Objective fin reviews?

[lmorin]

Despite above statements to the contrary, several objective tests of fins have been conducted. The Scuba Diving Magazine report mentioned above is one such. Any test for which the variable of interest is instrumentally measured (e.g., speed, thrust, time) is an "objective test." However, the "conclusions" presented from such tests are not objective. Form your own conclusions based on the results. Whether you believe the objective results or not is up to you. Whether the tests were conducted properly such that the data are valid is also something to consider.

Also, decide whether or not it is important to you that such and such a fin can propel a swimmer 0.1 mph faster than another fin can. Or, whether that fin enables speedy slalom swimming better than another. Personally, those measures of no importance to me because I dive at very slow speed, and often stop while looking for things or taking photos. IMHO, the biggest limitation of the various test results I have seen is that a lot of fin models of wide interest have not been comparably tested and most measures do not include energy expended by the diver.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Scuba diving mag tests or tested those items that were given to them to evaluate by the mfg's. To the best of my knowledge they never went out and actually bought a thing and paid retail. Many of their tests ignored those mfg's who did not give them anything. So to say they were objective is kinda hard to believe.

 

[elmer fudd]

I think that to get a truly objective test the measurements would have to be done on a machine and would have to be done for a variety of different kicks. It seems to me that with the right apparatus it would even be possible to measure things like helicopter kicks and back kicks as well as efficiency judged by energy output relative to lbs of thrust.

Of course each fin would have it's own power band as well and that would have to be taken into account, but I think it could be done.

 

[oldnotdead]

Rent some

 

[boulderjohn]

Scuba diving mag tests or tested those items that were given to them to evaluate by the mfg's. To the best of my knowledge they never went out and actually bought a thing and paid retail. Many of their tests ignored those mfg's who did not give them anything. So to say they were objective is kinda hard to believe.

They not only ignored them, they panned them. Rodale's lost a lawsuit over this, which effectively showed this to be true.

 

[Bob Evans]

boulderjohn, I will always remember the Federal Judge stating " The editorial against Force Fin would have a stinging effect on our business" Year's later I realize how profound her statement was. The story that was never covered was the level of espionage against us. Thanks for bringing to the surface a story that changed my life and Company for the worst.

 

[Lepomis]

"Life is just a series of approximations!" The perfect test of fins doesn't exist, but we've at least gotten some good, relatively-objective information.

I myself have now tested over 70 different brands/models of fins over the past several years, partly independently and also for a few years as a member of the original Scuba Lab fin-testing team. I did my testing with UW speedometers for speed and also did efficiency, static thrust, and ergonomic tests of the fins. I think I have been minimally biased because I only wanted to find out what worked best for my own diving and I didn't care which fins that happened to be. I was not paid by any company or advertiser and had no vested interests in any of them.

I posted UW photos of some of my gear testing techniques, including the UW speedometer with air-integrated computer (Suunto Cobra) and stopwatch, with a report on tests I ran of the Halcyon backplate/wings, but that report is currently down with scubadiving.com's archives, which are dead. I might re-post it later, but don't have time at the moment.

The most recent (but now old) central gateway to my independent tests is at:
Fins -- Main Page
(Unfortunately, several of the links in that old report are broken because some of the particular reports were posted on scubadiving.com and their archives are dead, as indicated above. I hope to eventually re-post the ones from scubadiving.com on a different server, but have not gotten around to it yet.)

My latest fin-testing report, for the ScubaPro Seawing Novas, Twin Jet Max, and Aqua Lung SlingShots is at:
My tests of 3 recent ScubaPro and AquaLung fins

I'll add just a few bottom-line comments here:

It is difficult to generalize about categories of fins, such as "paddle" vs "split" because there is so much variability among different kinds within each category, particularly depending on the materials that the fins are made of. Fins "out of the same mold" can vary because of different materials or even different batches of the same material!

Regular Jets in particular are a good case in point. I have tested several pairs of Jets through the years. I got highly variable results depending on the particular pair being tested, which in turn appeared to vary with the batch of rubber that they were made with (the regular Jets have been made over a long period, in different manufacturing locations including both US and Mexico, and with many different batches of rubber). Jets also seem to depend on size, with the XL being better, and smaller ones, such as M, being too stiff. Depending on the variability in materials and size, some of the Jets I've tested have been among the best fins I've ever tested and some were among the worst, with most being somewhere in between.

ScubaPro's Twin Jets provide another excellent example of the different performances resulting from different materials. Despite being identical in form and shape, the black Twin Jets are great fins whereas the gray and other-colored (yellow, etc.) are awful because they are too soft.

The only relatively-consistent finding is that full-foot fins in general are better than open-heel fins, but full-foot fins are limited to use where you don't need to wear boots, such as in boat diving in warm water.

In my personal opinion:

The three top open-heel fins for general scuba diving purposes are the Apollo bio-fin pro, ScubaPro Seawing Nova (although they can be slippery on boats and decks), and ScubaPro Twin Jet (but only in the black version and definitely NOT the Twin Jet Max [see the link above]).

For technical diving I recommend the good old regular Jets (if you can find one of the good pairs ... it's a crap shoot) or a good clone such as the OMS Slipstream. Note: some of the clones, such as the Aqualung Rockets have NOT tested good for me.

For full-foot fins, there are many good ones and only a few that I would not recommend (such as the full-foot Twin Jet colored ones [gray, yellow, etc.] which are too soft). The main issue in full-foot fins is fit -- be sure to try them on your feet before buying. A proper full-foot fit is snug but not too tight and definitely not too loose. I wear full-foot fins a lot when on boats in warm water. I myself wear a pair of socks (such as low-cut sports socks) for comfort and to prevent chaffing of the skin.

DSAO -- with good fins
Jim Grier

 

[uncleavi]

I wish I could give you an objective review but, I only dive with Fins made by Bob Evans.
I have dived all over the world and don't want to try other fins.
I will say that I loved Australia!

 

[diver 85]

Looks like the OPs fin 'problem' started in Jan(see post 'need help in buying 1st fins' linked below) & got put on the back burner till just before going...wonder what he decided on???.....

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/search.php?searchid=11418521

 

[David Wilson]

The main issue in full-foot fins is fit -- be sure to try them on your feet before buying. A proper full-foot fit is snug but not too tight and definitely not too loose. I wear full-foot fins a lot when on boats in warm water. I myself wear a pair of socks (such as low-cut sports socks) for comfort and to prevent chaffing of the skin. DSAO -- with good fins Jim Grier

I too prefer full-foot fins when I snorkel in the cold waters of the North Sea off a sandy beach in the North East of England. They were the fins of choice when I began snorkelling here in Europe in the late 1950s and they offer both comfort and a perfect match for my gentle swimming style now I'm in my sixties. I wear them over vintage drysuit socks, but it's possible to wear something a little more robust with them, as the image below shows:

There's something of a cultural difference between East and West when it comes to choosing whether to go for open-heel or full-foot. Full-foot fins are more popular in the Far East. Full-foot Gull Mew fins, made in Japan, have the different sizings for barefoot and booted wear embossed on their soles.

You are right, Jim, to place emphasis on the importance of sizing full-foot fins correctly. I agree that it's ideal to try full-foot fins on before purchase, but it isn't always possible because LDS don't always stock traditional full-foots. So the only alternative may be to order online and hope for the best. To cover such circumstances, it would be a good idea for full-foot fin manufacturers to comply with the German Standard for Swim Fins, DIN 7876 of October 1980. The Standard focuses on foot pocket sizing, based on the image below:

Foot length and foot width are both measured in centimetres. DIN 7876 then stipulates, in tabular form, which range of foot width should go with which foot length. These measurements would be embossed on the fins. This information would help people with narrow or broad feet who are contemplating buying full-foot fins. Sadly, fin manufacturers appear to treat such data as trade secrets. There are one or two exceptions, though. Below is a picture of the sole of a pair of Cressi Pro-Rubber full foot fins, recently auctioned online:

Embossed there can be found the following data:

Hardness: 85-90 Sh. U.T.S. 140 kg/cm. Elastic Efficiency 25%. Specific Weight 1.15.

I don't know any other fin providing, for example, the blade stiffness in shores.

To sum up, I'm very dubious about the reliability and validity of fin testing, not least because fins aren't normally worn for speed, but for power, manoeuvrability and endurance. Those can be very subjective criteria, which depend to a large degree on the swimmer's strength and skill. However, I see no reason why manufacturers shouldn't offer more objective information about their fins beyond basic sizing (too often the meaningless XL!). Let's have data too on the internal length and width of foot pockets, blade length, foot pocket stiffness, blade stiffness, overall weight, overall length (useful when packing luggage) and year of manufacture. Is that too much to ask?