Years ago while shopping for my first triathlon wetsuit I stumbled across the Aquaman wetsuit. I was naïve in how wetsuits were built, however one thing struck me as unique with the Aquaman. The zipper. Traditionally triathlon wetsuit zippers zip up starting at the bottom. The Aquaman’s zipper zips up beginning at the top. One thing that made sense to me without ever actually swimming in a wetsuit was that pulling a zipper down to the small of my back would be cumbersome. I’m not the most limber person in the world, and getting the zipper down would prove to be a challenge. Unfortunately, at the time Aquaman had very few models, all of which were out of my price range.
Fast forward 8 years later I’ve battled many a wetsuits heading into T1, trying to pull the zipper all the way down. Aquaman still has the zipper you pull up to release. And, to my surprise, the Aquaman wetsuits are now labeled as Profile Design. Same great design. Brand new name.
Profile Design has added five wetsuit models to its arsenal: Gold Cell, Metal Cell 2, Bionik 2, Bionik Sleeveless, and Blitz. The range of models gives triathletes of all levels (and budgets) an opportunity to race in a Profile Design wetsuit and experience its unique benefits.
I tested the Gold Cell and Bionik 2 wetsuits.
Gold Cell
This is the Ferrari of wetsuits. I’ve often wondered if wetsuit brands within the same price range differ much. With the Profile Design wetsuits, I can easily say “yes they do.” The Gold Cell separates itself from the pack.
Typically, the inside of a triathlon wetsuit has a cloth-like texture over the rubber on the inside. I’ve often wondered why this area isn’t the smooth, slick surface found on the outside of the wetsuit. Gold Cell puts the concept into action. The complete inside of the wetsuit is slick, just like the outside, minus the arms and calf panels. Why is this good? The neoprene gets even closer to your skin and doesn’t allow much water to pool in these areas. This means you’re carrying less weight and you don’t lose buoyancy (sponge effect eliminated). You will also find that you stay warmer in the frigid lake. If you swim the early or late season events in our region, you’ll know this is a welcome bonus. And if that is not enough, the slick material makes it much easier to pull off in T1. I was amazed with the ease of removal when taking it off at the pool. Clumsy would previously define my T1 experiences, mostly due to wetsuit wrestling. No longer will I be the laughing stock of the transition area.
Bionik 2
A wetsuit similar in design as the Gold Cell, but without the high tech slick surface on the inside. Swimming in the Bionik 2 was very similar to the Gold Cell. It was easy to move my arms through the stroke. I didn’t experience any chaffing around the neck or arm pits. I didn’t feel the warmth that I did with the Gold Cell, however it was comparable to most other wetsuits. Getting out of the suit was pretty standard, as wetsuits go, except that I had more flexibility to maneuver my legs. You may know what I’m talking about. Do you ever fell like bending down or running IS NOT an option once you are zipped up? These two suits (and the Metal Cell 2) offer more flexibility behind the knees allowing you to have more mobility. If you don’t think this is a big deal, think about this while making your way to (and in) T1 during a race.
Utah based professional triathlete Heath Thurston swears by Profile Design (by Aquaman) wetsuits. He bought his first one several years ago because he felt it was the best suit on the market. The wetsuit helped him be the third swimmer out of the water at the 2007 Ford Ironman Florida. We asked him what he thought about the suit. His thoughts are listed below.
It is obvious that Profile Design wetsuits are built by triathletes looking to make the triathlon experience even better for other triathletes. Wetsuits are a big investment. If you are going to spend hundreds of dollars on a piece of equipment that will likely last you many, many years you must give the Profile Design wetsuit a chance.
I was introduced to Aquaman wetsuit brand about 4 years ago when managing a local tri shop. Emmanuel Millet manages Aquaman’s U.S. distribution and is over www.AquamanTri.com. He wanted us to carry the suits in the shop. I never even actually tried the suit out or wore it. I saw the Metall Cell material on the inside of the suit. Up to that point I had used an Orca mainly and a Nineteen. I had also tried on Zoot and a couple of other brands.
When I did finally get my Metal Cell wetsuit it was not from any sort of sponsorship from them. I wasn’t quite pro yet and didn’t really have the race results to earn a sponsorship like that. So I forked out just as much as everyone else has to. When I was able to race in it for the first time, it was amazing. The Metal Cell material on the inside of the suit makes the suit so unbelievably comfortable. It molds to your body for an amazing fit that I had never felt with any other wetsuit till then. Most of the other suits were stiff and floated me up almost too much in the water. This put me in the water perfectly it almost made me feel like I wasn’t even wearing a suit, which I would prefer anyway. But because everyone else wore them I also need to. It helped keep up the pace and speed.
So, all I can say is that without being coherced through sponsorship obligations or any other kind of offers through Profile Design wetsuits by Aquaman, these suits are the best on the market today. And the new Gold Cell suit is unbelievable, which I was able to test out at Oceanside 70.3 last month.
Heath Thurston
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