Suits connundrum

[Tony b]

Hi, Newbie here with my first question.

Folks are telling me that in regards to suits you get what you pay for and being new to this (so far) amazing hobby I want to be well protected.

I almost hit the buy it now button on a BJ Sherriff suit on some website for £138, however I thought id try an all in one suit from "Simon the Beekeeper" first - after all at only £33.50 it was worth a punt.

It has just arrived in the post, and although I know very little about clothing I have been introduced to beekeeping by a couple of completely separate people who have leant me their very expensive suits to explore their Apiary - my new suit seems much more sturdy and "safe" (with regards to Velcro flaps, zips etc) than the suits I borrowed.

The idea was to buy a cheap one and an expensive one, but now im thinking I just buy a second suit from Simon?

So my question is, what is the difference between Simons suits and the suits that seem to go for an extra £100?

 

[Millet]

I don't know the difference between the two suits you mention but i bought two cheap suits a couple of years back and they are still going strong, i always wear a jumper underneath and i am yet to be stung from aggressive bees.

 

[elite123]

Not sure on the difference - been fine here with cheap all in ones. Have got a jacket for this year as found the all in one a bit OTT with my bees (famous last words )

 

[Tony b]

Thanks, ive just ordered another cheap suit that looks and feels no different to an expensive one!

good to hear it from others though so thanks again

 

[Poly Hive]

I have just had a cheapish one fail due to a total zip disaster. Compared to the white chunky zips I am used to this one was a thin black zip and whether it was just poor quality or it was pure bad luck I don't know.

To be fair though the vendor refunded promptly including the return postage.

PH

 

[philipm]

My first suit was a cheapo from ebay made in China it shrunk on the first wash and the zip wasnt much good. Second suit was one similar to the suits from Simon it's lasted for years.Its only this year I've had a new suit from BBWear, A nice suit but I still think the last one is as good when it comes to sting prevention only not as lightwieght.If your short of cash go for the cheaper one you can always upgrade later .Quite a few of the newbies at our association have the Simon suits they don't look too bad.

 

[Angularity]

Beware of rubbish zips and brittle face mesh in the Simons suits. I didn't see the split in the mesh, but the bees did.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Alot of us swear by BBwear suits

 

[Poly Hive]

Oddly I just took delivery of one from there.

I have one quibble which is there is one panel of mesh too many in my view as it leaves the ears exposed to stinging. I have bought a beekeeping helmet of the circular type to keep the veil away from my face and that combo seems pretty good but we will see. Apart from that well designed and made.

PH

 

[Tony b]

well, bizarrely I was just out walking the dogs and found a swarm, so the new suit has just been tested out and I can report no stings whatsoever, underneath I was wearing jeans and a T shirt - so all good so far !!!!

 

[Swarm]

Your suit is not going to stop a sting.

 

[drex]

Quite. It is not about stings. The main thing is durability. Like a lot I favour BB. I have two full suits, now in their eighth year, and still as serviceable as on day one. A cheap jacket type , only worn occasionally, and stored away from sunlight has several splits in the veil, and a zip has failed in a cheap full suit used by visitors.
When I started an experienced beek advised to get the best suit I could afford. BB fitted the bill. Sound advice.

 

[Bunn]

I'm new to it all, too, but figured I'd buy from a reputable source as to avoid any issues. If you're a member of the local association, BB Wear knock 20% off of the price...worth considering!

 

[fatshark]

well, bizarrely I was just out walking the dogs and found a swarm, so the new suit has just been tested out and I can report no stings whatsoever, underneath I was wearing jeans and a T shirt - so all good so far !!!!

Swarms are usually beautifully well behaved ... they rarely sting.

 

[Nige.Coll]

I have several suits. A sherriff suit with fencing veil, a bb wear suit with round veil, a maisemores ventilated suit and a jacket from simon.

The sherriff suit it the best, the bb wear suit has a dodgy veil even though it's round you have to be careful as it touches your face.
The simon jacket is ok but the zips are cheap as is the veil material.
The maisemores suit is great in hot weather.

The simon suits are cheap and can be discarded after a season or two with little cost. I had a ventilated suit from simon but the zips failed after 3 months.

The sherriff suit is my normal everyday suit and it's great. I had to sew the veil to the frame again after 4 years of abuse. I think a tree pulled it.

 

[3bees]

Alot of us swear by BBwear suits

When I started beekeeping, several years ago, I bought cheap suits. At best they lasted a season. I have had my BBwear suit for three years now and it still has plenty of wear left in it. I wash my suit after each inspection. However, I do take extra care of the hood, it gets washed approximately every three weeks - I put it in a pillow case in an attempt to protect it. IMO the suit is definitely worth the extra expense.

If you are a member of the BBKA, BBwear offer a 20% discount. All you have to do is phone them with your BBKA number.

Before people accuse me of advertising - I am not an employee/relative of BBwear, just a hobby beekeeper giving fellow Beeks information that may help towards decision making.

 

[Robbo8916]

I am sure I have mentioned it before. I have had two suits from Simon and both malfunctioned in exactly the same way. Zips failing during inspections/apiary stuff. Both times resulted in stings in unpleasant places.

They refused to replace the second one so I made it into rags and bought one elsewhere. Total waste of money in my opinion. Buy a good one and it will last.

 

[Cussword]

Had one of Simon's for 3 years now. First year there was a fault with the hood, it became rusty after washing. He replaced it straight away. Still going strong.

 

[Beefriendly]

Had one of Simon's for 3 years now. First year there was a fault with the hood, it became rusty after washing. He replaced it straight away. Still going strong.

The length of time a suit will last will depend on build quality and the amount of use it gets. The later is probably proportionate to the number of hives and how long you take per inspection/frequency of inspection etc.
A cheap suit lasting a one or two hive owner 3 years would probably last less than 6 months for 10/12 hive beekeeper.
My Last BB wear suits gets used on approx 16 -20 hives/nucs per week during the season and is still going after 7 years....okay it's needed repairs so not going strong the ribs are now detaching form the hood at the moment....but not surprising after the abuse it's had over the years. The worst was when the crotch split.....oeerr missus!
Need to get more of those HM type bees and do away with wearing a suit!

 

[Cussword]

Need to get more of those HM type bees and do away with wearing a suit!

That would do the trick.