Avanti Quattro questions...

[WOODMAN]

I am looking into getting Mares Avanti Quattro open heel fins in the near future, and have been trying to do my homework and search for them online. Almost everybody seems to be selling them, with a wide range of prices noted. But, I am not sure that these are all the same thing... There seems to be some variation between them, and model designations can be deceptive, where they are even mentioned at all. A lot of the confusion seems to be centered on the buckle system. Fins with their newer buckle seem to have the designation ABS in the name, and the even newer system with a secondary safety release on the buckle appear to be called ABS plus? You see various types of these for sale, and the pictures do not always show enough detail to show if the buckle has the safety release button or not. I get the feeling that some of these are older models which may not have the newer features. Also, sometimes I see the word PLANA mixed into the name of the fins, but not always. And, I just saw a listing for these fins which showed an entirely different strap system, which looked like spring straps or some variation factory mounted on the fins. Is this the new thing with these? Confusing, to say the least. Can someone give me a basic tutorial on these fins? Many thanks for your help. Woody

 

[Jungho Kim]

These are the Avanti Quattros with the ABS buckles... They are the ones I have but I replaced the ABS with Atomic Universal spring straps... They are great fins... Tried and true.

Mares Avanti Quattro Open Heel Fins

These are the newer version of the Quattros that Mares released with bungee straps... They are essentially the same fins with the exception of the straps and some cosmetics... I have not tried the bungee straps but knowing Mares, I am sure they work great...

Avanti quattro + - Open Heel - Mares

 

[Ste Wart]

I've got two pairs Quattros and now you've asked I can't remember what style each have (and it's too cold to go out to the shed).

Fairly sure one set has got the ABS with the red safety buckle. These are a PITA and I always leave them unlocked, as with cold fingers and fatigue at the end of a dive I'm not always in the mood to fiddle with them.

I think they other set has the plain grey and black buckles which are the older type (I bought these 2nd hand for my drysuit).

Essentially they are both solid buckles. But if you are looking at the older version she how worn the fin looks in the photos.

 

[616fun]

Quattro's are great fins. Buy the ones without the fancy buckles. Throw those away and add spring straps. I own 2 pair (one pair to fit wetsuit booties. Another for deysuit boots) and love them. I've moved to SP Jets in dry suit and doubles for their weight and ability to move my big a** through the water.

 

[hroark2112]

I did the same. I love the Quattro fins with the spring straps. I tried several different brands & styles of fins before buying, and these are by far my favorites to date.


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[lucky83]

You can't go wrong with the Quattros, it's a truly great fin. Mine are with the ABS Plus buckles, and they are a lot better and easier to handle than the old ABS buckles with the red insert (i think). I had them with my old avanti x3. I have not tried the bungee straps yet, but will very soon.

 

[Johanan]

Our dive store sells Avanti Plana Quattro. What does "Plana" stand for? Is it a different model or the same?

Here is a great video where you can see Avanti Quattro at work. I was fascinated.

 

[milbournosphere]

I had an earlier version of the Avanti (X3, I think?) fin and loved them. I had a beach entry...difficulty...and lost them when a rogue swell beat me up good. I happily bought the new version, which has these buckles:

To be frank, the buckle is a horrible design. They're hard enough to open with 3mm gloves in a clean situation; if any sand gets in there forget about it. A buddy has a set of Volo fins with the same buckle design and had to move to spring straps out of sheer frustration. I can't recommend any Mares fin with this buckle set unless you plan to also purchase spring straps.

For a comparison, here's the old buckle design on the X3s.

 

[jplenge]

I have the mares fins with the bungee strap. the bungee strap is the best strap i have used. is very comfortable and comes with removable extension so it can be adjusted a little to your boot size. i heard mares is planning to sell the extensions independently to accomodate more sizes. i think is nice not to have metal parts in the strap.

 

[kelpmustache]

For some reason I don't like he Mares Bungee strap. I feel like the part that touches my heal puts too much direct pressure on my tendons and I cramp really easily- Maybe thats just me/I might not be used to the fins yet, but I have not had this feeling before with the F1 spring strap for example.