Jeff talks us through whats new and exciting about the up and coming 2012/13 O'Neill Psychofreak wetsuit.
The Pyschofreak introduction:
The O’Neill Psychofreak since its release has set the standard for ultimate warmth within a wetsuit. When the Psychofreak first arrived we tested it out in the 2.5mm version in the summer months and it was simply baking hot! The abnormal warmth was caused by O’Neills XDS Air neoprene. This neoprene is constructed with notches cut out of a layer of neoprene which create the air pockets. Another layer of neoprene is then sandwiched to the notched layer of neoprene to create the XDS Air neoprene. Air obviously is a great way to insulate and boy did this wetsuit insulate. We used the 2.5mm Psychofreak in the Cornwall, the water was around 16c and it was way too hot. We thought it would be better suited as a spring 4/3mm more than summer wetsuit.
The performance for the 4.5mm Psychofreak was outstanding; it was truly an awesome winter wetsuit. Coupled with the thermal lining and the XDS Air neoprene this wetsuit really did perform as a great winter wetsuit. We tested the Psychofreak in the North Sea in January and it performed really well, it wasn’t too warm, or too cold. Since the release we have sold bucket loads of this wetsuit just because it’s got a presence on the market for being one of the best winter wetsuits around!
The new 2012/13 Preview:
At first glance we were shocked that the wetsuit looked so minimal and stripped back compared to the previous seasons models. O’Neill has done away with the glide skin material within the body panelling, kidney area and binned the polypro thermal lining within the wetsuit! We thought how can this new edition i be as warm when its guts have been ripped out? Well, the answer is found in O’Neills new Technobutter Neoprene. O’Neill claim that its 17% lighter and 30% less absorbent than previous seasons neoprene. They are that confident in the warmth properties of the Techobutter, this is the reason they have done away with the glide skin and polypro thermal lining. Due to the Technobutter having more air pockets within the neoprene, this has made it lighter as well as having more insulative power. Because the new neoprene is less water absorbent, this not only cuts down on weight, but also cuts down on windchill.
It will be interesting to test the new Psychofreak out when its winter season, we have faith in O’Neill to produce the goods. It will be great to wear this awesome wetsuit if it’s lighter and just as warm as the old version. The old Psychofreak was on the heavy side, but this was the compromise if you wanted extra warmth. Added weight for extra warmth seems like a thing of the past thanks to O’Neills Techobutter!
Find out more later this summer at O'Neill