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Old 06-20-2017, 12:50 AM   #1
Ater22
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Lesson learned.

For any Spearos who live out in the desert, don't leave your open cell suit in the truck when it's 115. Grabbed my wet suit today it the inner foam (what ever you call it) had melted together. I had to slide my hand through the legs tearing the foam to separate the front and back of my legs. Going to have some cold spots on my legs from now on.
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Old 06-20-2017, 01:43 AM   #2
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Re: Lesson learned.

Dry the suit inside out, then dust it internally with baby powder if it's really hot to keep it from doing that.

Also, regardless of what ANY manurefacturer tells you......... rubber is not all the same. Everyone is NOT using real Yamamoto rubber. Just like Rolex watches and Nike shoes........ there are lots of knockoff products out there, and in many cases, the sit company (Not the producer) has no idea they are selling junk rubber; it seems the same when the sample it, so they put it out there assuming they have a good product.
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Old 06-20-2017, 09:11 AM   #3
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Re: Lesson learned.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rojodiablo View Post
Dry the suit inside out, then dust it internally with baby powder if it's really hot to keep it from doing that.

Also, regardless of what ANY manurefacturer tells you......... rubber is not all the same. Everyone is NOT using real Yamamoto rubber. Just like Rolex watches and Nike shoes........ there are lots of knockoff products out there, and in many cases, the sit company (Not the producer) has no idea they are selling junk rubber; it seems the same when the sample it, so they put it out there assuming they have a good product.
Thanks. What brands do you know use the real stuff?
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Old 06-20-2017, 09:26 AM   #4
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Re: Lesson learned.

Yazbeck baby!!
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Old 06-20-2017, 12:04 PM   #5
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Re: Lesson learned.

M&B Wetsuits in Long Beach...custom fit suits with top quality rubber...
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Old 06-21-2017, 03:48 PM   #6
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Re: Lesson learned.

Hey Guys,


Rojodiablo is spot on. It’s a great idea to dry the suit inside out.


As for the companies selling junk rubber and calling it Yamamoto, it might be possible, but they would not get away with it for long.



My MAKO suits are made of 100% genuine Yamamoto material, and produced at a Yamamoto approved factory. So, I know a few things about this subject.


Everyone knows that Yamamoto neoprene, which is made in Japan, is the best neoprene available. One of the main reasons is because it is made from limestone, as opposed to the petroleum based material from China. It provides more warmth and more stretch than any other material available. Yamamoto is indeed the best.


As a result, Yamamoto is very aggressive in protecting their reputation for excellence, and they have safeguards in place to make sure junk rubber is not being used on suits advertised as Yamamoto.


To start with, Yamamoto does not sell their neoprene to just any factory. In order for a factory to produce suits using Yamamoto material, that factory must meet certain criteria, including strict quality assurances with respect to manufacturing.


The Yamamoto approved factory that produces my MAKO suits also produces suits for Rob Allen, Sea Sniper and Legendary, so they are obviously very capable of producing high quality suits.


In addition to the quality in workmanship that is monitored by Yamamoto, only the best materials such as threads, glues clips, pads and outer materials can be used to produce a Yamamoto suit.



For example, The Yamamoto Corp. would not approve of a suit made with Yamamoto neoprene that had a crappy nylon or polyester outer fabric which would drastically limit the stretch of the suit.


Additionally, when I (MAKO) and the other well respected companies listed above, advertise our suits as 3mm, 5mm, or 7mm, you can be assured that they are indeed 3mm, 5mm or 7mm suits.



Some companies (I won’t mention who.) cut costs by cutting their neoprene thinner than the advertised thickness and they use cheaper (less stretchy) outer material. Again, Yamamoto would have none of that.


On a final note, I am sure The Yamamoto Corporation regularly obtains and inspects suits from their approved factories, as well as from companies such as mine (MAKO), Rob Allen, and Sea Sniper, to ensure only the highest quality materials and methods are being used to produce the highest quality suits made from genuine Yamamoto material.


I am very fortunate to be working with The Yamamoto Corporation and I have had the honor of getting to know Tommy Yamamoto. He is a brilliant guy who has built an empire and a reputation on quality and he knows how to safeguard it.



Dive safe,
dano
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Old 06-21-2017, 08:49 PM   #7
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Re: Lesson learned.

Dano made great points; several vendors have been burned by manufacturers themselves, not so much saying Mako, Picasso, et al are asking for, nor intending to get a strange material, but manufacturers HAVE burned the vendors. A big part could be glues not designed specifically for use on wetsuits. I have had 2 different suits fail from this over the years. It cost the vendors a lot of money in dealing with the fallout, which was not their fault.

Some vendors might say something to the effect of "It's the same material as Yamamoto, or it's the equivalent of Yamamoto....." Not so likely, and you take your chances.

The best suits? M&B custom suits. A level above, built for you. Best commercial suits I have used so far, off the rack? Riffe. Had a very good Pathos go 2.5 years of horrible treatment, am trying to kill a JBL suit with little success.....!!!!! So there are many good suits out there.

Beware really cheap suits. There HAS to be a reason why they are $129, wen the norm is $300-400.
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Old 06-22-2017, 08:46 AM   #8
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Re: Lesson learned.

Very well said.

When you get a Yamamoto suit, you are also getting the Yamamoto approved factory, and the Yamamoto quality control.

Regarding my prices, because I sell direct to divers, instead of through dive shops, my MAKO / Yamamoto suits cost a lot less.

So, don’t let my low prices fool you.

I just don’t have the overhead that dive shops have and there is no dive shop markup.


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Old 06-22-2017, 11:07 AM   #9
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Re: Lesson learned.

I haven't tried many different suits, but my girlfriend has a 7mm Mako suit and she *overheats* in the frigid upwelling of Monterey, California.

It's so good she's gonna get a 5mm next time!
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Old 06-22-2017, 12:08 PM   #10
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Re: Lesson learned.

My Mako suit did this too
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Old 06-22-2017, 12:28 PM   #11
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Re: Lesson learned.

Dano and Paul bring up great points. Just to expand a tiny bit. A lot of licensing agreements require a manufacturer to provide the licensor with a final product from the line, as Dano mentioned. So, for the question of how do you know what's real, and similar to the answers previously given, if the company has been advertising using Yamamoto rubber for some time they likely are using actual Yamamoto. Otherwise, again as mentioned, they'd quickly be burned.

As for the suit sticking to itself even with the Mako suit. That does not mean it is not Yamamoto. This happened to my first freediving suit (Yazbeck). Was it because a low quality suit? Of course not. I was not properly caring for the suit so I did it to myself. Rinse your suit after every dive thoroughly, and even use a safe cleaner from time to time, and always dry inside out. Leaving it directly in the sun or baking in a car will cause it to stick together.
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Old 06-22-2017, 12:46 PM   #12
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Re: Lesson learned.

sporasub babayyyyyy
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Old 06-23-2017, 08:14 AM   #13
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Re: Lesson learned.

Hey cksea and Otogeny,

Thanks a lot for your support. I really appreciate it.

Dive safe,
dano
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Old 06-23-2017, 09:42 PM   #14
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Re: Lesson learned.

We've got some great deals going on our top of the line suits. It's definitely one thing you don't want to skimp out on!
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Old 11-23-2017, 08:35 AM   #15
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Re: Lesson learned.

Hey Guys,


I recently had a meeting with Yamamoto of Japan and my Yamamoto approved factory that manufactures my wetsuits. While I was there, I mentioned this thread to them.



The all laughed at the notion that a Yamamoto approved factory would be using a cheap, non Yamamoto material to make Yamamoto wetsuits.


In addition to the points that I already mentioned, my Yamamoto approved factory indicated that they only make suits with 100% Genuine Yamamoto material. They told me that they do not produce lower end suits with cheap non Yamamoto material. Therefore, the cheap, non Yamamoto material never even enters the building.


As I mentioned, in addition to manufacturing my MAKO wetsuits, this Yamamoto approved factory also make wetsuits for Rob Allen, Legendary of New Zealand, Sea Sniper, all of which are very well respected companies with solid reputations for quality products.


In short, we all have a very good thing going (Yamamoto – Approved Factory - Suppliers). And, the notion that they would jeopardize the relationship with me or any of the other suppliers mentioned is just not possible.


On a side note, there was a competitor of mine on the west coast (who is no longer in business) who suggested on another forum and on his fb page, that my MAKO suits were not really Yamamoto because my prices were so low. If he spent more time promoting his business instead of trying to bring me down, he would probably still be in business.


As I mentioned before, I sell direct to divers instead of through dive shops. For example, my 1 piece, 2mm reversible camo suits made of 100% Genuine Yamamoto material are only $149.95 and my 2 pc, 3mm open cell camo suits made of 100% Genuine Yamamoto material are only $165.95. This is simply because there is no dive shop mark up and I don’t have the overhead that others have.


Obviously I don’t sell as many suits as the big companies, but I very much enjoy what I do and I get to dive with the coolest guys on the planet.
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