tennjay
Contributor
As I lay here recovering from double knee replacement, I needed something to do, and so a review of my new Pinnacle Black Ice drysuit is what I came up with.
I purchased the suit from Dive Right In Scuba. I can count myself as one of their very satisfied customers.
Most of my diving is in freshwater lakes, quarries, or caves. The temperature will range from 50-72 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pros:
It is warm. In 50 degree water, I wore 2 light Marino wool shirts and 2 pair of Long John bottoms. I got chilled, but never cold. If I was going to make a longer dive at this temp, I would add another layer. In 70 degree water, I wore a T-shirt and lighter t long john bottoms. If I was swimming into the current, I would get warm. Never hot, but I did have a warming feeling.
Suspenders came with the suit and have quick disconnects.
The neoprene neck seal is very comfortable and dry. I like it better than the latex neck seal on my Fusion.
It is tough. After 11 shore/ Cave dives, you can’t see a scratch on it, and I am pretty rough on stuff.
It is easy to get on. I have some shoulder issues, so a little help rolling the neck seal and zipping up is easier when someone else does it, but it is self donning even for me. The suit does stretch and compress, so it now is easier to get on, not that it was ever difficult.
It dives really well. I was told that I would need to add some extra weight until the neoprene compressed a little more. I dive side mount with hp100s, so I started with 8 pounds. I am now using 2 pounds and am still a touch heavy.
Two big pockets on the legs. I can fit a spare mask and my Big Blue 3500 both into a single one.
I can move around in it. It is heavy and thick, but since I don’t have to wear bulky under garments, I feel that I have way more freedom of movement than I had with my Fusion.
Cons:
There are elastic cords in the pockets to attach stuff to. Being elastic, they stretch enough to allow items that are attached to them to dangle out of your pockets. When I get out of the hospital, I am going to replace the cords with something.
In closing, I can say that I am very happy with my purchase. It continues to exceed my expectations.
Jay
P.S.
I am on pain killers, so please ignore any typos or poor grammar.
I purchased the suit from Dive Right In Scuba. I can count myself as one of their very satisfied customers.
Most of my diving is in freshwater lakes, quarries, or caves. The temperature will range from 50-72 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pros:
It is warm. In 50 degree water, I wore 2 light Marino wool shirts and 2 pair of Long John bottoms. I got chilled, but never cold. If I was going to make a longer dive at this temp, I would add another layer. In 70 degree water, I wore a T-shirt and lighter t long john bottoms. If I was swimming into the current, I would get warm. Never hot, but I did have a warming feeling.
Suspenders came with the suit and have quick disconnects.
The neoprene neck seal is very comfortable and dry. I like it better than the latex neck seal on my Fusion.
It is tough. After 11 shore/ Cave dives, you can’t see a scratch on it, and I am pretty rough on stuff.
It is easy to get on. I have some shoulder issues, so a little help rolling the neck seal and zipping up is easier when someone else does it, but it is self donning even for me. The suit does stretch and compress, so it now is easier to get on, not that it was ever difficult.
It dives really well. I was told that I would need to add some extra weight until the neoprene compressed a little more. I dive side mount with hp100s, so I started with 8 pounds. I am now using 2 pounds and am still a touch heavy.
Two big pockets on the legs. I can fit a spare mask and my Big Blue 3500 both into a single one.
I can move around in it. It is heavy and thick, but since I don’t have to wear bulky under garments, I feel that I have way more freedom of movement than I had with my Fusion.
Cons:
There are elastic cords in the pockets to attach stuff to. Being elastic, they stretch enough to allow items that are attached to them to dangle out of your pockets. When I get out of the hospital, I am going to replace the cords with something.
In closing, I can say that I am very happy with my purchase. It continues to exceed my expectations.
Jay
P.S.
I am on pain killers, so please ignore any typos or poor grammar.
