Portwest wetsuits?

jackal

Hi,
Im looking to get a decent wetsuit for the winter here, a beginner with own board surfing the west coast. Has anyone used a portwest branded wetsuit?

From what I can see they are midrange specification. Glued and blind stitched. PU kneepads. Pre shaped legs and arms.

The price is very very good at 69.95 euro's for the 5/4 steamer and 119 for the zipped 5/4 steamer. Too good almost... Are they any use?

http://portwest.ie/pdetails.php?c=5&p=W140&ct=3
http://portwest.ie/pdetails.php?c=5&p=W150&ct=3

What say you?

cue

I've used Portwest before for my kids. Not for surfing though, just swimming. They are well-made and durable. Personally, I don't care what brand it is as long as it fits me perfectly and keeps me warm.

CantGetNoSleep

Looks like good value, are they as durable as brand name wetsuits?

Notch000

there not great at all, crappy fit and fast wearing, generally cheap qualiy, spend a little more and you l get so much more

CantGetNoSleep

Thought so, just going to wait for a good sale somewhere and get another Rip Curl I think

neon_glows

im setting up an online shop soon for surfing, will email you a link if you like?

jimmmy

Notch000 wrote: »

there not great at all, crappy fit and fast wearing, generally cheap qualiy, spend a little more and you l get so much more

I agree. Spend a little more and you get a suit made from better, more stretchy neoprene etc. Try it on and try on a suit a little bit more expensive like a Gul and you will feel the difference straight away.

loctite

Nah.... wouldn't really rate them at all. I've worked in a surf & Dive shop and the majority of returns we ever used to get were Portwest suits. You get what you pay for....

On a personal note would not be a fan of the Ripcurls either. I know that they have had big probs with some of their suits with the fluid weld seams. The missus had one and they cracked in less than 2 month.

I reckon an O'neill or Cskins....

But thats just me.....

jimmmy

yeah, Cskin are good

lg123

i recently got an o'neill mutant, brillant suit. felt it a bit too warm on occasion

loctite

lg123 wrote: »

i recently got an o'neill mutant, brillant suit. felt it a bit too warm on occasion

I use the same suit myself... Very Warm. Used to use a 6mm hooded Psycho II but would be wrecked after an hour. The difference between the two suits with regard to mobility was unreal but with no loss in temp. in the 5mm mutant, plus the modular setup is excellent for @ mid - end April when you can loose the hood. Got mine new in Clare for about 250 euro.

revileandy

hi folks, thought I'd ressurect this thread for any additional opinions.

I'm in a gang of 4 newbies, we've just bought our first boards and now we need wetsuits. I'm completely broke at the minute due to an upcoming wedding in April - I could swing €120 for one of these as a short term solution and get a better one somewhere down the line - would this get me through the next few months?

http://www.portwest.ie/pdetails.php?c=5&p=W150&ct=3

I know the opinion of the portwest suit is low, but how bad are they really? Can they do the job in the short term?

How bad is the fit?

How warm will I be in this suit?

Any extra info from anyone who's used one of these would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

rothai

i dont know much about portwest wetsuits but i have a oneils heat and love it. you get this for the same money as the portwest one, you might get a discount of 10% if you use the code king1 as well

http://www.kingofwatersports.com/oneill-epic-2-ct-5x3-2010-i6114.html

good luck with the surfing, by the by where did you get your boards and how much, im thinking of getting one for her in doors.:)

revileandy

cheers man, we got the four boards off that very site

3 x Bic ACS 7''9" and one Bic Wahine 7'3" - all come with board bag, leash and wax, perfect for a beginner! He did the 7'9" for €270 and the 7'3" for €255 with delivery included to ireland. I had asked him for a discount as we were buying 4 boards and he obliged.

They were delivered this morning so I'm eager to get out there!

With regards to the portwest or the o'neills heat suits, I really want to try the suit on first in a shop before I buy it and there's a local guy in swords doing the portwest's - I just hoped someone had some first hand experience

loctite

revileandy wrote: »

cheers man, we got the four boards off that very site

3 x Bic ACS 7''9" and one Bic Wahine 7'3" - all come with board bag, leash and wax, perfect for a beginner! He did the 7'9" for €270 and the 7'3" for €255 with delivery included to ireland. I had asked him for a discount as we were buying 4 boards and he obliged.

They were delivered this morning so I'm eager to get out there!

With regards to the portwest or the o'neills heat suits, I really want to try the suit on first in a shop before I buy it and there's a local guy in swords doing the portwest's - I just hoped someone had some first hand experience

+1 on the heat........
Portwest suits suck balls. Have sold them in the past and they are very problematic in my experience. Go with the O'neill heat suits. Very stretchy, warm and comfortable. Have used Psycho II's in the past and would change to the heat after trying it on. Use the size guide (http://www.kingofwatersports.com/oneill-wetsuit-size-chart-c109.html) to size em. Don't insult a retailer by going in, trying on for size and buying online. Unless you are an unusual shape, the size guide is fairly accurate....


You could also try contacting Oceanlife in Kilkee Co.Clare. they were selling them for @ 130-140 as far as I can remember

Not The Real Scarecrow

One thing I'll say from experience is buy cheap prepare to buy twice. Got portwest before, when I started.They're grand when you don't know any better but they don't last pissing time. Spend the extra little bit and the suit should last you 3 times longer. The portwest suit I got was all streched out and fecked up after 2 months so had no choice but to end up spending the money on another suit anyway.
Enjoy the surf man.

revileandy

cheers lads, I know the portwest sounds ****ty but I literally don't have the money for a decent suit at the minute - the o'neills heat looks good though, I'll look into that one

revileandy

Went to a shop yesterday to have a look at the portwest wetsuits (despite your advice) and by-jesus they're terrible, badly put together, doesn't look like you'd get a great fit or seal, especially around the neck.

I reckon the O'neill epic 5/3 could be the one to start me off on, out with the measuring tape....

rothai

be careful, im 5'7 or 8ish and a friend of mine is 5'11 and we have the same size suit o neills heat size small. im broad shouldered and he is skinny!

simonmac

OK I just had a long debate with my brother who's convinced that you have to spend upwards of 300 for quality wetsuit.... theres no way that's true - this stuff is not THAT expensive to make.
I bought a portwest wetsuit when they first came out and it was of low quality. But I was visiting Westport in October and saw they brought out a new line- I decided to buy it - it was 5m and fit perfectly.

I only bought it cause it was really good value but to be honest I'm extremely impressed..like seriously! I got through a long winter of surfing and it didn't bother me once. I think it was on sale for like 100...

Myles86

I recently won a 5mm Portwest wetsuit to the value of 125 euro on a facebook website in a competition. I have not yet collected the wetsuit but am willing to sell it at a cheaper price as i recently bought a wetsuit... I have not yet collected my wetsuit but if anyone lets me no a size i can ask for it and sell it for cheaper.

loctite

simonmac wrote: »

OK I just had a long debate with my brother who's convinced that you have to spend upwards of 300 for quality wetsuit.... theres no way that's true - this stuff is not THAT expensive to make.
I bought a portwest wetsuit when they first came out and it was of low quality. But I was visiting Westport in October and saw they brought out a new line- I decided to buy it - it was 5m and fit perfectly.

I only bought it cause it was really good value but to be honest I'm extremely impressed..like seriously! I got through a long winter of surfing and it didn't bother me once. I think it was on sale for like 100...

Have to disagree with your brother........... there are some excellent suits around the 150 - 175 mark. Namely the epic (or heat I think) from O'Neill

Out of curiosity, what is the name/style of the Portwest suit. As stated previously, I've worked in watersports retail in the past and the heart ache that their suits caused me having to deal with pissed off customers returning damaged suits....... ughhhh

Maybe they got their act together and sourced some decently manufactured suits.......

As good as they are though....... I'll never wear another wetsuit other than an O'Neill. The Dog's scrotum.

Not The Real Scarecrow

The summer is the ideal time for shopping for a good winter suit.Got a good c skin hi tech ,6/4 hooded, suit last summer for 150. Same suit in the winter is 300+( at least where I bought it anyway).

cornbb

I started off on a €170 C-skins wetsuit. I replaced it this year as it was beginning to show its age and let a little more water, but it's still a good spare. I might cut the arms off and use it as a summer suit.

A sub-€200 suit that will keep you comfortable for at least a couple of years is excellent value. Having said that there's not point in spending anything on a suit that will fall apart after a few months.

ChrisJefferies

I'd put a vote in for an O'neill Epic 5/3 if you're on a budget. I got mine for €150 and I still can't believe quality/warmth.

I'd love to see what the more expensive O'Neills are like if their €150 are so good.

booooonzo

I just got a portwest 5/4 mens medium and the fit is brilliant.
I had an excel before that(dont know the model but it had the small zip on the front and pull over neck thing) and this fits alot better and feels better.

granted only been out once with the new suit but it seems great/warm and comfy

no neck chaff with its built in neck thing.

just my 2 cents.

booooonzo

Scrap that mines a West (Australia) suit not port west.... Doh!