Tusa X-Pert Zoom fins

[Furner]

Anyone have any experience with them? They were suggested by my dive shop when I went to buy my gear for my OW class. Just wondering if these are good or not, they wernt cheap, so if for some reason you have horror stories about these fins, I can always exchange them before my OW class.

EDIT: Is there something cheaper and better I could get instead? I paid $129 for the Zooms

 

[AtomicWalrus]

I've had a pair for about 18 months, and I like them a lot. I like split fins and the angle of the fin makes them very comfortable to wear. They've also held up well, esp. considering that most of my dives are shore dives. My problem with them is that I'm not crazy about the quick connects on the strap. The female end of the buckle sits on a little post attached to the fin, and if you're not careful you can lose the female connector when you're taking your fins off at the end of a dive. I tend to like the Atomics connector better for that reason.

Hopefully that answers your question - I'm sure you'll get lots of opinions on other good fins. If you're looking for something a bit cheaper, Aqualung Blades are quite nice as well. I just hope this thread doesn't degenerate into another split fin/anti-split fin melee...

 

[Furner]

Thanks for your reply. I was afraid I would start a debate, but I really want to know if these fins are the best for me. I already know I need to go exchange them for a larger size, but I just am unsure if they are ok for a absolute scuba beginner. Im sure that if I dont like them, I can get at least half their value back out of them after a few dives.



EDIT: So what I really want to know is if a split fin is good for a brand new diver, but feel free to still chime in on your opinion on the zooms

 

[5615mike]

not to rain on your parade but you really should try several fins before buying. This eliminates MOST of the mistakes. You may still buy a different fin later but at least you will have a good feel for them when you buy the first pair. Especially for $130. Zooms were nice fins when I tried them but it depends on what type of diving you plan on doing. Tropical only they will be fine. Dry suit.........good luck getting boots to fit them. I agree with the previous post regarding the connections. They are too complicated and scream for future problems. For that reason I bought my Volos a number of years ago and last year finally put spring straps on them and I won't ever have to worry about a broken strap or part. My Jets have spring straps as well. Once you use them you won't want to dive without them. Most all Mares blade fins and volos can be converted and they are much cheaper. See if you can try several different fins before you lay down your dough. Good luck and great diving.

Nothing wrong with split fins at all but again it depends on your type of diving. There have been a number of discussions........arguments........debates about splits being good for advanced/alternate fin kicks. Lets just say........well IMO, they are easier in blade types or jets than splits. Not impossible but more difficult...........

 

[Furner]

Yes, I probably should have tried to get an opportunity to try some fins out. I really dont have one until my cert class, when I go back to the dive shop tomorrow I will see what their return policy is for slightly used merch, or if they have a trial pair i can borrow.

 

[dnhill]

I really like the angle of attack for these fins. I have a bad ankle and have lost some flexion/extension and have found these to work best for me. I only tried on 5 or 6 pair, but these worked best for me.

dnhill

 

[Furner]

I really like the angle of attack for these fins. I have a bad ankle and have lost some flexion/extension and have found these to work best for me. I only tried on 5 or 6 pair, but these worked best for me.

dnhill

Did you try any non-split fins, or just split variety?

In addition, I decided to keep the splits for now, since they were recommended to me by my LDS. Im sure I will be buying a pair of blade fins sooner or later, and they arent that expensive for a good pair.

 

[hex92]

I love my zooms. I bought the all black ones with the stiffer compound. The fins I had before were total crap.

It would be a shame to use your zooms in a pool while doing your coursework. They will get scratched all to hell. See if the shop will loan you some beater fins to use until your open water dives.

5615mike is right about the foot pocket. I have the largest zooms and when I bought my drysuit I could barely get the toe of my boot into the pocket. So I had to buy a pair of XXL Jets to dive dry with. But I will be diving wet next week in Morehead so I will be wearing the zooms. :dazzler1:

You can get them much cheaper online - I paid ~$90. But if they loan you fins you need to buy them from the LDS.

 

[Furner]

I love my zooms. I bought the all black ones with the stiffer compound. The fins I had before were total crap.

It would be a shame to use your zooms in a pool while doing your coursework. They will get scratched all to hell. See if the shop will loan you some beater fins to use until your open water dives.

5615mike is right about the foot pocket. I have the largest zooms and when I bought my drysuit I could barely get the toe of my boot into the pocket. So I had to buy a pair of XXL Jets to dive dry with. But I will be diving wet next week in Morehead so I will be wearing the zooms. :dazzler1:

You can get them much cheaper online - I paid ~$90. But if they loan you fins you need to buy them from the LDS.

Thanks. Have you tried the zooms that arent made with the stiffer compound? Does it make alot of difference? I consider myself to have strong legs, but I do fatigue somewhat easily under load. When I exchange my Medium for Large tomorrow, I may then switch to the black ones. I will definatly see if they have some standard blade fins I can borrow for pool dives, and that will also give me a chance to try out some non-split fins.

 

[dnhill]

I purchased the blue zooms. I tried both split and regular fins. Also I tend to use a frog -type kick instead of regular bicycle type kick as it hurts the ankle less.

dnhill