Force Fins "The ultimate fins" or are they?
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I have regular force fins (they suck) a total waste of $$$
i also have extra force fins, not much better,
only good for tight spaces and manuveability, i teach in them because they slow me down, and i can stand and walk on bottem during skills
i much prefer my old us divers blades, or any rigid fin, not a fan of splits
but force fins make me feel like i am spinning my wheels
their best feature is easy on/ off in my drysuit, besides that
two thumbs down
i also have extra force fins, not much better,
only good for tight spaces and manuveability, i teach in them because they slow me down, and i can stand and walk on bottem during skills
i much prefer my old us divers blades, or any rigid fin, not a fan of splits
but force fins make me feel like i am spinning my wheels
their best feature is easy on/ off in my drysuit, besides that
two thumbs down
ForceFins take advantage of many features that no other fin does, and what little research has been done on the subject clearly proves it. The main study is a US Navy Sponsored study that only parts of are available, navy_study or Kinematic Comparison of Swimming With Two Different Dive Fin Designs and an interesting bit from a guy named Grier. He noted
First, the Footpocket- by only wrapping about the arch of your foot it harnesses the power of your abs, glutes, and quads, all very large muscle groups that can provide lots of power easily and tire slowly, other fins load the calves and hamstrings which tire and cramp quickly. Second, the shape, the upturned blade maximized surface area and power on the downstroke and relieves strain during the recovery stroke, this reduces cramping and further reduces strain on the hamstrings minimizing the production of lactic acid. Third- Materials, the cast urethanes that ForceFins are made from have significant rebound, this means that when you stop your kick at the end of the power stroke the fin keeps pushing (no other fin can do that).
As far as speed and power goes, that depends on the diver, a strong swimmer that is used to the natural kick of ForceFins is extremely fast and powerful, someone that is used to the knee kicking of most fins will be terrible, the Natural Kick that ForceFins use is completely different than other fins and takes time (3-5 dives) to relearn how to kick. For example- in a test I participated in last summer for Spearing magazine- when I wore the ForceFin Pro, I produced 51 pounds of static thrust and was over a second faster (in a 10 second long event) than any other scuba fin tested. In comparison the Atomic Smoke on the Water did about 45# and Mares Superchannel about 46#, the other divers although their numbers were slower and lower had similar results. Of course, I have compared many Long blades, Jets, Mares, Mor-fin, Blades, Slingshot, Tusa, and many many many others, I've been doing this for 10 years now.
As far a speedy kicks goes, well no, they are not splits, Splits require a very high kick rate and they can go quite fast, however, no one I have ever met can maintain the high kick rate and tire quickly. ForceFins do require a higher kick rate than paddle fins but much lower kick rate than splits. The only fins that I have found to date that will match the performance of ForceFins are long blade freediving fins, and those aren't really appropriate to many scuba applications. The endurance of ForceFins is fantastic, for example I just did a mile swim yesterday (25 yard pool) and did half over/half under for each length in just over 16 minutes and my legs are as fresh as when I started.
Are they the Ulitmate Fin, well I doubt it, but they are as close to one as I have found. Hence the reason I currently own 7 pairs of them, Pros, Foils, Extra TanDelta, Excellerating TanDelta, Military SD-1, and 2 pairs of Flying Force. Of course in the back of the closet, I have Superchannels, Avanti Tre, Jets, Black Tigers, and long ago threw the Cressi Gara, Atomic Splis, and sold my pair of Apollo Bio-fins.
On this board, you are going to find just as many people that love ForceFins as Splits, and just as many that hate them... the only way to know for sure is to test them for yourself, For this reason, ForceFin offers a 30day money back garuentee. You dive them for 30days, if you still don't like them, they will buy them back.
The best fin from the ForceFin lineup... well that depends on you. the best one for 90% of divers is the ForceFin Pro. This fin will easily match the performance (meaning speed) of the best splits, but you don't sacrifice the maneuverability and control of Paddles. This fin is a little more than most top end fins, by about $20-$30. Plus they are smaller and lighter (better for travel) than pretty much everything on the market. And if you buy a comfort instep, you can wear the same fin Barefoot or take it out to wear a bootie, giving you the flexibility to only need 1 fin for any conditions.
"Force Fins remain somewhat of an enigma to me. They appear to have a greater learning-and-familiarity bias (both for and against, by those divers who like or dislike them, respectively) than other fins. When I (and other non-Force Fin users) tested them, the fins did well but were not exceptional and had other aspects of feel and fit that we did not like. However, I know many divers who love them. One person who I recruited to test fins side by side with other fins and alongside me (with us diving as buddies at the same time), and who has years of experience using Force Fins, did very well with them -- better than with the other fins, including the bio-fins (although the bio-fins were the next-best fins for him). I am interested in eventually doing further paired tests with Force Fins, including with other experienced Force Fins users, using more sophisticated efficiency tests to better evaluate and understand them"
First, the Footpocket- by only wrapping about the arch of your foot it harnesses the power of your abs, glutes, and quads, all very large muscle groups that can provide lots of power easily and tire slowly, other fins load the calves and hamstrings which tire and cramp quickly. Second, the shape, the upturned blade maximized surface area and power on the downstroke and relieves strain during the recovery stroke, this reduces cramping and further reduces strain on the hamstrings minimizing the production of lactic acid. Third- Materials, the cast urethanes that ForceFins are made from have significant rebound, this means that when you stop your kick at the end of the power stroke the fin keeps pushing (no other fin can do that).
As far as speed and power goes, that depends on the diver, a strong swimmer that is used to the natural kick of ForceFins is extremely fast and powerful, someone that is used to the knee kicking of most fins will be terrible, the Natural Kick that ForceFins use is completely different than other fins and takes time (3-5 dives) to relearn how to kick. For example- in a test I participated in last summer for Spearing magazine- when I wore the ForceFin Pro, I produced 51 pounds of static thrust and was over a second faster (in a 10 second long event) than any other scuba fin tested. In comparison the Atomic Smoke on the Water did about 45# and Mares Superchannel about 46#, the other divers although their numbers were slower and lower had similar results. Of course, I have compared many Long blades, Jets, Mares, Mor-fin, Blades, Slingshot, Tusa, and many many many others, I've been doing this for 10 years now.
As far a speedy kicks goes, well no, they are not splits, Splits require a very high kick rate and they can go quite fast, however, no one I have ever met can maintain the high kick rate and tire quickly. ForceFins do require a higher kick rate than paddle fins but much lower kick rate than splits. The only fins that I have found to date that will match the performance of ForceFins are long blade freediving fins, and those aren't really appropriate to many scuba applications. The endurance of ForceFins is fantastic, for example I just did a mile swim yesterday (25 yard pool) and did half over/half under for each length in just over 16 minutes and my legs are as fresh as when I started.
Are they the Ulitmate Fin, well I doubt it, but they are as close to one as I have found. Hence the reason I currently own 7 pairs of them, Pros, Foils, Extra TanDelta, Excellerating TanDelta, Military SD-1, and 2 pairs of Flying Force. Of course in the back of the closet, I have Superchannels, Avanti Tre, Jets, Black Tigers, and long ago threw the Cressi Gara, Atomic Splis, and sold my pair of Apollo Bio-fins.
On this board, you are going to find just as many people that love ForceFins as Splits, and just as many that hate them... the only way to know for sure is to test them for yourself, For this reason, ForceFin offers a 30day money back garuentee. You dive them for 30days, if you still don't like them, they will buy them back.
The best fin from the ForceFin lineup... well that depends on you. the best one for 90% of divers is the ForceFin Pro. This fin will easily match the performance (meaning speed) of the best splits, but you don't sacrifice the maneuverability and control of Paddles. This fin is a little more than most top end fins, by about $20-$30. Plus they are smaller and lighter (better for travel) than pretty much everything on the market. And if you buy a comfort instep, you can wear the same fin Barefoot or take it out to wear a bootie, giving you the flexibility to only need 1 fin for any conditions.
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I love my Force Fins but, if a diver is convinced that they don't work then they are locked in that way of thinking. I love my Force Fins and use them teaching and guiding in Alaska. I have done tech diving with them and worked on a Liveaboard in the Caymans. I have used many diiferent fins over the years and Force Fins are my choice.
I have Extra Force and Forcefin Pros. I enjoy them both. Pros are easy to travel with; Extras are easier to dive with. Don't listen to the endless BS that will trail this post. Try them yourself for more than one dive. They are great. People who bad mouth products usually have an axe to grind. (And product performance is usually not that axe).
Bob Evans
Contributor
MEIERDIERCH, Thanks .
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joshuajw1:
joshuajw1:
You can kick fast with any fin. I have no idea why you'd want to do so, the only thing is accomplishes is wearing you out. Slow kicks are much more efficient.
joshuajw1:
Scubapro Lightning Jet Fins
joshuajw1:
I have no idea. I never want to go fast. Do some research on speed in water, you'll slow down and enjoy your dives more.
widget
Contributor
I dont know much about Force Fins haveing never used them, I have seen them at trade shows like Dema and occassionally on a recreational dive in the USA but never in Europe or elsewhere.
What interests me is the idea behind them and why no other manufacturer has made a similar type of fin. Lets be honest, Split fins hit the market and every manufacturer wanted in as the fin actually worked well for a huge portion of the diving population, bladed fins have been around for ever and are still been pumped out and sold everywhere, surely if all the claims made by the manufacturers of Force fins were proveable some of the big name brands would be looking to market them under their own name??
I have been in this game for over 30 years, and have seen many odd "inventions" hit the market, some survive in a minimal capacity most just disappear,it seems the Force Fin has been around for quite a few years but maybe never hit "mainstream" - why would this be so I wonder.?
What interests me is the idea behind them and why no other manufacturer has made a similar type of fin. Lets be honest, Split fins hit the market and every manufacturer wanted in as the fin actually worked well for a huge portion of the diving population, bladed fins have been around for ever and are still been pumped out and sold everywhere, surely if all the claims made by the manufacturers of Force fins were proveable some of the big name brands would be looking to market them under their own name??
I have been in this game for over 30 years, and have seen many odd "inventions" hit the market, some survive in a minimal capacity most just disappear,it seems the Force Fin has been around for quite a few years but maybe never hit "mainstream" - why would this be so I wonder.?
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