NEW WETSUIT SEAC TATTOO

AND M70 RED MASK

For 2018 the seacsub offers a new series of wetsuits that as always stands out for the quality of the materials and for the exclusive camouflage. This year's range is called TATTOO and is characterized by a camouflage available in 4 different colors brown, green, red and blue. The first three versions (brown, green, red) can be purchased in the thickness of 5mm for both jacket and trousers, while in the 7mm thickness only the jacket is available. The blue color instead is available only in the thickness of 3.5mm for both jacket and trousers. All four variants can be purchased in sizes ranging from S to XXXL and both the jacket and the trousers can be sold separately.

The suits are made with the prestigious neoprene YAMAMOTO FOAM in the version # 38 (internal open cell / outer lining) which guarantees both a good thermal protection and a good resistance to crushing due to water pressure. The anatomical cut, preformed for arms, knees and back, gives a pleasant comfort and a remarkable fit. This is also increased by the careful choice of the positioning of the seams which are not, for example, behind the knee in order to avoid friction and the consequent abrasion during kicking. The various parts of the suit are glued and then sewn together with "blind" stitching and not looping which are then further finished with seals at the intersection points to avoid fraying due to normal wear (see photo).

The jacket is supplied with a double plastic frog closure. Wrists, ankles and face contour are trimmed with SSRS SYSTEM (super stretch round seal) cuffs to enhance the thermal protection of the product and the trousers are characterized by a particularly high waist that easily covers the entire abdominal area almost to the pectoral muscles. To protect against abrasion, we only have large powertex inserts on the knees. Closes the set of protections provided a very large and thick chest support divided into two sections to avoid stiffening the portion of neoprene in that area and to enhance the adherence to the skin. All the accessories are available, coordinated with the camouflage of the suit, socks, gloves and vest except for the red color (also the vest is available in black rather than in blue).

The range of masks is renewed for 2018 with the introduction of the red M70 made of pure liquid silicone printed directly on the skeleton of the mask. The internal volume has been reduced so much that the compensation by the user during the descent is almost unnecessary. The lenses are made of tempered glass, 3mm thick. The proximity of the lenses to the eye, combined with the particular structure of the skeleton of the mask, also helps to widen the field of vision. The belt buckles are tilting and connected directly to the skeleton of the mask and not to the silicone skirt, increasing their robustness. The structure of the mask leaves wide space for the fingers that can thus easily reach the nose during the valsava maneuver. This model is therefore available in the red, brown and blue version

SIGALSUB FISH CALLER & SAURON MASK

WITH SOFT SNORKEL AIRSOFT

The new sigalsub recall is a small accessory that allows you to have some chance to successfully end the hunting action. In short, a little trick that measures 4.5cm x 3cm and 6cm in depth. It is entirely made of plastic and by opening it you can appreciate the simplicity of its operating principle.

In fact, it is a cogwheel that, manually rotated against a plastic wand, produces a noise similar to that of fishes engaged in  breaking small crustaceans shells. It is equipped with a ring that allows to wear it to the finger (index or medium but we suggest medium) and through a screw you can adjust the diameter by adapting it to any hand or glove. The ring is secured to the recall by means of a screw and can therefore be dismounted to be applied (via special brackets) on industrial speaguns or directly on the wood of handcrafted ones.

You can move the wand that produces the noise both to the right and to the left of the wheel. In this way this accessory is also very useful for left-handed people. If the wheel gives you the impression of being too hard to be rotated do not worry because it gets smoother in the water.

The latest born in sigalsub factory is the SAURON mask, a product designed to be one of the top products in the coming season. This is a mask for apnea and spearfishing characterized by a very low internal volume and an eye-catching design. SAURON belongs to the category of "frameless" masks, that are, those masks that do not have an external frame or which however possess it but it is embedded in silicone. In fact the mask itself is very soft and this greatly increases the comfort when wearing it. The only points where it is rigid are the lenses contour and the top of the nose (between the eyebrows). This zone has been molded with an inclination so as not to cause pain / pressure pains. The shape of the nose is made with "steps" that favor the closing of the nose during equalization. The strap is fixed to a hook made of silicone that despite being robust can give the impression of being a critical point in this product.

Overall fit even if it is strongly subjective, is very comfortable. Worn in fact by several testers with heterogeneous physiognomy, it has given all the same sensations. The particular position and shape of the lenses allow a wide view and the inner volume is so small that the first equalization during the descent happens at approximately 17 - 18 meters. The mask is available in green, brown and black and can be supplied with the new AIRSOFT snorkel available also in brown and green and that is characterized by great flexibility as you can see in the picture.

ABYSSTAR GROUPER EVO OPEN CELL WETSUIT

COMFORT AND SOFTNESS WITH NO EQUALS

We can say a lot about freediving wetsuits, the several variables offered by the market but the essential features that everyone looks for and which are the basis of a good product are mainly just two: it must guarantee a good thermal protection and above all it must be 100% comfortable.

This is the case of the new open-cell GROUPER EVO wetsuit marketed by the Italian company Abysstar. This is an evolution of the product that was in their catalog of past seasons to which substantial changes have been made.

The wetsuit is available in two versions that identical except for the fact that one is nylon outside/open cell inside and the other is nylon outside/ nylon inside. However, while the first is only available in 5mm, the second is available in either 5mm or 3mm.

We have analyzed for you the 5mm nylon outside/open cell inside.

The Evo Grouper is made of JAKO microcellular neoprene (coming from SOUTH KOREA) which guarantees a low incidence of crushing due to water pressure and hence a longer product life.

The outer lining reflects the nuances of a mixed rock/seaweed bottom, which, with a prevalence of green and brown, is well suitable for fishing in the Mediterranean sea.

On both sides of the chest, on the lower portion of the jacket and legs, on the face contour, thighs and forearms, there are neoprene inserts with super elastic brown lining characterized by an unmatched softness that is already clearly perceptible to the touch and that make the wetsuit very comfortable to wear and well adhering to the body, facilitating the expansion of the chest during ventilation and minimizing the feeling of constriction in all parts of the body. The only exception is the neoprene portion in the pelvic / inner thigh area that is lined in nylon both inside and outside to ensure greater resistance.

Cuffs, ankles and face contours do not have the water-stop ribs we are used to but they end with a simple reinforcement seam.

The jacket closing system is a two plastic clips beaver's tail, maybe it was best to place a Velcro closure because it is more practical but that is a completely subjective choice.

Knees and elbows are equipped with rubber anti-abrasion protections, applied to the lining. The chest support is applied from the outside and is wide and well padded without stiffening the neoprene in the chest area and maintaining a good adhesion to the skin.

The fit is great and the wetsuit  does not leave any air pockets at any point wrapping the body as if it was an elastic clothing. As a reference, consider that the tester has worn a XL size and is 185cm high, weighs 85kg and is skinny (see size table).

Abysstar also manufactures a range of accessories with the same wetsuit camouflage, that are socks, gloves, vest and shorts. Even with regard to these accessories, attention to detail is high standard. Testers have particularly appreciated the socks. This is an accessory made of twin-lined neoprene with camouflage outer lining and sole with anti-abrasion surface. The peculiarity lies in the neck of the boot, which is instead made of neoprene lined internally and smooth externally to ensure a better sealing with the end of the trousers. Even the gloves (camouflage) are made of double-side lining neoprene, with the same anti-abrasion finish on the palms. Unlike socks, the gloves do not have the smooth neoprene end piece, but are entirely made of double-side lining neoprene and end with a naked cut, not finished with the usual reinforcement stitching.

At the conclusion of this review I find it important to emphasize again the softness and comfort that this neoprene gives to the grouper evo wetsuit.

TESTING THE PATHOS THIRA 5MM WETSUIT

HIGH PERFORMANCES FOR TOP SPEAROS

Spearos generally know what is the value of a solid and reliable equipment at sea and tends to assiduously purchase the products and brands that have transmitted such a sensation. It is difficult, therefore, not to be carried away by enthusiasm when you can finally test a well-made product. This is the case of the THIRA wetsuit by the Greek company PATHOS that we tried in the 5mm version, XL size.

PATHOS has lately proved several times to be able to produce high performance equipment that clearly shows the results of a careful design by designers-users who are fully aware of the needs and difficulties that spearfishing implies.

The THIRA wetsuit is made of high density SHEICO neoprene which, in addition to ensuring a firm body comfort, helps preventing it to get thinner over time (very common in industrial wetsuits from other manufacturers) due to normal use.

To increase comfort in use, the wetsuit includes neoprene inserts coated with super elastic black lining on both the chest sides, immediately below the armpits, and on the frontal part of the neck, from base to chin. This enhances the expansion of the chest cage during breathing, limiting the sense of constraint and facilitating neck movements where neoprene usually folds.

The neoprene (open cell inside) is externally lined with camu lycra characterized by a predominantly green pattern with hints of brown that makes it ideal for use at our seas. However, the plain black version is also available.

All seams have been covered with a neoprene sealant that has the double advantage of ensuring the seam sealing over time avoiding the usual shrinkage and increasing water protection despite the seams do not pass all the way through the neoprene. Also other features have been implemented to limit the access of water inside the wetsuit. On the wrists and ankles the common ribs have been implemented but on the face contour a slightly thinner neoprene band is applied, which also ends with the above mentioned rib. The thinner material and the absence of seams give a feeling of comfort while guaranteeing waterproofness. Finally, with regard to pants design, the WATER STOP system was adopted, which essentially consists of a particularly high waist that, folded about 10cm outwards, allows open cell neoprene of pants to adhere to the open cell neoprene of the jacket preventing Water to get in.

In addition, this wetsuit is also functional and in fact large supratex inserts have been implemented to counter abrasions due to normal use. They are present on the front of the legs (from the knee to the ankle), the forearms (from the elbow to the wrist) and the waist area of the jacket throughout its circumference. Finally, a thick chest pad that reproduces the stylized shape of a fish provides a good support during loading operations.

In relation to cutting, as almost all manufacturers make, legs and arms are preformed, it has to be noted that the back part is not divided into two but is obtained from a single piece of neoprene. Finally, another very important feature is that seams of the back of the knees have been moved to avoid abrasion in the folds.

In short, not a good product, not a good compromise but a A class product with honours!!!