Monofin Suggestions?

[Faith]

I am brand new here and mainly joined because I was told it might be a good place to ask about which brand to choose for my first monofin!
I'm not looking for anything particularly fancy or expensive as this is pretty much strictly for recreational just-for-fun use in the pool, at least for the time being. When I'm not living somewhere ridiculously land locked I'll likely start looking into being more serious about free diving.
I'm looking for something that is not a super hard or a super soft edge. I tend like the monofins that have a bit of a flowy look underwater, but I would still like it to be functional.
My biggest concern is that I've read a lot of reviews about particularly popular brands like the Finis Competitor saying that the foot pockets are a bit narrow and rub uncomfortably. I'm quite petite and have fairly small feet (size 6 1/2 in US women's) and my ankles are fairly slender, but the balls of my feet are a bit wider than most women's so the warnings of narrow foot pockets make me a bit concerned! So I just wondered if anyone might have suggestions about a brand that might be more comfortable for someone with wider feet, that wouldn't be outrageously expensive for a first monofin, and preferably with a medium hardness to the fin (though I'm not really a stickler on this last point and am totally up to other suggestions if you have them!)?
Erm, thanks anyone who has any feedback on this. I truly appreciate it!

 

[Apneaddict]

If its just for pool use and recreational fun and to help with technique, consider the Finis Foil.

It's small and it's rubber and the action is pretty good on it!

I got one for my little niece and with some neoprene socks fits well and doesn't rub / cause blisters.

I've also seen people come to Freedive training and it makes for a great first monofin to get used to the technique / action of swimming with your legs bound together and it's cheap, durable, readily available (eBay), safe to use in a pool and easy to transport.

Finis has a video online - even check YouTube to see if it will fit the bill for you.

The action of the fin is great on my niece. I was pleasantly surprised.

I just got her into synchronized swimming... So look for her at the Olympics in 2024, followed by the freediving world
Championships in 2025!

 

[Kyle Gervers]

I purchased a Starfin mono with a #3 blade a few months ago and I am in love with it

 

[Fondueset]

Starfins are absolutely awesome - and #3 is a good stiffness. Really - you can rely on the maker - Alex Lichenko - to tune the fin perfectly if you explain what you want. For a less expensive option - also extremely durable - I recomend the Waterway Nemo - Really good value for the money. Both of mine are still in circulation after years and several owners. Get the softest fin you can - no question. For distance and/or recreational diving - a soft fin is the shit. *

*There is come kind of macho thing about fin stiffness - that everyone seems to have. It is pure idiocy - unless you are a competitive in swimmer - or are doing depth - get a soft fin.

 

[Apneaddict]

Starfins really does make a great hyperfin.

Alex is great at what he does... But keep in mind that it is still hand-crafted and there will be variation (eg. When the fin arrived, the footpocket sizing was off and requires 2mm socks where I had requested it fit without any - at least it wasn't too small!).

They are also somewhat fragile and after 2yrs of moderate use, mine requires gluing in 2 places at seams and the heel strap started to tear and required attention.

Payment methods aren't the easiest / most convenient either... But at least Alex can be trusted and delivers a great product. The more honest and detailed you are with your requirements, the better the fin will work for your intended usage.

I would take a serious look at the Lunocet Pro, as opposed to a Waterways Nemo.

A bunch of my experienced
Freediver friends tried my Lunocet Pro out last night (2 have Starfins and one a Nemo) and I think it's safe to say that they were all impressed on its own performance merits and the portability, price and comfort are just (huge) bonuses.

 

[Fondueset]

Starfins really does make a great hyperfin.

Alex is great at what he does... But keep in mind that it is still hand-crafted and there will be variation (eg. When the fin arrived, the footpocket sizing was off and requires 2mm socks where I had requested it fit without any - at least it wasn't too small!).

They are also somewhat fragile and after 2yrs of moderate use, mine requires gluing in 2 places at seams and the heel strap started to tear and required attention.

Payment methods aren't the easiest / most convenient either... But at least Alex can be trusted and delivers a great product. The more honest and detailed you are with your requirements, the better the fin will work for your intended usage.

I would take a serious look at the Lunocet Pro, as opposed to a Waterways Nemo.

A bunch of my experienced
Freediver friends tried my Lunocet Pro out last night (2 have Starfins and one a Nemo) and I think it's safe to say that they were all impressed on its own performance merits and the portability, price and comfort are just (huge) bonuses.

Since AA has dropped the Lunocet I'll chime in about the Dol-fin - you can also check the thread 'extreme dolfinism' for more info - I'll try to condense. First off though - the Waterway Nemo is extremely durable - one of mine is on it's 3rd or 4th owner and has been running for at least 5 years. The other of mine now belongs to my dive buddy and has been used just as long. (I like to have two of stuff I really like )

Now - onto the Dol-fin. The Dol-fin is a foil based fin and has been used by both Natalia Molchanova and Eric Fattah - two big names in the freediving world. Eric uses the Orca model and has taken it to 80 meters depth, Natalia used the same model and after only a few hours to get familiar with it, nearly equaled her best dynamic performance.





Additionally I have a series of videos comparing with Dol-fin with my Starfin any generally showing how it swims. Here is the playlist.
The model I am using has a smaller blade than Natalia and Eric's.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLr6iDP-TC9ycSzYDVztdgSuH_FyqGv6ia

The Dol-fin Model I would recommend to you is the X-20 - this is a recreational fin. Like the Lunocet, it employs cycling shoes (included). While I've not done the kind of exact side-by-side comparison with the X-20, I have used it quite a bit for recreational dives and have found it very relaxing to swim with, comfortable and efficient.

A good point about the Dol-fin series is that they were designed by an aerospace engineer and from the beginning to be very simple mechanically. They have only 1 moving part - which, if it ever does wear out, would be extremely cheap and easy to replace. (I think it's made out of multi-ply tire rubber - or something similar). The fins perform extremely well and can be tuned to your body size/diving style with different blade widths. However, the nature of a pure foil design, which the Dol-fins are, is that it does not provide much felt resistance - the thrust being very clean - so really you can probably get a largish blade if you want.