When it comes to my swimsuits, I get super picky. I like comfortable swimsuits that are just one color, not a design. I've been swimming for over ten years and I feel as if I've come to a few realizations about what swimsuit brands are better than others.
1. Jolyns. Jolyn is a pretty expensive brand but you definitely get the bang out of your buck. I've had a jolyn for over three years and it has not faded or stretched out! They also have a wide variety of styles. For instance, they have different styles of the back end of your suit, the straps, the colors, and the design. While most brands don't have any variations of styles, Jolyn is the queen of cool, fun, and comfortable suits. Jolyn also sells really cute stickers, spandex, leggings, and sport bras.
2. Arena. Arena is another expensive brand but like Jolyn, they last forever, the color doesn't fade, and they're comfortable. They're about the same price as Jolyn's but it ranks under Jolyn because the suits are thinner. Some people really hate this but I, for one, am impartial to this. A fun fact about Arena is that they sponsor Team USA for international trips. Arena also sells a lot of other stuff than just suits. They have really cute USA shirts, sweatshirts, leggings, compression clothing, hats, etc but they are superrrrrr expensive. Fingers crossed I get selected to represent USA later this year and get a ton of free Arena merch because that would be great. The only thing I don't like about Arena is their fastkins. I tried one on, almost broke it, and couldn't swim breastroke for my life.
3. Speedo. Speedo practice suits are pretty good mostly because their sizing is relatively uniform. You always know how a suit is going to fit which really isn't the case for most brands. I really like Speedo's fastkins, especially the LZR racer pro because they fit well and don't billow out when you dive in the water. They also fit pretty well and are stretchy. However, the LZR racer pro is a little outdated so I've been buying LZR Racer Xs. The Racer X's fit really well when you have it on but putting it on is just so painful and terrible. The material doesn't stretch and it's fitted to the various areas of your body making it really hard to get the waist and shoulder part over your hips. The closed back Racer X is just terrible. I had a bright green one which I wore last year at State and it sucked because I couldn't feel my back in the water, there were a lot of air bubbles in my closed back part near my lower back, and the straps hurt so bad. However, they look really cool and make you feel super fast when you finally get it on.
4. Roka. I just discovered this brand and I'm really impressed. It ranks fourth because I only have one suit and based off that one suit I have a few critiques. For one, the suit that I have is really tight around my hips which kind of hurts. The material is super thick, which could be good for warmth purposes but I think it's a little overkill. The neck line is also super low which can be problematic at times but it's doesn't move around which makes up for it. However, the straps are super comfortable and fit really well. Overall, Roka seems to be a pretty good brand that I want to continue to buy.
5. TYR. I'm not really sure where to start with TYR. TYR tends to be unpredictable making it really hard to buy practice suits. I have a suit that has really loose straps and another suit with super tight straps. The sizing also sucks because a 29 in one style is NOT a 29 in another style. I've never tried on a TYR fastkin and I don't plan on it because it looks like crap, not many people have them, and they're super ugly.
6. Adidas. Adidas should just not make suits. Their sizing is jank and the material is itchy. The suits also don't stretch so it makes it really hard to breathe. Same goes for their fastkins.
7. Nike. Another major brand that should really just stick to land sports because their suits suck and wear out so fast. Their fastkins are cheap but they also suck. 0/10 recommend.
8. Dolfin. Just don't buy Dolfin. They have thick uncomfortable straps and wear out faster than an iPhone's battery.
I hope this list helps anyone who wants to buy a swimsuit!
This is an interesting and hilarious commentary! I've only tried Speedo and TYR, and I can agree that Speedo is much better. I'm glad to have an expert on my side!
ReplyDeleteThis was pretty interesting, but I can't swim too well. This may sound dumb, but do you know ways on how to like improve staying above the water, like the trending the water thing? I've never thought much about swimming, aside from going to the Y, which isn't all that fun (none of my friends go and I occasionally get nervous when interacting with people)... That gives me another question: what would you rank the best places to swim for fun? Summer is closer than ever (well not at all) and it would be nice for a consistently appealing pool. Have a good one and happy holidays!
ReplyDeleteIf you want to get better at treading water, consider a couple of swimming lessons. The instructors at the Urbana Indoor Aquatic Center do private lessons, and they 're not cheap, but it's probably worth it to invest in a few. The outdoor pool at Crystal Lake Park is very nice in warm weather. I'm quite Urbana-centric, though, and I'm sure there are some great pools in Champaign, as well.
DeleteI'm not much of a swimmer, but this post was still fun and interesting to read. Personally, I don't pay much attention to swimming brands, because my mom just buys me some swimming trunks and I pay little attention to them. Still, I liked this post because I learned a lot!
ReplyDeleteThis may sound weird because I couldn't even do freestyle at summer camp in fifth grade, but I can totally relate. I could rank ballet clothing brands for leotards and stuff, and some of the criteria are even the same. However, pointe shoes wouldn't work that way and there is no equivalent of fastkins, but for leotards there are so many parallels. Nice post! It really shows how much time you have spent swimming.
ReplyDeleteHuh, I never knew how many different brands there were for just making swimsuits. My idea has always been only one or two large brands like Nike and Adidas make swimsuits. This post really opened my eyes.
ReplyDeleteI'm a terrible swimmer so I don't think I will ever have to use this list but it's really good. I think what's interesting is that with running clothes you don't have as much of a disparity because everything's pretty much made the same, it just depends on what brand you're into. Also I never knew Nike and Adidas made swimsuits for some reason that's weird to me. Great post!
ReplyDeleteActually it turns out I have a nike swimsuit so jk.
DeleteWhen I used to swim I think I used Speedo and TYR only. They worked pretty well for me but I was never good enough at swimming to notice differences in suits. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this!! I recently purchased a Nike swimsuit that died within a month. I will definitely come back to consult this.
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