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£183.20

I normally only wear a 4mm wetsuit down here in Cornwall and for previous seasons I have used the Rip Curl E Bomb Pro. I really rated this wetsuit; it was very warm, extremely light weight, super flexible and fitted like a glove. However, with all these factors in the E Bombs favour, the wetsuit just didn’t last that long. The most I got out of the Ebomb was a couple of seasons until the neoprene and the stitching came away at the back of the upper arms.

However, I saw the Quiksilver Cypher and thought this looked a much better wetsuit than the E Bomb Pro. The Cypher had a fleece lining inside the wetsuit, and it had taped seams on the inside of the wetsuit.

Also the collar was a rounded collar on the Cypher and felt a bit more robust than the E Bomb collar, which ended up loosening up after time and letting flush in. The collar fits over the head to fasten up the wetsuits chest zip.

In the end I had to go with a 5mm Cypher instead of a 4mm because Quiksilver didn’t have my size in stock. I wouldn’t normally dream of wearing a 5mm wetsuit down here in Cornwall, but the Cypher seemed light weight and just as stretchy as my 4mm E Bomb Pro.

The Review

Conditions:  Wind SE 17mph | Temperature – Sea 11°c – Air 0°c

Wetsuit Accessories: Wetsuit Boots

No Wetsuit Gloves, No Wetsuit Hood

1. 1.      Getting on and off

The Cypher has is the similar zipper system to the Xcel Drylock whereby it pulls closed without fastening the zip up.

At first I felt Cypher zipper system was hard to get over the shoulder, but after putting the wetsuit on and off a few times, it got easier. However, I could see that blokes who are big up top may find it hard to get this wetsuit on due to the zipper obstruction.

Score 8/10

1. 2.      Fit, Stretch and weight

The wetsuit fitted really well, even though it did look more like a small rather than a MS. I guess Quicksilver’s sizing is a slimmer fitting to Rip Curl and I think if the Cypher was a back zip I wouldn’t have fitted into the wetsuit. The neoprene’s stretch was really good despite the fact that the wetsuit was a 5mm. In fact I would go as far as saying it was the most flexible 5mm neoprene I had worn over the years, it felt more like a 4mm wetsuit. The wetsuit over all was very light weight despite the edition of the polypro inside the wetsuit.

Score 10/10

1. 3.      Warmth

On the face of things the Cypher feels like a really well built and quality wetsuit, that’s until I got it in the water! I have always been warm enough in the water with a 4mm wetsuit. Also this season has been very mild compared to last season and I always wear no gloves and hood. However, the Cypher really let its self down when it came to warmth. I thought because the wetsuit was 5mm and had the polypro lining inside it would be warmer than my previous seasons Ebomb in the 4mm. In fact in the Cypher felt cold in the body, the cold seemed to be coming from the panelling underneath the arm area known as the paddle zones. This panelling feels like its 3mm and doesn’t have the polypro lining, this would explain the cold. The rest of the wetsuit felt warm, but it’s hard to maintain a good body temperature if the core of your body isn’t kept warm. I feel that if the polypro was applied to the paddle zone it may have reduced the cold. However, the panelling maybe 4mm without the poly pro, either way it feels noticeably colder without the polypro or thicker neoprene in this area.

Score 5/10

1. 4.      Verdict

What let this wetsuit down dramatically was the penetration of cold. I would have scored the wetsuit a good 9/10 if I hadn’t felt the cold. However, the wetsuit was still useable, but still on the cold side. I won’t drop any names, but I’m also friends with one of Quicksilver’s team riders and he was in the water at the same time as me. I asked him how he felt in his Cypher and he agreed on the points I made regarding being cold. He was wearing a 6mm as well!!! However, on the other hand there was another guy in the water wearing last season’s Cypher and he said we was really happy with his and didn’t feel the cold. Did quicksilver do something wrong with this season’s wetsuit?

If I were to buy either the E Bomb Pro or the Quiksilver Cypher I would choose the Ebomb Pro. If Quiksilver address the cold for me I would wear the Cypher over the E Bomb for sure. I can’t comment on Cypher’s durability because I have only owned the wetsuit for a month. However, I will write back in a season’s time and let you all know how it performed.

Score 7/10

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£4.99

Hi Folks,

A few weeks ago i got my hands on a box of Matunas surf wax and i have used it on my board to see if it’s any good. I’m always dubious about trying out new brands of wax because nine times out of ten some new brands i have tried just aren’t up to the job. I always use sex wax, or palmers these brands have always served me well. Some other brands i have tried don’t give lasting grip on the board, or its too clumpy when applied especially when using cold water wax which has to be softer.
Lucky for me i had a new surfboard delivered so i could wax up a brand new stick to see how the wax would apply and perform. Unlucky for me there was no surf for over a week before i could test both the board and the wax!
Most surfboard waxes are petroleum based and not biodegradable based which isn’t very cleaver for the environment. Matunas wax is Eco friendly and is non-toxic, biodegradable and petroleum free. So what is this wax made of if it isn’t petroleum based? Well, the Ingredients consist of Clay, beeswax, jasmine, raspberry, coconut oil, tree sap, aloe and honey of course! Sounds almost good to eat!

Matunas Surf Wax the Review

1.    Application

First of all I applied some Matunas Base wax to the deck of my new surfboard. The base wax was really, really hard and I didn’t think it would apply to the shinny surf tech Epoxy surface of my board. However, with a little pressure the base wax was applied in no time and all looked good.
For my top coat I used the cold water wax because we are now in December and the water is defiantly frigid down here in the south west of Cornwall. I unwrapped the wax from its Eco soya ink and recycled paper sleeve and gave it a smell! I don’t know about you but I love the smell of surf wax. I was pleasantly surprised that the wax smelt very nice indeed, probably down to all the lovely ingredients! The wax applied easily and evenly giving a nice layer of sticky bumps and traction to the board.

2.    Use and verdict

I have used the wax now for well over a month and I have to say I’m more than impressed with it. I would say it works just as well as the other brands I normally use; it lasts if using a wax comb and importantly gives great grip and traction on the board. Would I use this wax again? I most certainly will use this wax again and I will replace my normal branded wax with Matunas because its eco friendly.

3.    Score 9/10

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£5.99

Today i tested a bottle of Rip Curl Piss off wetsuit cleaner is it any good?
Firstly, this product isn’t a shampoo it is a disinfectant which claims to eliminate stench cuased by bacteria build up and of course urine. My wetsuit is rinsed and hung up to drip dry after every use and still after a month or so it starts to smell funky. So when i was delivered some of this Rip Curl Piss off stuff i was banking on it removing the damp, rubbery smell from my once nice smelling wetsuit.

As i opened the bottle i took a smell of the liquid inside and to my surprise it smelt really nice, i was expecting a kind of Dettol smell, or hospital ward but this wasn’t the case! I placed my wetsuit in a bucket of cold water along with a cap of the piss off solution, gave the wetsuit a good sloshing around and left over night submerged in the water. When i came to take the wetsuit out of the water i could smell a nice aroma, my wetsuit almost smelt new again. I left to dry over 4hrs and came back to give it a sniff! To my surprise the wetsuit smelt wonderful, piss off had got rid of all the nasty odours and i was really impressed.

I would recommend this product highly for under £7 a bottle it’s a good price. I reckon you good get around 20+ washes with it as well.

After each surf i rinse my wetsuit with cold water and hang up to drip dry! That’s such a lie! I sometimes perform this caring task, but other times i get changed in the garden and throw my wetsuit on the floor and forget about it for a few days. This kind of behaviour contributes to my once nice smelling wetsuit, smelling like something has died inside it. I often clean my wetsuit with neoprene disinfectant and this stuff gets rid of the damp smell for a few uses.

The guys at extreme horizon kindly gave us one of these Bamboo Charcoal Deodorisers from Overture to review. I was hoping that this little brown bag filled with Charcoal would end the days of dead rat smells coming from my wetsuit. I’m always impressed with products which have a minimal impact on the environment and don’t cause excessive waste when discarded. If it didn’t live up to expectations I could always use it to BBQ a nice Aberdeen Angus burger!

The deodoriser claims to do the following.

1. Help maintain the life and health of your wetsuit and wetsuit accessories.
2. Absorb odour creating toxins from the surrounding area whilst also balancing excess humidity and preventing bacterial growth.
3. Charcoal bags have a life of approx 1 year and after that period the bag contents can be cut open and spread on soil improving its acidity.

Main Features:
SEASONAL STORAGE: Hang charcoal inside body of wetsuit / accessories.
ACTIVE SEASON: Place inside board bag / backpack or car for a sanitary travel experience.
Place in direct sunlight every 3-6 months to rejuvenate charcoal.
Release charcoal into garden after 1 year.
Bag is made from secondary/by-product plastics, and the packaging is made of recycled card and printed with Soy inks.

Test 1

Normally i will disinfect my wetsuit at least 2-4 times a month; this is simply because I’m one of the dirty people in the line up who urinate in their wetsuit! Yes, i know it’s disgusting, but I’m not getting out of the line up in cranking waves to walk all the way to the public toilets to urinate!

Over the month i gave my wetsuit a rinse after each surf, and hung up to drip dry. Sure enough after a few weeks use my neoprene buddy started to stink and putting it on was like wearing a dead man’s rotting flesh!

Would using the Charcoal Deodoriser finally put an end to the wetsuit funk?

After surfing i placed the bag inside the wetsuit where it is harder for moisture to evaporate and where all the bad smells build up. After a few days i came back to the wetsuit to give it a nose and a whiff. To be honest i wasn’t impressed; though it smelt a bit better it still smelt like i should burn it just in case it was growing some deadly bacteria. I repeated this process over a period of a month and found that the deodoriser didn’t have that much effect. I’m not saying it didn’t work at all, but not to my expectations.

However, i began to think there’s possibly nobody in the world that would urinate in their wetsuit, rinse with cold water and leave for a month without wetsuit cleaner? I needed to stand back and think less extreme.

Test 2.

I washed my putrid wetsuit with some of my favourite wetsuit disinfectant Rip Curl Piss Off and this got rid of the decaying matter aroma from my wet suit. After each surf i rinsed my wetsuit and hung up to drip dry with the Charcoal Deodoriser. After a few days there wasn’t any smells, it was quite pleasant. This process went on for the next month and i was pleasantly surprised that a combination of the initial use of wetsuit disinfectant, rinsing the wetsuit and the Charcoal Deodoriser worked very nicely.

Test 3.

The final test involved the use of the Charcoal Deodoriser on its own, alongside regular rinsing of the wetsuit and hanging the wetsuit to dry for a good length of time. The winter season has come and it is now time to hang up my summer wetsuit. Without turning the wetsuit inside out and reversing this process, so both sides of the wetsuit dry, i let the wetsuit hang for around a month. Over this time i came back and for sure the inside of the wetsuit was nice and dry with no odours. The Charcoal bag had done the job of exterminating the funky smells.

Verdict. 7/10

I think this is a good product and well worth £11.99. I would suggest rinsing your neoprene, and using the deodoriser alongside a wetsuit disinfector for maximum stench relief. I found using the charcoal deodoriser alongside wetsuit cleaner worked well because it reduced dramatically how many times I would need to use wetsuit cleaner. Normal use for me is 2-4 times a month, but I have only used the cleaner once since using the deodoriser.

The deodoriser worked really well when the wetsuit was hung to dry over a long period of time.

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£11.99