The Prolimit Predator back zip wetsuit for men is a pretty good winter wetsuit, not that expensive. Prolimit is a well known brand for their good price and product quality. This wetsuit is mainly used for speed watersports, like kitesurfing and wakeboarding, but can also be used for other watersports like wave surfing.
Wetsuit Specification
| Price range | 150-200$ |
| Size | 50/M |
| Thickness | 6/5 mm |
| Color | Black |
| Brand | Prolimit |
| Year | – |
| Gender | Men |
Pros
- Pretty warm and good for winter conditions
- Not that expensive
- Drain holes and velcro straps make it a good wetsuit for speed watersports, like kitesurfing
- Glideskin (smoothskin) on the front (chest) and back panel makes it warmer in windy conditions
Cons
- Fleece or plush lining is only on the chest and back
- Pretty thick wetsuit, that gives you less flexibility
- A back zip has more water flush and less flexibility
- Bad sealing around the wrist and no sealing at the collar
| Topic | Score 1-10 |
| 1. Warmth | 8 |
| 2. Flexibility | 6 |
| 3. Water flush | 6 |
| 4. Putting on and off | 8 |
| 5. Drying speed | 6 |
| 6. Seams | 7 |
| 7. Design | 7 |
| 8. Rubber (Neoprene) Quality | 7 |
| 9. Lining Quality | 6 |
| Total average score | 6.8 |
General wetsuit review of the Prolimit Predator
1. The Warmth of the Wetsuit
This is a winter wetsuit and keeps you warm in colder conditions. It will keep you warm in water temperature above 5 degrees.
Glideskin or Smoothskin is on the front and back panels to stay warmer in windy conditions. These panels are extra water repellent to prevent windchill.
2. Flexibility and Stretch of the wetsuit
Since this wetsuit is pretty thick, it will not have as much flexibility as a warm-water wetsuit that is 3/2 mm thick. That is why the stretch of the wetsuit is average. It will never be the most flexible wetsuit because of its thickness.
3. Water flush
Because a back zip wetsuit has a bigger or longer zipper there is a bigger chance of cold water coming in your wetsuit. To prevent this cold water from coming in through the back zip The wetsuit has an extra water block panel behind the zipper (see image above).
Water flush or wetsuit flushing means that water comes in and out of your wetsuit. You want to have as less flushing as possible to stay warmer.
This wetsuit has extra wrist sealing to prevent water from coming into your arms (see image above). This is not the best seal to keep water out; usually, these seals are also around the collar, but this wetsuit has not.
4. Putting the wetsuit on and taking it off
Because of the back zip entry, the wetsuit is pretty easy to put on and take off. In this case, it takes less the one minute to put the wetsuit on and take it off.
5. Drying Speed
The dry speed depends on how you dry it. But in general, this wetsuit takes one day to dry totally inside out. The outside of the wetsuit will still be slightly wet and cold but the inside is what really counts.
Technical aspects
6. Seams
The seams of this wetsuit are glued and blind stitched (GBS). You only see these seams with high-end wetsuits or cold water wetsuits. The advantage is that you don’t have tiny holes in your wetsuit where water can come in. If you want to know more about seams read the blog about what seams are used in wetsuits.
They use Neotape and Melco dots on some of the seams within the wetsuit for added strength and reduced skin discomfort. It also helps with the durability of the seams.
7. Design
The design of the wetsuit determines the placement of the seams and the amount of stretch and fitting. The right placement of the seams can also avoid irritation and rash. In our opinion, one of the seams should not be around the butt and in this wetsuit, it is not the case. Overall, the panels of the wetsuit are well strategically placed.
- The body has 6 mm neoprene panels
- The arms and legs have 5 mm neoprene panels
8. Rubber (Neoprene) Quality
This wetsuit is made from limestone neoprene. This type of neoprene is used in many high-end wetsuits and has a good performance. Of course, this type of neoprene is made in many different qualities and properties. But overall the quality that is used in this wetsuit is good and graded with a 7.
Limestone neoprene is made more eco-friendly than petroleum-based neoprene. Read more about the types of neoprene.
9. Lining Quality
Inner lining
Inside the wetsuit, there are two types of lining used. Zodiac(quick-dry/fleece/plush) lining is used on the chest and back panels to be warmer around the vital parts of the body. The rest of the inside is lined with nylon to protect the neoprene from damage.
Outside lining
The whole outside of the wetsuit is lined with nylon.
More details of this Prolimit wetsuit
Durability
If you care properly for your wetsuit it can last around 5 years. I have this wetsuit already for about 5 years and it is still good for winter conditions. But of course, this all depends on how often you use the wetsuit, what you do with it or how you treat the wetsuit.
Weight
Because of the thickness of 6/5 mm, it is a pretty heavy wetsuit compared with other wetsuits that are less thick. This wetsuit weighs around 1,8 g.
Zipper Quality
This wetsuit has the famous YKK zipper. It is the best and the most used zipper for wetsuits. The YKK zipper is made in Japan and they make high-quality zippers that don’t get corroded by seawater.
Knee Pads
The knees of the wetsuit are lined with an extra-strong and durable lining. This protects your knee and the neoprene from damage. Especially with surfing, your knee gets a lot of abrasions.
Detachable velcro ankle straps
These ankle straps are really handy for speed watersports like kitesurfing or wakeboarding. This prevents the wetsuit from rolling up your legs when water hits your ankles. You can use them, but you can also remove them because they are attached with a velcro connection.
Leg drain holes
Near your ankles there are drain holes to release water from your wetsuit’s legs. This prevents the wetsuit from swelling around the legs from all the water when standing on your board. Quite handy when you use the velcro ankle straps.
Key pocket holder
This wetsuit has a key pocket around the ankles. The key pocket placement around the ankles is very common with wetsuits.
Wetsuit Fitting and Sizing
The right fit is different for everyone, but the rule is: the more neoprene sheets it has, the better the fitting of a wetsuit. The design of a wetsuit gives it more comfort and better fitting. The fit of a wetsuit is one of the most important aspects of the efficiency of the wetsuit. Choose the right wetsuit size here in the size chart below.
Size Chart Prolimit Wetsuit Men
Conclusion
Overall this is a good wetsuit with an average score of 6.8. Especially the price range for this winter wetsuit is really good. The wetsuit has some small cons, especially due to the back zip entry system.
