We no longer sell overlock except second-hand, we do not use them in our hire fleet...Overlock is always summer thickness...

We generally only use flatlocked suits in July and August.

BLINDSTITCHING

The warmest suits are BLINDSTITCHED which has several permutations of finish to the inner seam which effect warm, performance, longevity and price

Blindstitched & Glued- i.e. BASIC BLINDSTITCHING

All blindstitched suits start off with the neoprene butt joined with glue before being sewn. The seams are then sewn with a curved needle which brings the thread back out the same side without penetrating right through the neoprene. This creates a totally waterproof seam which will prevent flushing. There is a problem though...the natural stretching of the suit combined with saltwater acting on the glue will open up the seam from the inside (sometimes in only a few months) which then allows water to once again flush through the stitching. Blindstitching and gluing on it's own produces a warm suit but if you dont get the seams re-glued on a regular basis it will not perform at 100%. Most suits of this type feature heat taped seams on the major stress points but this is only a partial solution. To remain thermally efficient this suit requires maintenance! To recap... WARMTH-Excellent,,.All Year Round depending on thickness. PERFORMANCE-Thicker the neoprene...the less flexibility. LONGEVITY-Variable in this guise. COST-Substantially more expensive than overlock or flatlock.

From the outside	From the inside (this is the glued edge that tends to open up-if nothing else is done to it.

BASIC BLINDSTITCHING

Blindstitched, Glued and Spot Taped

Similar to above but small sections of tape is also applied to all 3 way joins...again only a partial solution. Where the inner seam isn't taped it will sooner or later open up allowing water through the stitch holes. To recap... WARMTH-Excellent,,.All Year Round depending on thickness. PERFORMANCE-Thicker the neoprene...the less flexibility. LONGEVITY-Variable in this guise. (This type of seam is often found on high performance Superstretch suits where longevity is not the maim aim) COST-Similar to basic blindstitching.

From the outside	3 way joints are taped but what about the others?

Blindstitched, Glued and Spot Taped

Double Blindstitched

So what about turning the suit inside out and blindstitching it again? Very popular this on the lower priced winter suits. It's not a bad compromise but where the stitches from one side coincide with the stitches from the other you get a degree of cold water seepage...it keeps the price of the suit down but isn't 100% "flushproof". To recap... WARMTH-Good,,.All Year Round depending on thickness. PERFORMANCE-Thicker the neoprene...the less flexibility. LONGEVITY-Good.  COST-Good...can allow manufacturers to spend a bit more on the rest of the suit.

From the outside	From the inside

Double Blindstitched

Blindstitched, Glued and Fully Taped

Blindstitched and glued as above then the inner seams are fully heat taped...No flushing...no opening up of the inner seam. This is the most waterproof seam you can get so why does virtually nobody make it? The popular excuse is that it reduces flexibility...we would argue that any slight reduction in flexibility is virtually unnoticeable on a 5mm suit and we would prefer a warm suit which remains warm! How flexible are you going to be if you are cold? No...the real reason against taping is cost...it's expensive to do...We go to a great deal of expense to have fully taped seams on our blindstitched hire suits,..for 2002 we are also using "Supersoft" Neoprene so thats the reduced flexibility argument gone out the window then! These suits are specially made to be warm and ultra reliable for our hire fleet..check them here. To recap... WARMTH-Excellent. PERFORMANCE-More than adequate for most. LONGEVITY-V.Good. COST-Extra process adds to cost and tends to make suits uncompetative in the marketplace (to an uneducated purchaser).

From the outside	From the inside

Blindstitched, Glued and Fully Taped

Blindstitched, Glued and Fully Taped by Hand using Neoprene Tape

The ultimate seam? As above but instead of applying the self adhesive tape with a heat press the tape is a hand glued neoprene strip designed to stretch at the same rate as the suit itself. The means that flexibility is not compromised and the bond between suit and tape cannot be bettered. Suit illustrated is the Circle One Minus Eight which despite it's innovation and sophistication has a rrp of just £159...yes of course we sell it...more details here. WARMTH-Excellent in very cold water. PERFORMANCE-Excellent...taken in context. LONGEVITY-Excellent. COST-Expensive to make.

From the outside	From the inside

Blindstitched, Glued and Fully Taped by Hand using Neoprene Tape

Well is that the ultimate winter flushproof seam? Well maybe not....Several wetsuit manufacturers (who previously claimed no problem with glued inner seams opening up!) are offering a new version...Blindstitched and glued as usual but with the inner seams sealed with a line of silicon. This does push the price of the suit up and apparently the silicon tends to rip the hair off your legs in a quite painful way! As these suits are only just going on sale it's too early to comment further...To be continued...

British wetsuit manufacturers know a thing or two about making cold water suits suitable for our climate..The same cannot always be said about imported suits...Do you really think that they know how to make a wetsuit for our winter in Hawaii?? Do not be afraid to buy British...Reputable manufacturers offer 12 months guarantee on all suits these days and you have no problem with aftersales or repairs.

DOUBLE-LINED- Both sides of neoprene lined with nylon. On the outside this makes the fragile neoprene more durable. On the inside this prevents the suit from sticking to the skin. Talcum powder is a thing of the past.

SINGLE-LINED- Neoprene lined on one side only. See below...

Awaiting picture

MESHSKIN/SHARKSKIN/SMOOTHSKIN- All different types of single lined neoprene. Single lined neoprene is sometimes used because it does stick to your skin. Neck seals and the zip flaps on better suits often have these features. In addition some suits feature upper body panels in single lined neoprene. These suits are warmer due to the instant evaporation from the neoprene as no water is held in the nylon. The downside is that single lined neoprene is a lot more susceptible to damage.

Exterior Meshskin Chest Panel	Smoothside to smoothside behind zip seal using single lined neoprene

TITANIUM- A titanium layer placed between the neoprene and the nylon lining. This helps reflect body heat back into the suit. One independent test rated titanium neoprene 24% more thermally efficient. Some people think it's a gimmick.

SECOND GENERATION TITANIUM- As above but twice as much!

ZIPS- Zips with metal heads far more reliable than plastic. Remember it's just the zip head (slider), the teeth will always be plastic. There should always be a strip of velcro positioned to stop the zip coming undone (the "zip-stop")

Metal Headed YKK Zip with Zip-Stop Velcro under

KNEES-Many manufacturers are reducing their costs by simply screenprinting on a "knee-pad". This is adequate but only just. Learners especially are heavy on the knees. It's can be hard to find a suit with decent knee-pads on now. We always have "Melco" kneepads on our "made just for us by Circle One" blindstitched hire suit.

If you planning to spend plenty of time on your knees-get the best kneepads you can find.

Other desirable options...

To be warm you have to prevent "flushing" as much as possible. As well as the seams already mentioned other sources of flushing are the neck, cuffs, ankles and zip. Below are pictures of some of the things you may find on good quality wetsuits designed to produce good sealing. Zips, especially on winter suits are deliberately kept short to reduce water penetration, (doesn't help put them on!). There are also quite a few zipperless suits on the market...some people like them, some people don't.

Smoothskin Seal	Tighten Collar System	Circle One "Minus 8"

The suits we generally use for hire have all the best features, Titanium, glued, blindstitched & fully taped seams, Adjustable collars, meshskin zip flaps, metal zip head & re-inforced melco knee-pads.

WHAT MAKE?- Well, armed with the above information you pays yer money and takes yer choice. That said there are a few last things you ought to consider.

Despite all the hype and advertising of the top imported surf brands it has always been our opinion that British manufacturers produce excellent wetsuits and lead the world when it comes to suits suitable for the British winter...They are right there for you if you have a problem with the suit. The wetsuit market is fiercely competitive and they all have a reputation to protect, therefore their after sales service is second to none.

We had a guy in the shop the other day with a beautiful top brand imported wetsuit (can't tell you the make!) It was a lovely bit of kit but he was freezing! Basically this was because he was wearing a 3/2mm Flatlock in February. He though he was buying a good suit just because of the name on it……..

FINALLY- You might have gathered by now that we have very firm ideas on what makes a good wetsuit. After 15 years hiring and selling different makes of wetsuits we currently sell wetsuits by most of the top U.K. manufacturers but in particular CIRCLE ONE who continue to make and help us refine our own design of wetsuit...more details here. They are based in Crediton (near Exeter in Devon) and have been making wetsuits for 28 years.

THIS IS ANOTHER FREE SERVICE BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE 'LITTLE PINK SHOP'

The Little Pink Shop