I love my fins...

[paulwlee]

Before I talk about my Atomics, which I LOVE..
If you do primarily frog kicks or want to be able to do pretty good backwards swimming, the Jet fins seem to be the best choice.
If you are often in close quarters or places with lots of entanglement hazards, the Jet fin is again the best choice.

If the above doesn't apply to you, then I think split fins are really nice. I have Atomic split fins, and my impression is I can swim faster, and with less effort compared to my old Rocket fin clones. (Rocket fins are in turn near-clones of Jets)
I give up nothing in terms of maneuverability, and the only drawbacks are that they are longer and get in the way in tight areas, and backward swims don't work as well.

If you are interested in Xpert zooms, I urge you to take a look a the Atomics. The two are similar, but IMO, the Atomic has better foot pockets and buckles.

 

[DeCaf521]

yes i agee that the xpert zooms are very quick but do get in the way a LITTLE, most of the diving i do is open water... an occasional cave or tunnel but nothing to small. who are the atomics made by? r they the same basic shape, with the rigid rubber sides and the angle at the end of the boot?

 

[paulwlee]

DeCaf521 once bubbled...
yes i agee that the xpert zooms are very quick but do get in the way a LITTLE, most of the diving i do is open water... an occasional cave or tunnel but nothing to small. who are the atomics made by? r they the same basic shape, with the rigid rubber sides and the angle at the end of the boot?

Atomic Split fins are made my Atomic Aquatics. When split fins first came out, the other manufacturers (Apollo, Scubapro, etc.) all went with the very flexible splits, and Atomics were the only one with blades with comparable stiffness to paddle fins. They got some great reviews, and then, many manufacturers came out with what look like copies of Atomic splits! Although I have no way of knowing if they were in direct response to Atomic splits, the Xpert zooms are pretty similar.

The Atomics has a slightly larger blade, and I think I heard that they are very slightly stiffer compared to the Xpert zooms, giving more control. (The last fact is hearsay.) They did also come up with another version(Liqiud Blue or something) that's more flexible.

But as I mentioned, IMO Atomics just has better ergonomics, with way better buckles and an open-toe foot pocket that fits very well. I am actually regretting recommending the Tusa over the Atomics to a close friend before taking a closer look. (but he probably isn't diving that much to notice any difference.. )