mcat-

I highly recommend starting with an all lace unit. you can go with swiss lace at the hairline, but get french lace for the rest of the base. Make sure the swiss does not extend to the area above the sideburns, as it will probably fray prematurely from the pressure put in that area when doing an attachment.

As for holding strength, I use lots of blue liner tape around the sides/back/top, and use glue only in the hairline and temple areas. I get a very strong hold with this combo.

If you plan on being in the water a lot I would also make sure you talk to John about having the factory use small knots in the nape and make sure they are well bleached. I developed a method for modifying the lace in that area that creates a more realistic look when wet, but on future units I am going to make sure to specify that the hair in that area needs to be ventilated with care to avoid the dreaded "line" that appears with big, unbleached knots in the back. The line is bad enough when the hair is dry but it is very visible when the hair is wet.