by
Olivier Poirier-Leroy
Here is everything you need to know about Speedo Tech Suits, from features, reviews, their history, to where to buy ’em. Let’s go.
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Speedo is one of the leading swimsuit and equipment manufacturers in the world. So common are they with competitive swimming that the men’s swimming brief is usually simply called a “Speedo.”
The company’s origins go all the way back to the 1920s, when swimming became popular thanks to a more liberal attitude about bathing in public.
This was combined with the resurgence of the modern Olympic movement, which from the beginning had swimming events (including an aquatic obstacle course at one point).
Speedo has also been at the controversial spear of the swimsuit industry from the get-go.
At the 1936 Olympics, Australian Claire Dennis took gold in the 200m breaststroke while also getting attention for her Speedo that dared to bare “too much shoulder.”
In the 2000’s, it would be swimsuit materials that would become a lightning rod for controversy, with rubber suits (including those made by Speedo) propelling swimmers to shatter almost every world record on the books at the 2009 World Championships in Rome.
Within months, FINA would institute rules for suit materials and cuts, giving us the current batch of hydrodynamic racing swimsuits that win golds and break records.
With their cutting-edge research laboratory, commitment to the sport, and countless world records and Olympic gold medals won by swimmers wearing their suits, Speedo has set the standard for tech and competition swimwear.
Whether you are looking for a Speedo kneeskin or a jammer, we got all of their racing suits reviewed, tested, and extra reviewed in this ultimate guide to Speedo tech suits.
Buckle in, let’s get our tech on!
The LZR Racer X Kneeskin is the flagship tech suit for elite-minded competitive swimmers.
It combines their most high tech materials, developed in their research laboratory–appropriately called AquaLab–with the feedback and input of hundreds of national and international-level swimmers. The suit’s ancestor, the original LZR, debuted at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where the suit was worn by 85% of the swimmers who made it to the medal podium. Not bad.
These days, swimming superstars including Katie Ledecky, Missy Franklin, Femke Heemskerk, Elizabeth Biesel and many, many more all either are sponsored by Speedo or wear this suit in competition.
Some fun facts about the LZR Racer X:
First, you are going to need four measurements:
Second, take those measurements and line them up in the sizing chart below. Speedo emphasizes that the hip is the dominant measurement you should use when picking out a suit.
The Elite 2 Recordbreaker kneeskin is Speedo’s other high-end racing suit for women. It’s not as expensive as the LZR Racer X, but is still composed of much of the same space-age fabrics while also providing the same paneling and compression benefits.
Some of the highlights of the suit:
Because it is the same maker, and largely the same materials, simply use the same measurements as you would for the LZR Racer X as noted above.
The Powerplus is Speedo’s bargain tech suit, coming in at less than $100. It’s an excellent pick for repeated use and those meets where Olympic gold isn’t on the line, but you still want the compression benefits and some of that water-repellent fabric covering your butt-butt.
Some fun facts about the Powerplus Kneeskin:
Our last Speedo tech suit isn’t a kneeskin, but it is a high-performance racing suit that is affordably priced, coming in at around $100.
It’s also a great fit for those non-championship meets (or even preliminaries of the big meets when you know you are going to qualify for finals and want to extend the life of your fancy pants suit).
The Speedo Aquablade Recordbreaker is a “classic” swimsuit, and the same kind of suit you would have seen prior to the 2000 Olympics when leggings and wet suits become popular with high level swimmers.
Some fun facts about the Aquablade:
The fastest, baddest, most compression-y suit that Speedo makes for the fellas is the LZR Racer X Jammer.
The simple, X-design of the suit was everywhere at the Rio 2016 Olympics, with swimmers including Cameron McEvoy, Nathan Adrian, backstroke world record holder Ryan Murphy and Ryan Lochte rocking out in them.
“With the Speedo LZR Racer X jammer you feel the water, you feel the speed, and you feel fast.” – Nathan Adrian
The LZR Racer X is the heir apparent to the Fastskin-3 and the original LZR racing suit, which was worn by over 80% of the swimmers who took home medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Speedo is the predominant player in the swimsuit and swim apparel market, and the LZR Racer X jammer is their fastest and sleekest swim-suit for competitive swimmers.
Some fun facts about the LZR Racer X:
The heat and speed that comes with the LZR Racer X is also fully certified by FINA as approved for racing in competition.
Sizing information for the LZR Racer X jammer:
Where to Buy:
The Fastskin LZR Elite 2 jammer is Speedo’s other high end jammer for male swimmers. While it’s not quite as expensive as the Racer X, it still comes with a price tag of around $250-300.
It also comes (in my opinion) in a series of better looking color combinations than the Racer X.
So in other words…all the same compression benefits, the same water-repellancy, and the same fast-drying materials, plus a splash of extra style. For a few less bucks. Bingo.
Some fun facts about the Fastskin Elite LZR 2:
Sizing Information for the Fastskin LZR Elite 2 Jammer:
Because it is made of the same materials, you can rely on the sizing chart from the Racer X posted above to help guide you to the perfect fit of this suit.
Alrighty, we skip down a level of techiness with Speedo’s mid-range racing suit, the LZR Racer Pro.
It retails for around $150-190, and this reduction in price also comes with a reduction in space age material in the suit.
Fun facts about the LZR Racer Pro Jammer:
Lastly, we have our cheapest tech suit for the male competitive swimmer, a suit that I have worn on countless occasions over the years because of its more than reasonable price point–the Speedo Aquablade Jammer.
The Aquablade is the cheapest suit on this list of Speedo tech suits, coming at around $40-80 depending on where you pick one up from. It’s been my experience that at least one of the colors is almost always on sale.
Some fun facts about the Aquablade:
Where to Buy the Aquablade:
How to Care for Your Tech Suit. You’ve invested in yourself and your swimming by throwing down cash on a racing suit–here’s how to make that investment last.
When Should Swimmers Start Wearing Tech Suits? More swimming organizations are banning high-priced tech suits for younger swimmers. We explore this growing movement and discuss some best practices for when to start investing in these suits.
6 Best Swimming Jammers for Training and Lap Swimming. Looking to get a new training jammer for your time at practice? Here’s a breakdown of our favorite jammers, for lap swimming and training.
Olivier Poirier-Leroy Olivier Poirier-Leroy is the founder of YourSwimLog.com. He is an author, former national level swimmer, two-time Olympic Trials qualifier, and swim coach.
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