Which spring straps do you use??

[RHungENT]

Although I am not DIR yet, I am slowly moving towards that direction.
I have SP twin jets and will likely be looking into SP jet fins. My question is about the spring straps that the fundies book addressess. Which spring straps do you use?? ...and what do you like about them?

I see scubapro ($70), XS scuba ($55) and many others (<$30).
Designs also very quite a bit...nylon wrapped, tube wrapped, finger pull, internal cave line...

Also, how do you get the plastic strap off the jet fins, do you cut them off or do you somehow get the pin out?

Thanks,
Richard

 

[Vie]

I use the Halcyon spring straps because they were the only kind available to me at the time of purchase...

Jet Fins don't have plastic straps. You can just unthread the rubber straps and use a pair of pliers to carefully remove the metal fittings from the pins. The pins should then slide out. The Halcyon spring straps come with replacement pins.

 

[TSandM]

I have the Halcyon springs, and I like them. They do have a limiter of cave line inside (important to prevent overstretch, and to repair springs when they break ). The soft fabric covering is something I find more comfortable than the round plastic tubing.

My husband has a commercially produced spring strap with a flat rubber pad fitted over the spring, which has a loop in the back you can hold to pull them on and off. He likes those a lot. They require some reverse-engineering to put on Jets, though -- They're designed for the kind of fittings on Twin Jets and others.

 

[SparticleBrane]

I like my H straps, but then again I'm an H ho.

 

[TSandM]

I'm not. It annoys me no end every time I end up deciding that something Halcyon makes is just plain better

 

[rongoodman]

Having to peen the ends of the pins in the Halcyon straps always made me nervous. The bolts that XS Scuba uses seem more secure.

 

[Green_Manelishi]

100 "prusent" stainless steel on the Turtles:

My Jets have a pair of Manta spring straps.

 

[riguerin]

I use the XS Scuba universal spring straps and have had good luck with them. They're pretty tough.

In fact, in recent "oh $hit" moment I had my fins blow off the roof of the car and onto the fwy. They were run over several times, including once by a semi-truck. The fins and spiring straps surprising survived with nothing more than a few scrapes.

Also, how do you get the plastic strap off the jet fins, do you cut them off or do you somehow get the pin out?

I just used a dremel tool to grind off the flared head of the pins. They easily popped off using a screw driver .

 

[SCUBAJENNIFER]

I got mine from Wayward Son......LOVE THEM!!

http://www.scubaboard.com/member.php?u=44810

 

[Wayward Son]

Removing the buckles from Jets varies considerably. I've had some that the buckles easily popped off by using a screw driver to pry up on the ends of the buckles & they can be reused. Others resisted all such efforts to remove. You can drill out the ends of the pins. You can use a Dremel tool with a cutoff wheel to cut them free. The simplest method I've used for the ones that don't want to come off turned out to be fairly easy: I take a heavy pair of cutters (they're maybe 8 inches or so long) & attempt to cut the pin below the buckle. This turns out to put enough pressure on them to pop them free & turns it into a quick & simple job.

Just be prepared to do whatever it takes to get them off. The buckles are cheap & you can easily replace them should you want to later, so don't worry about destroying them to get them off.