CRESSI TEAM LC SOFT TROUSER

Cressi has improved his prestigious "soft wetsuit" with the new neoprene LC. Neoprene LC has better properties, bouyancy, compression resistance, tear and deterioration by the sun action. This neoprene has the same features of flexibility than the old version Yamamoto 45. It's a 90% seal soft wetsuit. There are some differences about the old wetsuit in the hips and chin.

Cressi LC: new acronyms, new material and better performance

The acronym LC, abbreviation in English of "Low Compression", clearly define some of the objectives pursued by the manufacturer.
There is a polarization in the market among users who prefer Yamamoto 45 neoprene type (used so far by Cressi and is reputed to be very elastic but a little bit fragile) and others who prefer neoprenes a little bit less elastic (but with a better compression during descent, loss of thickness with the use, tear resistance and aging), we want to compare the performances of both options.
With this intention, we have obtained two samples of neoprene, like Cressi LC and Yamamoto 45, and have undergone a rigorous testing laboratory.
The following graphs and tables show the results obtained.

• Differences between the samples under a microscope without exposing: Observing the expansion of cross sections of the two samples, shows that the superficial grain of Yamamoto 45 is bigger.
• Differences on the microscope between the exposed samples: you can see some deep grooves in the two samples, being more abundant in the Yamamoto 45. This would indicate a worse behavior of the latter material compared to the new Cressi LC as far as aging.
• Manual differences between the samples exposed: pulling the exposed samples, appear grooves very marked in both materials, especially in the Yamamoto 45, where the elongation required for its appearance is less. 

Keys to understanding the differences

• Breaking point (strength and maximum elongation): if the higher limit of stretching and resitance are bigger, the breaking point is bigger too and you will have more performance.  
• Elasticity: is directly related to the design of the pans. A higher elasticity, higher will be the number of users that fit in a same size without losing comfort. Among experienced users, is specially appreciated the comfort in the ventilation phase. Higher elastic, better benefits.  
• Compression: The neoprene compression affects changes of buoyancy of the pan and the thermal protection that provide, depending on the depth of use. It also has direct relation with the lenght of the pan: in the samples tested, with more compression, more memory;  with less compression, less buoyancy changes and thermal protection, and higher duration of the pan.