Star Rating: **** (4 Stars)
Recommended Retail Price: £65 from Lomo
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| Heading into the cool spring ocean. (© Brian Pollock) |
First off, the price. At £65, this suit is phenomenal value. We honestly think you'll be hard pressed to find anything that comes close to touching this suit for value at that price. Designed as an all year, all-round wet-suit this is the suit to get if you're looking after a single suit to do you everything and to use for a variety of different watersports. For something with more of an emphasis on performance, check out the Lomo Venom suit which has more flexible material which allows better movement.
We tested the suit on the East Coast in spring with temperatures of around 8 deg and thought we'd test it's all-roundness by taking it surfing. It's worth caveating that we paired the suit up with boots, gloves and a hood to make the cold water a bit more manageable.
Fit
For this test, we opted for a Large sized wetsuit and a 180cm/85kg reviewer. We found the fit to be pretty spot on which meant limited flushing of the suit during the test. As Lomo have a shopfront (only in Glasgow unfortunately) it makes it possible to try the suits on and find a good fit. To help with different body shapes, the suit is also available in a tall or wide fit.
Features
As this is a value wetsuit, the features are pretty basic but very well designed. The zip is a back zip with an extra long cord to help get it on and off by yourself and other than in windy conditions where catching the cord can be tricky we found this to work well. The zip action is smooth and we didn't have any issues with it getting caught in the material.
Lomo use a double-blind stitch for the panels as with some of the other wetsuits in their collection. The technique means there is very little to no water seepage as well as being robust. We found after a few months use there were very little signs of wear on the seams which is advantageous compared to the more expensive glued seam options with little sacrifice on performance.
Performance
As far as performance goes the Octane does admirably. It kept us warm though it may not be sufficient if staying out for long periods in winter where a 6mm suit with an integrated hood may be more appropriate. We used the suit for mostly surfing and some coasteering and were very happy with the performance. If swimming, however, we would recommend a more swimming tailored suit as the Octane uses a relatively stiff neoprene due to its thickness and we found some restriction of movement in the shoulders as a consequence of it.
Fit
For this test, we opted for a Large sized wetsuit and a 180cm/85kg reviewer. We found the fit to be pretty spot on which meant limited flushing of the suit during the test. As Lomo have a shopfront (only in Glasgow unfortunately) it makes it possible to try the suits on and find a good fit. To help with different body shapes, the suit is also available in a tall or wide fit.
Features
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| The smart looking branding of the updated Octane model. (© Brian Pollock) |
Lomo use a double-blind stitch for the panels as with some of the other wetsuits in their collection. The technique means there is very little to no water seepage as well as being robust. We found after a few months use there were very little signs of wear on the seams which is advantageous compared to the more expensive glued seam options with little sacrifice on performance.
Performance
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| The Octane in use in glorious Outer Hebredian sunshine. (© Coast to Coast Surfing) |
As far as performance goes the Octane does admirably. It kept us warm though it may not be sufficient if staying out for long periods in winter where a 6mm suit with an integrated hood may be more appropriate. We used the suit for mostly surfing and some coasteering and were very happy with the performance. If swimming, however, we would recommend a more swimming tailored suit as the Octane uses a relatively stiff neoprene due to its thickness and we found some restriction of movement in the shoulders as a consequence of it.
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| Some coasteering with the Octane wetsuit. (© Coast to Coast Surfing) |
We liked: Incredible value for money, warm, aesthetic
We didn't like: Lack of flexibility
Video of the suit in test conditions
Video of the suit in test conditions