Beuchat actually came out first with the Jetfin. Cousteau used the Beuchat Jetfin for their movie, "World Without Sun" in the 1960s, much to the consternation of Scubapro, who had just bought the rights for USA manufacture of Jetfins. Beuchat also had a full-foot version of the Jetfin.
I still have my lightning Jetfins, which I occasionally use. They last forever. Somewhere I did fin tests in the pool, and have placed the results on ScubaBoard somewhere. I'll see whether I can dig them up.
SeaRat
PS--I found the Fin Trials spreadsheet (below) and took a JPEG off it too. Also, I used the Lightning Jet Fins during my years as a USAF Pararescueman, and here show being picked up out of the Columbia River from a HH-34 helicopter. We liked the Jetfin at that time because the alternative was the AMF Voit Duck Feet (somewhat different from the Swimaster Duck Feet). The AMF Voit duck feet tended to cause cramps in the arch of the foot over time, and the Jetfin had a better foot pocket.
PS2--I just watched the video, and it is apparent that the predominant kick by the reviewer is the frog kick. Note that the vents really don't function at all with a frog kick. The normal crawl kick the reviewer used is again a modified kick, in that the down stroke never went below the horizontal plane of the body. I'm pretty sure this is now taught, as it keeps people from inadvertently kicking the coral of the reef. But I worked, and now play, in much different environments, where a full kick is required to move against a river's current, or to gain a helicopter hoist while towing a victim. So I don't really see a value in his "test."
