Review: Quiksilver Cell CL:SIX

Quiksilver says that the moment you step into its Cell wetsuit, you’ll discover that it has removed, reduced and eliminated all unnecessary materials and seams; and that what you end up with is the warmest and most flexible wetsuit found in any line-up. So how does it do in our test?

 

To begin with I was a bit wary of donning a silver wetsuit. This is partly because it is pretty conspicuous and partly because I’m riding an Al Merrick ­– Kelly Slater wannabe anyone?!

 

But the suit looks good and fits snugly so I broke it out for test number one on a particularly chilly Sydney morning. Don’t you just love the way hardly any water seeps into a new suit?

 

The Cell felt super light and warm, especially in comparison with the older Rip Curl I had been using. At first I found the neck strap a bit weird. It kept popping open but I later realised I had it a bit tight, so keep things nice and loose ok?

BKW

 

Features

  • Liquid flex seal
  • One panel thermo flex body, underarm and gusset
  • Vapour stretch chest and back; articulated hyperstretch arms
  • Gbs (glued and blind-stitched)
  • Hydroshield zip water barrier
  • Hydrowrap adjustable neck closure
  • Short back zip
  • Glideskin neck seal
  • Iinterloc wrist and ankle seals
  • Cyberspace fuse kneepads 

The good?

  • Lightweight.
  • Rather than having 10 panels, the Cell only has six.
  • Warm.
  • Vapour stretch skin reduces heat loss.
  • Love the hyperstretch flex.

 What’s not so good?

  • The knee pads always slip inwards. Maybe it’s just me but that’s really annoying.
  • Slight flush down the back on duck dives. 

What we reckon

Overall, I am stoked with the suit. It is flexible, has never given me a rash of any kind and still retains that ‘new wetsuit’ feel three months after the day we began.

 

Factfile

 

What               Quiksilver Cell CL:SIX

Specs              3/2

Features         Thermoflex and hyperstretch technology

Model tested  Medium/Silver

RRP                $400 approx.