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Most Sizes In Stock for Immediate Shipping
Divers no longer have to choose between wetsuits that are highly flexible and comfortable or those that are warm and durable. Pinnacle Aquatics Merino-Elastiprene wetsuits give divers the best of both worlds. Pinnacle's Merino-Elastiprene series are the stretchiest suits that they have ever built, incorporating an improved version of their proprietary blend of high-stretch rubber, Elastiprene. This allows divers to don suits without any effort whatsoever, and once on, the suits fit like a second skin.
Unlike many other high-stretch suits, the Merino-Elastiprene series are seriously warm suits designed for serious divers. These high-stretch suits also incorporate Pinnacle's patented Merino™ lining system, cold water divers can now be warm and comfortable. Other features that increase the insulation value of the suits include completely glued and blind stitched seams and advanced sealing systems at the neck, wrists, and ankles. The "M-E" series is built to last, incorporating such touches as Kevlar kneepads, molded rubber shoulder pads, and a unique exterior lining that is virtually resistant to snags from Velcro and other sticky and spiky surfaces.
The Merino-Elastiprene suits are available in 7mm, 5mm, and 3mm varieties. All three suits are exactly the same, with the exception of thickness. Even the 3mm version is built to the same exacting standards as the cold water version. All three M-E suits are available in 13 male sizes, including "Shorts" and Pinnacle's popular King sizes, and 10 female sizes, also including "Shorts". Because of the incredible stretch level of the M-E suits, virtually any diver can get a good fit without the need for alteration or customization.
- Full-thickness Elastiprene rubber
- Merino lining throughout the entire suit
- All zippers have marine-grade brass sliders and pulls
- Ankle zippers with gussets
- Smoothskin ankle seals
- Kevlar kneepads
- Molded rubber shoulder pads
- Velcro-resistant exterior
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- Honeycomb o-ring wrist seals
- Smoothskin roll-neck collar
- 10mm spine pad
- Main zipper is equipped with long pull leash and Velcro tie-down
- Smoothskin sealed main zipper flap
- Completely glued and blind stitched
- Reinforcing stress disks in all seams
- Complimentary wetsuit hanger
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The Merino™ lining in the Marino-Elastiprene wetsuit is a natural renewable organic fiber that absorbs and retains water entering the suit. In laboratory tests, Merino held 30% more water than the best synthetic linings. Merino is 'exothermic', which means it releases a significant amount of heat as it absorbs water and this helps warm your "water-skin" quicker. Because this layer of saturated Merino is primarily water, it is not affected by depth. As depth increases the effectiveness of all neoprene will decrease but the layer of Merino retains its thermal insulating properties. In tests by the British Textile Technology Group, Merino proved to offer a 35% increase in thermal efficiency, in both dry and saturated conditions, over the best synthetic linings.
Merino's super soft composition and fine micron count eliminates the prickle associated with other fibers, which can feel itchy against the skin. Because of Merino's ability to draw moisture away from the fiber's surface, it eliminates the sharp cold feeling associated with donning a damp suit. Merino;s natural crimp and resilience make it far more resistant to abrasion and "Velcro-attack" while also reducing the ability for soil particles to stick to your suit lining. Merino's excellent moisture absorption and uneven surface structure help prevent the build-up of odour causing bacteria, whereas these bacteria thrive on the exposed flat surface of synthetics.
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Roll-Neck Collar
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Marino-Elastiprene wetsuits include a unique roll-neck collar. This collar is very atypical of wetsuits, but is often found in very expensive high-end drysuits.
The collar is worn rolled in, just the opposite of a turtleneck sweater, with the smoothskin side against the diver's neck. This neck is much more comfortable than a traditional collar because it puts less pressure on a diver's neck, yet it makes a superior seal, keeping more water out of the suit. This proprietary collar system works equally well against a hood or a hooded vest or a bare neck. The collar closes in the back with a generous portion of Velcro mounted to a large, easy to grip rubber tab. This makes the collar easy to open, even without being able to see it, with a gloved hand.
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Zippers
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Marino-Elastiprene wetsuits use the fines quality zippers available. They use YKK zippers and only use marine-grade brass zipper sliders and zipper pulls in the main and chimney seal zippers, as well as most standard ankle zippers. These sliders and pulls are nearly indestructible, assuring years of corrosion-free smooth sliding. The main zippers also feature long braided nylon zipper leashes that make it much easier to pull the zipper up or down. The leashes all include a Velcro hold-down at the bottom, which prevents the leash from floating up while underwater. The inside surfaces of the zippers feature a smoothskin panel that seals against the outside of the spine pad, effectively reducing the amount of water that can enter the suit through the zipper.
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Shoulder Pads
Knee Pads
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Marino-Elastiprene wetsuits incorporate molded rubber shoulder pads. These shoulder pads protect the suit from wear and tear caused by friction against harness shoulder straps, help hold the harness in place on the diver's shoulders, and protect the diver's shoulders from the weight plates and tanks. Marino-Elastiprene wetsuits also incorporate Kevlar knee pads. These pads not only protect a diver's knees and shins, but protect the suit from snags and abrasions, ensuring years of good looks and warm dives.
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Blind Stitching
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Blind stitching is a sewing technique whereby the needle never completely pierces the material, meaning that water cannot wick along the threads to the inside of the suit, because the threads never actually make it inside the suit. Gluing the seam prior to sewing makes the seam totally waterproof. Double blind stitching means that the suit is sewn once on the inside and once on the outside for double strength. Gluing twice and double blind stitching ensures that Pinnacle's seams are as strong as possible. To go a step farther, Pinnacle places a stress disk on each seam intersection, which not only makes the suit stronger still, but also makes it more comfortable.
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Pre-Bent
Arms and Legs
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Marino-Elastiprene wetsuits feature anatomically correct, pre-bent arms and legs. Marino-Elastiprene wetsuits also use an unusually large number of panels to form their arms and legs. Though this increases manufacturing costs and time, it results in suits that are better fitting, more comfortable, easier to move in, and warmer.
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Tek Tip
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Guaranteed Fit!
Because of the incredible stretch level of the M-E suits, virtually any diver can get a good fit without the need for alteration or customization. If you can't decide between two sizes on the 3mm and 5mm suits you should probably choose the smaller. If between sizes on the 7mm suit, the larger size is probably a better choice.
When you receive your wetsuit and first try it on do a couple of 'deep knee bends' and also reach down and touch your toes, the suit may feel too snug with a reduced range of motion. This is normal and it will feel better once you are in the water, but it should not be so tight that you have trouble breathing or your movements are overly restricted. For a correct wetsuit fit, your wrists/ankles/neck should be a snug seal but not so tight that circulation or breathing is affected. A little tight is OK, but you also do not want the fit to be too loose because water would flow freely through the suit and lose the benefit of the trapped water being warmed by your body. There should not be any large gaps of the underarm, crotch area or small of the back where large amounts of water could collect.
Don't worry about choosing an incorrect size! Select the size using the Pinnacle Size Chart for your measurements and order your Pinnacle Marino-Elastiprene wetsuit from Dive Gear Express. If it doesn't fit, we'll pay for domestic US shipping both ways for up to two exchanges as long as the suit hasn't been submerged in water and is still in new from manufacturer condition with all tags and packing intact. (Sorry, but we can't extend the same offer to our international customers.) |
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