Beauchat Fibra vs...C4?

Hi tuffstuff,

If you want to move to carbon, you can't go wrong with C4... they make a high-quality product and have proven themselves by being in the market for a long time.

I have a pair of Mustangs that I first got in 40 hardness with the flaps. If you like stiff fins, you will like the 40's power and responsiveness. However, the 40's may be too stiff for someone of your weight.

I'm 6.2, weight 205lbs and have strong legs. But I had to retire my 40s from long spearfishing outings because they were killing my ankles after a couple of hour of spearfishing.

I recently changed my blades to the Fuego 30 VGR blades and like them better. They are a lot more comfortable for long spearfishing sessions as the blades are still responsive, but the are gentler on my ankles. I also like the VGR rails better than the previous rails since their concave shape allows for more lateral movement while totally preventing blade slippage during kicking.

If you are going to do some spearfishing, I recommend against any carbon model with flaps. The flaps lack the rubber rail protection and can chip if you hit them hard enough sideways.

Hi Tuffstuff
Not sure where you got price on Spierre's or C4s but Spierres, as far as I have seen are alot cheaper. If you didnt get quote from Pierre directly, would suggest you did. My only other suggestion is if you do go for carbon blades, take a spare set of fins with you when ever you go diving.Dont know if its just me but I find they break easily and im not that hard on my fins... you dont want to have to be the spotter the whole day while your buddies load up :naughty

No, good carbon blades from reputable brands are not fragile. I've had mine for 3 years and never had a problem. All my dives are shore dives with rocky entry and exits. Now, I don't make a point to walk on my blades over the sharp rocks... if I wanted that, I would have gotten cheaper blades.

The only thing you have to be careful of is not to bang the carbon blade mercilessly on it's side. As long as you don't do that, you will enjoy the benefits of the most reactive blade material that will help you on the deeper dives.

If unbreakable is the most important quality to you, then you might want to stick with fiber glass blades.

I had mine for a grand total of about 15 dives and theyre already cracked. Never used them on a shore dive and generally very carefull with them. Maybe its just me.What carbons are you using Claudio?

You didn't ask me, but I've had C4 Falcon 30 and Omer Rekord, with which I made lots of shore diving in rocky environments: no problems at all.

There is a relatively low percentage of carbon blades that might get broken, but I can tell you it's a very small amount compared to the lot. Anyway, any product from the European Union must be covered by a 2 years warranty at least. If they last for 2 years, they're not so fragile after all, while if they dont' you can still claim the warranty...