Pinnacle Drysuit?

[GreenDiverDown]

We recently got three Pinnacles to use for rentals. I was impressed with their quality. They looked very nice considering the price. I will have to look at them again to give you more details but my first impression was very favorable.

 

[426Scuba]

Thanks for the info posted.
Does the price sound like a good deal?
Or could someone suggest a different suit for around the same price? I want to make a good purchase that I will be happy with and will last a long time, so please help me.

USIA Please PM me with any more info you don't want to post. If anything I will be sure to ask about seam leaks.

After reading more posts now I'm thinking a neoprene drysuit may be a better choice due to expected dives in cold water. I'm doing a dive next weekend in a lake that the last reported temp was 37* call me crazy, but I'm going to give it a shot in my wetsuit.

 

[waterman14]

I would like to set straight a few things that were stated about the Pinnacle Evolution drysuit. I am Pinnacle's President and General Manager, and as such I probably know more about our products than anyone else, and am uniquely qualified to address the issues.

First, Jerry was incorrect when he implied that this suit was made in the same manner as the suit with which he is familiar. That suit, marketed by another company, was designed by one of our designers. However, most of the similarities end there. The suit is made by different people, in a different country, on a different continent than the other suit. It is also built using a totally different technology than the previous product. All final assembly, alterations (when required), accessorizing (when required), and testing are done in California, not England. In fact, this suit never sees England unless it is sold to a British consumer!

Second, we sell a lot of drysuits. A lot more than some people may know. We sell them to consumers, to commercial divers, and to one US government agency. Though we are best known as a wetsuit manufacturer, we ARE a "drysuit company" as well.

Third, we offer the following warranty on our drysuits: The latex wrist and neck seals are warranted for 90 days, or when the consumer trims them - whichever comes first. The actual zipper itself (not the installation of the zipper - which is covered under the seam warranty) is warranted for six months. ALL SEAMS CARRY A LIFETIME WARRANTY. Our warranty is right there with the best in the industry, and every suit is leak tested before it ships from California.

Finally, in the event that you damage your suit, or if you require maintenance, or in the unlikely event that it does develop a leak, we have a full service center in Northern California that can turn around suits with amazing speed - often as little as in one day.

I invite anyone interested in any Pinnacle Aquatics product to visit our web site, http://www.PinnacleAquatics.com call for our catalog, or visit their local Pinnacle dealer.

George R. Stauffer
President / General Manager
Pinnacle Aquatics

 

[USIA]

I would like to set straight a few things that were stated about the Pinnacle Evolution drysuit. I am Pinnacle's President and General Manager, and as such I probably know more about our products than anyone else, and am uniquely qualified to address the issues.

First, Jerry was incorrect when he implied that this suit was made in the same manner as the suit with which he is familiar. That suit, marketed by another company, was designed by one of our designers. However, most of the similarities end there. The suit is made by different people, in a different country, on a different continent than the other suit. It is also built using a totally different technology than the previous product. All final assembly, alterations (when required), accessorizing (when required), and testing are done in California, not England. In fact, this suit never sees England unless it is sold to a British consumer!

Second, we sell a lot of drysuits. A lot more than some people may know. We sell them to consumers, to commercial divers, and to one US government agency. Though we are best known as a wetsuit manufacturer, we ARE a "drysuit company" as well.

Third, we offer the following warranty on our drysuits: The latex wrist and neck seals are warranted for 90 days, or when the consumer trims them - whichever comes first. The actual zipper itself (not the installation of the zipper - which is covered under the seam warranty) is warranted for six months. ALL SEAMS CARRY A LIFETIME WARRANTY. Our warranty is right there with the best in the industry, and every suit is leak tested before it ships from California.

Finally, in the event that you damage your suit, or if you require maintenance, or in the unlikely event that it does develop a leak, we have a full service center in Northern California that can turn around suits with amazing speed - often as little as in one day.

I invite anyone interested in any Pinnacle Aquatics product to visit our web site, http://www.PinnacleAquatics.com call for our catalog, or visit their local Pinnacle dealer.

George R. Stauffer
President / General Manager
Pinnacle Aquatics

I do apologize. I'm glad to see that you are using a different manufacturer. I regret any misrepresentation about Pinnacle. Like I said earlier, they are a quality company that I hold in high regard. But I do get a lot of people who email me about particular suits, and I always try to provide them with an honest opinion without bashing another manufacturer. We do not rely on the consumer market as most other companies as the majority of our sales are directed towards government entities and I feel I can give an unbiased opinion.

 

[Tamas]

A friend of mine has the suit, he loves it. It is a very bulletproff material, dare I say Cordura? Well made, well constructed and well fitted. I think you'd be happy with it in the long run.

 

[PerroneFord]

George,

Thank you for your reply. I don't think that anyone was trying to "run down" your product. Most of us are ignorant when it comes to your drysuits. We have a Pinnacle dealer in town, I own some pinnacle neoprene products, but have NEVER seen a Pinnacle drysuit. I live in cave country which I suspect is not one of your major markets.

What would it take to get one of your suits on view down here in the Florida Panhandle? I've had opportunity to see and try Mobbys, Dive Rite, DUI, Zeagle, and USIA. I plan to purchase a suit in the October/November timeframe. DUI typically offers a very nice fitting and trial show a few hours from here. I'd think if you are offering a nice product, you could get some decent market penetration in this area. Though displacing DUI and Dive Rite would be hard based on their presence.

I can tell you right now, my top 3 choices for a suit are DUI based on reputation, Dive Rite based on proximity, and USIA. So what are you going to do to put me in a Pinnacle Drysuit!

 

[TimAZ]

That cost is a good deal for a very good suit, but FYI Pinnacle just ended a big promotion with its dealers and I'll bet you could yet work that price down some. But even if you can't, thats about $1600 of suit and undergarment at Pinnacle's normal prices and over $2000 with some of the major competitors. I guess if you can't haggle down, buy anyway because the price is going to go up as the LDS sells the inventory it bought on the promotion.

 

[PerroneFord]

I don't know anyone within 200 miles of me that sells Pinnacle drysuits.

 

[jduncan]

Lisa and I both have Pinnacle Evolution suits that we bought last winter. They are ruggedly constructed, come with suspenders, d-rings, pockets, zipper flap, boots, and top-of-the-line si-tex valves. We actually returned our new Bare NexGens when we saw how nice the Pinnacle was for only a few hundred bucks more money. We did send one back to get larger boots installed and the turnaround time was reasonable, the job was done right, and the service was excellent. A person actually answered the phone. For a Tri-lam suit, you can't get any better. The DUI drysuits are thousands more money, yes thousands. We paid 1000.00 each plus tax for the Evolution, and the DUI is 2700. Is the DUI worth it? Yes, but it's a different suit. If you're in the market for a Tri-lam drysuit for under 1300 bucks, you don't need to look much further.

I agree that Pinnacle needs to promote thier products better in the US, but they are a new company. I didn't even know my LDS sold them. No signs, no nothing. Only a web site link from Pinnacle. If anyone needs pictures of what they look like, we have some, just ask.

If you have any questions about them feel free to ask.


George...Your doing it right. Your product is what we expected, and your service was excellent. Marketing is key for you now.

 

[waterman14]

Actually, there are some on the way. Besides the product that we are talking about in this thread, there is a new model called the Evolution 2, which features most of the same characteristics of the original Evolution, but in a front-entry design.

It is extremely new, and we just started shipping it at the end of last week. As is typical with new products in this industry, we still have limited parts inventory and there are only so many production hours in a day. On top of all that, it has been eagerly awaited by many of our dealers, a good number of whom have placed advance orders.

Another thing about Pinnacle drysuits is that we match every suit with the diver's specific shoe size, ranging from size 5 through 15, and don't ship out "standard" suit/boot combinations. This is generally not a problem because we are able to move very quickly, but in the case of a new product, it makes it hard to catch up. Therefore, we will do not marketing or promotion of the product until we are in a position to have filled all backorders and be able to ship out new orders in 72 hours or less, preferrably 48 hours. This will take about 3 to 4 more weeks.

All that being said, I do know that at least one dealer in the Panhandle, Emerald Coast Divers of Destin, has a suit on order. Hopefully, theirs will be out to them within a week or so.

For the latest information, please watch our web site, or you can look at www.DiveNewsWire.com, which we often use to announce new products.