Men's R2 Yulex Regulator Front-Zip Full Wetsuit vs E-Bomb 4/3 Zip Free Wetsuit: which is safer?
Patagonia Men's R2 Yulex Regulator Front-Zip Full Wetsuit is the clear pick. Rip Curl E-Bomb 4/3 Zip Free Wetsuit carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.
Our pick
Patagonia
Men's R2 Yulex Regulator Front-Zip Full Wetsuit
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleFormaldehyde-releasing resins (glues/seams)
LikelyMicroplastics shedding from outer shell
Rip Curl
E-Bomb 4/3 Zip Free Wetsuit
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
LikelyPFAS in water-repellent coating (fluorinated water repellent)
PossibleNeoprene degradation and leaching
PossibleColorant or dye leaching
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Formaldehyde-releasing resins (glues/seams) and Microplastics shedding from outer shell on the Patagonia and not on the Rip Curl.
- We flag PFAS in DWR coating (fluorinated water repellent), Neoprene degradation and leaching and Colorant or dye leaching on the Rip Curl and not on the Patagonia.
- The Patagonia is Yulex (synthetic rubber), neoprene-free base where the Rip Curl is neoprene with waterproof/DWR coating (unspecified), which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 70 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Patagonia is the one to buy.
- We are less certain about the Rip Curl grade, at 35% confidence against 72%, because it discloses less.
Both products run through the same public rubric, which covers materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
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