Bare Velocity 3/2mm vs. Pinnacle Elastiprene 3mm

[andrethediver]

It seems there are followings for both Bare and Pinnacle (made in China) brands on this site. I have recently tried on Bare Velocity 3/2mm (and 5/4mm) as well as Pinnacle Elastiprene 3mm, Pinnacle Elastiprene Merino 3mm, Pinnacle Venture as well as Pinnacle Seal (although I barely made it into this suit in ML - for whatever reason the neoprene strechability was nowhere close to the rest of the selection and the cut was too tight for comfort).

Bare Velocity has neck, ankles/arms as well as zipper gaskets while Pinnacle suits have signature rolled skin neck gasket (which I found quite comfortable) and thick zipper gasket with different style gaskets for the arms/legs. Its been previously discussed here that Pinnacle suits feature great construction and generally are considered warmer in 3mm than all other 3mm brands. Out of the suits I tried on Bare Velocity 3/2 and Pinnacle Elastiprene (no Merino lining) sit pretty close price-wise (under a $100 difference).

My question is - is Pinnacle Elastiprene 3mm actually warmer than any other 3mm suits out there or is it suceptible to the compression at depth similar to all other stretchable neoprenes on the market today? Is it worth extra $100 when compared to Bare suit? I am picking a suit for tropical destinations (Cozumel, Bonaire, the islands) with water temp 72-82+ and ease of donning is very important. Thanks.

 

[M-Cass]

I own a Pinnacle 3mm Elastiprene and a 5mm Merino Elastiprene.
The 3 mm is super comfortable and easy to put on/off, do not know if it is warmer than other 3 mm, I was getting slightly cold after an hour in the water towards the end of a week of diving in Cozumel (80 F), but I do tend to get cold after a few days of diving, I think a hoody would have made the difference. For the 5mm merino elastiprene however, I can say that it is warmer than some 7mm I tried when diving the St Lawrence river. I love that wetsuit it is extremely flexible, comfortable and warm. I must say I'm a happy Pinnacle customer and can highly recommend their wetsuits.

Can't really comment on Bare other than my wife dives in a Bare Velocity and she loves it, the fit was better for her than with a Pinnacle.

 

[andrethediver]

Thanks for your input. Do you consider 5mm Merino usable for tropical destinations like Cozumel or is it too warm? I tried on both 3mm Elastiprene and a 3mm Elastiprene Merino in a store and did not notice much of a difference in terms of fit or lining (although its hard to estimate the warmth of merino at the store). There was however a significant difference in price between the two (around $100) - is it worth it ? I also tried Pinnacle Seal 3mm - that one was cut way smaller than the others and was completely impossible to put on - I mean for a 3 mil suit that neoprene did not want to stretch at all...

I would definitely go for a Bare Velocity 3/2 (with a Bare vest) if it was not for the flat seam construction as opposed to the blind/glued...Pinnacle stiching is also reinforced...

 

[M-Cass]

You would only see the difference when the suits are wet, I personally like the merino lining, it absorbs quite a bit of water which stays locked and warm, you notice this when you take the suit off and real warm water comes out. I have not tried the 5mm merino in tropical waters but I would definitely use it in Cozumel especially if doing multiple dives a day for a few days. It would probably feel warm in the beginning and on shallow dives but you can always let some water in cool down. I guess it depends on whether you tend to get cold or not. I have seen quite a few people dive with a 5 mm in Coz (and you'll see people in 3 mm shorties on the same boat) and I would too next time around. A couple of DM's were using 5 mm merino elastiprene wetsuits with hoodies and a core warmer when I went last month. But that's cause they dive everyday... Like me, they were all real happy with their wetsuits from a warmth/flexibility perspective as well as resistance to wear and tear.

This being said I also like taking the 3 mm and a chicken vest for the flexibility and the possibility to adjust.

The Seal is made of quite a different material I believe, it is however supposed to be even warmer than the merino elastiprene.

 

[andrethediver]

Thanks a lot for this great information. Based on your recommendations and general consensus on this board I placed an order for a 5mm Merino Elastiprene. I figured should I feel too warm on the first few dives I can just rent a shortie and put it over my dive skin or flush the suit with water...otherwise, 5mm seems like a better all around suit as I am also looking at diving Hawaii and Florida later on.

 

[ScubaBasics]

Hey Everyone,

We just completed a video review showing all the great features of the BARE Velocity Wetsuit. Hope the information help.

BARE Velocity Wetsuit Review ScubaBasics for all your Scuba needs.

 

[andrethediver]

Just got back from my Cozumel trip. Used the skin on first few dives then switched to 5mm Pinnacle suit - felt very comfortable the whole time in 81F water with no thermoclines although I wore the suit over a lycra rash guard which may or may not allowed more water into the suit.