waterway glide vs. leaderfins hyper

[monkeyhatfork]

I'm thinking about getting a new mono this year, currently use a classic model 1 medium, very interested in the hyper type fins and the kick-glide technique that goes with them, have read several past threads on new generation monos. Anyone got any thoughts or specific comparisons with these two ?

[monkeyhatfork]

OK, maybe I should be more specific in my questions. For the waterway glide, most of the threads I found seem to be concerned with the long distance model with some people complaining about bad folding in the blade and others claiming all that was needed was a style change, my interest though is in the heavier middle stiff version, anyone using one? Like it? Have any problems? The leaderfins hyper and hyper pro seem like excellent fins but some threads mentions they might not last too long. True? False? can any long time users speak to thier durability. Another concern would be consistancy from the maker. I had a problem with a finis competitor fin I ordered once, came with the footpockets glued on super crooked, customer service was good and had a new one within a week, but would be bumbed if I had to do this long distance with a much larger sum of money involved, don't care what looks prettier, just in what will show up built properly.

[chrismar]

Several freedivers here in NZ use Leaderfins hyper pros and I've never heard of any breaking through OOS. Dave and Kerian should be able to shed more light...

[mgm]

I used to use a Leaderfins Hyper (NOT the Pro) and use now a GlideFin.
In my opinion the Waterway GildeFin is the much better fin than the Leaderfins Hyper. That in terms of comfort but never the less efficient footpockets as well as in smoothness of the blade movement.
Further special for DYN the Leaderfin is really heavy and negative buoyanced.
If I swim 50m speedies I'm one and a have second faster with the Waterway Glidefin (soft blade) than with the Leaderfin Hyper, Medium Blade. (~22" instead of ~23-24")

PS: The Glidefin on the pic is not mine, I is the quite new one from my girl friend.
My Glidefin is with open heel footpockets and looks a "bit" more used with a lot of scratches and a patched blade ;-)

[Mullins]

I was using the regular Hyper before I got a Russian Hyperfin recently. They are pretty heavy and don't have as much angle as Hyperfins, Glidefins etc. I actually didn't mind the weight when swimming slowly and it was good for constant weight as it didn't compress, but I needed quite a bit more angle on the blade in order to glide properly.

[monkeyhatfork]

thanks for the reply so far, I've read a lot of threads on these fins but many are older when people where just getting them so its good to here some opinions after people have had them a few years. I'm taking a PFI course in a few weeks so hopefully a can check out or maybe even get to try a glide fin since they are a distributor. Still curious about the medium stiff, seems like most people are going with a soft on those. Mullins- How do you like the Hyper so far compaired to your leaderfin, they look sweet but the russian stuff doesn't seem so attainable for the average person. Eventually I want to just start making my own fins, but would like a descent fin to use as a starting reference. Wasn't aware the glide had more angle of the two

[Mullins]

It's good - I've dropped about half a stroke on average over 25m. Much nicer to glide with and I think it's this feature that has given me the extra distance rather than a big difference in the action of the blade. Unfortunately it's also upset my weighting a bit so I now need a kilo or so somewhere south of my chest. After adding 1kg to my neckweight the buoyancy of the fin is cancelled out but the distribution is too far forward and I'm nosediving.

Looking at videos and pics it does seem to fold a lot at the edges. This can't be a good thing, but it still seems to push me along ok.

[ADR]

Hi Dave,

Can you post a few images of the folding edges? Interestingly mine does that a bit as well (nothing like my old WWglide though) More intriguing is that Ant's older version of the hyperfin doesn't do it at all and I'm convinced more than ever now that it is a function of blade shape as his is much wider through the shoulder of the blade.

[Mullins]

I don't have many photos of myself swimming, but you can see it in this one:



Also in this youtube video:

YouTube - Dave Mullins 90m Constant Weight Dive

[Kars]

About the ears, or folding. I don't think it's efficient in terms of energy directed to propulsion. Hawing water directed to fall off to the side does not help pushing forward. I think it does help to center and coordinate the movement.

I used to try a soft special fins dolphin, it folded/eared very much and it felt like an towel on my feet. What a dragg.. loss of energy.

What do you think?

- great topic, unrafleing the science behind fins and thrust.

Love, courage and water!

Kars

[monkeyhatfork]

Kars- like the idea of picking at some of the technical aspects behind the fins thrust etc. maybe if we had a larger sampling of info from people, I think maybe a list type tread kind of like the pocket sizing thread where everyone can list thier monos and info about them maybe a broader picture might appear, I'll throw one up and see what happens.

[Evita]

I'm catching this thread a little late, but here goes anyway:

I use a WaterWay Glidefin (medium), it's the only fin I have used for a year or so, upgrading from my first monofin (model 2 medium). It took some adjustment from the much softer model 2, but I am very happy with it, it really does what it says - (kick and) GLIDE. I haven't tried the longdistance model, went straight for medium, and I must warn you, it is a really hard fin compared to any other I have tried, some even say it's too hard for me. Maybe they are right, my thigh muscles have really grown this past year ;-) But if you are prepared to grow into it, and give it the kick it deserves, it will reward you.

Now I have the opportunity to compare with the Leaderfins Hyper and Hyperpro, because my club mates placed a mass order and people got all sorts of Leaderfins in various sizes. They just arrived, so I can report back in a day or two. Plus one of the guys just got a russian monofin ordered through Natalia Avseenko, I am not sure if it's the Hyper, but I can check and compare with that too. Wearing lots of socks obviously, but I'll try to distract from that.

[Evita]

I was just checking for the folding/ears, as I haven't encountered it with the glidefin, but it might show up in photos or videos? But no, not a sign of it. See e.g. Maria in CWT, also a glidefin medium

YouTube - Freediving world championship 2007 -...

It is a really hard fin...

[Mullins]

Fin comparison sounds good - I'm also intrigued by the idea of an 'official couch'.....

[Evita]

Well, it's not exclusive to the norwegian-german team, but they have dibs on it...