cressi gara 3000ld or omer ice?

[ulysses]

Originally Posted by ickledevil

My omer ice fins were not significantly more expensive than the competitors and a warrenty is a useful thing on any product.

ickledevil,

The little price difference you mention appears to imply that in the UK you are paying to much for thermoplastic fins regardless of the brand. On the continent the Ices are approx. twice as expensive as Garas. So how much did you pay?

You may not be aware of it, but in the UK like in all 27 EU member states you have a mandatory vendor's warranty/guarantee of at least 2 years for new goods. IMHO a product that does not or not notoriously call for exercise of a vendor's or manufacturer's warranty is certainly preferable

Cheers,
ulysses

[Marwan]

if you check the web they are not that ,ore expensive in europe..but regardless of price, cressi do have a narrower footpocket, so even if they are cheaper, if theyre not comfy, thats money down th drain...

[ulysses]

Originally Posted by Marwan

if you check the web they are not that ,ore expensive in europe..but regardless of price, cressi do have a narrower footpocket, so even if they are cheaper, if theyre not comfy, thats money down th drain...

Marwan, unlike you I don't need to check the web; I regularly visit Italian spearfishing shops on the ground Ices around EUR130; Garas around EUR65.

And yes, Garas have a narrower footpocket than Omer. However, quite a lot of people believe that Garas have the most comfortable footpocket in the world. For reference check this thread:

=> http://forums.deeperblue.net/bi-fins...otpockets.html

IMO trying various footpockets (with neoprene socks!) before buying is paramount.

Cheers,
ulysses

[Marwan]

ok, for us internet shoppers the omers could be a safer bet and a more comfy in my opinion....how do i know? i have both...
went after advice for the cressi LD's... bought them, dove with them...for the first hour things were beautiful then the pain started in my foot and got very bad....despite their cheaper price...they are now in my closet, not really worth a lot to me..
again this is very personal..and really not dependent on the internet or having a local store...because when i tried them they felt fine, and were that way for even an hour later.....so i dont tthink if i tried them in the shop i would have ended up differently..the same thibg happened every time i dove with them..so that was it...time for something else...the omer ice are the best long surface swim fins i tried (carbons included)..and very decent for up to 15-20m...after that they can get a bit weaker...also if youre a bigger guy, i imagine they could be challenging at depth...althogh my friend Ihab wears them and hes a big guy without any problems...
Again its a matter of preference,, i am aware that some folks swaer by the cressi pockets..some others don like them at all.. same for omers...personally the ones i like most in terms of footpockets were the old sporasub H dessault..
cheers

[ulysses]

In a nutshell: Omer Millenium footpockets fit Marwan better than Cressi Garas.

Jack, I hope this is helpful to you

[ulysses]

Originally Posted by JackSpearo

are there any good omer fins that are black (for some reason, I just don't like the ice see through)...

thanks again,

Jack

For the price of 1 pair of Ices you can buy 2 pairs black or green Omer Runners (same footpocket, same performance, different look).

Cheers,
ulysses

[strangelove]

Originally Posted by JackSpearo

i live in SC, so it's hard to find any good dive shops here, who is a reputable dealer to buy from online?

thanks, i think they are a little expensive, but i guess in the long run I'll be happier with the omer ice and the footpockets... I just hope they fit me, i have a weird foot, narrow heel, but sorta wide foot itself...

In U.S. if you have any problems, the omer representative Mark Labocetta will take care of you, no questions ask, you have nothing to worry here.

[Marwan]

i dont get it ulysses..the guy is asking for advice we give him personal advice based on personal experience if we have it that is...which should be helpful.. like with any item of diving gear..of course there is an element of personal preference like with any product..but isnt that part of the whole point of these forums...to share Experiences and benefit from eachother?
how did you find the omer ice by the way? did you try them?
cheers

[ulysses]

Originally Posted by ulysses

IMO trying various footpockets (with neoprene socks!) before buying is paramount.

For Marwan: this means, if you buy for first pair of freediving fins - which is Jack's case - do that in a local store where you can actually try various designs. Do you buy shoes on the internet that you have not tried before?

Cheers,
ulysses

[ulysses]

Originally Posted by Marwan

how did you find the omer ice by the way?

A plastic blade is a plastic blade

... and regardless of Omer's and other manufacturers claim plastic blades do not compare to fiberglass or carbon blades in terms of performance. After having switched to fiberglass & carbons there is no going back.

I tried the Ice. My impression: you can have 100% the same cool camo effect and similar performance, if you use empty footpockets without blades

Cheers,
ulysses

[Marwan]

oh boy.....
not all of us have access to diving shops that stock all brands..so you are sometimes limited..
besides all of that..you are bascially saying try it in the shop see what fits...in my case that wouldnt have worked with the cressi's as i described..

[Magpie]

Well my Ice are very close in performance to some soft Nemo fiberglass blades I tried, in fact I couldn't tell much difference, at far less cost and greatly increased coolness. Did anyone mention vanilla?

And the Omer footpockets are far more comfortable than the ones on the Cressi LD for my feet too. The Cressi felt fine sat on my sofa at home but after 15minutes in the water they gave me cramp in the foot arch. So trying them on in a shop would have been no use at all, not that I had that opportunity where I live.

I know at least 4 people here with Ice and all love them, and there's plenty more on Deeper Blue that do too, a quick search will show that.

[Marwan]

Originally Posted by ulysses

A plastic blade is a plastic blade

... and regardless of Omer's and other manufacturers claim plastic blades do not compare to fiberglass or carbon blades in terms of performance. After having switched to fiberglass & carbons there is no going back.

I tried the Ice. My impression: you can have 100% the same cool camo effect and similar performance, if you use empty footpockets without blades

Cheers,
ulysses

you cant be serious? so omer, esclapez, cressi, picasso, are all the same fins?? where have you been all my life

the same as empty footpockets...really?...my legs have grown stronger and i cant feel it, the things marketing people make you belive these days and by the way, i really dont care for the camo that much..

plastic/carbon/fiberglass are all different...but then again just because carbon is better doesnt mean it will be better every time in every situation...i would not have trouble believing that the guy having to do lots of surface swims and rarely goes more then 10m to find a good plastic fin more suitable then carbon...for that situation...

cheers

[spaghetti]

Ulysses, paisà, I do not see any reason for being so argumentative.
This discussion is not about who's right, who's wrong and who's Mister SmartAss.
We're all just trying to help Jack by giving him our opinions and feedback, then at the end of the day he'll make an idea of his own.
Of course there's much subjectivity in this matter, but the objective things are:
-Cressi has sold hundreds of thousands of Gara fins, so they can't be bad at all: they are very good. But as a matter of fact, some people DO feel uncomfortable with their footpocket.
-Omer Ice: we may discuss wether they are worth all the extra bucks or not, but almost all the users I've been talking with agree that the Omer Ice perform better than the other Omer Millennium plastic fins.

[ickledevil]

Oh boy.. maybe I shouldn't have bitten back earlier, anyway have to agree with the pain comments on the garas, I also get severe pain and cramping in my feet after maybe 1hr diving. I get no problem with the Omers but that could just be me, what I can say is the Omers are definately softer foot pocket material. As for all plastic fins being the same, no they are not, just reading through specs will show you that and the fact companys offer the 'same' plastic fins in different hardnesses... including Cressi. As for how much I paid for my Omers and Cressis thats my business, but I will say you get the omers cheaper than I did at the time, and the cressis considerably more so. Here in the UK we are not all lucky enough to have shops to pop in as the sport is not widely known or done here therefore the market is very small.
On a final note for Jack,
Definately try on.. and swim with any prospective fins if at all possible. Also take heed of the advice on this forum it is wide reaching and from a very experianced bunch, as for should you spend the extra on Ice/Carbo etc. I cant answer that for you. When I first started all I used was an old pair of Mares Plana avanti fins, then upgraded them when my skill out grew them. True these days I have collected a lot of equipment but all of it has its place.
If your just starting go for the best compromise between what you can afford, a quality make and most importantly what your comfortable in. Should you buy the Ice? Only you know that but if your going to be doing a lot of spearing then they are an excellent fin. If your going to do primarily freediving then you could 'possibly' but probably not get some carbons or fiberglass fins for a similar price however I wouldn't recommend it until you are used to the ins and outs of the sport and have worked on your skills and training etc. If your in the Uk PM me you can try both my fins on and see what you like.