Matuse
I came across the Matuse site a few months ago, but found something today on a forum that intriged me. It seems that Matuse rubber is made with Limestone, not Petroleum. Holy crap! You mean I don’t have be wrapped in oil every time I go surfing? Apparently Limestone based neoprene is used in gear for everything from horse racing to hunters. Descriptions for those products claim this kind of neoprene will not dry, crack or split. Matuse doesn’t really go into the durability aspect on their site though. They do say the closed cell foam won’t suck water, even when scratched.
“Calcium Carbonate (i.e. limestone rock that makes rubber): This sedimentary rock’s composed of mineral calcite (i.e. Calcium carbonate or limestone). It’s usually derived from shell secretions of marine organisms that fall from the water column and are deposited as pelagic ooze on the ocean floor. Many, many, many years later, this ooze becomes your premium (the ichiban) Matuse suit.”
So you’ll be wearing pelagic ooze. Cool. Kinda makes you wish the big rubber corps spent more time on enviro friendly materials than incorporating electronic devices into suits. I guess their marketing deparetments decided “Enviro friendly!” just didn’t have the same ring as “Listen to Sublime in the lineup!” or “Now with HVAC!”.
Anyone know prices on these, and if any other suits use this kind of neoprene?
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December 8th, 2006 at 8:03 am
Japan has incredible wetsuits. They run into the thousands of dollars. I’m saving up.
December 10th, 2006 at 12:49 pm
$155 for either jacket style, $80 for the vest. I haven’t seen them in person, but the lady on the phone said they were key.
December 11th, 2006 at 8:44 am
Wow, those are reasonable prices.
December 23rd, 2006 at 6:38 pm
[…] Its almost impossible to find any info online about Patagonia wetsuits. It’s so hard, that a random customer created a wetsuit web site for them. The site is bare bones, but allows you to view a 360vr of both the outside and inside. It also offers some info on the materials. Like the Matuse tops, these suits also mostly avoid petroleum and benefit from a resulting closed cell structure. A big thing missing from the site though, is a review. Everyone wants to know, are they worth the price? Do they rash you? How is it holding up? […]
December 26th, 2006 at 12:12 pm
[…] via 70 Percent By Rocky Thompson […]
January 18th, 2007 at 9:45 am
These wesuits suck, and the guy who owns the company is a real jerk.
May 9th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Feel a wetsuit, meet Matuse or Campbell and then tell me that the wetsuits suck or the owners are jerks. The products are premium, the owners (especially Matt Larson) are very well respected and active in the community, and their whole direction is incredibley well thought out. Matuse wetsuit tops are some of the best wetsuits to come to the market in ages (look at the team they accumulated rather easily, based on product quality…not salary), having seen a prototype fullsuit, there is no other suit I would rather purchase.
May 9th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
I’ve been waiting for someone to come along and beatdown bigdong. lol
May 16th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
if you are really into matuse rubber check out the Nineplus line. they were actually the first ones to use Yamamoto rubber and is now being distributed here in th U.S. nineplus is based out of the UK. killer company check it out.
June 18th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
Thanks AE, our suits are indeed Yamamoto rubber, and as with Matuse the suits are warm, supple and damn stylish. They have no ipod holders, nasa logos and come in a nice shade of black. Drop by the PodRoom in the Hill st. cafe in Oside and feel the goodness.
August 23rd, 2007 at 6:43 am
I just bought the Matuse top (Chapter 1), and it’s great. It’s very very comfy. It wasn’t really cold when I used it so I can’t say if it’s really warm.
I also bought the patagonia one… the 2mm one… Will try it this winter in France. It’s harder to put on than my old O’Neill (3yrs old) one… Will review it soon.
I bought the pata one on a trip in California… There no waves, so I went shopping…
October 16th, 2007 at 9:29 am
Great idea and plan… but Mike, why do they (you) need to make the suits in China?
I’m not saying anything… just saying.
Oh yeah, my citation…
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070128/news_lz1mi28berlin.html
unless they are mistaken in their review. Who knows, maybe the plant there has very high standards. You know? Maybe?
Sorry for the hi-jack. I’m sure it’s a great wetsuit.
October 22nd, 2007 at 4:37 pm
I just purchased a new fullsuit at Mitch’s in La Jolla. Matt was a great wealth of information which allowed me to learn almost to much about the wetsuits. All I can say is WOW. super warm, comfy and performs insane in the water. I paid $449 and I will never go back to neoprene again. I almost got the O’Neill Psycho II but I’m glad I paid an extra $50 for the Matuse suit.
One thing that I did find interesting is that Matuse Wetsuits actually have an exclusive arrangement with Yamamoto Corp. in Japan. This means that Yamamoto gives Matuse exclusive rights to use Yamamoto’s Best limestone based rubbers and nylons for their wetsuits. So although Nine Plus and Patagonia use limestone based rubber it’s not the same as Matuse. All you have to do is feel them and you can notice the difference. All I can say is my Matuse wetsuit feels like silky butter! I welcome the cold now and can’t wait for some real winter surf.
October 28th, 2007 at 1:09 am
Not all factories in China are slave labor and horrible.. Patagonia has one there as well and it’s fairness rating is a standard that most U.S. can’t compete with but try.
Rob, I would think you’d know about the Pata suits reviews as they’re on yer site!
What has not been reviewed or even sold yet are the new line of front zips.
I dunno what’s up over there but they’ve got people wanting their product badly and they’re really slacking as here comes the cold.
I’m pretty sure they’re making sure to DO IT RIGHT rather than rush, even if it causes
them to be late. This is direct from Pat,” November is when the new fullsuits will be in store as well as boots hoods…”
We’ll see.
I’m exited aboiut the new zip and the diffrent wool!
http://thecentralshaft.blogspot.com/2007/09/greatest.html
November 26th, 2007 at 3:30 am
I recently got a Nineplus 3×2 and all I can say is that’s the best wetsuit I ever had. The warmest ever, that’s for sure. I use to wear a 4×3 during wintertime here in northern Spain, but this 3×2 from nineplus is just enough. Fits really good, feels like silk…what else can I said?
December 4th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
I use the Psycho 2 and think it’s pretty good, but I have to say the more I read about these Matuse wetsuits the more I think I will give it a shot for my next one. I have found a big thing with wetsuits is the fit. There seems to be alot of good wetsuits out there but they are not all cut the same and it just depends on your body size. Hopefully the Matuse will make a comfy fit for me.
January 7th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
I got the Matuse 4/3/2 for christmas and have used it 5 times now in 45-50 degree water (40 degree air) here on the east coast. I have to say it is very warm (never began to get cold). I had a 4/3 pysho2 last season and the Matuse is way more flexible and warm, not to mention dries in half the time. I’m sold.
January 25th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Finally was able to afford a Matuse, ok with the fit, and keeps me somewhat warm (I have a 4/3 Hoplite). . BUT…and this is a big BUT, I am very upset that they market this suit as eco friendly or as their website reads: “This rubber represents an environmental Lovefest”. Firstly, I am a chemical engineer here in Cali and secondly, I DO NOT WORK WITH A WETSUIT COMPANY. I wish I did because I could then get free suits to wear instead of spending over $500.
Calicium Carbonate (CaCO3) is no better for the environment than regular neoprene that the rest of the surf industry uses. Calcium Carbonate actually requires more energy to heat up than standard neoprene. Calcination of the limestone using standard equipment (pressure kiln or gas chamber kiln) will need to heat up to ≈850˚C or 1562˚F.
Standard neoprene, which by the way, already contains calcium carbonate, requires≈400 °C or 752°F. Now you don’t need to be a scientist to understand that the temperature is more than doubled in order to make this eco-friendly rubber. With more heat requires more energy i.e. fossil fuels, and with more energy means…more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. So…we may feel like we are saving Mama Earth but in reality we aren’t. For all we know there might be a huge hole in our ozone layer above Osaka at the Yamamoto plant.
But regardless of these facts, the blame is on the advertisers of Matuse. You could have just said, “The best neoprene on the market or even ON PLANET EARTH.” and I would have believed you. But don’t try and fool us when you could have done a simple Wikipedia search to understand the fundamentals of calcium carbonate or even standard neoprene. Do your homework guys, don’t let corporate salesmen (and women) sell you eco-friendly ideas just for the sake of jumping on the eco friendly bus. Don’t worry, Matuse hasn’t lost a customer, I will wear the suit until it falls apart…and then throw it away where it will take 7 million more years to go back to its state from which it started, calcium carbonate.
January 30th, 2008 at 11:34 am
hi, yea…this trend in advertising is known as “greenwashing” and does a lot of harm to consumers as well as the green movement at large. the whole “bio-prene” thing is total and uter bullshit. The UK Co. NINEPLUS builds a better and less expensive wetsuit than Mat. and will never claim anything other than it’s a warm suit at a fair price and kinda hard to find. in fact, standard petro rubber due to tighter epa regs is rarely if at all used in any wetsuit anymore…to expensive to comply and so on. thanks mike for the heads up!
February 3rd, 2008 at 10:47 am
Matuse should consider making a 3/2 instead of just the 4/3 full suit. Here in San Diego the water temp hasnt dropped below 55f and Im just fine in my 3/2 Xcel. I would rather be a little on the chilly side as it forces you to do more surfing to keep warm then burn up in an over insulated suit, which in my opinion is more uncomfortable.
February 5th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
I think the idea is cool, but I can’t bring myself to spend that much $ on a suit, those are definately NOT reasonable prices, the concept is cool but most other top wetsuit companies are using non-petroleum neoprene too for way less in cost (o’neill, xcel, etc…) i think Matuse and Patagonia suits are a rip off and not really that enviornmentally friendly
February 5th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
How can you say something like that Gerry? A rip off? Come on gerry ! What have you done for us lately? What do you really know about the wetsuits other than you think it’s too much coin for gerry to spend? Huh Ger, Huh?
February 14th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
I have to say that although the new limestone rubbers are not 100% “eco-friendly” I still prefer to use a material starting from a rock than oil. The sooner we can get off of oil and the middle east the sooner we might be out of war. I don’t know about you all but generally industries take time to get things right. I commend Matuse, Nineplus and Patagonia for trying to lead the way in using alternative materials. The material performs better and starts from a more sustainable source material. Sounds like a step in the right direction. I know some people want perfection as fast as a microwave dinner but these things take time. Otherwise to be truely “eco-friendly” we should all move to the tropics and ride boards strictly made of wood. Then no rubber, no resin, no foam and no impact might make some of us happy.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Um this whole wetsuit from crushed limestone is BS. They make it sound like they take some rock, crush them up and proof it’s a wetsuit! The process of creating this suit is just as toxic as standard neoprene, creating the same hydrocarbons. On top of that they use hydroelectric power which may be good for the alleged eels but for the environment…. not so much.
Come on Patagonia, don’t pull the wool over our eyes. Just be honest. Do your best without the creepy green washing please.
Much love, Samantha
February 28th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Limestone rubber being environmentally conscious is questionable due to it’s production footprint.
If this thread is about the best, we should consider the wetsuit design/style, warmth, and cost.
NinePlus also uses the best materials available for their suits: Yamamoto neoprene, PK zips, and soulful style.
NinePLus wetsuits have modern advancement taped seams, but more importantly there are only a few panels in the whole suit which means less water enters the suit and you stay warmer. The main panels are all wind resistant smoothskin, so warm water on the inside is not cooled down by cold wind on the outside, and the styling without logos everywhere means that they are more about function than fashion.
for more info check out:
www.nineplus.com
I would love to see the Price spread sheet for the RAD suits talked about in this thread to compare prices/value. Anyone done the research?
February 28th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
I have been wearing my 3mm Patagonia suit alot this winter and it is a 10! The quality the suit is it should cost more!!
March 19th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Where on the Nineplus website does it say limestone rubber? I don’t think it does. If you want to support local economies call the guy who owns Boz wetsuits in San Diego and talk to him. He uses Yamamoto neoprene, not limestone, and he was nice on the phone.
April 14th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
I have seen Matuse, they look sick, but affordability is an issue. Nineplus don’t hold up for shit. I like them, it is warm as hell, but fragile. They gouge easily and then leak, the seams leak, and the zippers have pulled straight off a few, one of which I owned for 3 months. I’ll save up for a Pata or a Matuse!
May 5th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
the only durrability issue with nineplus would be lack of user care. i garantee you split your rubber with your finger nail or other careless act. regardless… they are really good about warantee returns and their warehouse is here in SD. i know people who get brand new suits for zipper/seam/panel filure.
word on the street is that nineplus is making a rip proof limestone smoothie. (yes the rubber they use now is also limestone). this suit will be much less in cost and more durrable and warmer than matuse or patagonia. i’ll wait till september for that…
also has anyone else heard about their WorldWarmestWetsuit model. its a 6/5/4!!!!