Viking fins on Amazon

[David Wilson]

I've just noticed that Amazon.com are offering "Viking fins" for sale at $24.99:

http://www.amazon.com/Viking-Snorkeling-Swimming-Warranty-Medium-Large/dp/B002W2GF7Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1280509977&sr=1-1
Green/black and orange/black are available in Medium Large (mens 8-10) and Medium (mens 6-8) respectively. They're classed as new, though quantity is limited. I wonder whether these fins are "new-old" Voit stock from the 1960s/70s or of more recent manufacture? They certainly resemble my Voit Viking A6 originals with respect to the heel pattern and the closed-toe design, but the colouring is different.

I just wanted to let everyone know about my "find", but I apologise profusely if I'm the only one unaware of this Amazon offer.

 

[Nemrod]

They look short, I may buy some for lap swimming.

To bad they are not A66, then we would be talking.

N

 

[duckbill]

They are not Voit. They are reproductions or knock-offs.

I did buy a pair to save my original Voit Vikings from continued exposure to chlorine. Thanks for the heads up David.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Yes, the V66 would be nice, especially the extra-large size.

SeaRat

 

[duckbill]

Well, they arrived today. Brand new, made in Mexico. O.K. so the blades are stiffer than my real Voits, and they are green instead of blue, and the viking ship is not white, but they will take the place of my real Voits for pool dives. Anyway, it's not like I ever got anyone noticing them and saying, "Oooooh! Aaaaaah! Wow! Nice Vikings! I remember having a pair of those!" So why ruin them in the chlorine? These Mexican copies should do nicely. They are comfortable and should get me around the pool.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the update, Duckbill. Here's a picture I found online of the logo on the genuine article:

I'm a little curious about the provenance of your newly acquired Vikings. You say they're made in Mexico, any idea who the manufacturer is there? I know Voit
Voit.com - Por favor selecciona tu idioma - Please choose your language
moved to Mexico, but in the process they got out of the swimming and diving gear business, focusing exclusively instead, so far as I'm aware, on soccer equipment. Mexico seems to have one diving equipment manufacturer, Escualo Sports
Inicio
and they make nice old-fashioned snorkelling gear, but there's no indication on their website that they are the source of the new Voit Vikings. Does the packaging shed any light on the mystery?

 

[duckbill]

David, there was no packaging. Definitely not Voit, or at least the "OIT" of the VOIT name is completely missing without a trace. Only the word "VIKING" and "A6" are on the ship logo on these.

The "Made in Mexico" is molded in on the underside in one corner of the blade end, and the number "1253" is molded in the other corner where my Voit Vikings have "A66" (even though they are the A6 model).

The Voit Vikings are the flippers I remember buying along with an AMF Voit rubber J-snorkel and red rimmed Wide Vision mask before going to Hawaii for vacation when I was little. The originals perished long ago as I knew nothing about rubber preservation at the time. I want to keep my replacement originals nice and useable for as long as possible.

Thanks again for letting us know about these.

 

[duckbill]

I got them in the pool today, and the first thing I noticed was that they are not as comfortable as my Voits. At first I thought they rode further up around my ankles, but when I got home and compared them, they both are the same. It just seemed that way because they are not as soft and pliable as my Vikings. Maybe my Vikings were originally like these, and maybe it will just take thirty years to make these as soft and pliable as my Voits are now.

Otherwise, they worked just fine.

 

[avidhunter]

Isn't "Viking" a trade mark of VOIT?