atomic splitfins vs apollo biofins

[tomcat]

hey all,

in the end, i went out and bought the zooms. tried them out in the pool last night.

these babies work but unlike the biofins, they are easy to over kick. by overkicking, i don't mean that they lose propelling power, i mean that they go right into your slipstream and create plenty of drag, making them feel like paddles.

i think the rotating blades may have been made a little too stiff by the reinforcing pieces of plastic. the biofins have no such reinforcements and hence no matter how wide the kick, you wouldn't feel the resistance.

in short, watch out when you buy split fins with stiffer blades cos they take a lot of discipline to maintain small flutter kicks if you are used big wide scissor kicks like me.

 

[wheezy]

Do I even need to state my opinion in this thread?

Well for those of you that haven't heard it... ATOMICS rule.. quite simply the best performing fin I've ever used.

The are MUCH stiffer than any of the other fins mentioned.

I can't stand the appollo's... I always tell people, hook up with a local dive club and try to borrow a pair before you decide on something else.

If you have previous dive experience, they are pretty easy to transition into... if you are just starting out, you will pick it up almost immediately. The Zooms I think are just about the same thing.. have not used them YET... but now I MUST...

Good Luck

 

[tomcat]

Where I live, I managed to get the Zooms for the equivalent of US$87.50. Since they were practically the same cost as a good pair of paddles, I decided to get them. Try and beat that for a pair of splits!

Tried them out again in the pool last night and compared them directly with my Mares Rapidas (super stiff!) by changing fins every 5 minutes or so.

Came to the conclusion that the Zooms will give higher sustained speeds for half the effort. However, the way to do so, is not necessarily to increase the frequency of kicks at a much higher speed.

I found that what's important, is to maintain nicely formed strokes that allow the blades to cut through the water and fold nicely back (same technique as finning with paddles!). Finning too fast does not give the blades a chance to push against the water and tends to make the blades flop around uselessly.

Although the fin acts as a hydrofoil, it is different from how an airplane works as the lift IS the direction of travel. Therefore, forward motion is not a prequisite for the fins to work. Finning faster is not going to be efficient because what's more important is maintaining the smooth flow of water through the fins, using "complete" up down strokes of your kick cycle that don't leave the blades flopping midway.

 

[noshow]

Sorry I can not give you a head to head comparison on the Atomics vs. but I do own a pair of the atomics and like em' a lot. Absolutely no complaints and the fact that I paid 280 Canadian doesn't even erk me. I have been frog kicking in them and they feel like they ae not there as I fly by my fellow divers; great speed.

I agree to try head to head if possible but if you are like me, buck up and buy and be a proud owner! I love them! They look cool too!

No Show

 

[devjr]

Leisurepro lists the following Atomic fin. What does the "D" mean? TIA

ATOMIC SPLIT FINS BLACK (D) MD

 

[movieflick]

I was looking for this same comparison. and I found this head to head that found the opposite of the recs here. http://www.calvintang.com/blog/2006/08/fin-review-apollo-atomic-aquatics-scubapro-mares