Tears in my Force Fins

[DanBMW]

get rk3 !

NO ! It is definately not the same fin.

 

[DanBMW]

NO ! It is definately not the same fin.

RKA is a nice fin, if you are looking for a light weight plastic type of jet fin. Much better then the heavy rubber old jets.

 

[aaf020766]

I LOVE FORCE FINS are the only one I can use without muscular problems. I have 3 pairs: one (blue) has 30year or more (I am quite old) and now is quite "used" and rotten nearby the straps, the second (black) almost 20 and I brought the last one (Yellow) form Italian importer (AQUATICA) last Christmas.
Dear Bob, very sorry that your company closed, now that i know i will keep the new one under a glass bell! . any suggestion to better conserve them?

any suggestion for similar performance and comfortable fins?

 

[lowwall]

any suggestion for similar performance and comfortable fins?

Keep an eye on the used market. As you noted, it is normal to get decades of use from Force Fins so used ones that aren't obviously damaged normally have a lot of life in them.

That's how I got mine. Bob noted that they are probably from the '80s based on the box.

 

[Bob Evans]

I LOVE FORCE FINS are the only one I can use without muscular problems. I have 3 pairs: one (blue) has 30year or more (I am quite old) and now is quite "used" and rotten nearby the straps, the second (black) almost 20 and I brought the last one (Yellow) form Italian importer (AQUATICA) last Christmas.
Dear Bob, very sorry that your company closed, now that i know i will keep the new one under a glass bell! . any suggestion to better conserve them?

any suggestion for similar performance and comfortable fins?

We are not closed; we are just looking at how to keep rolling with a new future. Susanne and I are super focused on Tiabzu, Tiabzu – Welcome In the Water Force Fin needs a new team to provide the best-made swim fins in the World. Who will be the right team? We will see.

Plus technology from Bob Evans Designs (1985) and Force Fins has led to other areas of interest. Homepage | AeroHance Pods. I will say it's fun to see such high prices for my Force Fins on eBay.

 

[mrtechbench]

Interesting idea using filters at depth to get pressure for reverse osmosis. I wish you all the best with Tiabzu Bob. A little over 20 years ago I saw a pair of force fins with your signature engraved on them. Pretty cool to see.

 

[RedSeaDiver2]

Thanks. I'm touchy about our situation and not happy that INFLATION took us down. Look around, America; we are not the only ones. I am sorry to say America is in significant decline.

Bob, is it only one model of Force Fins that have had cracking issues? Or one colour? I got my first pair of Force Fins back in the mid-90's - second pair in the early 2000's - still love them!

 

[Bob Evans]

Bob, is it only one model of Force Fins that have had cracking issues? Or one colour? I got my first pair of Force Fins back in the mid-90's - second pair in the early 2000's - still love them!

There is no consistency. If they split, it's only that pair. I ran production myself for two years. You would see this issue if the material was off with moisture or heat treatment low. But with over a million pairs sold and 99.9 still going it's really not an issue, unless those who do not like us, promote the subject. It' a beautiful day here in Ojai, California. Finding more OPS to sell. This model splits apart so you can attach 5 different blade designs.

 

[SelfDiver]

Keep an eye on the used market. As you noted, it is normal to get decades of use from Force Fins so used ones that aren't obviously damaged normally have a lot of life in them.

That's how I got mine. Bob noted that they are probably from the '80s based on the box.

For Sale - Force fins original style size XL - $100 plush shipping
Here you go $100 plush shipping

 

[Zef]

There is no consistency. If they split, it's only that pair. I ran production myself for two years. You would see this issue if the material was off with moisture or heat treatment low. But with over a million pairs sold and 99.9 still going it's really not an issue, unless those who do not like us, promote the subject.

Seems kind of sh!ty that you are aware of what is causing the problem with your product (when it occurs), and have called it out as a manufacturing process issue...TWICE. In the post above, you mention it is related to moisture control and heat treatment, and earlier in the discussion you mention ratio of materials used in the manufacturing process, along with an issue related to personnel in the following quote:

Then you have staff who sometimes are not up to the day on Monday mornings.

You state this in the light of your ISO and IATF certifications:

Our Plant in Pennsylvania is ISO14001:2015 and IATF 16949-2016 certified facility

But despite knowing of issues specifically germane to your manufacturing process and staff that causes a defect that you have known sbout, and instead of simply telling the customer to contact you for replacement, you gripe at them publicly for calling out your company's name.

In the past, I have read, with interest, your self-agrandizing posts here. But I have to say, that sometimes your attitude takes an unnecessary combative tone that is not far off from folks like Tobin George (DeepSeaSupply), Bruce Justinen (SeaSoft Scuba), and Corey Mearns (Light Monkey).

All four of you come across as so overly zealous of your success that you become argumentative when a failure rears its head, and instead of using the opportunity to set a positive example and promote good customer relations, you choose instead to gripe at the customer and doubledown by insisting how great your product(s) is/are.

And then you blame "inflation" for your company's woes. Perhaps the "serious decline" of our country that you are so sad about is contributed to by a general lack of accountability by business owners/manufacturers to their customers when their products have an issue.

-Z