Force Fins, gear choices, closed minds and open minds

[Dive4Fun]

I'd love to try them out, but my wallet limits most of my equipment to what I already have.

[CompuDude]

I've used them while fishing from float tubes, where they make quite a bit of sense.

I've never tried them diving, but see them as similar to split fins, in that they are great for flutter kicking FAST but not necessarily for other kicks. (The same advantages that help them flutter work against them in a frog kick, let alone a backwards kick.)

Still, I'd be curious to try them out someday, but I don't have much interest in spending $200+ on another pair of fins at this point.

[meesier42]

Originally Posted by CompuDude

I've never tried them diving, but see them as similar to split fins, in that they are great for flutter kicking FAST but not necessarily for other kicks. (The same advantages that help them flutter work against them in a frog kick, let alone a backwards kick.)

Forcefins will flutter well while kicking fast, but they actually are more efficient with a smoother steady beat. The issue that most people find, is that they don't FEEL the drag/resistance that they are used to and assume this means they are not working. While in reality they are leaving their dive buddy behind. They do take some time to get used to, but once you do, they are fantastic. The thing that I have found, is that competitive swimmers take to FF's faster than non-swimmers. As the kick that works best is a natural kick that swimmers use vice the bent knee based kick that most people adopt with Jets and most other paddle fins.

The frog kick- obviously stiffer blades perform a frog kick better, but my ExtraForce TanDelta (yes I know they are very expensive) will keep up with anyone and the Excellerating Force is truly optimized for the frog kick.

As for backing up- again the technique is different, but they will back up as fast as any fin I have compared them too.

[CompuDude]

FWIW, I meant flutter kicking "fast" as in, going fast.

And I'd rather spend a week in Cozumel then spend $700 on fins that *might* be a little bit better than my $65 Jet fins.

(Not that I generally shy away from spending stupid amounts of money on dive gear, but I do have some sense of reason!)

[meesier42]

if your "might" means overcoming a 2 knot current in Jets vice a 3 knot current in ForceFin. My money is with the fins that have taken me to 4knots, admittedly I wasn't in scuba gear when I did that.

besides, I never said they were cheap, but then again, people buy $1500 regulators when the $300 one performs just as well. So you may not want to spend the money, but lots of other people do.

[in_cavediver]

Originally Posted by meesier42

if your "might" means overcoming a 2 knot current in Jets vice a 3 knot current in ForceFin. My money is with the fins that have taken me to 4knots, admittedly I wasn't in scuba gear when I did that.

besides, I never said they were cheap, but then again, people buy $1500 regulators when the $300 one performs just as well. So you may not want to spend the money, but lots of other people do.

I'll be blunt. What I need in fin is something that produces torque to move doubles, dry suit and stages/deco bottles with anti-silting kicks efficiently into a relatively high flow cave and doesn't cause my feet to hurt.

I'd pay $600-$700 for fins that would do that. The problem is, most fins simply can't. I use jets for the worst case and quattros for just the doubles/dry suit.

I just don't know of anywhere that they'd allow you to try fins like that and its too much money to just try it out.

[cummings66]

Can you explain jets for the worst and quattros for drysuit/doubles? Wouldn't that be worse than a single?

[meesier42]

I am pretty sure that he meant for worst case conditions, ie current and all the extra gear.

[cyclone3565]

who care what other people think, if you wear/buy gear depending on what other people think, maybe .....

Force Fins are great, this is your sport, enjoy it, who cares what other people think.

[caroln]

I've gotten a ton of comments on my long hose when I dive it in tropical locations--or even at home. People tease me and ask me if I'm planning on doing SNUBA and leaving my tank on the boat.

When I was a newer diver, I'd have taken any comments on my gear to heart because I'd have assumed that the person I was talking to probably knew more than me, but now I just don't give a crap what anyone says about it because I've used it and I know it works for me.

If the force fins work for you--I'd just smile knowingly and ignore any bs.