7mm Wetsuit Question

[klbstl]

I have decided to buy a 7mm one piece jumpsuit. I have read many of the postings and see that the general consensus is that the Henderson Gold 7/5 is a good choice. I have also taken a look at the Akona Ti 7mm. Someone told me recently that DiveSkins has a Black Coral 7mm that is "going after" the Henderson GC market. Has anyone used this suit?

From what I can tell on the internet through the manufacturer's web sites and forums, the Akona is a decent suit, although the Ti is a bunch of hype. It's quite economical, but perhaps a little more cheaply made that the Henderson GC. I can't find ANYTHING on the DiveSkins Black Coral.

Information or a referral link would be helpful.

 

[gmbaker]

keep in mind I have not had my coffee yet, but a search on www.google.com revealed:

http://www.diveskins.com/Home.htm

is this what you were looking for?

 

[klbstl]

I found the home page, but it's rather lean on information. I was looking for testing information or independent customer satisfaction information. It would be great to get some feedback from someone who has worn one. Does the DiveSkins TG seal to the skin as well as the GC? Is it as easy to get on/off? Even when wet? Does it dry quick like the GC? I have heard some mild grumbling about seam quality on the GC. Is this also the case for TG?

Price wise, the suits are quite comparable. From the home pages of both vendors, there appear to be nice size diversity, so for comparative purposes, I think it fair to say that fit and price are going to be more or less equal, so the question goes back to quality, ease, thermal protection, etc.

 

[ppo2_diver]

Have you thought about getting a custom made suit? I'm in the process of deciding on a 7mil suit also. I'm looking at the ones made by Liquid Fit. They are highly recommended and might be worth the extra money you pay for a custom. Just a thought.

Duane

 

[jgiddings]

I went with Aquaflite (www.aquaflite.com) for my thicker suit (5mil full with 5mil Jacket and a 5mil hood). Very happy with them and they have many options to add on to your basic suit. Great prices too.

 

[dborden]

I bought an Akona 1 piece 7mil wet suit several months ago, and have been very happy with it. I dive in the Northwest were water temperatures average 48 degrees, and I have yet to get cold in it. Sometimes after a long dive It will begin to get a little chilly, but not cold. But as far as the quality goes I would agree that it is probably not as well made as the henderson wet suits but I do not think the quality is bad. My only complaint is that I don't think the wet suit was stored properly by the company I bought it from, and there are some creases in it. For $150, I think the akona is a great buy.

 

[ScubaDon]

If you haven't made your decision yet, definitely give Carolyn at Liquid fit a call. She has all the different types of neoprene that you can get from all the other manufacturers like titanium hyperstretch and gold core. And the fit is out of this world and the suits are good looking on top of it all.