Stab Magazine | These Are The World's Best Wetsuits
3397 Views

These Are The World’s Best Wetsuits

Stab’s search for the warmest 3/2 and most comfortable 4/3 starts here.

hardware // Nov 24, 2019
Words by stab
Reading Time: 3 minutes

When we invited the world’s best wetsuits manufactuers to our world’s best wetsuits shoot, we warned of real and honest feedback. Many ran the other way. The ones included were excited about having their product critically reviewed.

Welcome to Stab’s Best Wetsuits of winter 2019-2020—the Northern Hemisphere edition.

Our objective: to discover the warmest 3/2 and most comfortable 4/3 on the modern market.

Reasoning: nobody wants to wear a 4/3 if they don’t have to, so it’s our job to keep you in a 3-mil as long as possible. But, if that extra millimeter of rubber is required, we want to make sure that you don’t end up in a rubber straitjacket.

Tester: Stab’s resident tech geek, Michael Ciaramella. Having exclusively worn Xcel neoprene for the past decade, Mike’s utter ignorance of these six neoprene brands makes him uniquely qualified for the task, as he is an analytical and unbiased subject.

Watch above as Mike samples 12 rubber tuxedos both in and out of frigid Central California waters, in an attempt to answer the question: who makes the warmest and most comfortable wetsuits in 2019?

 

 

Billabong’s Furnace Ultra 3/2 and Furnace Comp 4/3

Click here for a complete analysis and review

billabong 32
Furnace Ultra 3/2 Warmth score: 8/10

billabong 43
Furnace Comp 4/3 comfort score: 7/10

billabong graphene
Graphene: A Nobel- Prize-winning super-fiber implemented in wetsuits by Billabong in 2019. It’s meant to be ridiculously stretchy, strong, and warm.

Feral’s 3/2 Chest-zip and 4/3 Chest-zip

Click here for a complete analysis and review. 

feral 33
Makes you wanna surf.

9F0C318
Chest-zip 3/2 warmth score: 9/10

feral 44
Chest-zip 4/3 comfort score: 8/10

O’Neill’s Psycho Tech 3/2 and Hyperfreak Comp 4/3 (COMFORT WINNER)

Click here for a full analysis and review.

oneill 33
Psycho Tech 3/2 warmth score: 8/10

oneill 44
Hyperfreak Comp 4/3 comfort score: 10/10

9F0C0170
Legacy brand.

Quiksilver’s Highline Plus 3/2 and Highline Ltd. 4/3

Click here for a full analysis and review.

quiksilver 33
Highline Plus 3/2 warmth score: 8/10

9F0C9715
Highline Ltd. 4/3 comfort score: 7/10

9F0C9128
Lined with a field of roses (sans thorns).

Rip Curl’s Flashbomb Heat Seeker 3/2 (WARMTH WINNER) and E-Bomb 4/3

Click here for a full analysis and review

ripcurl 44
E-bomb 4/3 comfort score: 9/10

ripcurl 33
Flashbomb Heat Seeker 3/2 warmth score: 9/10

9F0C702
Fins just wanna be free.

Volte’s Supreme 3/2 and Premium Hooded 4/5

Click here for a full analysis and review.

volte 33
Supreme 3/2 warmth score: 6/10

volte 44
Premium 4/5 comfort score: 8/10

9F0C9369
A wave goodbye!

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

How Italo Ferreira Bought His Way Into Nike, The Reality Of Fatherhood, And Embracing Global Scrutiny

The Stab Interview with the most sleep-deprivedman in surfing.

Feb 13, 2026

Will A GOAT Bite On Gnaraloo’s $17 Million Price Tag?

World Champs and Hollywood circle a red-dirt kingdom that can never truly be owned.

Feb 13, 2026

Dane Reynolds On His Favorite Surfer, Storytelling Through Surf Media, And Releasing Former’s New Film

Our first official episode of StabMic is live. 

Feb 12, 2026

Watch: Episode 03 of Stab In The Dark X Starring Kelly Slater

The untold story behind the GOAT’s split from CI + a three-layer wax cake theory.

Feb 11, 2026

Why You Should Stop Watching Surf Videos*

Instagram reels and the twisted fantasy of the parasocial surfing life.

Feb 9, 2026

Breaking: Rogue Boat Plows Through Steamer Lane, Capsizes With Family Of Six Onboard

Stab writer Holden Trnka saves a kid, gives a first hand report.

Feb 8, 2026

Watch: How $13M And 70,000 Tons Of Granite Changed An Australian Surf Town Forever

A documentary on Midds Reef — the world's best artificial wave — by Rhys Jones.

Feb 7, 2026

Pipeline Was Really, Really Good Today

CT qualifications, countless nine point rides, Australian domination, and the journey of a local hero.

Feb 6, 2026

Why Chapter 11’s Doors Are Shut + Why Former’s Output Is About To Spike

Former drops teaser for upcoming feature, ‘Defect’, starring the entire frozen pea army.

Feb 5, 2026

Joyride: What’s In An Asymmetrical Surfboard?

An asymmetrical study of Lovelace's Zambal and Satellite models.

Feb 5, 2026

What Happens When The Best Surfer On Earth Leaves The Tour?

The second order effect of John John's departure.

Feb 4, 2026

Velvet Pipeline And Nine Point Faceplants

A CT qualification update from the North Shore.

Feb 3, 2026

“It’s Louder Than An Atomic Bomb. If You Were Anywhere Near It, Your Head Would Explode.”

The Southern Ocean is now open for international pillaging.

Feb 2, 2026

“They Don’t Call It The Challenger Series For Nothing”

Local excellence and universal beatdowns on Day Two of the Pipe Challenger.

Feb 1, 2026

How Billy Kemper Convinced The WSL (And The Mayor) To Have Locals In The Pipe Challenger

And more musings from the ground here on the North Shore.

Jan 31, 2026

Exclusive Interview: Why John Florence Put The CT On Indefinite Pause

"The tour has a cap. I want to find a space where everything grows bigger."

Jan 29, 2026

Is Firing Pipeline Too Much To Ask For?

The inaugural Pipeline Challenger event starts in 24 hours. And we're en route.

Jan 28, 2026

Watch: Episode 02 of Stab In The Dark X Starring Kelly Slater

Are we all ordering five fin setups now?

Jan 28, 2026
Advertisement