Eddy Fin material break in?

[dave22387]

So I purchased a set of large Eddy's and they pressed on the bone on the top of my foot and became uncomfortable after about 20 minutes. They also squished my toes (size 10.5 shoe). I do have long bony feet... So I exchanged them for a set of XL which are a touch loose until i tightened the springs one notch. They now squish my toes just a touch but I think I can deal with that. The thing is they still push on the top of that bone on the top of my foot and I think it'll become uncomfortable after an hour or so. (haven't done a real dive with them yet, just the pool)

After comparing them to my beloved but incredibly heavy F1's, I've found the reason that my F1's do not create this pressure point is that the foot pocket is much more pliable with the softer rubber. The material on the Eddy's is super stiff like a hard plastic. The stinky thing is I love how stiff these fins are and LOVE the way they swim. They really are the perfect fin for when I am diving wet.

My question is to those of you who have been diving these a while, do these foot pockets break-in at all and soften up? I would hate to give these fins up due to a single pressure point. If they break in I can suck it up for a while because these fins are that good. Let me know!

 

[Anthony A.]

I've had mine for about a year and havent noticed them change in any way. I would say try some different boots. I had nice boots that fit well with my eddys, but once I switched to fourth element boots they fit like a glove in my size large. Zero pressure points and they feel attached to my body.

Btw, how do you compare the eddys to the f1? Are the eddys stiffer and if so, would you say they are more powerful in currents?

 

[jgttrey]

I've had mine for about a year and havent noticed them change in any way. I would say try some different boots. I had nice boots that fit well with my eddys, but once I switched to fourth element boots they fit like a glove in my size large. Zero pressure points and they feel attached to my body.

Btw, how do you compare the eddys to the f1? Are the eddys stiffer and if so, would you say they are more powerful in currents?

I agree on the boots. My Eddys have not appreciably changed. Different boots are the best bet. One of the things I like about them is that (unlike my F1s and Slipstreams) they have a more contoured foot pocket. The others look like they used a brick for a mold and, for me, are best for rock boots. The Eddys hve a pocket designed by someone that actually looked at a human foot first....

To Anthony's question, the F1s have significantly more oomph. Eddys are my #1 fav, but they give up a little on raw power compared to the F1. I use F1s with drysuit (power and negative buoyancy) and Eddys for everything else.

 

[dave22387]

I actually feel I get more bang for my buck out of the Eddy's. It is probably more technique than fin but I like the propulsion out of the Eddy's better. That being said if you have to flutter when you get blown off the anchor line I think the Hollis fins are a touch better.

I feel with a frog or back kick the Eddy's give more forward/backward movement per kick. It's probably because they're way stiffer.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I have the same problem with the Large Eddys making a pressure point on the top of my bony foot. (I think shoe people refer to the arched part of the foot between the toes and ankle as the "instep," so I will use that term.) When I first dived with my Eddys I thought they were the most comfortable fin I have ever used. And they are--so long as I'm not diving every day for a week or more. When I took them on a liveaboard, diving several times a day for a week, I developed two blister-like abrasions on my instep, i.e., at two pressure points. And yes, that was with lycra socks. I have also tried other socks, such as cycling socks, to no avail--if I dive enough, I get the blisters. I use a sturdy 5 mm bootie, and suspect the problem would be lessened if I were to use a thinner bootie. My feet are only US size 9 or 9.5. I am thinking I should be using an XL Eddy with the 5 mm bootie, but I would need a shorter spring.

 

[lexvil]

Most people are afraid to do it but you can reshape the foot pocket a little by placing the in boiling water to soften them up, springs off, when soft put your foot with the bootie you want to wear into the pocket, step on the blade with your other foot to give it a good push, pour cold water over it to rapid cool. I don’t have this pressure point problem but I have done this the widen the pocket slightly so they go on and off easier. I also have a pair with bungee that work great, you don’t really need a lot of pressure to keep fins one your foot.

 

[АлександрД]

I do not know about exact matherial of Eddy fins, but I suspect, it is thermoplastic...
(you can check it with thin tip of the fin)

You can try to use my method:
OMS Slipstream - overshoe rework

1.

2.

3.

 

[cerich]

So I purchased a set of large Eddy's and they pressed on the bone on the top of my foot and became uncomfortable after about 20 minutes. They also squished my toes (size 10.5 shoe). I do have long bony feet... So I exchanged them for a set of XL which are a touch loose until i tightened the springs one notch. They now squish my toes just a touch but I think I can deal with that. The thing is they still push on the top of that bone on the top of my foot and I think it'll become uncomfortable after an hour or so. (haven't done a real dive with them yet, just the pool)

After comparing them to my beloved but incredibly heavy F1's, I've found the reason that my F1's do not create this pressure point is that the foot pocket is much more pliable with the softer rubber. The material on the Eddy's is super stiff like a hard plastic. The stinky thing is I love how stiff these fins are and LOVE the way they swim. They really are the perfect fin for when I am diving wet.

My question is to those of you who have been diving these a while, do these foot pockets break-in at all and soften up? I would hate to give these fins up due to a single pressure point. If they break in I can suck it up for a while because these fins are that good. Let me know!

what type of boot. I am a 10.5 and depends on boot what size fits. some a LG some a XL

 

[Brian Roebuck]

I had the same problem (bruised the top of my feet) . Returned the fins and boots to exchange from lg fins/ size 10 3mm boots, for xl/11. the size 10 boots fit ok ( a little snug but not uncomfortable for my 10.5 feet ) but I decided to go up a size as they wouldn't allow for my lava core socks which may have helped add a little cushioning. I asked Landon about it and he offered the heat gun option for a fix, but I figured I'd try a larger size before trying to custom reform them and possibly damaging them. Aside from this I was happy with their performance. Took them out on a Drift dive off Palm Beach and while there was a decent current, I was able to move about with relative ease even against/across the current. Looking forward to trying them again, but will bring my RK3's as backup next time. Fingers crossed for a better fit.

 

[RayfromTX]

I have a friend with the bone on top of the arch issue and they tried the heat gun method. It worked well to reform the top of the fin but was still uncomfortable. The method shown below was the answer and now they can dive the flippers in comfort.