Jet fin variations

[GyroHip]

Hi all,

I am looking into investing in a pair of jet fins and as you might know there are a couple of different makes available. What I would like to know is have you dived with more than one make and which did you like the most and why.

The reason being that somebody adviced me to go with the scubapro make and no other. I was obviously looking at the price differance between the scubapro fins and that of saekodive and ast (I think that is the make). Also looking and thinking that they all are pretty similar and basically piece of rubber there could not be much difference in performance and durability.

Am I wrong and if so please highlight what I am missing.

Thanks

 

[Walter]

Scubapro makes Jet Fins. There are no other brands available. You may find similar fins, but they are not Jet Fins.

 

[CRDiver]

Scubapro makes Jet Fins. There are no other brands available. You may find similar fins, but they are not Jet Fins.

The patent on the original Jet Fins expired awhile back, and genuine copies, based on the original design, are available from XS Scuba. I'm also told the new OMS Slipstream fins have no perceptible difference between them and the Jet Fins, but I haven't personally tried them.

 

[whitedragon13]

I've used those, rocket, and white stag and a couple others when I was training for special ops. I don't recall one being any better than the other. I actually have a pair of white stags in my scuba bin...haven't used them for years.

 

[Walter]

The patent on the original Jet Fins expired awhile back, and genuine copies, based on the original design, are available from XS Scuba.

I'm aware of that. They are not, however, Jet Fins; they have a different name.

Rockets are similar in looks, but they don't compare in the water.

 

[GyroHip]

Okay Walter, what I was trying to get to is how does all these fins with similar to "Jet fins" compare to one another. I not even sure if the original "Jet fins" where made by scubapro as I have seen a pair of old fins on the weekend and they only had the name "Jet Fins" on them with no scubapro close by.

Anyway I just used the name because I thought people would understand to the style of fin I was refering too.

Hope this has cleared up any confusion and let those remarks role in.

Cheers

 

[Vie]

The original Scubapro Jetfins are negatively buoyant. Some copies, such as those made by IDI, are much lighter and/or positively buoyant.

 

[aquaoren]

Beuchat in France was making the same fin as Scubapro and selling them as Jetfins as well. They had Jetfin written where the Scubapro logo should have been.
I know that Poseidon makes/sells similar fins too. Whether they are exactly the same as the Jetfins, that I don't know

 

[wunat]

Though they look similar to most, I actually see the difference between the Scubapro Jet fin and those made by others. The vent on the fin are different. But I am not sure if they actually made the difference in the performance.

Tried the Scubapro-made before and I have to admit I love it. I am currently using a Rocket Fin so I will leave Scubapro Jet Fin as my FUTURE.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

SP Jet fins are something people either seem to love or hate. I have owned a pair since 1985 and they have been replaced several times, but after a while I always end up pulling the Jet Fins back out of the closet. There are some fins that will do one or two specific things better than a Jet Fin but I have never found a fin that would do everything as well as a Jet Fin.

I suspect that those few things that other fins can on occasion do better than a Jet Fin are the reasons why some divers who value those specific things to a high degree prefer other fins while divers who favor all around perfromance at a good to great level of efficiency stick with Jet Fins.

Comparing Jet Fin clones with the orginals has been equally contentious. Some divers feel the minor design differences and/or minor differences in rubber compounding don't make a difference while others swear that nothing performs like the originals.

So in short you are not going to get a definitive answer. But it will be entertaining to watch people argue about their opinions.

Personally, while some of the clones may be less expensive, I think Jet Fins are a better buy now than ever before. They are no longer sold as (or priced) as SP's top of the line fin, so in real dollars they are less expensive than in the past but still offer the same great performance. And SP Jets are still widely regarded as great fins so if you buy the originals you will probably never have to suffer any critisim about your choice in fins. Even divers who don't like them are not usually inclined to critisize you for choosing them.