Specialfins service is the best!

[nostres]

To all monofin lovers/future buyers.
I just want You guys to know I broke my monofin while doing a lot of dynamics at the pool lately. Actually it's more of a crack but it would break if I continue to use it. I bought it last summer and I was using it 2-3 days a week. So I email Specialfins to ask for their postal address where I can ship it and have it fixed. Next day I got response from the owner/president (Karmo Maasik) and he tells me not to send it, just keep it. They will make me a new one and I'll get it in two weeks. That's what is called customer service! If You are not sure what fin to get, get Special. I was also informed that this kind of damage occurred third time last year on the same kind of fins (Dolphin FRD) medium stiffness, men users with strong legs. It was a little bit too soft around pockets so they are doing little redesign and it should be fine then. I am extra happy because I should be able to fix my broken fin by glueying a piece of carbon fiber to the cracked area so I will keep it for the pool. New one will be dedicated to open waters only (I scratch the fin a lot at the pool)

[dhndhn2002]

dear nostres,

i agreed with you: specailfins has a very good service. my buddy and i were the two others whose dolphin monos have the same problem. my mono is complety broken and the other one has the same white dots near the footpockets like yours. now i'am looking for another model i.e. for dynamic training in the pool. do you go for the new dolphin frd mono?

[nostres]

Yes, I am getting the same fin because they offered free replacement. Maybe around summer I will treat myself with Dolphin Carbon if this one won't take me to 300ft
In february I will meet some serious freedivers in Wisconsin during ice diving so I hope I will have a chance to try another model. Then I'll decide if wing and angle blade is worth extra money.

[dhndhn2002]

thanks, please let me know your experiences with those fins.
i viewed your photos of the damaged fin and i recognize stronger reinforcement at the sides of the blades near the footpockets. please look at my pics.

[nostres]

Actually it looks the same to me. I love this fin. Even dough it's my first mono and I don't have any comparison I still love it because I did my PB in dynamic (100m and turn) and also I can swim so fast I would never expect to be such a speedo. It's just so much fun that I can't wait to go back to the pool, I feel like a kid again thanks to this great toy. Like I said before, maybe carbon fin is even more fun but for now this one is good enough. What are You gonna do? try something else?

[Jon]

I've been having repeated problems with mine, from too much pool use I assume, and sent it back to SF once already. They glued it back together, but it fell apart again with a couple of weeks use. Since then I have tried to glue it back together on my own- the $50 shipping charges were adding up, but now mine is almost beyond hope. It has started to tear down the foot pocket and no amount of glue will keep it held together for more than a couple of laps in the pool.

I have a new carbon freediver monofin from SF as well, but am too scared to give it much time in the pool- it cost em too much to have it fall apart as quickly as the last one did! It's a great fin for open water but I'm not to sure about winter pool training.

I have been looking into getting a Waterway NEMO monofin for my next fin since they seemed o have a better design along the stress points and cost about half as much.

Jon

[dhndhn2002]

now i am looking for a sf hybrid pro or flyer monofin. any experiences with this monos?

[nostres]

I should get new monofin any day now, until then I am using the old one because I was able to fix it. If You would like to try the same here's how I did it. I bought a piece of carbon fiber on ebay and I cut two stripes. Then I made a sandwich kind of repair using epoxy glue and stainless steel screws. I know it looks Mickey Mouse style but I don't care as long as it works. I had it on two swimming pool sessions and it holds well. I hope it will stay that way because I don't want to sacrifice the new fin for the pool.

[nostres]

Here is the back with bigger washers.

[dhndhn2002]

thanks for the tip, looks very interesting
but i throw my fin away into garbage already

i will post this thread to my dive buddy, maybe he can fix his fin


dirk

[samdive]

I upgraded from dolphin fibreglass to dolphin carbon recently and I love it - and yes their service is fantastic. Highly recommended!

[dhndhn2002]

i upgraded to carbon-kevlar. my new fin will be dispatched today?! it is a flyer model with this blade. what the differences? more efficiency, speed and feeling?

dirk

[*Poseidon*]

If all of you are having problems with the FRD monofin from specialfins, why not choose another type. I was considering the "Dolphin", then again they don't have the Omer footpockets, which I want. I asked Specialfins if the "Dolphin" could come with them and am waiting for a reply. Also, is the stiffness a problem. If it begins to bend and break, is it too soft? I was going to go for medium softness for both pool and ocean use for underwater apnea.
Any suggestions?
-Ryan

[Jon]

After buying two monofins from Specialfins I did go to another brand for my last one. I ordered, and am still waiting for, my new NEMO monofin from Waterway.

I had a chance to try out one that my dive buddy bought. They seem to have extra reinforcements on their fins where my other fin broke apart. The NEMO pockets they have seem to be more comfortable than the OMER's I had on my first monofin and the Sporasub's I had on my second- at least from the couple of hours I spent in the pool with my buddy's fin on.

You can order them through PFI.

Specialfins always offered me great service, even offering to keep regluing my monofin back together, it just go to expensive for me to ship it back to Estonia from the USA all the time.

Jon

[nostres]

Hi Jon!

Did You order hard fin this time? That's the stiffness I am looking for.
I hope You will get it by freeze-a-pallooza and You'll let me try it. I offer some home made cheese cake in exchange. It's good too, not so hard though.

Peter