Looking for Fin advice

[CaveMan69]

Hi all, I'm looking to invest in some new fins and really not sure on the way to go? I recently completed my Wave 1 using Salvimar Speeders which I decided were not right for me moving forward. I read that the blade angle was good for comfort and efficiency, especially for a novice so I want to stick with that theory. I will be traveling to different parts of the world tp progress my freediving, and eventually spearfishing so light weight and travel friendly is a factor. I have fairly broad feet and I'm a barefoot shoes advocate with regards to foot pockets. Ive been wondering about the Leaderfins set up as they seem to have good reviews for low budget fins? Any experience with the Forza foot pockets and I was looking at 80cm fibreglass fins with 33degree as they will be more durable when I get to spearfishing but not sure if I need soft or Medium? I am 5'11 and usually around 77kg-80kg in weight depending on my physical activity and diet. My kicking still needs improvement but I know that will come with practice. I need something that will do me for a long time and suitable to take me to greater depths of my feedive journey.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated?

 

[rollerGR]

blade angle does indeed affect ankle comfort. efficiency depends on how good your technique is, a 22 degree angle has different finning technique than a 30 angle, both are efficient in terms of what you can get out of them. (the bigger the angle the narrower the kick, the looser the ankle so it can rotate, and the bigger the part that the back-kick plays in the finning)

i have tried leaderfins and use them as my main backup fin, both carbon and fiberglass and was using them as my main fins for a while. construction quality is top notch. and the blades are well designed.
forza footpockets are a great match for my feet. i wear 43 (narrow) in adidas and the 43-44 forza fits well without being too tight. with 2,5mm socks

regarding blade hardness (stiffness), this depends on many different factors
first of all how the company labels "soft", "medium-soft", "medium" etc. for example molchanovs are notorious for making super soft fins so their "medium" will be the "soft" of other brands. on the other hand dive-R are notorious for making super hard fins

blade material is another big factor, carbon will be stiffer than fiberglass. so a soft pure carbon fin will be comparable to a medium-soft fiberglass fin

forza footpockets have short side nerves so the blade will be softer overall. i am tall and lightweight and fiberglass soft was not very good for me. i mean i was kicking harder than what it could give me back - keep in mind i was carrying around 6-7kg of lead. pure carbon soft was better but i generally sit in the medium-soft range and even medium. for your bodyweight i would recommend medium stiffness.
fiberglass is very durable so you won't really have issues if you take standard precautions. regarding depth i was very comfortable down to 10-12m (6-7kg constant weight) with fiberglass soft in terms of performance but i did find it a bit slow. with fiberglass it's not only an issue of stiffness but also of weight, fiberglass is heavier so it is less springy.
for freediving with little to no lead soft can get you down to 15-20. medium stiffness will have good performance even deeper ofcourse

my experience is with their 33 blade angles.

 

[Michael-AT]

Foot pockets are a very personal thing & for me they are the most important thing, so they are comfortable, loose enought that you dont get cramps, but not too loose so you slip.

For starting out I would not worry too much about blade material. If you have good budget, fiberglass or even carbon are for sure nice. But you can go down to 15m even with short snorkeling fins, so in the beginning fins typically are not the limiting factor. Proper technique, relaxation, good equalization etc. are much more rewarding to focus on.

For travelling I have Omer Stingray Shorts, which have 60cm blades (measured end of blade up to the start of the foot pocket). Especially disassembled they fit in many regular travel bags.

Do you have a good wet suit? I realized in my first training and after few experiments that the suit is a major factor in comfort, which translates into longer breath holds.

Good luck for your journey!

 

[CaveMan69]

blade angle does indeed affect ankle comfort. efficiency depends on how good your technique is, a 22 degree angle has different finning technique than a 30 angle, both are efficient in terms of what you can get out of them. (the bigger the angle the narrower the kick, the looser the ankle so it can rotate, and the bigger the part that the back-kick plays in the finning)

i have tried leaderfins and use them as my main backup fin, both carbon and fiberglass and was using them as my main fins for a while. construction quality is top notch. and the blades are well designed.
forza footpockets are a great match for my feet. i wear 43 (narrow) in adidas and the 43-44 forza fits well without being too tight. with 2,5mm socks

regarding blade hardness (stiffness), this depends on many different factors
first of all how the company labels "soft", "medium-soft", "medium" etc. for example molchanovs are notorious for making super soft fins so their "medium" will be the "soft" of other brands. on the other hand dive-R are notorious for making super hard fins

blade material is another big factor, carbon will be stiffer than fiberglass. so a soft pure carbon fin will be comparable to a medium-soft fiberglass fin

forza footpockets have short side nerves so the blade will be softer overall. i am tall and lightweight and fiberglass soft was not very good for me. i mean i was kicking harder than what it could give me back - keep in mind i was carrying around 6-7kg of lead. pure carbon soft was better but i generally sit in the medium-soft range and even medium. for your bodyweight i would recommend medium stiffness.
fiberglass is very durable so you won't really have issues if you take standard precautions. regarding depth i was very comfortable down to 10-12m (6-7kg constant weight) with fiberglass soft in terms of performance but i did find it a bit slow. with fiberglass it's not only an issue of stiffness but also of weight, fiberglass is heavier so it is less springy.
for freediving with little to no lead soft can get you down to 15-20. medium stiffness will have good performance even deeper ofcourse

my experience is with their 33 blade angles.

Thank you for this insight, I have actually been in quite a bit of contact with Leaderfins customer service. I have to say I am very impressed with their speedy response time. Your input and theirs has helped greatly so cheers for that. Still a bit undecided on which angle to go for, maybe I'll just flip a coin.
Thants again

 

[CaveMan69]

Foot pockets are a very personal thing & for me they are the most important thing, so they are comfortable, loose enough that you dont get cramps, but not too loose so you slip.

For starting out I would not worry too much about blade material. If you have good budget, fiberglass or even carbon are for sure nice. But you can go down to 15m even with short snorkeling fins, so in the beginning fins typically are not the limiting factor. Proper technique, relaxation, good equalization etc. are much more rewarding to focus on.

For travelling I have Omer Stingray Shorts, which have 60cm blades (measured end of blade up to the start of the foot pocket). Especially disassembled they fit in many regular travel bags.

Do you have a good wet suit? I realized in my first training and after few experiments that the suit is a major factor in comfort, which translates into longer breath holds.

Good luck for your journey!

Thank you for this I get what you are saying about snorkelling blades etc, I just want something that will last me a good few years and see me through my progression. I think I pretty much have an idea now though??? LOL
Yes I have a good wetsuit, Cressi Apnea, it feels a bit more restrictive than my first wetsuit but way better durability. I had a Salvimar Krypsis which I really liked but it started to fall apart after just 8 dive days. Luckily I got a full refund on it
Thank you!