Henderson vs pinnacle 3mm wetsuit

[Pyro_]

Looking at picking myself up a 3mm full wetsuit. The two mains ones I am looking at currently are the pinnacle merino lined or the henderson aqualock series ones.

Any comments for or against either one? Any others I should be taking a look at?

 

[Tessunderwater]

I prefer pinnacle over Henderson. The Henderson I have is constantly pulling out threads. Plus when you hit the thermocline a you will appreciate the merino lining.


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[buddhasummer]

Just to throw a spanner in the works, FWIW the pinnacle suits they sell here in Japan do not look well made, certainly all the ones I've seen.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

I own a new, never wet Pinnacle Tempo 3mm. It's not bad, and I'd call it a toss-up between the not as warm but probably better stitched Henderson and it... but it's not fully Merino lined, just the core area, the shoulders and knee pads are ing jokes, and the stitching and zippers are not impressive. The fit wasn't as good as my Pinnacle M-E suit of the same size, and then I got too busy to return it. I think the seams on the Henderson are better.

Pinnacle used to be the answer for sure. Now, it's plastic zippers and much less merino lining. On the rare occasion a dive calls for a 3mm or 7mm rather than a lavacore shirt/trunks or a drysuit, I'll dive my Pinnacle M-E suits (fully merino lined from the core all the way to the extremities, real rubber shoulder and kevlar knee pads, and made with brass zippers) until they fall to shreds. The Tempo will sit until I can sell the damn thing, surely at a significant loss.

Somewhere out there, there must be a good wetsuit. Neither Pinnacle nor Henderson makes one these days, however.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I have two Pinnacle Merino's. A 3 & a 5mm. These are the ones made before the Zeagle/ Pinnacle fiasco. Both are over 5 yrs old and holding up well. Though to be fair the 3 does not see much use and has not for the last couple.years. The 5 gets beat to hell and back. And I am still waiting for it to die. It just won't. But based on the latest talk and reports I will not buy another one. I got spoiled by a full custom cave/wreck model 3 mil from Wetwear and will never go back to an off the rack suit. Fits like a glove, wrist and ankle zippers pockets on both thighs, and the diagonal back zip what doesn't screw with the spine pad is the shizzle and cat's meow. Before I'd spend money on a Pinnacle Merino or Henderson I'd take a hard look at Wetwear and give Connie a call.

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[Pyro_]

Thanks everyone for your opinions. Are there any other suggestions you have for good 3mm wetsuits?

 

[drbill]

I've never dived a Pinnacle but have had nothing but trouble with the two Hendersons I've owned in the recent past. For example, on one suit the neoprene in the armpits and crotch dissolved away leaving me with nothing but fabric to protect those regions... no wonder I was cold!

 

[redacted]

Hendersons are nice but they don't hold up. I have a 5mm Pinnacle ME that is very efficient but difficult to don due to back zipper catching the spine pad and too tight a zipper on the ankles. It is quite warm and shoes no sign of wearing out. I use it fairly often for cool water diving in TX.

I have a cheap 3mm suit that I wear for water temps in the upper 70s. I am not really looking for a lot of thermal protection under those conditions so I just stay with cheap suits as they provide all the warmth I need at a low cost.