ION Products Onyx Voltage 6/5mm 2013
Reviews / Mens Wetsuits
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At A Glance
The Onyx Voltage from ION is a top end suit with one purpose, to keep you warm in the coldest of waters. The built in hood is a further nod to it’s game plan ensuring that just a small section of your face need be exposed to the elements. It uses all of ION’s wetsuit know how and some of their more glamorous materials too. New for this year it uses their V-Type neoprene, which is 25% lighter and the warmest available on the market. The inside jersey uses their Helio Plush fabric extensively which helps to trap air next to your body and keep you dry and warm. It also uses recycled polyester in it’s construction with a nod to the environmentally conscious.
In the Water
Getting the Onyx Voltage on and off is a little trickier than a standard back zip suit, but once you have it mastered getting it on is easy enough, bear in mid you might need a hand getting out! The suit is certainly warm, one of the warmest suits we have tried on and it is also very flexible. It is a little thicker than some of the other suits on test, and of course available, so be sure you are going to need the extra warmth. If you don’t you’ll either burn up or get fed up of the extra bulk. That’s not to say the Onyx Voltage feels bulky, far from it; it is a very supple and stretchy suit. However it is aimed at the extremes of cold, so bear that in mind! The water repellent coating worked well and it is a nice touch having the single lined panel on the back, after all that is usually where the wind hits you when you are kiting.
Overall
If you have to have the warmest wetsuit around, this could arguably be it, the built in hood is a great touch and really stops any water getting into the suit. High quality materials throughout and a good finish make this one of the test team favourites for when it is snowing outside!
This review was in Issue 37 of IKSURFMAG.
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By Rou Chater
Rou has been kiting since the sports inception and has been working as an editor and tester for magazines since 2004. He started IKSURFMAG with his brother in 2006 and has tested hundreds of different kites and travelled all over the world to kitesurf. He's a walking encyclopedia of all things kite and is just as passionate about the sport today as he was when he first started!
