I had been using two Golden Bee suits for about six years. I also have the Ultra Breeze suit and jacket.
Bills quality has improved since the first suits he produced. The English style hoods on the UB are nice for outside work although when you get direct sun on it the glare is difficult to see through. Without the glare it is easier to see eggs through the UB. During extractions I tend to get more bees inside of my UB. For normal beekeeping the UB is a fine suit, but when I do extractions especially when I need to get my head into floor or ceiling joices, or any tight spots, the Ultra isn't the right suit. The Golden hood will allow me to get into those places.
The UB jacket is a great tool to have around. One suggestion that I have been planning to tell Bill about is that the zipper is unnecessary for me. I normally use it like a Bug Baffler, and just pull it over head. Having a pullover would cut the cost of the zipper and give the bees less potential of getting in.
Last year I let an apartment manager use one of my GBS so she could watch the extraction. Unknown to me she let the maintenance guy use it to go up a ladder and caulk the bricks. Imagine my supprise to take the suit out of the washer and find that he had gotten glue all over it. :mad:
Well they paid me for the suit so I can replace it but I really don't want one of the new Goldens with the veil that hangs over the shoulder. The reason that was given to me was that the GBS people can't get the zippers to make them the way they used to, and that they want to stay consistant so they can replace hoods when needed. :'(