Which Henderson suit to choose

I am narrowing down suit choices but could use some advice. :shakehead I am replacing my 7/5mm Harvey Kobalt jumpsuit with another slick interior suit. Have dove the Henderson GoldCore, also looking at the Insta-Dry. Have a pair of insta dry boots and they do dry fast but not forgiving on stretch. Have heard alot of great things about the GoldCore SemiDry. Decisions-Decisions. The suit is for midwest summers in quarries, and the 7/5mm has worked great.

Personally, (and I own an InstaDry) I would suggest going with Goldcore over InstaDry. The Goldcore semi-dry is a great suit, but it is warmer than what you have been diving... If you've been fine with a 7/5 you may not want to change styles. Also, I have not been happy with the way my InstaDry is wearing. I think Goldcore is easier to dress and overall more durable.

When you're ready, whatever you decide, give us a call. We are an authorized Henderson Dealer and special order for no additional charge. Please feel free to ask for me. SB members also get 10% off.

which ever one fits you the best.

I have a Gold core 7mm...fits me great...Personally I tried the insta dry...fit fine..but the price was too much...HYpestretch was nice...I flipped...got a better deal for the Gold core...freaking warm..let me tell you...

safe dives

I just posted a thread regarding wetsuit durability. I have an InstaDry 3mm (I prefer tropical diving) suit, hood, and booties which I have owned for less than a year, and which have seen 38 dives on a two week dive trip to Roatan. I love the fit, comfort and quick-drying ability of the suit; it was dry for every dive - and when spending 3 to 4+ hours a day underwater that means a lot. The booties have not performed as well as far as drying time is concerned; and the hood performed poorly in the area of equalization. But, as much as I love the suit, I mirror your concern on durability. The knee protection has torn in various directions, the protective "armor" at the suit shoulders and waist has been rubbed off by the BCD, and is separating from the material on the booties, as is the sole where the bootie flexes at the ball of the foot. I would think that equipment as expensive as this would retain it's performance characteristics and hold up better than it appears the InstaDry is. What are your thoughts/experience?

Best ~

J

Stay away from instadry for right now - my buddy has sent his back 3 times in a years for stiching failures, and all the issues deepcat1 described.

I have a 7mil semidry which works great - but you absolutely have to try it on. A couple of other instructors and the shop owner cannot get the right fit.

I agree with the others. I have head to toe instadry at the moment, and while I am happy overall, I don't think my next suit with be ID. As noted, it is just not as durable as nylon-coated neoprene. It's really nice as far as drying time, however.

I would buy the booties again, despite the separation issue mentioned above, because those tend to stink the most and I think the biggest benefit lies there. My bp/w's 2" crotch strap (with protector from DiveRite) nearly cut through the wetsuit along it's two edges... I had to have a seamstress replace the whole crotch. And yes, the cute little dots fall off and offer little protection. The hood is fine, but it's not nearly as comfortable (read: stretchy) as my Gold Core hood I use with my dry suit, so I would probably go that way next time for the hood, if I weren't planning to get an attached hood next time around. Going separates seemed like a good idea at the time, for flexibility, but anytime you're wearing a 7mm suit, you're wearing a hood, so the only "benefit" is one more thing to carry and a lost ability to pull it back.

Again, the drying time rocks, and there are occasions when I positively gloat about my ID suit. But that convenience comes at a cost. Literally.