Having flown both Wessex 5 (Navy version) and Puma HC1, both have their own plusses and minuses.
In NI the bomb disposal men had an underslung load (trailer) that the Wessex 2 couldn't lift so it used to go under a Puma.
SH didn't go into certain 'hot' areas without mutual support from another helicopter. The convoluted way that SH was tasked meant that the other heli might be a Wessex from another local job. If so, the trick was to fly the USL at a high cruise speed, to get the following Wessex pilot to call "Buster" over the RT (= I can't keep up).
Having said that, if I had to crash, I'd rather have been in a Wessex as the pilot sits further from the scene of the accident.
Shame the RAF never bought the "Super Wessex" i.e. Blackhawk with RTM engines.
[As for the Puma biting, yes it does have certain bad habits. That's why Pumas demanded a better standard of pilot].