Mares Volo Fins ... any good?

[Dive Pirate]

I just signed up for my open water certification and my wife had bought me a pair of Mares Volo fins for snorkling last summer. I haven't had a chance to try them out yet. Are these good fins? My instructor was trying to get me to dump them and get Scubapro Jetfins. How do these two compare?

 

[RICHinNC]

You are going to get a ton of different answers. Some will like them and some will hate them. The key is...how do they work for you.

I have tried them and did not think they were half as good and efficient as my Mares Avantis...... but if they work for you great.

Welcome to the board by the way

 

[jefffalcone]

I've never tried them, but scubalab rates them as the best performing paddle fin they've ever tested. All of the split fins they tested tested better, however.

 

[Wolverine]

I have both the Jetfins and the Volo Power fins. I don't use my jets regularly anymore. The Volos provide more thrust if you kick the right way (modified flutter). Jets are heavy and negative. They can be useful in certain environments where short fins are required or if you need to be upright. They are also useful for drysuit diving. Since I live and dive in the tropics, I haven't had a need to bring them out for a while. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[Dive-aholic]

There's not much to compare. They are 2 different fins that can be good in their own good in different situations.

The only problem I've found with the volos is they're aren't very powerful because they're not very stiff. They're not a bad fin to start off with. I wouldn't buy a set of jets just because your instructor tells you to.

Get certified in your volos and try them for a while. Then try out some other fins while you're out diving with friends. You might like jets or you might not. Personally, I like my jets when I'm diving dry or 7mm. But if I'm diving warm water in a shorty, I dive my quattros. The jets are just too heavy and too much fin in a shorty.

Bottom line, don't spend a ton of money before you get certified. You'll just end up changing gear in a year or so anyway.

 

[shellbackdiver1]

I use a floppy pair of full foot volvos for traveling only. The full foots are not much good for anything but drift dives.

 

[miketsp]

..snip..
The only problem I've found with the volos is they're aren't very powerful because they're not very stiff. They're not a bad fin to start off with.
..snip..

Agree 100%.
Any hinging fin like the Volos or the Dacor line (Panthers etc) uses the hinge to increase efficiency at low power levels. So at low speed you will get a good impulse with low muscle effort. For a beginner they're good because it's very rare to get cramps with this type of fin even with unconditioned muscles.
OTOH when you really need a short term max power thrust, it's just not there. The first time I found this out was in a rescue situation towing another diver away from some rocks in a current and the fins just hinged to 90 degrees without generating any additional thrust no matter how hard I paddled.

 

[Trickie Dickie 99]

I just signed up for my open water certification and my wife had bought me a pair of Mares Volo fins for snorkling last summer. I haven't had a chance to try them out yet. Are these good fins? My instructor was trying to get me to dump them and get Scubapro Jetfins. How do these two compare?

I've had a pair since SEptember. They are brilliant. It feels as though you aren't wearing anything, except you are zooming around like a....zooming thing. If your Missus has bought you a pair, give them a try, you can always replace em.

No cramps either.

 

[Dive-aholic]

It feels as though you aren't wearing anything, except you are zooming around like a....zooming thing.

But then you're missing a lot of stuff on your dive. You'll see so much more just gliding along slowly.

 

[vel525]

I dove with the volos for the past few years but my biggest complaint was that when/if i needed to move quickly the hinge would just bend to 90 degrees and i couldn't move any faster. i recently switched to the jet fins and i prefer them over the volos because i feel that the jets are better at transferring the energy into the water (if that makes sense). as in, if i kick hard the fin propels me noticebly faster/further.

but as many others have already said, fins are about personal preference. i would dive them for a year before replacing them. and you can always try other fins along the way.