Fourth Element tech fins, straps are quite tight

[Moby Dickins]

Just got a pair of these in L. The stainless steel spring straps feel pretty tight. A bit of a process to get them on and off. Do these sorts of straps loosen up over time? The fin seems to fit well otherwise.

 

[landphil]

Yup, they are a little tight. And they never really loosen up. I switched mine out for the longest size Highland spring straps - Highland Technical Spring Straps — XS Scuba - Everything For The Perfect Dive - That gets you about an extra inch. But I mainly switched cause I wanted to get rid of that giant rubber hook on the back of my heel. It was a transect tape magnet that would constantly ensnare the tape and mess up data collection.

The Fourth Element Tech Fins use Jet Fin style strap mounts. So, you can also easily trade out those springs for a set of bungees (I did that for the set I use for travel.)

If you want some super primitive DIY, you can also punch out the pins that hold the ends of the spring assembly together on one of the sides and untie the cave line that stops you from overstretching the spring. Then you can try to loosen it up by overstretching it until it feels right. And finish it all up by retying the cave line and reassembling the pins.

 

[Moby Dickins]

I'm wondering if I should have just gotten the scuba pro jet fins in the first place. I didn't want something super heavy, just somewhat negatively buoyent.

 

[NothingClever]

I'm wondering if I should have just gotten the scuba pro jet fins in the first place. I didn't want something super heavy, just somewhat negatively buoyent.

I have a pair of the Fourth Element tech fins. I dived them once and quickly had to acknowledge they were an impulse purchase. If I had taken a second to think, I wouldn't have bought them. They're too soft and too light to be of any value for technical diving.

 

[landphil]

I'm wondering if I should have just gotten the scuba pro jet fins in the first place. I didn't want something super heavy, just somewhat negatively buoyent.

I have a pair of the Fourth Element tech fins. I dived them once and quickly had to acknowledge they were an impulse purchase. If I had taken a second to think, I wouldn't have bought them. They're too soft and too light to be of any value for technical diving.

If you bought your FE Tech Fins as a replacement for something like Jets or Eddys you’ll be a little undergunned pushing around the big gear. I got mine to use as a tech/rec compromise for single tank diving, cause really stiff fins felt uncomfortable on long surface swims. They feel pretty nice frog or flutter kicking, but don’t have that instant power you get from stiffer tech fins. It did take a bit of practice to make them backfin; where my old Eddys would get you moving backwards even with the worst technique.

 

[Moby Dickins]

Well they haven't been used, I think it was a bit of an impulse purchase. I do want something that I can eventually use for doubles and more tech oriented stuff. So back to the store they go.

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

The Fourth Element Tech Fins use Jet Fin style strap mounts. So, you can also easily trade out those springs for a set of bungees (I did that for the set I use for travel)

Where did you get your bungee straps from? These are one of the fins I'm considering for a set of travel fins.

 

[landphil]

Where did you get your bungee straps from? These are one of the fins I'm considering for a set of travel fins.

I just pulled out the springs and replaced them with some bungee cord from West Marine looped around the spring mount and tied together in back. It’s a pretty easy DIY setup

 

[NothingClever]

I do want something that I can eventually use for doubles and more tech oriented stuff. So back to the store they go.

That’s a smart decision from my perspective. They’re simply too soft to drive two or more cylinders.