Personally, I don't fiond cost to be the major determining factor in my fin choice.
My first set of fins were inexpensive paddles, and they generally got me where I wanted to go at the speeds I wanted to go there. But they seemed to put a lot of torque on my ankles to do so and after a week of four dives a day on a Bahamas trip, my ankles were very sore and I could make them *click* by moving my foot.
Later, I upgraded to a set of Tusa splits. Yes, I had to pay more. I find that I can generally go about the same speeds if I'm trying to swim quickly, and can still easily keep up with other divers who are just exploring if I keep my legs perfectly straight and do nothing more than point my toes again and again.
One thing I don't like about splits is the tendency to get tangled in just about everything on the dive boat before I get in the water. Once in the water, the comfort level for me goes way up compared to paddles.
It was worth it to me to spend the extra money and even if the paddles were significantly cheaper, I would not have chosen to keep them over the splits I have now.
My first set of fins were inexpensive paddles, and they generally got me where I wanted to go at the speeds I wanted to go there. But they seemed to put a lot of torque on my ankles to do so and after a week of four dives a day on a Bahamas trip, my ankles were very sore and I could make them *click* by moving my foot.
Later, I upgraded to a set of Tusa splits. Yes, I had to pay more. I find that I can generally go about the same speeds if I'm trying to swim quickly, and can still easily keep up with other divers who are just exploring if I keep my legs perfectly straight and do nothing more than point my toes again and again.
One thing I don't like about splits is the tendency to get tangled in just about everything on the dive boat before I get in the water. Once in the water, the comfort level for me goes way up compared to paddles.
It was worth it to me to spend the extra money and even if the paddles were significantly cheaper, I would not have chosen to keep them over the splits I have now.