4:3 Archives - New Zealand Surf Journal

Review: O’Neill Hyperfreak Fire 4:3 Chest Zip Steamer

Derek MorrisonJun 14, 20242

O’Neill seems to have stumbled across a magic formula with its Hyperfreak series. Its latest Hyperfreak Fire, or Hyper Fire as it’s now called, takes that performance up another notch. We thrashed one to death, with close to 500 surf sessions, to see how it performed. It hasn’t all been...

Review: Billabong Custom 4:3 Synergy

Derek MorrisonOct 13, 2021October 13, 20210

We test out Billabong’s custom design your own wetsuit concept using two of its women’s Synergy 4:3 steamers. Yep, you can choose your own panels and colour ways – be the designer of your own suit. Seems so good it surely can’t be true … The idea of choosing the...

Review: Billabong Furnace Comp 4:3 Chest Zip Steamer

Derek MorrisonAug 3, 2021July 25, 20240

We’ve come to expect a lot from a top of the line winter wetsuit, but we didn’t expect Billabong’s Furnace Comp 4:3 chest zip steamer to catapult itself this far into the very top echelon of technology leaders. Billabong has changed. The brand used to be so cool that it...

Review: O’Neill Women’s Hyperfreak 4:3+ Chest Zip Steamer (Tested To Death)

Derek MorrisonApr 28, 2021April 28, 20210

When it comes to wetsuits, women and children usually draw the short straw: below-tier taping, average linings and warmth, comfort … seemingly not so important. O’Neill’s women’s Hyperfreak 4:3+ Chest Zip turns that on its head. The 2019 O’Neill Hyperfreak designed for women really changes the game. It takes O’Neill’s...

Review: 300 Surfs In Rip Curl’s New Heat Seeker … Here’s What Failed

Derek MorrisonSep 16, 2019September 16, 20191

At the start of 2019 Rip Curl launched an all-new wetsuit aimed straight at the top end of the market and billed to incorporate technology that would change the wetsuit game forever. We got our hands on a Flashbomb Heat Seeker 4:3 and thrashed it to death. Here’s what we...

Review: Need Essentials Thermal 4:3 Steamer

Derek MorrisonAug 13, 2019July 2, 20200

We were blown away by the value for money with our Need Essentials steamer produced by a company that prides itself on stripping away the costs of traditional surf wetsuit production. By minimising packaging, branding, expensive advertising campaigns and retail markups, Need Essentials is able to deliver a high-end adult...

Long-Term Test: O’Neill Hyperfreak 4:3 Zip Less Comp Wetsuit

Derek MorrisonAug 7, 2019July 25, 20241

O’Neill has turned the technology dial right up with the material used in its Hyperfreak range and if this zip less 4:3 suit is anything to go by then they’re on to something. We’ve thrash tested ours for more than two years now. This is what we discovered … When...