Wetsuit - budget but decent quality?

[Disneymom]

OK, kids - I need your help.

Hubby came home today and told me he was going to get me a wetsuit. My first choice would be a Henderson Hyperstretch probably, but I need something more 'budget-friendly'. I'm considering just the standard Henderson. One of my instructors has one and it looks like it's got some serious mileage on it, which leads me to believe they're good suits.
Personally, I would like something with purple (yeah, I'm being a girl..), but it's not an absolute requirement.

So... any suggestions for a suit that meets my budget/quality requirements?

[Moxie]

I like the hendersons. Especially if you're built like me and very, um.... girlie. They fit well. When I dive, it's all about comfort! So I'd go and try a couple on.

[fire diver]

I love my BARE suit. I always try to temper my desire to save money with quality. There's a lot of cheap suits out there, but not many of them are good quality. I scour Ebay waiting for just the right item to pop up. My BARE 7mil looked brand new when I bought it from Ebay for $50. It's a $250 wetsuit. Got to be patient with this method though. Have to find the right item when big spenders aren't watching.

FD

[thesmoothdome]

How thick of a wetsuit? I bought my 3/2 Bare Brigade from ST for $90.00 - 10% (forum discount) a few months ago. Not a bad deal for a warm water suit.

[thor]

Take a serious look at Bare. They are a great value.

[YellowfinKunkfish]

I bought a neosport 4/3 from Scubatoys, and it was only about $80.00. I think I got it on sale. I think there is a neosport 3/2 on the website for $60.00 or close to it, with purple on it! I like the Neosport, I have heard it won't last me as long as other wetsuits, but that's fine, I'm losing weight, and knew I would be, and didn't want to spend a lot of money. It keeps me warm all the same!

Rhonda

[tc_rain]

4th vote here for Bare. Great suit, great fit, great price.

[Disneymom]

Thanks for the tips and input, everyone!

Originally Posted by thesmoothdome

How thick of a wetsuit? I bought my 3/2 Bare Brigade from ST for $90.00 - 10% (forum discount) a few months ago. Not a bad deal for a warm water suit.

a 3. I have been looking at the Bare Brigades, too.

Originally Posted by YellowfinKunkfish

I bought a neosport 4/3 from Scubatoys, and it was only about $80.00. I think I got it on sale. I think there is a neosport 3/2 on the website for $60.00 or close to it, with purple on it! I like the Neosport, I have heard it won't last me as long as other wetsuits, but that's fine, I'm losing weight, and knew I would be, and didn't want to spend a lot of money. It keeps me warm all the same!

Rhonda

Rhonda - I've looked at the Neosports, I know they're made by Henderson, but I'm just a little leery of them. I know they're not a bad wetsuit, but I would like to get something that will hold up for a while. I do like the 4/3 option, though. And the weight loss is another factor.... if I drop, I'm just going to have to reinvest. Hmmm.... I think I'll give it another look, as well as the Bare again.

[Zenagirl]

Keep in mind that with the Henderson Hyperstretch suits you can gain or lose up to about 20 pounds and still fit into your suit! Depending on your size, there's someone on ScubaBoard selling a size 10 3mm Hyperstretch for like $150.

Frankly, I have Hyperstretch suits in both 3mm and 5mm and I can't imagine wearing anything else....they are simply WAY too comfortable and worth the money to me.

[DirtyWaterIL]

The Henderson basic suits and the neosport are exclent quality entry level suits. IMO stay way fromAkona. very low prices butthey fall apart quickly