It's that time of year when new products start to get delivered to the store and we get excited about all the new gear for the upcoming season. Right now we just opened up a box of one of our favorite wetsuits - the O'neill Pyrotech. There's no sugar coating that this suit is a high end suit but for those folks who don't want to sacrifice warmth, flexibility and weight, there's really only a few wetsuits that can compare.
All these above features are critical to me. There's nothing worse than getting a new wetsuit and have it be too stiff - and that's one thing that I love about this suit. Out of all the high-end suits, this one gets high marks for flexibility. This translates in to having more freedom and confidence when you surf, and this for me is the single most important feature above the rest. All the high-end wetsuits are going to be warm but not all are going to be equally flexible out of the box. This one is. So if flexibility is your main concern, then you don't have to look much further than the Pyrotech.
Here are a few highlights of the suit that are worth noting.
Improved ankle and wrist cuff's
I actually dig the efficiency improvement in this area. I always hate having straggler threads
hanging off my hand. This is a much tighter design enhancement and also makes for a more
durable wetsuit.
Welded seams
There's nothing innovative going on here but this is one of the fine details that make the price of a wetsuit jump up by $100.
Most all high end suits will have welded seams and if you want to stay warm, that $100 upgrade can feel well worth it on a cold long interval day.
Welded seams will take a little flex out of a suit but O'neill has created some magic sauce for the Pyrotech which is why this suit gets high marks for flex.
Stretch and flex
Techno butter is not something I would recommend spreading on your toast in the morning...might be a little chewy. But I do buy in to the lighter and stretchier wetsuit fabric......and yes, I would spread it on my body if it came in a jar. Less absorbtion is good too!
