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fins fins fins

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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rigdvr

Not Available in Stores
May 28, 2002
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Any input on the sporasub pure carbons? I am a solid 180 lbs at 5'11" with a powerful kick. how stiff are these fins and how about the quality? thanks!
 
I have a couple of compadres that gave them a go and stuck with their Picasso's and C4's. And at a real solid and paid-for 200 pounds at 6'-3", take it from me, you don't want to be wearing carbon anything around a rig...

sven
 
The Sporasub makes the very comfortable boots and they looks very good but,
As far as I now, carbon fins have a drawback (except the price ;-) ): fatigue breaking of the blade. They’re unstable to the not long fatigue action; it's a non-removable property of carbon plastics for now. Instead of a blade you have as a result to halv-blades after some using.
The very good alternative are fiber plastics. We tested fiber plastics blades 3 weeks ago in Greece trade show- after 165 000 bandings in 9 hours using testing robot the elasticity hasn't changed!
It's the best material for the Monos, so I'm sure it's the best for traditional bi-fins (for blades of course :)) either.
In North America Fiberglass Bi-Fins are widely used for Lifesaving Sports (especially in Canada). Why not use it in scubadiving or snorkeling? Long fins are really reactive.
For now I don't see alternative for fiber plastics (the textolits) as a material for high-performance fins.
You can try our long bi-fins and write your opinion here, if you don't, I'll refund your money and post spending.
all the best
www.finswimming.ca
Peter
 
Pete, looking at the pictures on your website I notice that your fins don't have a full foot pocket...? Now that I've gone to the Sporasub full pocket shoe, I don't think I want to go back. Do you make blades that will fit these, or do you offer a full foot version?
 
Nope, Brownsword, they don't! Our main specialization till now was the competition equipment for top world-class swimmers and divers. They don't need a full-pocket at all (performance is a bit worse and they are some other reasons). Now we're making production line for the full pockets. They will be available in a few months. The price will be about the same and the models are very promising.
Now we have 'open hill' and 'Sandals' - so-called 'Greek model' - the hill completely covered by the blade tale, but it's not a classic full-pocket.
I now a company from Europe buys our blades only and puts them in Sporasub footpockets. I will try to know how to do it and let you now. We can sell the blades also. You mean the interchangeable Sporasub version, yes? We don't produce interchangeable versions so as we don't believe them reliable.
 
I guess so -- I've only seen the one type of Sporasub foot pocket, and the blades can be completely removed easily by taking out the two screws.

Interesting that you think the open heel version performs better, I was told quite the opposite and tend to believe it after experimenting with a few kinds of fins. Your fins sound pretty good, and I'd like to give them a try. Currently I'm using the rounded-end Sporasub plastic fins, and they work reasonably well but I know the long straight-ended ones are better... and the plastic isn't the best material.
 
Yes, Andrew, we meant the same; just the Sporasub has the other types that are not so widely used. All manufacturers always make experiments.
About the footpockets. The most of users even very experienced believe, that the full version has the better performance. But you practically never hear this opinion from the finswimming professionals, especially the racing ones, where the performance is most important. We believe basing on our 10-years experience in this business and some investigations that we've put the money in that it's just a result of good marketing and nothing more! The full footpockets has a plus against the wide(!) strap only in one case - if you step on a sea urchin. The advantage in diving in very cold water is negligible because the rubber is a good conductor of the heat and we use neo-socks anyway.
If you have a look on the professional racing equipment of ANY manufacturer (monofins for the finracing, lifequardfins for the lifesaving) you cannot see the full footpockets. Why?! If the performance of full footpockets were better then the profi equipment would have only full variant. For competitions even a half of sec is important. The answer is simple: the full version is not better in performance then wide-strap one (good point -never use thin-strapped fins). Moreover, it's a bit worse. In process of kicking when the in the very end a finswimmer uses foot-fingers for extra-kicking that gives some additional effort (that's why using an open-toe fins is a really bad idea), that’s not so important as a kicking by legs but it doesn't worth to underestimate the finger-kick. Well, if your hill is covered by rubber or some kind of plastic it makes an additional elastic tension in process of your finger-kicking and makes it worse. For now no so materials for the footpockets that are able to remove that effect.
The other reason of using open hill for profi it's a size. Can you change a size in our full pockets? I can bet nobody can. What if you feet are between-sized as for 60% of population? What if you one foot longer then other (it happens quite often)? In this case you have to by a bigger size and use the socks. In professional strapped fins you can just reglue the straps (never believe mechanical fixing of strap like buckles for serious finswimming!) it's fairly easy and you have exactly the size what you need that very important for swimming in fins for a long while.
The third reason is not so important, but in the fullpockets the load-bearing part of strap really thinner then in strapped fins, it's a question of production process and it's almost unreal to avoid.
The last reason practically is not so important.
 
!!! Idea of using our fiberplastic blade with Scubapro footpocket is really great! Some Company in Greece does it and get a lot of money on it! So anybody who can drill two holes and put screws in them can have the same result. This company resells this blades for 160 Euro ($145) and it's a line of divers&spearfishers for them in Greece and Italy.

I will get the blades about the very end of the months (all the production line is busy by Greek guys) and we can try. It's really promising thing!

Our opinion about full pocketsis is the same as before but if a customer wants to get a Scubapro pocket he(she) can have it.
 
Heh, Peter you just about have me sold on the strap products and then you go and offset compatible blades! What a dilemma. :)
 
back to original question

rigdvr,

I bought the Sproasub Pure Carbons several months ago and they are now my favorite fin for open water diving (still beat up the Picasso's in limestone caverns).

Just back from Tanya's clinic and she highly recommended these fins and they were the fins her husband (6'4", 200+ lbs) wore during our open water dives. They are not quite as stiff as some of the other carbons, but Tanya feels that the softer ones are more preferred (the custom fins she used for her 70m world record dive are surprisingly soft). This is different than I had previously thought, but who am I to argue.

Anyway, I am very pleased with the Pures and, although I have not yet abused them, they seem to be holding up nicely.

Scott
 
Tanya's going to the competition wit our Monofin Model1.
We sent it to her 2 weeks ago.
;)
 
hey guys

I wish id have the money to buy all these wicked fins that you guys use, wouldnt a monofin be cool. my fins are body boarding fins with a blade of 28cm, underneath the footpockets is torn al the way across, oh well ive snorkelled to 25m with them maybe i should get some real ones.

cheers
 
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