Rip Curl Heated Rash Vest or Quiksilver Heated Vest....Worth the Money?

So with the development of technology have we reached the next stage in wetsuit warmth for cold water with the Rip Curl Heated Rash Vest? I have tested the Quiksilver Heated Rash Vest http://www.wetsuitcentre.co.uk/products.asp?pid=882 & the Rip Curl version http://www.wetsuitcentre.co.uk/products.asp?pid=2299 with some interesting results.

Firstly the Quiksilver version is cheaper and charging of the single battery was easy and the same for assembly. I found the heat was good at the highest level so medium was more than adequate. Your whole body, especially the core was warm and weirdly i could feel the cold through the wetsuit in places that had never been felt before such as the legs. The other issue was when going under the water the cold to the head felt quite extreme, so a good hood is still a must. Battery life is about two hours but after continued usage this seemed to reduce. I also had a few issues with batteries not holding a charge which was really annoying considering £150 price tag and some of the connectors had rust on them. The other slightly annoying factor was changing the heating settings as its difficult to know if you have turned it off by mistake. Overall i give the Quiksilver Heated Rash Vest 3 out of 5....

Rip Curl Heated Rash Vest feels a looks like a far Superior construction than the Quiksilver version. They have taken the H Bomb technology (costing £800 for the heated Wetsuits) and turned it into a Rash Vest which is a pretty smart idea as you can use it in any wetsuit rather than like the H Bomb when the wetsuit has had its day you cant transfer to technology. For starters it has different temp settings up to 50c setting. The fit is comfortable and easy to change the heat settings. It heats all your back including kidneys rather than just the kidneys like the Quiksilver version. Have to say after using this i am loving this addition to my Wetsuit. Keeps you toastie in the coldest of conditions does not seem to have to cold leg / head problem that the Quiksilver product produced. Overall a more expensive product £250 but does what it should do, keep you super warm in the coldest of conditions.This product holds good battery life and is easterly re-chargeable. My recommendation is spend the extra money and experience what every water user wants.....Warmth in cold water...Overall i give the Rip Curl Heated Rash vest 4.5 out of 5.....

For these and more great products please check out www.wetsuitcentre.co.uk