In an ever more saturated market of tech suits, for us in the western world, staple brands don’t really extend too far beyond Speedo, TYR & Arena. But in my 5 year journey of reviewing 40+ tech suits, the brand that you should be looking at is Mizuno. That is why for my first dedicated review here on www.theswimsuitguy.co.uk, I wanted to review the Mizuno GX Sonic V MR.
Mizuno are a Japanese sports company, in Europe and the US they are probably most notable for their running shoes and golf clubs but in Japan they are a powerhouse in all sports, swimming included. They currently sponsor the very best Japanese athletes like Rikako Ikee and Shinri Shioura and it is no surprise why these top competitors want to wear their tech suits.
Given away in the name, the GX Sonic V is the fifth iteration of their GX Sonic racing skin. Since the third rendition we have just been treated to small yet necessary refinements of what is in my opinion the best jammer to wear if you want to get from A to B quickly in the water. It costs $400 from SwimOutlet.
MR vs ST
Mizuno was the pioneer of something that is becoming more and more common in the marketplace and that is offering multiple suits for different types of events. Mizuno offers a ST for sprinters and an MR for multi-racers. Today I am reviewing the MR version and this has less compression, an ever so slightly different taping structure and less dual layer coverage. Even with less compression it is still a suit that will feel very tight and is not for the faint hearted. I think it is best suited for100m and 200m swimmers of the form strokes. I would probably look to get something comfier and more breathable for when you move into the distance events!
Taping & Buoyancy
There are a number of reasons that I think the Mizuno suits sit above the rest. These include the combination of two extremely impressive materials (one is almost as stiff as cardboard), a higher waist cut (locking in your core) and longevity of performance.
But the first of the big talking points is the hamstring taping that Mizuno suits have had for a number of years. The MR has their Sonic Line X taping where you have two seam like structures on the inside of the suit that react to your legs kicking downwards and activate a snapback effect that basically feels like the suit is mechanically kicking for you. You need to try the suit to understand.
The other feature I want to delve into is how they use dual layering. Now in 2009 when we had the crazy fast shiny bodysuits, people would wear two suits to trap air between the layers of polyurethane and make them sit even higher in the water when they raced, allowing for less frontal drag and consequently fatigue less. In 2010 when the new FINA rules came out it was said you could no longer wear two suits. But what Mizuno realised is that you can make a suit with dual layering and even though we are now limited to permeable materials, dual layering can create additional buoyancy and compression. In general the Mizuno GX Sonic line has the best buoyancy and compression on the market. However being the multi racer version, there is less dual layering than the sprinter version but you are still going to be stoked by how high you feel when swimming!
What's New
If you are reading this and have already tried the previous iteration of the GX Sonic you may be wondering what is new with the V. The first big thing is the use of new materials, or more precisely material treatments. We now have the Sonic Light UW on the front of the suit and the Sonic Ribtex UW at the back. The UW is a new water repellency treatment that almost makes the suit feel waxy or dare I say it like Jaked suits of 2009!!!
They have also worked hard at making these seams more robust so they can match the longevity of the material, meaning these suits both will perform at their best for a long time and not rip.
Buy It
TLDR: Buy the Mizuno GX Sonic V MR if you race a range of events and are not a sole 50 or distance free swimmer. Not that these don’t feel great in the 50s! If you have not yet tried a Mizuno suit you should do yourself a favour and while I suit will never make a swimmer, you will feel more complete with one!
Too find out more check out my YouTube Review.
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