Men's Yulex Regulator Lite Front-Zip Full Wetsuit vs E-Bomb 4/3 Zip Free Wetsuit: which is safer?
Patagonia Men's Yulex Regulator Lite Front-Zip Full Wetsuit is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Our pick
Patagonia
Men's Yulex Regulator Lite Front-Zip Full Wetsuit
PFAS grade
Good 65/100
Overall grade
analysis pending
Verdict
pending
Hazard flags
none flagged
Material
Yulex (synthetic rubber, PTMEG-based), neoprene-free
Confidence
72%
Rip Curl
E-Bomb 4/3 Zip Free Wetsuit
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 0/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 3
Material
neoprene with waterproof/water-repellent coating (unspecified)
Confidence
35%
LikelyPFAS in water-repellent coating (fluorinated water repellent)
PossibleNeoprene degradation and leaching
PossibleColorant or dye leaching
Where these two actually differ
- 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, PTMEG-based), neoprene-free where the Rip Curl is neoprene with waterproof/DWR coating (unspecified), which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 45 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: 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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