skymiles 3 #1 January 7, 2003 I'm in the market for a new RW suit and want your opinion on which company makes the best suit. If you like, please comment on quality, service and features. Thanks, Phil Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fudd 0 #2 January 7, 2003 You forgot the best: Sky Design Collection There are only 10 types of people in the world. Those who understand binary, and those who don't. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
daveom 0 #3 January 7, 2003 Please add Merlin Suits to the poll also... Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ron 7 #4 January 7, 2003 Tony....New suits are very strong, used to have some problems. But seem to be fixed. He has great customer service. Pretty high cost. Merlin...I was sponsored by them last year..... At the 40 jump mark my teamies zipper blew out. At the 50 jump mark my zipper blew out. OK shit happens. I had the suit taken to the shop, and she refused to fix it. Here I was "sponsored", and she would not fix what I saw as a flaw in the construction....A third teammate had a seam rip on his butt, And all 4 of our suits had rips in both seams that attaches the bootie to the leg. And it's a shame, the suit was very nice in every other aspect. But it does not last....And I have had terrible service...I waited 5 mths for the suit, and she would not fix them when they broke. AND 4 OUT of 4 DID BREAK!!!!!! Michagan....I love mine, I have over 200 jumps on it, used it for 4 way, tandems and it has around 10 hrs of tunnel on it. Strong, solid...And the most important thing.... GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE....I ordered mine, got it in 2 weeks!....I like my booties a bit longer than most, he fixed it FREE, and I had it back in ONE week. I have seen him fly in his Cessna from his office to Z-Hills and look at a jumpers suit....Take it back with him that day, and send it out the next afternoon. All this, and at a very good cost......I will buy another, I have never been sponsored by him. I have heard good things about Bev suits, but have never jumped one. Disclaimer....We do 4way, and we are hard on jumpsuits. Ron"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jumpy 0 #5 January 7, 2003 Don't really have much or any insight on this but i'll share anyway. I got given a Bev suit while on student status...so its not tailor made for me or anything but it seems pretty damn sturdy to me. Considering it's pretty damn likely that i'm around the 5th person to own it and absolutely no rips or tears. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #6 January 7, 2003 I've had and seen the oppsite on Merlin and Michigan. I had my Merlin Suit in my hands 3 weeks after the order was placed and I know some ones Michigan suit that took I think 13 weeks last summer. I'm curious about the Bevs too since I'm needing an new RW suit for next year.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
weid14 0 #7 January 7, 2003 Bev -- solid construction, good bootie design, grippers that you can really get a hold of, correct use of the right zipper for the job -- "FX mods". good delivery and excellent after sales customer support. She is a very active skydiver, too, if that helps at all. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkySlut 0 #8 January 7, 2003 Merlin is where its at. I have had the Pro Comp Suit for about a year and have put about 600 jumps on it and it still looks and fits great. I have recently had the opportunity to get a FREE TonySuit and I am BUYING another ProComp suit for work from Merlin. Kick ass suits-3 week delivery time and they have my measurements on file...so the only thing I had to tell them to do was make it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 3 #9 January 7, 2003 I have jumped a great variety of suits, but have jumped Michigans for the past 8 years and love them. I actually got six years out of my first comp suit, only having to patch the sides and replace the soles of my booties on occasion because I swooped them to death. I passed that suit on to MattM a while ago and he still has it somewhere. Matt: gimme that damn suit back if you are not going to wear it! Another favorite of mine are Tim DiAnnunzio's "Paraclete" comp suits. I have owned about seven of his suits over the years, but his new, computer-plotter cut designs are the bomb. Droopy (a poster here on the boards) has a truly bad-ass comp suits with flames cut into it; very stylish. I jumped Tony suits back when the Pit Special was all anyone with a sense of style would be caught dead in and I liked it. This, of course, was the "pre-bootie" days. I like the new comp suits, but think they are pricy and the legs are a bit stiff for my liking. In all, I don't think there is a single bad design out there nowadays. There are horror stories out there about every single brand that others hold in highest praise, so in the end it comes down to what kind of experience you have. Dropzones and gear dealers make allegiances with manufacturers which generally allows them better customer service. If they fuck it up too bad, then you can rest assured that they will never sell another suit on that dropzone again. Raeford is primarily a "Michigan" dropzone, but there are plenty of "Tonys" around also. If Mike Sandberg messes up a suit, then you can bet your ass he will have it replaced or repaired VERY quickly if it was ordered through SkyKAT. It's the same at most places. It's strong dealer/manufacturer bonds that keep those small businesses going. And believe me, jumpsuit manufacturing is small business . Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #10 January 7, 2003 >Tim DiAnnunzio's "Paraclete" comp suits. Are these still being made and if so do you have contact info?Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drenaline 0 #11 January 7, 2003 I haven't jumped many suits but I own a Tony pit special and the service by airtime is very very good. Just be careful when you take the measures, we are 15 skydivers using tony suit and they made 14 suits with bad measures (long inseam) including mine which I sent for downsize and they still made it bad. HISPA 21 www.panamafreefall.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bmcd308 0 #12 January 7, 2003 Am I the only person who has a Wind Line who likes it? ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CrazyIvan 0 #13 January 7, 2003 Tony's rock, no complaints so far.__________________________________________ Blue Skies and May the Force be with you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vallerina 2 #14 January 7, 2003 My first Bev suit rocked...held up through alot of rough landings, people trying to rip my grips off. I ordered another Hot Bod from her! I can't speak from personal experience, but my friends' 4-way team all had the Bev competition suits. They're still holding up after 2 seasons with a few hundred skydives. None of them had problems, and they loved the customer service. Michigan suits....many love them, but one guy I know had issues in getting exactly what he wanted. He sent in materials/layout of exactly what he wanted, but it wasn't followed at all. He had to send it back a few times before they finally did what he asked.There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Albatross 0 #15 January 7, 2003 I have seen good sucess with Bev, Michigan, Tony and a few others. The most important thing seem to be if you have someone who can make measurements that are in line with the manufacturers style. I got some recomendations for how to measure my Tony and it worked well. Somepeople have gotten bad measurements and they don't fit. Some was true for Bev. One teammate loved hers the other had it modified like 5 times and it never fit right. Remember that this is a custom made item that is made without the template.Chris Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JJohnson 0 #16 January 7, 2003 My vote goes to Bev. Great service, great suit. Mine took more abuse than Keith Richards on drugs. JJJJ "Call me Darth Balls" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 1,679 #17 January 7, 2003 I have a Bev which is very well built, it has made (and continues to make) a lot of jumps, including 10-way speed which is hard on the grippers. Booties fit very well, although both zipper pulls came off within about 20 jumps; I replaced them with paper clips!. I have 2 Tony Pit Specials. Had a gripper torn out of the older one, and the spandex forearm sleeves weren't too nice. The newer one seems better built, but the booties come off too easily (like, on exit) and the legs are a bit long (despite my having been measured for it at the factory). I added extra straps to try to keep the booties in place, but I still have a problem with them. The Pit Specials are nice and fast, though.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stacy 0 #18 January 7, 2003 i have a bev suit with the FX mods (like weid14 talked about). it's indestructable. it's been through over 200 jumps and not a pull, tear, etc at all. Bev fixed a wrong measurement and had the suit back to me within a week, no complaints at all. bev rules! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 5 #19 January 7, 2003 All gear is regional.New Englanders buy a lot of suits from Hanne, based in Lebanon, ME. Great workmanship, quick delivery, and great support. HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Squeak 17 #20 January 8, 2003 Here in Oz RMW, Spirit and TADS are all the go. With RMW coming out on top. All the student gear at our DZ is TADS, man doe that cop a hammering You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky) My Life ROCKS! How's yours doing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pilotdave 0 #21 January 8, 2003 I've only had a Bev suit so I can't compare it, but I like mine. I've been picked up by the grippers and thrown out of the plane twice now (with plenty of practice "throws" on the ground beforehand). They seem strong to me! No problems with it at all. Can't say if it's the best, but it's definitely good. Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 3 #22 January 8, 2003 Quote>Tim DiAnnunzio's "Paraclete" comp suits. Are these still being made and if so do you have contact info? Yes, Tim still makes jumpsuits, but on a limited basis. His primary thing now is making body armor and load bearing equipment for several of our "black" units. His company had grown exponentially in the past couple of years, but he still does suits (in volume even). Droopy or MattM would have the address. Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RozeAY 0 #23 January 8, 2003 My first suit was one of Bev's Hot Bods. It was an excellent suit, took a lot of abuse and it is still in great shape. I later ordered another comp suit from Bev and love it. My team decided to get Merlin suits. We ordered them in February. And got them in May - after walking into her shop and making her finish them. It is a great suit but almost impossible to actually get them. I gave mine to her in November just to get the booties replaced. After several emails, phone calls, and a trip to her shop (plus a few promises she'd get it to me by such and such date, especially before our last major competition) we are entering the middle of January and I still don't have it back. My team just ordered new suits from Bev. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
x3mcam 0 #24 January 8, 2003 Yup, have to agree... You guys left out the absolute best... Sky design in Norway... ok, ok I haven't tried all the others, but I'm currently jumping SkyDesign RW and Camerasuits, they're great quality and have good small extras. In freefly gear I vote for RMW from down under.... Tomppa Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #25 January 8, 2003 Quote www.flitesuit.com 100% Satisfaction guarantee! ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
