Is there a "best" drysuit? Probably not. Are there some bad suits out there? Probably. Are DUI suits well made? Yes. Are other suits well made? Yes.
The real question you need to ask is "What is the right suit for me?" The answer to that is, "It depends."
One thing on which it should NOT depend is, "What suits does 'my' shop sell?" No shop sells all the different brands, and types, of suits and they are different.
Before you buy you need to ask yourself a series of questions to define the parameters for your search:
a. What body shape am I? That may well define whether you need a custom suit (which can be very tricky because they often don't come out quite right!) or you can buy a "stock" suit.
b. What type of diving am I going to be doing? As a new diver, you probably don't really know the answer to that yet. Indeed, diving habits evolve with time, training and experience.
c. Where am I going to be diving? You live in the Seattle area so you will probably be diving a lot in the Sound so you will probably want things like dry gloves and maybe a p-valve (especially since you say you typically do 2 dives). What will be most important is NOT the suit itself (tri-lam, bi-lam, compressed/crushed neo, etc.) but the undergarment. Is the combination of undergarment and suit flexible enough for you to be comfortable and SAFE (that is, will you be able to reach everything you need to reach once all suited up)?
c. Since you will be getting two suits, one for you and one for your wife, is it possible you will want to be able to use each other's suits? DEPENDING on your sizes, that is possible -- my suit is my wife's backup suit and I'm 50+ pounds and 4+ inches on her.
My wife and I have gone through a number of suits, second hand, custom made, off the shelf, from a number of manufacturers and I think I can safely say, there is no best suit. Each one is a compromise.
That written, I would highly suggest you look into the White's Fusion -- depending on your and/or your wife's body size. I've come to believe they should be the primary rental suit for a shop for the following reasons:
a. Wide range of fit per suit due to their design. As long as you do fit their general body shape, the design makes the suit a "custom" fit once it is on.
b. Ease of use due to their design with the outer layer of Lycra (or neoprene). Perhaps the biggest issue with learning a dry suit is learning how to "manage the bubble" which is what keeps you warm. The outer layer does a very nice job of smoothing out the bubble and appears to make it much easier to dive than just about any other suit design.
c. It is a good suit for multiple uses -- cold water, medium water, warm water -- and it travels very well due to it's very light weight and quick drying material. I'm in Maui right now and diving a 5mm wetsuit but my wife has brought her Fusion and keeps bragging how she is dry and warm at the end of the dive while I'm trying to towel off and thinking about getting into a hot car with a wet bathing suit.
BTW, I also have a Fusion but it is my backup suit -- my primary suit is a Bare compressed neo with a neoprene neckseal. I love neoprene neck seals!
