Figured I need (want) a new wetsuit and have heard some raving reviews about the Xcel wetsuits. Unfortunately (like may other things) they are not available locally. I’m wondering how the fit compares to wetsuits that are available locally like ripcurl, oneill, c-skin and bodyglove. Thanks
I can tell you that they’re the best wetsuit for the north sea so they should be the best for the Norwegian Sea too! Ain’t got a clue about sizes relating to other makes though. Sorry.
Mine fits very very well in all the right places. I’m average height and size 5’10 and 160lbs. I believe i have the Med-Tall
Haavard,
hands down the best suit on the market, good price and they last long time. contact greg wade in socal, he runs the show and probably can ship whatever you need.
natas
I think you can’t tell a wetsuit from a review or someone elses comments. You have to try on a bunch of suits, and a bunch of different manufacturers. I personally like the cut of Body Gloves, but my buddy likes the Excel suits, another of my friends likes Oneil’s…were all very different in shape, and what works for me, feels like a shopping bag to my best buddy. Hey they are all good suits now, when in the last 4 years did you get a crappy wetsuit form a major name. Even the lower end models are great suits nowadays.
Try the Excel, I personally didn’t like the hatch opening, I like a zipper suit (not much of a contortionist anymore). Price, don’t get tooo hung up on price? Manufacturer, don’t get hung up on the name. Hey I know a few guys that swear BOZ wetsuits are the best, and a great value too?
-Jay
I actually have bodyglove wetsuit, a 7/6 but I’d like to have slightly more flexible suit for the moderately cold days. Not that the bodyglove is stiff, it’s flexible but the flex has an odd spring to it and it tires me out a little sooner than with other suits. I actually found that xcel are available locally, new surf shop in town. Sometimes life is easy…
Check out the Bomb wetsuits by RipCurl, i have been wearing an excel for a couple years but really like my new Bomb better, its more flexible and nice and toasty during those brisk nor’easters.
Howzit Haavard, If I’m correct, Xcel is based in Hawaii and read the other day they were bought by another company, just can’t remember who.Aloha,Kokua
excel is now owned by BILLABONG
i think they make great booties .i got two seasons out of minebefore they started to tear
and they are still warm and comfy
but both my mates xcel suits didnt last a season
so id say no they are pretty crappy suits
ive got a bodyline and they last 3 seasons easy
and ive heard guys getting a lot more out of seventhwave suits
we surf in really cold water and it seems the NZ suits are the best suited
the high end name brands are really warm and flexible but fall apart pretty easily
i wouldnt recommend a bib type as they fail on the superstretch
id go the batwing type
im tall and skinny and i find that bodyline have a great cut for my size
im 6 3 and 83 kg with broad shoulders
thats an extra large in bodyline
all the other brands extra large don fit me
and the xxl size is to baggy
medium tall on other brands dont fit me either
the only thing close to fitting me is and oneil
if your tall and skinny
get a bodyline i cant recomend them enough
i got the cheapest suit that is not seam sealed and it as warm as any suit ive tried
this is the 543 without seam sealed
http://www.bodyline.co.nz/productdetail.asp?ID=53&CategoryID=2
cheap and warm and will last for ages
that price is in NZ dollars btw
Haavard, I have a 4 /3 Exel wetsuit that I bought, because a few years ago I had a pair of their booties which I really liked.
The wetsuit is something different.
The Good: It’s very flexible and warm. It feels just as stretchy as my 3 /2 O’Neill.
The Bad: The neck, ankles, and wrists all flush. And that would be COLD water, because I wear it in winter.
The Ugly: I wiped out once (the only time I ever wiped out) and the neck stretched open. About a gallon of ice-cold water poured into the suit. Aaaaaa!
I took it to a wetsuit fixer guy and he sewed some velcro at the neck, but it still flushes some. Before winter I’ll take it back to him to get some more velcro sewn onto the neck, and also some onto the wrists and ankles.
The suit is becoming more expensive all the time. I’ll probably go with the O’Neill next time.
But it’s very stretchy!
Doug
I have an oneill that is super stretchy, has their “zen-zip” closure, and it flushed like hell when it was new. Is this just a fact of life when you have a super stretchy wetsuit?
As for Xcel, I haven’t seen a ton in the water, but my buddy surfed the winter here with one that had a hole in the side the size of a soccer ball. One day I saw him putting his suit on and I asked about the giant bruise on his side…turns out it was a messed up wetsuit tan from his hole. Second Xcel wetsuit I saw in the water, I thought it was my buddy, cause I recognized the hole on the side. Paddled over to say hi, and it turns out it was another dude. But if they got bought out by Billabong, perhaps quality is better. Besides, this is only two of their suits, not a good scientific study on their longevity.
–BCo
The super stretchy stuff just doesn’t last…
It’s best to only use it in the arm areas, thats the only plave you really need it.
Maybe in the really thick suits like Haarvard uses it might need it all round, but in a 4/3 or less it’s not worth it.
IMO, the big companies are stoked that everyone wants super flexy all over, then they can sell them another one next year!
Two seasons out of a suit is ridiculous. Just like 6 months surfing a pu/pe is pretty criminal as well!
I’ve heard Excel are really great if the cut is right for you, and their booties feel great - but everyone I have met with excel booties has holes in them… tells you something, no?
I’ve had the same issues with more flexible suits as well, but I’m willing to give it a try again. I think with a more flexible wetsuit you will always get more flushing, sometimes it will fill up like a balloon if you hit it right. Flushing is one of the reasons I’ve preferred a wetsuit with a separate hood as the water that gets into the hood can flush out again a little easier without having to go down into the suit. Drawstring in the hood and belcro or good seals around wrists and ankles helps.
I think a zipperless suit that is hard to get in and out of is going to last alot shorter than a zippered suit just because you need to stretch it so much to get in and out of it, much more than you do when surfing. My old wetsuit has some life left in it, so I’d use it for those really cold days. I’m looking for something more flexible for those days when it’s clear, calm and you don’t have to duck dive fifty times to get to the outside as I notice I surf better with my thinner ‘summer suit’. Splitting the use between those suits and taking care of them I should(hope to) get some life out of the more flexible suit. With the ridiculous low dollar I figure I can save a few bucks from ordering online. A bodyglove Matrix 5/4 W/O hood is about $650 here, a c-skin hooded x-zip is about $850… On that note, anyone got any experience with hyperflex wetsuits?
regards,
Håvard
Ballooning…nothing like taking a one on the head, turning and paddling for the next one, then popping up only to discover that your legs weigh about 30 pounds more than they should due to water accumulation.
–BCo
Silly, Im with you on the sizing problems. I’ve only found body glove soo far to fit me (im the same size as you). 2 questions for you. What is the coldest water you surf in with your suit, as I will be surfing in the winter in Canada in water about 4 degrees Celcius. And do the bodyline suits flush? My current body glove is alright but still flushes slightly at the neck.
For the Dutch winter, I have an Oneill and a Xcell 6/4 hooded. The cut are different, and it is up to you to try what the best for ya body. Qua warmth, like the xcell…but I always use the top range.
You should have posted 2 days ago as I got some team riders leaving to your country this week on a surf trip…
regards
Arnaud
My oneill psycho2x is fine here, do not flush that much. But we have small waves ( 4 / 5 ’ max…