The stiffer the fin the better?

[danvolker]

A mass market junk fin like Mares does not compare to real freediving fins..this is like comparing a Ford Mustang to a Lamborghini Gallardo..there is no contest, in anything.
I have many pairs of freediving fins on my boat, of multiple sizes. Anyone who dives with me in Palm Beach can try them. See for yourself before believing the propaganda of souless dive manufacturers, who care about nothing but your money.

 

[miketsp]

I have a very stiff pair of Mares fins, a no-longer-sold predecessor of the Avanti. My wife has Mares Volo Race full foot fins that are incredibly floppy. So floppy, it is very strange to watch them curve up and down as she swims and hard to understand how she gets any propulsion out of them. I'd have bet they would have been close to useless. Nevertheless, my wife and I match speeds very closely when swimming slowly, jut poking around. At faster speeds, however, my wife seems to use a lot less effort than I do, while going just as fast. Get opinions, read the published test results, but in the end, it all comes down to one thing--did you get the fins you want to wear?

Hinging fins like the Volo are extremely efficient at low power levels and are very good for divers that do not have well conditioned leg muscles. As you say for poking around on a reef in good conditions, they're great. You just don't tire.
I only stopped using mine after I had to do an emergency tow of another diver against a current and found that when I really pushed them to the limit there was a thrust limit - once you drive them to a 90 degree bend you're just wasting energy and you get no more useful drive.