My paddling club had long been very loyal fans of Kokatat quality and warranty, but the last few years I hear more and more about their declining quality and warranty issues. It seems a lot of people are looking real hard at Immersion Research these days and are happy with them. If I was buying a drysuit, that's probably what I would do.

Everyone will have their own biases towards what they own.

Comfort, weight, movability and fit - after looking at what you want to spend

Immersion Research hands down

NOT KOKATAT. I’ll save you the diatribe and just agree that it’s gone significantly downhill and I always feel the need to spread the mediocre word now.

Most dry: Kokatat gore Tex models. Most durable and best fit: IR models. Slightly less expensive: everything else. If your Kokatat is not dry you need to send it in for testing and repair, adjust the sizing of the suit and/or gaskets, or change your expectations of what dry means. You will be wet in any dry suit just from sweat and condensation. 100% dry is not possible just due to biology and physics.

I see popular wetsuits C4, Elios, Salvimar, Orca, might depend of area you live  I guess decision will be based on the fitting to your body and budget 

I love Elios smoothskin suits for just about everything. You can customize every aspect - neoprene type, thickness, inside lining, exteriors, density, and overall suit layout. I have a few custom suits and I'm super happy with the quality and performance.

Feral, warmest and most durable suit I’ve ever had.

The one that fits you best. A boutique brand that is too large or lets water in through the legs/neck will perform worse than the one you is on clearance that fits you like a glove.

If i understand correctly there's barely any significant differences because they all come from the same factory. Biggest difference is shape/cut, which is also very important for how warm it will actually keep you. A large tall in one size might have wider shoulders and narrower waist, while another will have longer legs or a bigger stomach area.

So the best thing is to try them out and just find a brand that suits your body shape best

O'Neill

I think you need to try a few , because fit will determine what you like in my opinion

Since you said decathlon i suspect you are from Europe Have a look at this i bought a wetsuit for like 90 euros here

https://surfundski.de/vandsport/snorkling/undervandsjagt

Maybe there will be extra shipping too for you but the website is legit

Dude just buy some water based lube (powdered form) and buy yourself something made by Beuchat. Current best of the cheap models in my experience, and I go through a suit a year.

right now nootica has a sale on the Cressi Ricciola wetsuit for ~160 eur

I have the 7/5mm for Algarve ~16c waters and it is amazing! very comfy, very warm (sometimes I have to flush it if I'm doing lots of effort kicking), highly recommend and great price!

O'Neill Technobutter gets really high marks. I bought a Quicksilver 4/3 for surfing because it was on sale, but next time I'm going with Technobutter because it's soooo much nicer.

https://www.surfdock.com/blogs/news/oneills-technobutter-3-what-s-the-hype-about-and-is-it-worth-it

O'neil and Rip Curl.

Isurus and haven’t looked back since.

Deeply: https://deeply.com/

Has the best price/quality performance in my opinion.

ProMotion wetsuits. They have designs for Wind and Stand Up Sports. https://www.wetsuit.com

Has anyone owned a zipperless wetsuit? I searched on here a bit and was looking at the best wetsuit in the "budget" class which is zipperless

There is a really interesting podcast about wetsuits (never thought i would type those words!) from a podcast called 'Lipped'. Its their 'wetsuit guide 2018' episode. They speak to most of the major players about what they are doing and aiming for - so things like durability vs stretch vs warmth (the stretchier the less warm, because closing off the seams reduces stretch, and other fun facts like that). Well worth a listen

TL;DW

Warmest 3/2mm - Rip Curl Heat Seeker ($500USD)

Stretch and Comfort Award - O'Neill Hyperfreak III ($299USD)

Best $300 and Under - O'Neill Hyperfreak III ($299USD)

Best Looking - Feral 4/3 Backzip ($375USD)

Fastest Drying - Rip Curl Heat Seeker with Flashbomb

Best Over $450 - 7TILL8 4/3mm Custom ($580USD)

just buy one on from needessentials. I'll never go back.

Any review that does not take into account durability (eg how is it after 50 surfs, 100 surfs, 150 surfs) is imho kind of meaningless.

I got the NeedEssentials Yulex No Zip 4/3 last spring and have been stoked on it. Good stretch, and warmth. Some minimal seam leakage after a few months of use (I went with the option that doesn’t have the fancy seams). I think it’s a steal for natural rubber suit.

If you want a quality wetsuit that's going to last you more than a season or two, go with a glued and double blind stitched suit from one of the industry leaders. You also need to dry it in the shade and thoroughly rinse it each time you use it. If you don't take the basic care measures the suit will degrade much, much faster. I like Ripcurl, Xcel, Feral, Vissla, and a few others. The glued and double blind stitched (GBS) suits don't leak in the seams. They have seams that are taped on the inside and are far warmer.

For me. The best value for your dollar is Xcel or Needessentials wetsuits.

Feral and nothing else compares

Flexible? Hyperfreak as someone already said especially because you’re only using it a few times a year

There’s Yamamoto suits like Feral/Colby but I’d say they’re slightly more stiff than a hyperfreak but dry faster and last longer

I also like needessentials suits, they’re not like the lambo of suits but they’re just a stock mid tier suit with no fluff. It’s like 200$ for a 3/2. In the past I’ve bought 2 needessentials suits and just cycle them the whole season

Hyperfreak O’Neal but original not the fire

I also have broader shoulders and a smaller waist — narrower hips but also some muscle in the thighs and also surf in Northern California! I have bought billabong wetsuits for my past 2 wetsuits and I have found them to be more comfy in the shoulders but still snug enough in the waist. One was a furnace synergy and the other was a salty dayz. I definitely prefer fit to a few other wetsuits I’ve had.

i hiiiiighly recommend Finisterre’s wetsuits. I’m also 5’6’’ 125~ lbs and their size 8T is perfection. I got their 3.5/2.5 and feel great on the northeast coast usa/canada. They use natural rubber-formulated Yulex.

O’Neill, Xcel, Ripcurl, and i *think* Roxy ALL come out of the same factory, same makers, same materials. They just put a wall in between the company sections. Also, Neoprene is toxic.

Yulex is natural.

Patagonia is another good company that uses Yulex, but their suits tend to be more diver-oriented [stiffer in the arms].

Japanese suitmakers have a innovated neoprene by using limestone instead of petroleum. Look up Yamamoto wetsuits.

ALSO hiiiighly recommend places like Maine Surfer’s Union, who will custom-build your wetsuit exactly for your body using ethically sourced materials and high quality tailoring. It’s worth the few extra dollars in the long run, and they repair your suit for free for its entire life.

tl;dr, don’t waste money on suits that are built to breakdown. Invest in good companies using good materials.

I bought a ripcurl suit 4/3 this past winter, and I really like it. I think their sizing is a little screwy, so definitely go by their size chart if you go that way. I'm only in a wetsuit part of the year, but I found it was an easy suit to get on and off, even new!