your money.

SnowMonkey

muggyog wrote: »

Im assuming the most important factor here is fit after all neoprene only comes in one quality.

yes fit is hugly important actuly if it dont fit then it aint wort buying....

as for neo quality theres a huge amount to look at, neo pream is has bubles in it that help with boyancy and to a certin extent, heating..

take the neo used bye the aldi wetsuits its nothing more then industrial inssolation.......

take a O Neil Phcso 2 its stretcher better stiched half length zip flush stoper thingy, better fits better neopream desinged for surfing. not for selin out of a super market. The pannels on the shoulders are less restictive its warmer harder to get into... its also liquid taped..

the fact of the matter is you get what you pay for id happilly spend 300 euros on wetsuit because i know it would do its job an even if there was a problem id get another one replaced there and then, wetsuits are protecters against the cold and also are boi nt just because you can save 150 euros dont bye any measn nesscery think that there just as good because there not.

this is something ive never understood why buy something because its cheep when your doing a sport that you have fun in if your cold wet amissrable which i think i would be if i was in a aldi wetsuit how are you haveing fun??? just dont make sence to me il buy expensive gear not because its the best but i want to be warm and comfy not half warm and uncomfy....