Prolimit Fire-X FreeZip 5/3 2019
Reviews / Ladies Wetsuits
6,739
As someone who is in the water all year round an awful lot, I have in recent years begun to favour top-end suits as these can be easily justified. Not only that, 5 years ago a mid-range suit would leave little to write home about other than a potential good look and, if you were lucky, a lone patch of lining.
Fast forward to 2019 and enter the Prolimit Fire-X series: I shall seriously be rethinking my wetsuit purchases from now on!
The Fire series is Prolimit's mid-range suit, sandwiched between the more economical Edge and the elite Oxygen series. Straight out of the box, the neoprene feels soft, it looks smart, and has the overall feel of a much higher priced suit.
Prolimit have used the Airflex 500 neoprene for the Fire-X suit. This is a limestone based neoprene that has the ability to stretch to a whopping 500%, however it is the backing, or lining, which limits this enormous stretch. The Zodiac lining is in play with this suit, not only is it snuggly warm and soft, it actually draws liquid away from the skin and absorbs it to increase comfort. This lining extends all the way down to the knees; something previously unseen in a womens’ suit let alone a mid-range one! Glued and blind stitched seams, and bumper pads on the knees for added durability.
To put on, the Fire-X is soft and supple, and the FreeZip opening makes things easy, even for a chest zip style. As some one who is slightly shorter (5’5") I found the length of the arms and legs good, and no need to fold or have bunches of excess neoprene. If you are between sizes I would suggest going for the smaller one, though with all these things it is advisible to try them on before purchasing to ensure the best fit.
In the water you warm up quickly once you get the suit ‘working’. The supplied ankle straps are a good idea for kitesurfing to prevent water flushing up the leg, and they pose no problem if surfing or simply swimming. I felt almost no restriction in movement, and for both kiteboarding and regular surfing the shoulder and arm movement were more than adequate. The warmth from the suit is very good: I used it during the winter without any additional layers only accessories (gloves and boots). Throughout the warmer months for teaching it was just as comfortable for keeping you warm when being more static too.
As a kitesurfing suit, and used by us in the wind, the rubber fronted water repellent finish on the main body of the suit will definitely keep you that bit warmer, however it is also much more susceptible to nicks which can happen when wearing a harness over the top. Just something to be aware of - treat it with a bit of care and you will have no issues.
All-in-all I have been more than impressed with this suit, and coupled with the correct accessories for extremly cold conditions, I would confidently head into a winter season with it being my go-to suit.
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By Robin and Sukie
With years of kite sport experience combined, you can be sure you’ll be receiving the highest quality of knowledge on the best equipment the industry has to offer.
