What about force fins?

[MarkUK]

I get fed up of hearing the same old crap about Force Fins everytime a thread comes up about them.

I have used Force Fin Pros, Force Fin Flying Force and Force Fin Excellerators exclusively for the last five or six years (apart from when I am testing other fins) and I love 'em. Yes, it does seem they are a 'love them or hate them' item, but give them a chance and don't listen to everything people say on here – from some of the comments, I doubt some of them have even given them a serious go...

For once and for all, if you bicycle kick in Force Fins you won't get anywhere, just as you won't go anywhere in splits or paddles if you bicycle kick. It is total bollocks that they work with a bicycle kick.

I can also frogkick as well as my friend can in his Jet Fins with any of my Force Fins, so saying you can't frogkick in them is a load of crap too.

All I'll say is see if you can borrow a pair and give them a go, but not just for 20 minutes or so, try and get a few full dives in them. Then you can make your own mind up. Yes, they are expensive, but they do put up with a lot of punishment and will last for years.

Mark

 

[benchan]

I absolutely agree with Mark. I've owned a pair the last couple of years and they're great. Firstly, there's no ankle fatigue and the fins are very light so you don't feel the "feedback". I think that's why some divers don't like them. They can't feel the weight of the fins and think they're not getting anywhere. That's not true. Force fins are fast. My friends and I (all with force fins) are always ahead of the pack without realising it. It's really good for fighting currents because you don't feel as exhausted. However, they aren't very good if you are snorkelling.

Ignore what others say about how it looks. When you're in the water, it ain't a fashion show.

And like Mark says, try it out for a few dives. It takes a while to get used to. My friends who try it for just a single dive also don't like it because they aren't used to it. And I've tried bicycle kicks with it. Doesn't work.

Give them a try.

 

[JessH]

webjr got it right. They seem similar to a split fin in the way that they function since they have very little resistance. Despite the low resistance if you do the proper kick they seem to be able to produce a good amount of speed.

They don't seem to work as well for a frog kick as paddles do. They do work with a frog kick, but from my limited experience with them I would say that it would not be the best kick to use with these fins for normal use since they will require a higher kick frequency imparing the slow kick and glide cycle of the frog kick.

I really want to get a pair for doing video work in the pool and for travel. The reason I want them for video work in the pool is because they seem to work well walking around on the bottom of the pool. With my jets I usually end up taking them off if I am going to be doing much of this. The other time I would use them is when I want to travel light and don't need the capabilities of my jets. This would most likely include most trips in which I was doing typical recriational reef diving.

~Jess

 

[CoalBoy]

i'll agree to one thing here. your choice of fin is "your" choice. its about personal preference. it may or may not work for you.

for me, i posted on another thread that my force fin was one piece of gear i regret buying. i find it cumbersome to "slice" through the water and lacks the power i expect from my fins. of course, this is my personal experience, as i am accustomed to using usd rocket fins.

as to the price, yes it is quite expensive, but if this fin is the one that's right for you, its justified to get it. they'll probly last a long, long time anyway. i know mine will, they're in the crate, along with all the stuff i don't use.

 

[tstonedvr]

MarkUK says it well....however no fin is perfect for all situations as FF's are not that great for surface work, but that can be overcome if you drop your legs down in the water more. I don't like them for doubles in a drysuit as the torque is not there, I use paddles for that as that is the only thing they are good for. I would suspect that the Excellerators would fix that problem over the Pro's...a lot of the problem with FF's has to do with the inventor Bob Evans, he has some really oddball marketing ideas when it comes to shops and that has a lot to do with them not being more mainstream than they are. Still for whatever reason you either love them or hate them not much middle ground....that even happens with the split fin/paddle fins debate also....

 

[MarkUK]

MarkUK says it well....however no fin is perfect for all situations as FF's are not that great for surface work, but that can be overcome if you drop your legs down in the water more. I don't like them for doubles in a drysuit as the torque is not there, I use paddles for that as that is the only thing they are good for. I would suspect that the Excellerators would fix that problem over the Pro's...a lot of the problem with FF's has to do with the inventor Bob Evans, he has some really oddball marketing ideas when it comes to shops and that has a lot to do with them not being more mainstream than they are. Still for whatever reason you either love them or hate them not much middle ground....that even happens with the split fin/paddle fins debate also....

You are right, mate, forgot to say that – Force Fins are ****e on the surface, as all the power comes from the downstroke, which when you are on the surface means your legs are out of the water! I can mooch along by doing a frogkick of sorts on the surface, but if I am doing any distance on the surface, I go on to my back and then they are fine – you can move along okay then, just can't see where you are going!

Interesting though that you found they didn't have the power to move you along wearing doubles and a drysuit – Mark Andrews used them for his 205-metre wreck dive on the Yolanda and he was wearing his drysuit and five cylinders!

Still, as a couple of people above have said, reiterating what I said, it is all down to personal choice. Try as many fins as you can and find what works for you, then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

Mark

 

[tstonedvr]

I think a lot of the problem from doubles is the size of my fins to the boot..I changed drysuits and they have different boot sizes...even with the barefoot pads the fins are a bit to big causing some power loss...I'm not all that thrilled with the paddles either except due to the length I am more stable on stops. A drysuit and twins is like moving a bus through the water no matter the fin....also even though the cost may seem high they will last forever, I have used the same pair for the last 10+ years with no sign of decay except for a shift in color.

 

[MarkUK]

I hear you – if the fins are a little big on your feet, they are going to wobble around and lose some of their power for sure. I have XLs in the Flying Force and Excellerating Force Fins for use with my 3mm and 5mm booties on foreign trips, and a pair of Force Fin Pros in XXL for use with my drysuit – pain to have so many fins kicking around the garage, but the XLs are just too small for the drysuit boot, and the XXLs are far too big for the 3mm and 5mm booties.

Mark

 

[*Floater*]

I can also frogkick as well as my friend can in his Jet Fins with any of my Force Fins, so saying you can't frogkick in them is a load of crap too.

You know, you are the only one I've seen make this claim. Most people who've used them (force fin pros mostly) say that yes, you can frogkick with them, but it's not nearly as efficient as with jets. I have yet to do a proper comparison myself, but one of these days...

For people considering FF's (and I'm going by my gf's experience here), I will say the bungee straps are much more convenient than the regular straps, and you can make them yourself for cheap. Below you can see what I did. I used 3/16" bungee cord, but I think 1/4" would be better. That works with the existing holes on the sides of the fins. The tags are from the regular straps.

 

[Nemrod]

I love my Force Fin Pros. They are among the fastest fins I have ever used. I use them often but I have other fins at my disposal as well. Imagine having only one set of fins, that would be sad.

N