Author Topic: O'Neill Loyalist Disappointed  (Read 3772 times)

eastbound

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 2995
    • View Profile
O'Neill Loyalist Disappointed
« on: July 09, 2019, 10:22:44 AM »
So my O'Neill TB3 psychofreak 4/3, new in late 2016, worn maybe 20 times, saved my ass, literally--from a fin cut just above my coccyx---sliced the suit to a clean 2 in cut--my skin had a good cut, not deep enough for stitches---i love the suit and love that it saved my ass.

So I sent the suit for repair and was told by O'Neill that this suit, with its seams, could not be repaired. O'neill repairs by detaching seams and removing/replacing the damaged panel. They will not repair a panel, they will only replace. Seems like a good approach.....

Except that, with my suit, O'Neill used a seam technique/glue that wont allow them to detach and replace the panel--so I asked for advice re what to do with this otherwise excellent, fairly new O'Neill suit.

The O'Neill repair guy told me to throw the suit out or, preferably, recycle it. I was a bit surprised, and wondered if my 35 year support of O'Neill, including touting their product here, might have been ill-conceived.

Were my suit still under warranty, I'd go nuts. But im also of the opinion that, if O"Neill knows they produced a bunch of suits that can never be repaired, based on a briefly used seam glue technique that was abandoned quickly--because it doesnt allow for repair..........O'Neill shd do better than to tell me my suit, which would live on if repaired, shd be thrown out or recycled.

So I vent---and wont need a new 4/3 til Fall, but when i go to replace this suit (or any suit booties gloves boardshorts, etc) I will resent buying anything additional from O'Neill.

I may try a slapdab cement repair on my own, but wouldve preferred proper repair (which I always represented I would pay for, if required) by a consumer-responsive manufacturer--that aint O'Neill, apparently.......

And I aint no tirekicker either---this is the first time ive said anything negative about any manufacturer here on the zone.
« Last Edit: July 09, 2019, 10:32:07 AM by eastbound »
Portal Barra 8'4"
Sunova Creek 8'7"
Starboard Pro Blue Carbon  8'10"
KeNalu Mana 82, xTuf, ergoT

PonoBill

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 25864
    • View Profile
Re: O'Neill Loyalist Disappointed
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2019, 12:52:25 PM »
Yup, the Freak suits are NOT repairable, by anyone. It's how they are so flexible, but the neoprene is liquified at the seams. It's a necessary change in design if you want a really flexible wetsuit. Stitched seams are a lot less flexible. If you sewed in a repair it would feel like you had a chunk of cardboard in the suit--the panel wouldn't flex like the rest of the suit.  It's not a glue technique that they tried and abandoned, if you buy a new freak suit it won't be repairable either. Sonic welding. Weird neoprene, but crazy flexible. overcast blind sewn seams flex some, but don't stretch much.

I tried to blind stitch my new, slightly damaged O'Neill suit and it gummed up in my sewing machine like I was trying to sew tar.

Some of the other O'Neill suits are repairable, but I'm a lot more interested in the performance of the suit than I am in it's repair-ability.  With my limited flexibility they are about the only suits I can get on without doing the entire antler dance with variations. Best suits going, IMHO. You were right all along. You can fix it yourself with a little patch, or do what I did and ignore it. Another interesting property of the near-liquid neoprene is that cuts don't seem to get bigger like they used to on my older suits.
« Last Edit: July 09, 2019, 12:55:07 PM by PonoBill »
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

Bean

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 4211
    • View Profile
Re: O'Neill Loyalist Disappointed
« Reply #2 on: July 09, 2019, 01:59:06 PM »
If it’s just a 2” slice, Aquaseal with a simple butt joint might be the way to go.

It’s funny, O’Neill used to state that no repairs would be performed on wetsuits previously repaired with “Aquaseal”...I kid you not.  With that policy, I would be buying new gloves every other week in the winter...I suppose that was the point.

Area 10

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 4057
    • View Profile
Re: O'Neill Loyalist Disappointed
« Reply #3 on: July 09, 2019, 02:10:51 PM »
IMO botch it up, and move on. And if you now need a more low-fi suit, because of risk of future wetsuit cuts, then get one of those next time.

FRP

  • Bob
  • Sunset Status
  • ****
  • Posts: 475
    • View Profile
Re: O'Neill Loyalist Disappointed
« Reply #4 on: July 09, 2019, 02:39:52 PM »
Eastbound

I have used this iron on neoprene patch on a couple of repairs and it worked well. For a two in cut should be fine. Can use it on both the inside and outside. My O’Neil psycho tech suits have been very good suits. Definately the easiest to get into and out of.

Cheers

Bob

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=13mGsE_vCV0
Sunova 8'10" Speeed
Sunova 8’7” Creek
Sunova 9’x30” Revolution
KeNalu Konihi 84 (primary paddle)
Kialoa Pipes II
Werner Nitro Carbon

"The time spent surfing is time that is added to my life" “In the ocean we are all connected”
Anon

Jradtke

  • Malibu Status
  • **
  • Posts: 92
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: O'Neill Loyalist Disappointed
« Reply #5 on: July 09, 2019, 03:23:58 PM »
You could cry about it on the internet.  The suit is 3 years old, its torn and cant be fixed. 

Newps

  • Sunset Status
  • ****
  • Posts: 275
    • View Profile
Re: O'Neill Loyalist Disappointed
« Reply #6 on: July 09, 2019, 04:06:38 PM »
I would rather have a cheaper new wetsuit than an expensive old wetsuit.  I buy all of mine through Quicksilver's website.  If they don't fit right you can take it into any Quicksilver store to swap it out or get a full refund.  The Syncro Plus goes for $199 but you can get 15% off with an email address coupon.  It has all the same features as O-Neill's TB3 but at half the cost.  These suits have served me well and last me two seasons, surfing on average 2 to 3 days a week.  After that they start to stretch out and leak water.  Still usable and work well just not as good as when new. 
L41 SIMSUP S4 - 7'4" x 30 1/4" x 4 1/2" 112L
L41 SIMSUP S5 - 7'6" x 27 1/2" x 4 3/16" 106L
L41 SIMSUP S4 - 7'8" x 31"x 4 1/2" 122L - Modded w/ a King's TUT Tuttle box and using a King's foil.
L41 SIMSUP S4 - 7'10" x 30 1/4" x 4 1/2" 120L
Starboard Whopper - 10' x 34" x 4 1/3" 171L - w/ FCS GL-1 fins

NorthJerzSurfer

  • Peahi Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 714
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: O'Neill Loyalist Disappointed
« Reply #7 on: July 09, 2019, 05:50:02 PM »
Eastie-

Patagonia has been touring surf shops repairing suits for free to help avoid waste.  They just stopped at Brave New World in NJ.  Not sure how to see where or when they may be in your area but worth a shot.,

They did it for three days down here.  Max one repair per day...had three suits lined up to take and of course has kid stuff all three days and still have holey wetsuits!

eastbound

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 2995
    • View Profile
Re: O'Neill Loyalist Disappointed
« Reply #8 on: July 10, 2019, 03:21:03 AM »
thx nojo---i will spk with the nice folk in the patagonia shop on bowery--ride by twice a day to/from work--

hear you, pb--and i love the tb3--if patagonia wont fix, i plan to try to butt fuse it and then iron on some seam strips---likely it'll end up all glarped up but less leaky, an dill squeeze a few more sessions out of the suit
Portal Barra 8'4"
Sunova Creek 8'7"
Starboard Pro Blue Carbon  8'10"
KeNalu Mana 82, xTuf, ergoT

Wetstuff

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 2318
    • View Profile
    • Wetstuff
Re: O'Neill Loyalist Disappointed
« Reply #9 on: July 10, 2019, 09:43:37 AM »
'Easy for me to say:  "saved my ass, literally" ...would have been at the end of the rant with an 'all forgiven/lesson learned' attached.

Jim
Atlantis Mistress .. Blue Planet MultiTasker ..   Atlantis Venom

 


SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal