Mares Avanti Quattro Pro Fins

[hulsbeck]

I'm looking for a pair of Avanti Quatro Pro full foot fins - size 8-9. I understand that Mares quit making them, but there has to be some around somewhere - I hope.
Thanks.

[ZOHARA]

hulsbek,
Hang in there we are going to resurrect the fin. I don't have a date but I'd start looking for it summer of 2007.

[Jon]

Zak,

What's up with the sporasub freediving fins? It looks like the new ones don't have interchangable footpockets like the older ones did. Are you still making the older kind- which happen to be my favorite?

Thanks,

Jon

[ZOHARA]

Hi Jon,

You are correct, we are not making the interchangeable fins (HD Dessaults) any longer. They have been discontinued. The new Instinct fin has replaced that product. We are quite excited about the new fin with overmolded footpocket to the blade. It has an all new designed foot pocket. This foot pocket has been engineered to be more comfortable but reinforced across the top of the pocket to allow for more power transfer into the blade. The blade is comprised of a new technopolymer which will perform better and should last longer (not quite as brittle as the dessaults). It also has a variable thickness which tapers from thicker to thinner as it gets toward the end of the blade. This will increase performance as well. The blade has excellent rails running from the foot pocket to almost the tip and channels/grooves on the face to maximize water travelling down the blade rather than spilling over the sides. This fin is our entry level product and is geared for the beginner to intermediate diver.

I appreciate your fondness of the old, as it was my favorite even before I began working for Mares/Sporasub. I can honestly say I now prefer this fin over the old. While it is still relatively new to the fin market, it has been extremely well received. We have just begun shipping the fin in full size runs in both colors, black and green. I hope you get the chance to give these a try, I think you'll like them as much as I do.

Stay tuned for more exciting new products as we continue to expand on the Sporasub line. We have a new dedicated Sporasub product manager at our HQ in Italy, with a strong focus on innovation and freediving / spearfishing. I will be meeting with them in FL at Dema to discuss market needs and any future product development. If anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears. Now is the time.

Best regards and thanks for the input,

[Jon]

How about making a pair of carbon fiber fins withthat foot pocket or a monofin?

I've put the Sporasub pockets on my C4's and even had Spcialfins make me a monofin with the old sporasub pockets because I liked them so much. The OMER's are ok, but the Spora's always have fit my feet better.

Jon

[spaghetti]

Zak, CONGRATULATIONS FOR THE NEW SITE!
For a Spora/Mares lifetime lover like me, it's a joy to see it on-line.
www.sporasub.com

[rcerdena]

It's sad to know that the old model was discontinued. Might be my romanticism dosis with those fins.

I guess that it's time to get a pair of footpockets and make them last!

RC

[ZOHARA]

FYI,

If anyone should have a need for foot pockets or blades feel free to pm me. I know who bought most of our remaining inventory.

Best,

[ZOHARA]

How about making a pair of carbon fiber fins withthat foot pocket or a monofin?

I've put the Sporasub pockets on my C4's and even had Spcialfins make me a monofin with the old sporasub pockets because I liked them so much. The OMER's are ok, but the Spora's always have fit my feet better.

Jon I'd love it if we made a monofin. I think for now we need to sell more bi fins first. I also think we should have a graphite or carbon bi fin as well. Since this is a new mold, and new design, we will need to build on this first. Shouldn't run before we walk. I feel we have a good name, good manufacturing capacity, great R&D, you will see a strong focus on Sporasub next year. We will grow.

Spaghetti,

Thanks for your enthusiasm about the site. While it is not as fancy as the Mares site, it is a start. Like I said above we will put a strong emphasis on Sporasub in all areas. Again thanks for your support on the otherside of the pond.

Best,

Zak

[trux]

Originally Posted by ZOHARA

...You are correct, we are not making the interchangeable fins (HD Dessaults) any longer. They have been discontinued.

Fortunately H. Dessault goes on producing their fins with the interchangeable blades under their own brand name now. I just bought them a month ago.

Not sure if the foot-pocket is exactly the same as the old one, or rather the new one, or if it is their own, but I could mount C4 blades into it easily, and they are quite comfortable. The only unfortunate thing is that I bough the fins little bit too big for my feet, so I'll have to put the C4 blades into my Beuchat pockets which are great and fit perfectly, but have different screw holes and the slit in the sides is smaller too, so I'll need to work the blades little bit.

BTW, what was the reason for the divorce with H. Dessault?

[ZOHARA]

Why buy from someone else, when you can do it better yourself? I think that is the bottom line. We are well known for our Mares fins, and molding technology.

[Jon]

So who owns all those pairs of sporasub footpockets that were left over?

I would think that keeping an interchangeable footpocket in stock would be a great idea since your not making carbon fiber, or fiberglass, blades yet. This has been an issue with Esclapez fins as well- with the overmolded footpocket. They make a nice fin, and I used to own a pair, but you can never upgrade the blade without buying a whole new pair of fins and they can't be mounted onto a monfin.

The new footpocket looks good, but it would be nice if it was made in an interchangable version as well.

Trux, how do you like those Beuchat pockets? Are they comfortable? Are they narrower than an OMER? I've owned Spetton's as well, but their sizing is a bit off. It was great if you wanted to fit a full 6mm sock inside of it, but not so good with a 3mm.

Jon

[trux]

Jon,

The Beuchat pocket is excellent, and I would put the C4 blades directly into them if there was not the hassle width different screw holes and the edge. I cannot compare them to Omer. The only other exchangeable freediving pockets I used, are the new H. Dessaults, which seem to be pretty good too, if I did not buy them one size too big - for this reason I cannot really tell which ones are larger, since the H. Dessaults are simply not fitting because I have the wrong size.

[ZOHARA]

jon,

You can talk to Dennis Haussler at 20 Fathoms. www.20fathoms.com

Best,

[Spaniard]

Originally Posted by trux

Fortunately H. Dessault goes on producing their fins with the interchangeable blades under their own brand name now. I just bought them a month ago.

Not sure if the foot-pocket is exactly the same as the old one, or rather the new one, or if it is their own, but I could mount C4 blades into it easily, and they are quite comfortable. The only unfortunate thing is that I bough the fins little bit too big for my feet, so I'll have to put the C4 blades into my Beuchat pockets which are great and fit perfectly, but have different screw holes and the slit in the sides is smaller too, so I'll need to work the blades little bit.

BTW, what was the reason for the divorce with H. Dessault?

Dessault was a chief designer for Sporasub for many years then left and set up on his own, keeping his name for the company, Dessault. He was also a fine spearfishermam and held the record for European Bass at over 13kg!! I do not know why he left the company but QC was never great at Rapallo when I used to buy direct from them so maybe that was it.