Your Tech diving fin comparison please...

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

How many fins have you owned and how would you rate/review them?

I just purchased Deep-6 Eddy fin in XL. I was going to dive them this last weekend but had a foot injury which will keep me from diving at least for a month. This is the fourth fin that I have owned. There are some good fins out there and then there are some really horrible ones. My own review of the fins I have used is given below in the order of my own preference.

1. Deep 6 Eddy Fin: Great Propulsion from a very light and short fin. The light weight of the fin enables me to stay in trim a lot better than any other solid rubber fin I have used. The spring straps are also very well made and make it easy to slide into while doing shore diving.

2. Scubapro Jets: Great propulsion. The fin is heavy so keeping feet up is not as easy as it is in Eddy fins. The foot pocket is difficult to slide into but once the foot is in, it gets "locked" into a very snug position. Tiniest foot movement creates a lot of propulsion. The spring straps do not extend as they are designed to force your foot as deep into an already snug foot pocket. This means that putting them on in the water while shore diving is not as easy. Once they are on your feet, they have a good kick to them.

3. Hollis F-1: Great fin design with a larger foot pocket.These are longer than scubapro jets but do not offer better propulsion than jets. The advantage is the foot pocket and the spring strap. The foot pocket is so much easier to get into and the spring straps with thumb grips make donning in shore waters easy.

4. Dive Rite fins: I did not own these but tried them in the pool. They were a light plastic compound that has a snap to the kick. Being plastic they are light. I guess if I had dived enough then I may have gotten used to their feel but Deep 6 Eddy fin gives me the same thrust in a smaller blade with a fin that is almost as light as this one.

I would like to hear your thoughts on OMS Slipstream as that is also a neutral buoyancy fin and XS Turtle, if anyone has used them.Thanks.

 

[JohnnyC]

I only have the OMS because I don't have the Dive Rite's for a neutral fin. I would prefer the Dive Rite's but I don't need another pair of fins. Eventually I'll probably ditch the OMS and pick up a pair of Dive Rite's but don't yet have a need.

My drysuit fins are Hollis F-1's. I find they give better propulsion and control than the Jets or the XS Turtle fins. I also have the Hog Tech2's but they rarely get used. I used them before the F-1's, but now they just sit in the closet.

I also have a pair of Force Fins I picked up at a thrift store to give them a try. They suck. I posted them for sale here a while ago and promptly forgot about them before I left out of the country. I should re-post them.

 

[tbone1004]

1- Deep6 Eddy- @cerich did a brilliant job with this fin, in particular with the foot pocket. Stiffness is perfect, neutral buoyancy is ideal for CCR and Sidemount, though I now use these exclusively, including doubles and backmount singles. Likely too light with drysuit+doubles, but I rarely dive that configuration.

2-Dive Rite XT-used to own them, they were stolen. I think these are much better than the Mares that are popular with the sidemount crowd *have owned both*, unfortunately they don't make a foot pocket big enough for me to use with a drysuit. I have opted that instead of replacing them, I will use thicker wetsuit boots with my Deep 6 fins

3-Hollis F1- too expensive, but good design if you are a drysuit+doubles diver, but that's about the only use case that I would recommend these to be purchased

In no order, but I have owned them all
Mares Avanti Quattros and Planas-Dive Rite's are better so if you want that kind of fin, buy the XT's
Scubapro Jetfins-the F1's are better if you need heavy fins, but the foot pocket sucks and they're really floppy
Turtles-way too floppy, not a fan
OMS Slipstream-best of the "old style" fins, but the Deep6 are that much more comfortable so they're out for me now.

 

[laikabear]

[QUOTE="JohnnyC, post: 8617672, member: 429324"
I also have a pair of Force Fins I picked up at a thrift store to give them a try. They suck. I posted them for sale here a while ago and promptly forgot about them before I left out of the country. I should re-post them.[/QUOTE]

I have wanted to try Force Fins! One of the local boat captains uses them. They look retro cool. I'm disappointed to hear that they suck.

 

[Diver below 83]

The Eddy’s are taking over

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

The Eddy’s are taking over

It is a very well designed fin. Material used and the design all come together very well. I wish they bring it out in olive green.

 

[chrispscott]

I actually have/had the same 4 fins as Captain Sinbad.

Scubapro Jets- My old standbys. I started diving at 11 years old in 1996 and these were the fins that my instructor used and she used them because my father, who taught her how to dive, used them as well. I bought the current pair I have in 1998 and have had them ever since. I've never found them to be too heavy in the water or had them effect my trim but that could be because I've been diving them for 2/3 of my life. My only complaint is that they are so damn heavy when it comes to traveling with them which is why I bought a pair of...

Deep 6 Eddy's - In addition to traveling I teach three times a week in the summer and live in a 3rd floor walkup so I've been looking for a lighter alternative Jets so I recently bought the Eddy's. I started with a pair of L's but they were a bit too small so I went up to the XLs. I really like how they kick, they are plenty stiff and give quite a bit of control for back kicks and turns, however the foot pocket is just too damn stiff. I'm still playing around with different spring setting to get it right but I've yet to come out of the water without the top of my foot aching. I hope I can come to a setting that works for me because the fins tick all of the right boxes (plus I love the blue color.)

Hollis F1's - Same kicking characteristics that I like in the Jets. A bit heavier on land and the foot pocket was a bit more comfortable but I've never had issue with the Jet pockets.

Dive Rite XTs - I've used these maybe twice. I traded a guy for a pair of Scubapro Seawing Novas for them because he thought they were too stiff. They kicked well I just like fins that are this long personally.

 

[seeker242]

Scubapro Jets:--The rubber straps do not stretch as they are designed to force your foot as deep into an already snug foot pocket. This means that putting them on in the water while shore diving is not as easy. Once they are on your feet, they have a good kick to them.

I've never seen anyone keep the rubber straps and not switch to spring straps.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

I've never seen anyone keep the rubber straps and not switch to spring straps.

Thanks for pointing that out. I had meant to write spring straps instead of rubber straps. Made the correction up there Sowwy!

 

[stuartv]

4. Dive Rite fins: I did not own these but tried them in the pool. They were a light plastic compound that has a snap to the kick. Being plastic they are light. I guess if I had dived enough then I may have gotten used to their feel but Deep 6 Eddy fin gives me the same thrust in a smaller blade with a fin that is almost as light as this one.
.

Just for the record, the Deep6 fins are neutral and the DR fins are about 0.7# negative. That’s for a pair, in size L, in fresh water.