|
I bought the Arena to see if it was any better than the LZR Elite. I wasn't impressed at all. The first thing I had issues with was getting it on. I'm a 25 long in the LZR Elite and I measured for Arena. I had to put it on and take it off FOUR times before it got over my butt. I have no butt. ALL my friends make fun of my pancake butt, to be honest the suit made me feel better about abnormally small butt cheek size but the feeling of gratitude didn't last long because it took TWO hours to get it on! My knuckles are still healing from rubbing against the suit as I tried to pull it over my non-existent butt.
One thing that was interesting about this suit it was thinner than paper, but it still had an exceptional amount of compression (hence it took me two hours to get it on). But it was so compressed that when I was gripping at that paper thin material to get it over my flat-bottom I poked a hole through it. Which continually got bigger as I continued to wear it. And because I had stretched it out so much by trying to get it on; there was a little gap between the suit and my lower back leaving an opening for water.
I swum one event with this suit and that was the 100 free. That gap I mention earlier did fill with water and slowed me down on my start and turns. And when I got out the water didn't bead up like it does on the LZR Elite. It just absorbed into the suit. AND THE BEADING IS SOOOO COOL!! WHY WOULDN'T YOU PUT THAT IN A SUIT?!?!?!
One thing I liked though was that the straps on the Arena were much, much more comfortable than the ones on the LZR Elite, which would help save my shoulders for longer events like the mile and the 1000 free. But I'm absolutely certain that over time the straps would loosen enough to allow water into the front of the suit.
This suit isn't bad but it is NOT worth 300+ dollars. Get the LZR Elite its worth it.
|
