Once upon a time I was too cheap and bit the bullet on - what looked like a decent cold water suit - on sale that is...
As it turned out, there was a good reason why these were on sale. Don't know about the current NP's Edge lineup, but that particular year model's seams were sealed with some Chinese pig's vomit tape contraption instead proper sealant. Fast forward 2 seasons - it looks like this:
To be perfectly honest, the suit was so cheap - it's hardly worth complaining. It does an acceptable job at what it was purchased for.
With that said, I'm still wondering if anybody has been able to re-seal these seams properly. I've been contemplating the idea every time I notice current "sealing" looking worse and worse.
Say - would the car windscreen glue do a good job? Are you supposed to apply the sealant on the wetsuit pre-stretched? Any input would be welcomed.
Quite typical of that tape on NP. Though I've only seen that kind of tape on the inside.You can try some of the iron on wetsuit seam tape. It works for a short while but eventually does the same thing as your suit. https://www.amazon.com/Seam-Sealing-Tap ... 019H4ISFS If you chose to go the liquid glue route, most will be a lot stiffer than the suit and will crack and peel. The "liquid tape" they use at the factories is supposedly some very toxic stuff and I haven't been able to find any. I've tried all kinds of rubber glues.
I have the same suit. I think it is now 2 or 3 seasons old. It looks a lot better than yours - either you had a particularly bad suit, or you use yours more than I use mine (I have a leaky 4/3 Ion suit that I wear in slightly warmer weather). I don't find it a particularly high quality suit, but a lot of locals in Ontario are using this suit. I have used Aquaseal to fix wetsuit tears/holes. It will do a reasonably good job but not sure whether you would be better off trying to re-stick the tape using the Aquaseal ... or remove the lifting areas of tape & just cover the seam with glue. The Aquaseal will last a while in my experience, but is vulnerable in areas that are subject to stress when you are putting on or removing the suit.
BTW: I always use a neoprene vest under the Edge when it starts to get cold & a hood that tucks under the neck flap as I find the suit does not seal well at the neck.
Your post inspired me to look more closely at my suit. As you can see, overall the tape is holding up reasonably well. However, I noticed it has been letting water in at the crotch. There are small tears in the tape in that area. Also there are small holes on the tape on the shoulder strips both sides of the smooth skin breast plate area. Finally, the neoprene itself is very stretched on one side of the breast plate, below the armpit area. I'm going to try Aquasealing those areas to reduce water flushing through the suit.
I don't find it a particularly high quality suit, but a lot of locals in Ontario are using this suit.
That's because we all got owned by the same discount at the same, well known in Toronto area - store. God knows how and where from they were able to reel in all this discounted gear. Not this year though...
BTW: I always use a neoprene vest under the Edge when it starts to get cold & a hood that tucks under the neck flap as I find the suit does not seal well at the neck.
I do the other way around - have a full neoprene jacket over the wetsuit - cuts the wind chill nicely. As long as I don't face-plant too often.
I had the same 5/4mm Neil Pryde Edge, I think is a 2016/17 suit...mine was worse than all those pics. I used "Black Witch" neoprene glue and it held up well. I now have a 2019 Neil Pryde Cortex and it's excellent, no issues with the sealing tape lifting.
That's because we all got owned by the same discount at the same, well known in Toronto area - store. God knows how and where from they were able to reel in all this discounted gear. Not this year though...
I do the other way around - have a full neoprene jacket over the wetsuit - cuts the wind chill nicely. As long as I don't face-plant too often.
I think it's a decent suit for the money paid, but there are definitely higher quality suits out there.
I also wear a neoprene jacket over the suit when it's really cold & I have started wearing an impact vest which provides a a lot of wind chill protection to the torso also ... but the neoprene vest is a no-brainer - it makes the torso 7mm thick while adding little bulk to the suit overall & minimizing water flushing through the zip.
I've tried all kinds of rubber glues.
Nevermind the "awesome" part.