Henderson Neosport 7mm... Did I make a Mistake?

[drbill]

Just teasing about being too hot, we've been having a wet winter here so the sun was very welcome. Glad the thread resurfaced as it reminded me to contact the Neosport people again. I've only done three dives so far this entire year, although not due to the poor quality of the Neosport.

 

[Lee Taylor]

I own and dive both of the brand suits you mention. I like them equally. One does not seem significantly better than the other. I do not think either is a mistake. I am very happy with both and I have owned more than a few suits.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I bought a neosport 5 mm jumpsuit last year. i used it for a few days of diving and was forced to return it. A terrible suit, the threads pulled out on a number of seams and the rubber itself was terrible. It became completely crushed and wrinkled from only a few dives.

The suit looked great, was very stretchy and comfortable and was the worst suit I have ever owned. Scuba Toys gave me a refund minus the shipping charges (both ways) I think.


I also will never buy a Henderson suit again.

 

[diver 85]

Thanks all-I have now added Neosport & Henderson(for allowing such crap out to the public) to my NO NOT BUY list......


EDIT: (& kinda hijacking here)---how is EVO holding up...I have a couple year old full 3 mil , without many dives on it, but so far so good....

 

[drbill]

Keep in mind that this could be a problem limited to my specific wetsuit or the Neoprene used in this batch of suits. If others have good experience, I'm open to that possibility and don't want to condemn all Neosport suits if others have good experiences with them. It does sound like it's a mixed bag. I will be returning to Tilos for my suits... theirs lasted quite a long time.

 

[robint]

Thanks all-I have now added Neosport & Henderson(for allowing such crap out to the public) to my NO NOT BUY list......


EDIT: (& kinda hijacking here)---how is EVO holding up...I have a couple year old full 3 mil , without many dives on it, but so far so good....

I wouldn't write off Henderson completely... they have a whole range of suits, Neosport is low end line, then Thermoprene and Hyperstretch, then their new H2 suit line. You can also still get their Gold Core suits, which seem to last a long time but are a b#### to put on and take off. Prices vary greatly between all the different lines of suits.

My main comment about suit comparisons - all the stretchy suits cost more, seem to wear out faster, and don't necessarily keep you as warm as their non-stretchy comp. Keep that in mind when buying.

Evo is, I think, the old Performance wetsuit line. Company was sold and I think it is now called Evo. Suits look alot like my old Evo suit. My hubby and I used to own 7mm 2-piece Performance suits. They were not stretchy, took work to get in and out of them, but they lasted for 5+ years before we replaced them. We both really liked them. When we finally did toss them because they obviously were compressed and no longer 7mm, not a single seam had come undone. Both suits were faded in color but otherwise still intact. They were durable. I only know one person who has had an EVO 3mm suit and she said it was her favorite. She has since moved back to Fla so I can't tell you if that is still true.

robin

 

[diver 85]

I wouldn't write off Henderson completely... they have a whole range of suits, Neosport is low end line, then Thermoprene and Hyperstretch, then their new H2 suit line. You can also still get their Gold Core suits, which seem to last a long time but are a b#### to put on and take off. Prices vary greatly between all the different lines of suits.

My main comment about suit comparisons - all the stretchy suits cost more, seem to wear out faster, and don't necessarily keep you as warm as their non-stretchy comp. Keep that in mind when buying.

Evo is, I think, the old Performance wetsuit line. Company was sold and I think it is now called Evo. Suits look alot like my old Evo suit. My hubby and I used to own 7mm 2-piece Performance suits. They were not stretchy, took work to get in and out of them, but they lasted for 5+ years before we replaced them. We both really liked them. When we finally did toss them because they obviously were compressed and no longer 7mm, not a single seam had come undone. Both suits were faded in color but otherwise still intact. They were durable. I only know one person who has had an EVO 3mm suit and she said it was her favorite. She has since moved back to Fla so I can't tell you if that is still true.

robin

Thanks for the info re EVO----in fact, years ago I bought some Performance stuff online(shortie, fins, & 2 pr of 5 mm booties if I remember correcty) from someplace & have never been able to remeber who it was from..Still use the 2 mm shortie(maybe 10 years+ old) today, probably have around ?500 dives on it AND it's still working 'perfectly'...makes me feel better about EVO stuff now....thanks again....this is it under my Scout BC(a self pic from a couple years ago in CZM--& I am sticking my tongue out @ YOU)..:

 

[carrielsal]

I have a 3mm Henderson H2 that I bought about this time last year. During the summer I spent a lot of time at the lake where I had to crawl out on the rocks on my hands and knees. I probably put around 75 dives on it before it started getting cold. It still looks brand new. Not even a snag on the knees.
I really like the seals on this suit and the way that the ankle folds over and closes with velcro, unlike a traditional zipper.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Additional info on my neosport.

The deterioration on mine is mostly due to poor workmanship on the stitching. Some of it is missing or pulled out, thus the seam opened up. Other than the seam and the neck area, it still looks good.

The actual neoprene is crushed a bit (measures 6mm with calipers, original was 7mm). I expect this to some degree on cheap suits, so I am not whining about it. This is my mid-temp suit for upper 50's and 60's, so a little loss of warmth is tolerable.

For comparison, I have a Pinnicale (more $$$) I brought for my son 2 years ago with about the same number of dives, it still measures almost 7mm and looks new.

 

[robint]

it sounds like the Neosport line is low quality neoprene and workmanship!