First time participating in a Force Fins thread. Who knew this was such serious stuff. I imagine if this discussion took place in a bar rather than a diving website it would lead to a quality brawl including smashing beer mugs and smacking people across their face with "flippers".
I haven't tried or let alone seen a pair of Force Fin so I can't offer any opinion other than they do appear to be pricey, but I'm sure the quality is there. Whether it's justified for the amount of added performance I don't know. They do look cool.
To the OP, you asked for a comparison, which I can't do for the aforementioned reason, but I can offer you my thoughts on the two fins I've ever owned. DiveRite XT open heeled fins and Cressi Garra full foot pocket freediving fins. Yes, freediving fins can be an excellent choice for scuba.
The XT's are a great choice for travel, shore diving and while I'm not a cave/wreck pene. diver I imagine they would be a good choice for those dives as well. IMO, they provide a descent balance between thrust and control. I certainly feel like I have much better control over my kicks and can make small adjustments to my postion in the water compared to long fins. They also seem to be of a higher quality than many other fins I've seen. They certainly allow for alternative kicks, something a long fin lacks.
Now, my Cressi Garra fins, I absolutely love them. Most of my diving is in the ocean hunting and when I used them for the first time I was blown away with the performance. They are now my go to fin for nearly any dive. It takes a little getting used to kicking from your leg rather than your calf/ankle which is usually the cause of cramping for many divers and a common bad habit for new divers, but once you get it down you'll have no issues. It's actually a good thing because long fins force you to use a proper kick. They do have a lot more surface area and therefore require more use of your muscles, but if you have any sort of athleticism or do any sort of aerobics, jogging, etc. you won't be susceptible to leg muscle fatigue. Long fins are the go to choice for not only freedivers, but scuba spearos as well. There's a reason for that.
That said, long fins certainly would be a poor choice for certain types of dives. Cave and wreck penetration or even possibly macro reef diving would be some examples. Some consideration must be made for how your fin may damage coral. Up close photography being one. I think donning them in the surf for a shore dive would be a mistake as well. But for cruising reefs and ledges, covering ground, managing currents, chasing down fish, they are my go to fins.
As with many things, you need the right tool for the job and there's no reason you can't have more than one set of fins.
Hope this helps.
