Mres Volos

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Diver30,

Welcome to the board.

I've been using Volo's for about 1 1/2 years and have probably 30-40 dives on them. I have been very pleased.
performance versus effort expended is very good. My dive buddies initially noticed the difference more than I did.

There have been concern registered regarding the hinge cracking. I check my fins frequently and have not detected any signs of cracks. Other folks that I've questioned that use the Volos haven't had any problems either.

I would recommend them for recreational diving but use stiffer fins for Wreck Diving. Your mileage may vary depending upon what types of dives you are planning.

Just my $.02 worth.

DSAO,
Larry
 
I gave them a good try in the pool. It felt like my feet were stuck in the mud. The people who make fins know that people will pay money to believe that their propulsion technique is adequate.

Learn to use your feet with a conventionally priced conventionally designed fin.

If you still want the expensive funny looking fins you end up with a spare set of fins.

If you don't you save $180 and have good technique.
 
I used to dive with the Dacor knockoffs of the Volos. My instrcutor who's tried both the Dacors and Volos say they are almost identical.

Well... these fins broke (developed a big stress fracture) when I swam them hard against a moderate~strong current. And, as wetman had already pointed out, propulsion sucks if there is even the slightest current.

Got the fins at DiveInn.com. They've ignored all my inquiries about warranty coverage on these fins so far. But, I really don't care because I wouldn't use the P.O.S. fins anyway.

I stopped by my LDS on Sunday and picked up a pair of JetFins.
 
Instead of the latest and greates Mares, I suggest you try the Mares Quattro Planars. I've done 500+ dives in mine and cannot say enough good things about them. Many of the instructors and customers where I work use the Quatttros, and its not because the shop sells them, they don't. Its the most popular fin I know, I don't remember ever hearing a disparaging word about them. They also always score well in test.
 
I have the Tigers. Approx 150 dives on them over the past year in a variety of conditions with no problems.

Haven't noticed any different effort in finning, regardless of kick style or current (eg: 2.5 kts on the Thistlegorm in the Red Sea in March).

I find them superior to my previous fins (Plana Avantis).

FYI: there was an initial problem with the 1st generation of Volos & Tigers where they were cracking & breaking at the hinge. However, the subsequent batch seems to have corrected this problem. So I suggest anyone who has experienced this difficulty return their fins for the most recent incarnation.

TTFN,

~SubMariner~
 
Let's clear up a few things here. I have used several pairs of fins since I started diving, starting off with the Tusa Cetus, The Plana Avanti and now I'm using the Volos.

As mentioned earlier, the problem of the hinge cracking is only for the first generation Volos, subsequent batches are cured of this problem. As for the propulsion againsts current, its ALL about the way you kick, just like splitfins. You use a narrower kick instead of those huge groin-straining kick if you want performance with the volos or with split-fins.

So, it was better for me as I found it easier on the knees and quite manuverable, it's like a combo of my first two fins.
 
Being a paddle fin fan myself, I was reluctant to try on a pair of borrowed volos during a dive last month. I find split fins limit their user's finning technique and the Tigers somewhat stiff so I was wary of the Volos performance. Much to my surprise, they worked rather well. We hit strong current while diving an outer reef and I found myself pulling significantly away from my dive group; of which three members were using splits. I did several types of kicks: sculling, frog, scissors, flutter, etc. and managed to propel myself with ease.

From my experience, it seems the Volos adapt to different kinds of kicks better than split fins. Could it be its hybrid design of paddle and nature's wing technology? The only cons i can think of are:

a) The weak points on the rubber hinges can break
b) Fins' being prone to entanglement when laying down guideline
c) Some people, myself included, have to get used to its extreme bouyancy.
d) The design is just too "glamorous" for me.

For recreational diving, i think Volos are quite good. Not quite as good as the quattros or the jetfins but competent nonetheless.

Just my thoughts....
 
I bought a set of quattros from Leisure Pro in March and have been thrilled with them. I don't have many dives in them, I think a total of 8, but they seem to be everything that i was told that they are. There are no signs of any kind of excess wear like some have mentioned. The worked very very well a few weeks ago on my AOW dives. I did not notice any excess bouyancy and when I dived them in Hawaii I had no problem keeping up with or passing the dive master.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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