ZONE 3 VANQUISH Price: £345 Available from:
racezone3.com Fastest time: 2:44.9 1.5km equivalent: 19:05.1 Time saved over 1.5km: 1:59.5 Time saved in s/£: 0.35 Total strokes: 177
Best value
ORCA ALPHA Price: £399 Available from:
orca.com
Zone 3 is a British- owned brand, designed and developed by elite triathlete James Lock. Lock tested and improved the designs of his suits through working with other elite triathletes at Loughborough University. Key features include the
“one-piece shoulder panel stretching from elbow to elbow”, and the silicone arm- and leg-cuffs that facilitate easy removal. While not quite the fastest on test, the Vanquish certainly lived up to its claims of comfort and easy removal, and was overall winner in terms of time saved per pound.
SPEEDO TRI-ELITE Price: £400 Available from:
speedo.co.uk Fastest time: 2:44.5 1.5km equivalent: 19:02.4 Time saved over 1.5km: 2:02.2 Time saved in s/£: 0.31 Total strokes: 180
The unusual and innovative feature in Speedo’s wetsuit is the “VORTEX stroke panel technology”. This consists of a series of small pouches on the forearm that expand during the pull phase of your stroke, in theory increasing resistance and hence “allowing
more energy to be directed to the water”. In other respects the suit features the standard (at this level) flexibility around the shoulders, buoyancy and friction-reducing coatings. The suit feels good to swim in and delivers on speed. The VORTEX panels could prove a potential weak point however, for sharp finger nails or rough handling.
Fastest time: 2:46.1 1.5km equivalent: 19:13.5 Time saved over 1.5km: 1:51.3 Time saved in s/£: 0.28 Total strokes: 178
The Alpha proved one of the most comfortable suits to swim in and was relatively easy to put on and remove. Orca says their Alpha has “unbelievable fl exibility” due to its “FreeStroke 3 System” – the arrangement of neoprene panels around the arms and shoulders. This was borne out in testing, as swimming felt relatively unhindered and natural and a normal swimming style could be maintained. The Alpha also scores well on buoyancy, which would be reassuring in the mêlée of a mass swim start.
Most
innovative propulsion technology
AQUASPHERE PHANTOM Price: £539.99 Available from:
aquasphereswim.co.uk Fastest time: 2:42.5 1.5km equivalent: 18:48.5 Time saved over 1.5km: 2:16.1 Time saved in s/£: 0.25 Total strokes: 178
Fastest in test
Best for fl exibility
The Phantom was the fastest suit we tested. It is also a delightful suit to swim in, with an excellent range of movement and a good body position. It features an interesting integrated core- stability system that tightens
around your abdomen and lower back with Velcro. The idea behind this is that it engages the core, results in a better posture and reduced drag. On the other hand, we found the Phantom the most difficult suit to get into. The model we tested had particularly tight wrists. It incorporates internal wrist bands that do a great job of keeping water out but require time and patience to get your hands through.
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