Favorite Brand of Wetsuits

[ScottZeagle]

I am a Henderson guy as well...

I love my 3mm Hyperstretch and my 7/5 Hyperstretch.

I think I will try out on of the Insta-Dry models, too, I just need to call my buddy Larry and get one!!!

Scott

 

[drbill]

One consideration with the "hyper stretch" (small "h") type suits is that although they accommodate different body sizes well, not to mention weight fluctuations, they seem to lack the consistent thermal properties of a non hyper stretch suit. At least that is my experience here in the kelp forests. It's a trade off IMHO.

My current suit is a Seaquest X-Flex. I would NOT recommend that particular model to anyone, at least not if it has the light blue fabric along with the dark blue and black. That fabric started failing after 25 dives. Now I have split both legs at the calf just trying to put the darned suit on. The light blue fabric has shredded off. Good thing it is summer and temperatures are "warmer" (actually colder at depth than I experienced all winter!).

I am not alone in this. An instructor here has the exact same suit and it is falling apart. He is constantly patching it.

In their defense Seaquest seems to have replaced the light blue fabric with something new as I don't see this particular style any more.

Dr. Bill

 

[underwaterangel]

My current suit is a Seaquest X-Flex. I would NOT recommend that particular model to anyone, at least not if it has the light blue fabric along with the dark blue and black. That fabric started failing after 25 dives. Now I have split both legs at the calf just trying to put the darned suit on. The light blue fabric has shredded off. Good thing it is summer and temperatures are "warmer" (actually colder at depth than I experienced all winter!).

Dr. Bill

Bursting at the seams to dive huh? I know the feeling...

 

[J75]

elenec,

I recently switched over from a ScubaPro S-Tek to an Akono 7mm. The Akona fits so much better, and was about half the price of the ScubaPro (I paid about $140 for it). It's also much easier to get into than the ScubaPro as it has a nice slick lining. A friend of mine used to swear by her Henderson HyperStretch, but she's done about 100 dives in it and the gold slick skin is starting to wear off, making it difficult to get on. I personally never cared for the Hyperstretch, as it's easy to get on if you're dry, but if you're sweating at all (as is prone to happen on a dive boat, lol) it can be difficult. Just my own personal experience, I would recommend the Akona anytime. It was also just recently voted a Rodale's Best Buy for women's suits.

Just my $.02.
J.

 

[underwaterangel]

elenec,

I recently switched over from a ScubaPro S-Tek to an Akono 7mm. The Akona fits so much better, and was about half the price of the ScubaPro (I paid about $140 for it). Just my own personal experience, I would recommend the Akona anytime. It was also just recently voted a Rodale's Best Buy for women's suits.

Just my $.02.
J.

Where did you get it. My LDS only carries SP and they are all too long for me (5'2") The knee pads end up as shin pads. Might just have to get one special for me... oompa loompa size.

 

[The Kraken]

I like Neo-Sports, they're the Henderson low end.

A 3/2 or 4/3 full suit costs about $85 from ScubaToys.

You can buy about 3 of those for the price of one Henderson Hyper-Stretch, Super-Stretch or whatever it's called.

the K

 

[Bob3]

Fit is everything in a wetsuit, so ignore the "brand X vs brand Y" thing & let the fit of the suit decide for you.
DrBill is right on with the tradeoff thing, the more the stretch the more the suit material will compress with depth.
Look for a shop selling Scuba Max suits; http://www.escubamax.com
Their suits come with the stretchy stuff (if you want it) on some models and their prices treat a person right. The suits even hold up better than many of the expensive ones when in a commercial diving environment.

 

[underwaterangel]

Fit is everything in a wetsuit, so ignore the "brand X vs brand Y" thing & let the fit of the suit decide for you.
DrBill is right on with the tradeoff thing, the more the stretch the more the suit material will compress with depth.
Look for a shop selling Scuba Max suits; http://www.escubamax.com
Their suits come with the stretchy stuff (if you want it) on some models and their prices treat a person right. The suits even hold up better than many of the expensive ones when in a commercial diving environment.

Fit IS everything & none of them fit. I have a short torso & long legs (for someone that is 5'2") so they are to long in one area or another.

 

[elenec]

Thanks to everyone who posted all their recommendations and advice. I had gonna out to try on wetsuits this past weekend. And boy was it a workout. I had tried on 4 or 5 before finding one that was close to a good fit. The Body Glove X2 is in the lead now. But I have yet to try all the brands recommended over the course of this thread. So I'll be back in the changing room soon.