Swienty Breeze Bee Suit Review

Last summer, after years of using a basic cotton suit, I bought a Swienty Breeze ventilated suit, and after a decent amount of use these are my thoughts on it.

Overview

Cost then was £160, and still is.

The suit is mainly constructed from a sandwich of an

aerated mesh outer and inner fabric either side of a ventilated foam-like layer (see photo) that ensures that the thickness of the suit is greater than the length of a bee's sting.

In high wear areas the suit has more robust polycotton fabric on top of the mesh to protect the suit from damage.

It also has a rigid hat/veil that helps to keep the mesh away from your face. The hood is deliberately made to rest on your shoulders rather than your head, which doesn't work well.

There are two hip pockets, two chest pockets, one back pocket, one hive tool pocket, and one pen pocket.

Pros and Cons vs Cotton Suits

• The suit is much cooler than a cotton suit, but is significantly heavier.

• Being man made fabric, there is a risk that you could melt it with the smoker if you're not careful.

• There is a concern that the fabric may not be as hard-wearing and snag-resistant as cotton, but I haven't found this to date.

• The suit costs more than a budget cotton suit, but given the quality it compares well to the price of an equivalent cotton suit (ie BB Wear Basic Bee Suit is £190).

The Good

Most importantly, the suit is really cool on hot days and the mesh fabric has proven sting-proof so far with no need to wear layers underneath.

Construction quality is excellent, with zero issues to date.

The suit has been robust and hasn't suffered any damage so far. The polycotton reinforced areas work really well.

The rigid veil is good at keeping the bees away from your face, but has its issues (see below).

The neck, ankle and wrist seals are really good.

It has a good waist cinch cord that make it much less baggy compared to other suits.

It's good value for money.

The Not-so-Good

The mesh fabric stops above the wrists, just where bees try to sting you (see photo above), and this is not sting-proof unfortunately (although no worse than any cotton suit).

Because the hat sits on your shoulders, in even moderate wind the veil will blow back onto your face, so it needs a baseball cap underneath to prevent that. The rigidity of the veil also makes it a bit awkward to drive with the suit on.

The chest pockets are too small for most (all?) smart phones.

The zipped hip pockets are OK, but the pockets and the zip openings are a bit too small. Bigger pockets with velcroed flaps, or cargo pockets on the thighs would be an improvement.

Personally, I think the tool pocket would be better further round to the front of the thigh. Where it is now is not intuitive to find without looking down. It's also a very loose and insecure fit for the tool.

Conclusion

Build Quality 9.5/10

Durability 9.5/10

Comfort 7.5/10

Functionality 6.5/10

Overall Was 8 Now 7/10

This suit is good, but not perfect. It's much better than the cotton suits I've used, and going back to my old cotton suit for the day last weekend emphasized how much better it is. The coolness and sting-proof properties of the mesh fabric are 10/10. The veil is a good attempt at doing something different and better, but as with the rest of the suit there are a few small changes that could make this close to perfect.

UPDATE: Having used this suit a lot more, I would say that the lack of sting proof material on the cuffs is proving to be a much bigger minus that I first thought. The bees seem to learn the weak points, and nearly all the stings I'm getting now are in the wrist area and it's really annoying. The slack tool pocket is also annoying me more and more; my hive tool always falls out when I get into the car to go to an out apiary and has even been pulled out by brushing against plants.

Would We Buy It Again/Recommend it to Other Beekeepers?

Maybe (see updates above)

Other Options

Old Castle Farm Hives Sentinel II £155

BB Wear Ultra Bee Suit £400

(We've never tried either of these, so have no view on them)