Pinnacle Elastiprene VS Henderson Hyperstretch (or Gold Core)

[AceszHigh]

This is in regards to 3mm wetsuits...can someone give me some insight?

I pretty much have it narrowed down to these two (now I'm open to ideas for others, but these two seem to be the best in the price range).
I'm leaning toward the Pinnacle because many people seem to give it great reviews, talking about how great the insulation is & comfort.

Differences in long term durability?

Is the seal noticeably better/worse on one over the other?

Any insight would be appreciated!

 

[kathydee]

Have you tried them on? I find the two suits fit me quite differently.

When selecting a new westsuit, fit is one of the most important aspects. You want to make sure there are no air pockets (if possible). No matter how good the suit, air pockets will make you cold.

After trying on at least 10 suits I own a Henderson goldcore 3mm,
but that is only because Henderson fits my shape.

Good luck!

 

[AceszHigh]

i havent been able to try those two on. Only stuff I dont want, like henderson neosport. though i live in FL, it seems many shops dont stock a lot of wetsuits this time of year...

 

[kathydee]

I'd suggest making the effort to go to as many dive shops as you can to try on different brands/styles to get a sense of what is the best suit for your shape. It's even worth a drive south to other dive shops.

For example I've found Mares to have more room in the tummy and be short on me. I've found SP to have a slightly roomier chest than I need (but good with a vest), Pinnacles (are beautiful suits) but for me they have more space in the chest/back than I need. Henderson/aqualung seem to to be cut slim & fit my shape pretty well.

If I compare the two suits you picked. Henderson is cut much more slight and Pinnacles had more room in the shoulders/chest/back/height. Stretch suits are always easier to fit than non-stretch (but not always as warm). I also really liked the fit of the aqualung flex. But every body is shaped differently so who knows what brand will fit you best.

Some people seem to fit suits easily and can just mail order one and be happy. I have an "average" body but can try on 20 suits without a fit. Maybe you will be lucker than I am .

Good luck.

 

[DiveMaven]

I used to dive Henderson Hyperstretch suits, but have switched completely to Pinnacle Elastaprene. The reason? Warmth. When you compare the suits, IMO the Pinnacle has higher quality construction, but it really comes down to the seals. I didn't realize how much water my HH allowed inside my suit through my neck seal until I wore a Pinnacle. The difference in seal is like night and day, and literally I was feeling ZERO trickle of water down my back with the Pinnacle. My husband had also bought a Pinnacle (his is merino lined) and his first remark after wearing it was how much warmer it is than his HH was.

If you want to compare stretchiness, I'd say the Pinnacle is about 80% as stretchy as the HH, but is still super easy to don and doff, even when wet. Also, the neck seal on the Pinnacle takes a bit of getting used to ON THE SURFACE. Simple to solve as you just unzip a little, but once under water, you don't even notice the neck seal any longer, except that it's keeping water out of the suit!! And this is from someone who HATES the feeling of something pressing on her throat!

I can't speak yet to durability, but we did run into a DM in Hawaii who used to dive a HH 7mm full suit and now dives a Pinnacle 7mm merino Elastaprene who told us that there was noticeable compression of the Henderson's neoprene after 100 dives, but it wasn't until closer to 200 dives before the Pinnacle was noticeably compressed. And because of the merino lining, it wasn't losing as much warmth as it compressed as the Henderson. There were already plans to replace the suit with a newer Pinnacle of the same style.

Totally unscientific and just a few people's opinions. I have to agree 100% though that wetsuit choice should be about fit and quality, to whatever you choose, make sure it fits perfectly.