• Welcome to the DeeperBlue.com Forums, the largest online community dedicated to Freediving, Scuba Diving and Spearfishing. To gain full access to the DeeperBlue.com Forums you must register for a free account. As a registered member you will be able to:

    • Join over 44,280+ fellow diving enthusiasts from around the world on this forum
    • Participate in and browse from over 516,210+ posts.
    • Communicate privately with other divers from around the world.
    • Post your own photos or view from 7,441+ user submitted images.
    • All this and much more...

    You can gain access to all this absolutely free when you register for an account, so sign up today!

another which fin to buy thread!!!!

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.

rigdvr

Not Available in Stores
May 28, 2002
1,317
130
0
48
Alright guys, Ive been diving with a pair of c4 flaps for 2-3 seasons now and they arent going to last forever(cant believe they have lasted this long around the rigs!) They are 30 stiffness and I really like them. Im thinking of moving down to a fiberglass blade due to the nature of our diving and after looking around heres what Im thinking....
1. c4 VTR 30's - I know the 25's were super soft but how do the 30's stack up? Same profile as my beloved flaps.

2. xxone Pro Mimetic - really sweet looking but Ive never kicked one yet.

3. Carbon Tec "carbon glass" fin - 70% carbon 30% glass. They also have full glass and full carbon models.

4. Omer Pegasso - really only being considered because of the outstanding service Mark L. at technosport has given me in the past. Nice to know your gear comes from a stand up guy like mark!

5. Fisher Power blades - my buddies getting a pair so we could have them shipped together.


I know there alot of fin junkies on the board and I'll make a deal.....give me some good feedback and I'll post some of our latest rig exploits - maybe even picturesrofl
 
Reactions: Jon
If you are looking for fiberglass fins, you may have a look at Beuchat's Mundial Fibra too: Beuchat International

​
Very nice fins. I tested them and they feel quite close to my C4 Flaps 30. And, especially, I like Beuchat footpockets.
 
Have you considered the Matrix Edge fins?

20 Fathoms - Matrix Fins

They have an angled blade and side rails. The rails aren't as tall as C4 rails though so that you can still scull. They come in 5 different stiffnesses.

I have used the Edge's predecessor - the standard Matrix - in stiffness #3.

When compared to the C4 blade, the Matrix will be wider, and they can be put in various footpockets - Sporasub, Omer, Picasso.

Very durable and reliable - never had to worry about them breaking of getting damaged unlike my C4 flap 25's.
 
I've ordered a pair of these specialfins.com which I want to put on a pair of Fireblade footpockets I bought from here Παρελκόμενα Πτερυγίων --- diveshop.gr
Expensive but the pockets are supposed to be the best currently. Lightest weight but still with good power transfer. Blades are supposed to be nearly indestructable with the reactivness of carbon.
The blades have been around a while and there are reveiws of them on this forum. Twice they've been tested in fin lineups, one of these times the reveiw was by Sven and the other by a group of divers also well known on this forum.
 
I'll give you my perspective on Gary Fisher Powerfins. They rock. The kick stroke is longer and easier and I found myself kicking slower to get the same propulsion, which is great for conserving energy. Unfortunately, I cracked my barely used Fishers at the screw holes. I have heard of very few incidences like mine, so I don't think it's prevalent. Just be careful to make sure the screw holes are drilled ever so slightly oversized. I would also check out Sask's fin review on Spearboard, where he talks about the DiveR fins. These are the same concept as the Fisher fins and apparently, they have never recieved a complaint about breakage and come with a lifetime warranty.

All that said, if your carbons are still going strong, it seems like new carbons would be a good idea.
 
demasoni said:
Very durable and reliable - never had to worry about them breaking of getting damaged unlike my C4 flap 25's.
Click to expand...

(THREADJACK ALERT)
demasoni: i'm just about to click and buy som C4 falcons 25's. I weigh 65Kg and am 1.79. I will use them for deeper spearfishing (15 to 25M) and freediving CWT to 40m. Sometimes pool DYNs too.

What do you think of yours and why did they get so beaten up?

Thanks
 
Nice to see you back on here Rig!

After all of the problems I had with my Sporasub Pure carbons, I switched to C4's and my Falcon 30's are still going strong. I like them a lot, but have added a pair of ICE fins for summer time spearing.

Ted is still using his Special fins and has only had one problem with them so far- a tip got smashed going through baggage claim in the airport. He glued it back together and it's still holding up strong. I believe that Sven sold his Specialfin Hybrids a while ago. I had a chance to use them and they seemed pretty nice to me- although a bit pricey.

Not sure about some of the newer fins as mine have held up so well I haven't thought much about switching- except maybe selling my monofin and going back to a pair of C4-80's.

Jon
 
Jon, stiffness wise, how would you say the specialfin Hybrids compared to your Falcon 30's ?
 
I think the 30's compared to the Specialfin Medium with an OMER pocket on it. The fin flex changed when I put a Sporasub pocket on it- they became softer.

The one advantage the Special fins offer ,for spearfishing, is that you can scull and frog kick a lot easier in them because they have no side rails. The 30's are better for pure depth diving.

Jon
 
Reactions: strangelove and sunfish
Thanks for the quick reply Jon. They should be softer again in Fireblade pockets, which have very soft side rails, designed to let blades work over the full length. Because of this, I couldn't decide between medium and hard, so Karmo said he'd make me medium/hard blades.
Can't wait to try the combination!
 
Rigdvr, i have just ordered a pair of medium/ hard xxone pro mimitec blades (rebranded kaleidos for sale in italy) from Totemsub in Italy im going to fit the blades on Omer footpockets. I decided on these blades after reading a few good reports about them. They are apparently extremely hardy (no need to worry about rocks) and very responsive to dive with. I have a pair of c4 40's but there no good for the rocky areas i tend to dive around as im allways wary of scraping or hitting them.

I imagine its a bit of a numbers game really mate, just like buying anything if you can't try before you buy. I just went for a reputable make that sounded reasonable in the end.

He who dares . . .

I'll let you know how i get on with my fins when they arrive.

Cheers Ian
 

That is correct,

I have two pairs if hybrids one hard and one medium (btw they can order on medium as well), the medium would be similar to the C4/30 (but they have more snap then the C4). I am 6 feet 175 lb, the hybrid hards are way too hard for me, can't do any surface swiming with them. The medium are the best fins I've ever tried, in my opinion
 
thats more like it! A teaser report....went today and got a 3 man limit of red snapper(six fish) - 5 of them went over 20# and three of those were over 25#! The diving has been really good lately.
 
My honest opinion is, get the ones that look coolest. C4s are the shiniest I've seen but Fisher fins might also be in the running as you can send him a .jpeg and he'll print it onto the fibreglass.
 
fins get a workout here....
 

Attachments

  • mike2.jpg
    11.1 KB · Views: 169
  • mike3.jpg
    10.7 KB · Views: 164
Just recieved my new medium hard xxone/Kaleidos mimitec fins through the post. I had to cut down the rails a bit to fit them on my Omer foot pockets, just need to drill the holes for the screws now (although there fitted on the footpockets so tightly i don't think they need them). And then they will be ready for action.

They look nice fins, especially with the flash cam. Certainly a lot softer than my C4 40's.

Will keep you posted over the next few days on how they perform.
 
try to glue them rather than drill holes? super glue or sikaflex 221 works well I have seen
 
I would rather drill than glue to be honest azapa, at least that way i have the option of switching blades and reusing footpockets if i am abroad. Saves on the extra weight and bulk of two more footpockets in my luggage.

And in my opinion if fiberglass blades break from drilling 2 small holes and screwing a couple of small screws with rubber washers through them, then there a waste of time anyway. After all i decided on fiberglass blades to with stand a bit of rough and tumble.
 

Hey Azapa,

Haven't been on in awhile.

I love the flex and snap of the 25's, I think they're great fins. The side rails are quite tall and although not a big deal, the rails tear away from my fins in little sections everytime I use them starting from the end going to the footpocket. So, I just end up cutting the torn pieces off and thereby shortening the length of the rails. This could just be my particular pair of fins though. Also, I sometimes feel that the blades could pop out the footpockets, as the rails aren't "superstuck" to the blades as the rails move around a bit when pulled with my fingers, but that could just be the glue I'm using - Aquaseal.

So, to answer your question, I guess it's not that they are very beaten up - although they scratch easily - it's just that in the back of my mind, I feel there exists the possibility that they would fail or something would break during a dive. I do remember the DB member and spearo I bought the blades from stated that if the blades pop out of the rails during motion (like an ascent) the blades could break.

Assuming all is OK, then the performance and ease at which the 25's move through the water is fantastic. I especially like the fact that they are narrower and I don't accidentally bump them together when kicking.
To me, I'd imagine that the Falcon's are like some kind of high-performance sports car that needs attention and tweaking, but otherwise, when all is tuned, they fly!

This was very unlike my Matrix fins which seemed incredibly durable, just throw'em in the bed of the truck and go - look the same as the day I got them!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…