Please Tell me That This is a Joke ?

[Gale68]

Just who the hell is Bob Evans anyhow? Does he dive in your world? Certainly not mine!

(Hastily I don my flame-retardant suit)

As it happens, he DOES dive in MY world. We met on a dive trip in 2001, when he noticed that I was using Force Fins, and we have been friends ever since. That's how I know the Force Fin "boardroom" consists of a pine kitchen table in the home of two very fine people. So that's full disclosure on my bias entering into this thread.

Now.

You could get FIVE Kia Rios for the price of just one 2008 Ford Shelby 500GT. For the price of a Hybrid, you could buy bicycles by the score. Somewhere there's an automotive thread with some talking about what a bunch of rubes those people are who paid more for their car than he did for his.

A quick review of Force Fin's website shows the prices for their scuba fins range from $189.95 for the originals, to the offending $786.25 for Excellerating Force Tan Deltas. Forcefin rep Blair Mott does a fine job of explaining where your fin-buying dollars are going in his posts here: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/force-fin/221715-inside-out.html and here: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/force-fin/220832-materials-poly-who.html

I was a Force Fin user before I met Bob, and I've since seen their facilities, met their employees, and had many a late-night conversation about, among other things, the challenges of working within the dive industry. I've known a lot of people in the dive industry, and I've seen the passion that the best of them bring to their work. Believe it or not, there are still people who believe in what they're selling because it's their life's work, and if they didn't believe in it they would have long since found an easier way to make a buck. Another good friend always used to say the way to make a small fortune in the dive business is to start with a large one.

It's fine with me if you think $800 is too much to pay for a pair of fins. I hope you don't mind my sharing my perspective.

Gale

 

[ERIC.K]

Gale, I believe that no one here is personally attacking Mr. Evans, and I'm certain that he is quite the nice person....but with all due respect we are talking about $800.00 fins not Ford 500GTs. I think...and I'm not trying to put words in people's mouths but many of us are seasoned divers and currently it seems as though the scuba market is forcing new products that have very little or no use to us at all. My Mares Quattros, and My Scubapro Jetfins have more than accelerated me through some fairly hairy situations, and never have I got back to the boat and wished I had $800.00 fins, unless they are attatched to a classic Chevy. I say save the $800.00 for a plane ticket to Rotaan or something, lastly I cannot even fathom how much trouble I would be in if I brought my sparkling new $800.00 fins home to my wife. Wait I can see it now, these fins are some type of scam to get newbies to buy the latest in fin technology....that will keep those dive shops open in the midwest!

 

[The Kraken]

At last !!!! I've found the fins for me !!! Now, if I could only find a NEW HUB and a DataMask to go with them !!!

the K-onsumate K-onsumer

 

[james croft]

Do not be fooled by the term Tan Delta Polyurethane. That is just some fancy lingo for Flubber which you can easily make in a kitchen lab. The formula can easily be found on the internet. I have made my own fins out of it that allow me to save on airfare to exotic dive destinations and even made an air tank out of it. I only needed to make one tank because it has never run out of air.
Experiencing Chemistry at OMSI: Flubber

 

[smoothfin]

Just who the hell is Bob Evans anyhow? Does he dive in your world? Certainly not mine!

yah, Bob Evans, had breakfast there once.
www.BobEvans.com; Family Restaurants, Sausage and Food Product Sales, Family Recipes

 

[james croft]

I had a friend who went diving after eating a hearty breakfastat Bob Evan's restaurant. He did not wait the required half hour before entering the water after eating. It could have ended badly but he happened to be wearing the autographed fins and they immediately accelerated him back to the shore where the deadly cramps subsided.

 

[meesier42]

....but with all due respect we are talking about $800.00 fins not Ford 500GTs. I think...and I'm not trying to put words in people's mouths but many of us are seasoned divers and currently it seems as though the scuba market is forcing new products that have very little or no use to us at all. My Mares Quattros, and My Scubapro Jetfins have more than accelerated me through some fairly hairy situations, and never have I got back to the boat and wished I had $800.00 fins,

well, I have finally decided to go ahead and say something in this string,
you say we are talking about $800 fins, well I say we are talking about $149 fins, at least that is what Scuba.com is selling the original ForceFin for. That is the fin comparable in performance to the Quattros and Jets. That is the Chevy of the line, it does everything that you would ever need and does it so well that guys like me and many others who own the more expensive fins keep going back to the basic Originals or Pros, cause its just so easy and carefree to use.

When someone is talking about the Extra Force TanDelta or the Excellerating Force TanDelta we are talking about the same kind of person that would buy the Porsche 911 GT2, or Ferrari F430, or Bugati Veyron, its not because he will ever actually NEED it, but because he wants it and the capabilities that it gives him.

When people ask me about my FF's I will gladly explain to them why I dive them, and often offer them a chance to use them, but I never try to sell a pair of $800 fins to anyone, until they ask for it, and even then I try to convince them to buy a basic model then upgrade IF they decide they really like them. If you want a good fin, the Quattros, Jets, Bio-Fin and the Original or Pro FF are all great fins, in that they all work, and work well. If you look at the Rodales Scuba Diving review, you'll see every fin they tested met the "Good Enough" criteria, saying they are all good enough to get the job done, just that some were better than others.

and for the TanDelta material is a specially formulated proprietary Urethane that was tailored to Bob's requirements, it really is fantastic, not to mention looks incredible.

 

[The Chairman]

Guess what folks... there a number of legends who not only dive Bob's fins, but the love them. In fact, on March 15th in Weeki Wachee, I will be the guest of Hal Watts and Bob Evans to try them out. We will be having a Night Dive there as well and there will be lots of Force Fins to try out.

We will be trying out our new Sign up sheet for this, so hopefully we will have it up in a couple of days! I invite ALL of the skeptics (including me) to join me, ScubaNews and Scuba Radio as we put these puppies to the test.

 

[Fionab]

Seriously: These guys must be nuts. I wonder how many people will buy these fins though.

I don't understand why but a lot of people buy these from my LDS, I am sure the guy in my shop told me someone bought two pairs recently. I think they are a little over £300 in my area.

I have far too much kit to buy to spend that sort of money on a pair of fins - I'll stick with my jets

 

[Otter]

I am personally interested in trying out FF fins. I would consider paying the $150-$200 for a pair of fins with the right functions and features. Currently, that is the price point set by the high-end fins.

While its quite easy quantify the styling, luxury, materials, performance characteristics of $200K automobiles, I am really curious what functions and features are available on the $800 fins vs. even the $200 FF fins?