Fin Recommendation

[HoJam]

I'm sure there are a million threads, but i figured I'd start another. My wife and I are in the market for some new fins (open heel). we primarily dive in warm waters but we do live in canada and will make some dives in colder water. We both frog kick. Every dive shop suggests we go with the scubapro Jet Fins while more "online review pages" suggest that the Mares Qauttro Avanity or Quattro Excel Plus fins are also recommend. I suppose if you own or use any feel free to your opinion, but I'm really hoping someone has tried or owns both and can tell me what they like and dislike about both.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Mike1967]

Depends how floaty or heavy your feet are.
I have Jets and they're very negative, good with drysuit.
I also have RK3s and love them, they're neutral and are great for warm water diving. They have a HD version that are slightly negative if you need more weight.
I don't own Avanti Quattros but have heard good things, they're neutral.

 

[Addicted2H2O]

Hollis F1 "Batfins". Though they're pretty heavy and fairly long as compared to others. And until you get used to them, your calves may not like you very much after a few consecutive dives. But great for really any kick you want to use because the blade has the right combination of stiffness & flexibility and they have a very large side rail that's great for backfinning when you need. If you don't necessarily need the negative weight, the F1 LT (lighter version) is a bit closer to neutral, although I can't really comment on how much different they feel because I only dive the standard F1's.

I don't have any experience with them, but the Deep Six Eddy's come very highly recommended here on SB, too. I can't justify buying another set of fins at this point, but they're definitely on the short list. I'm sure others here will chime in and recommend them.

 

[UTscuba]

I have a pair of hollis F1s and found them a great fin but too heavy for me personally, even with my drysuit,

I switched to OMS slipstreams, similar properties for finning, still negative, but not as heavy so was a good fit for me

 

[MPaul]

I love my Apeks RK3s, and the HD version is there if you need a fin with more weight.

If your LDS has a few different pairs you like in their rental fleet, I suggest trying them out and seeing what feels good in the water. I did this with a pair of ScubaPro Seawing Novas I was considering only to find out I did not like how they felt at all. Dodged a ~$200 bullet!

 

[fxb]

I own Hollis F1s and Scubapro Seawing Novas. I love them both. The F1s are quite negative but great all-around. I wear them exclusively on my drysuit owing to the negativity. I use the Novas in any warm water they are extremely comfortable but harder to backfin than the F1s (frog kick is no problem). They are also slightly positively buoyant which is nice for not losing them and also for trim (for me, anyway). I have used the Novas on my drysuit too. I know that Hollis makes "clones" of the F1s in various sizes and materials for different buoyancy characteristics. Cannot comment on the Jetfins.

So I guess for warm water I would definitely recommend the Seawing Novas. They're awesome. Or if not, I would still steer you towards a blade style fin that's not very negative, if positive that's even better. It just makes trimming out in warm water easier in my experience and you can always add ankle weights when needed in cold water. I feel like if I took my F1s down to the Florida Keys or something I would have a hard time staying horizontal without making my cylinder absurdly high.

Anyway... just my $0.02. I like @MPaul 's suggestion of trying out a few different types. Do you have any diving friends who you could ask to try their fins? The dive shop may be willing to point you towards a few people as well, especially if you are regularly taking classes with them, doing trips, participating in local events, etc....

 

[David Novo]

I was recommended Deep Six Eddy fins here when I asked the same question and I am 100% satisfied.

 

[runsongas]

d6 eddy, hollis f1 LT, dive rite XT, or scubapro go fins

the hollis f2s have some fans but I am not one of them

 

[scubadada]

I dived Quattros for several years and liked them very much. I switched to Dive Rite XTs 5 or 6 years ago and have used them ever since, perfect for me. I think fin choice is personal, too bad it is not easier to try out multiple brands/models

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

Mares Avanti Quattro.