Need advice buying my first proper fins

[Wisamz]

Hey all
After a year of spearfishing going about once a week , my dive time is getting better and to my surprise i have discovered that diving down using proper way (spending less energy while diving has a huge impact on your time under water) and so i figured that switching to long fins and to a different material other than plastic would be a significant change .

So i was planning to get medium stiffnes (i am 187 cm tall and 105 kg )pure carbon from Leaderfins with their Footpocket (Forza) are for about 200$ https://www.leaderfins.com/us/-8368.html
Why is it their pure carbon so cheap in price ? Are they a scam ?
Are they the best choice for 200$ performance&quality wise ?
Is their Footpocket Forza good enough for the blades ?
Please feel free to share your experience with them or to suggest a different choice with that price range.

 

[Wisamz]

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how about mako's carbon elite https://www.makospearguns.com/Carbon-Elite-Freedive-Fins-p/mceff.htm?1=1&CartID=1

 

[Wisamz]

Hey all
After a year of spearfishing going about once a week , my dive time is getting better and to my surprise i have discovered that diving down using proper way (spending less energy while diving has a huge impact on your time under water) and so i figured that switching to long fins and to a different material other than plastic would be a significant change .

So i was planning to get medium stiffnes (i am 187 cm tall and 105 kg )pure carbon from Leaderfins with their Footpocket (Forza) are for about 200$ https://www.leaderfins.com/us/-8368.html
Why is it their pure carbon so cheap in price ? Are they a scam ?
Are they the best choice for 200$ performance&quality wise ?
Is their Footpocket Forza good enough for the blades ?
Please feel free to share your experience with them or to suggest a different choice with that price range.

i just found about this
https://c4-usa.com/c4-skorpio-dna-fins
and i have just found the skorpio with stiffness 40 ( is that medium? i wonder) i actually think its the best choice especially that it comes with omer stingray foot pocket.
cap.nemo carbon fins are worth mentioning i guess https://finswimworld.com/product/capt-nemo-carbon-fins/

 

[Leander]

Leaderfins... Why is it their pure carbon so cheap in price ? Are they a scam? Are they the best choice for 200$ performance&quality wise?

I use Leaderfins fiberglass matched to Pathos footpockets for about a year now, mostly in choppy to rough seas, in-between the rocks and diving about two long days per week. So far they are holding perfectly fine. They're cheap, lightweight and so far they seem very durable.

The stiffness I got is Medium. What exactly is Leaderfins' medium? I don't know. Stiffness in fin blades has no standard unfortunately, so one brands medium is another brands soft/hard. In an attempt to create some idea about Leaderfins' Medium FG's stiffness: I weigh 65kg, 1.73m height. I sport a lot, mostly diving, cycling, some climbing and running, so my stamina is ok. In the beginning I thought the blades were quite hard. Now I think they're just right; when swimming in current I am very happy that I didn't get the soft ones, but when doing distance on the surface in calm water they sometimes feel a little stiff.

* Edit: The OP asks about carbon blades, my 'review' is about the fiberglass blades. It answers the question about durability for at least one of Leaderfins' products and I hope that carries over to their carbon fins as well.

 

[Wisamz]

I use Leaderfins fiberglass matched to Pathos footpockets for about a year now, mostly in choppy to rough seas, in-between the rocks and diving about two long days per week. So far they are holding perfectly fine. They're cheap, lightweight and so far they seem very durable.

Thanks for the info.
good to know they lasted a year!
I plan to use leaderfins Footpocket along their blade if i decide to buy from them.

 

[Wisamz]

I use Leaderfins fiberglass matched to Pathos footpockets for about a year now, mostly in choppy to rough seas, in-between the rocks and diving about two long days per week. So far they are holding perfectly fine. They're cheap, lightweight and so far they seem very durable.

Thanks for the info.
good to know they lasted a year!
I plan to use leaderfins Footpocket along their blade if i decide to buy from them.

 

[Leander]

Thanks for the info.
good to know they lasted a year!
I plan to use leaderfins Footpocket along their blade if i decide to buy from them.

I edited my post above with more info after you posted your reply.

I have no experience with Leaderfins' pockets, just the blades.

 

[Mr. X]

I may well be mistaken but I thought softer* blades were generally preferred for carbon fins. I thought the idea is get more of that sort of wave-through-the-blade action going on when descending to and ascending from depth.

*Soft compared to...plastic blades?

 

[Leander]

I thought the idea is get more of that sort of wave-through-the-blade action going on when descending to and ascending from depth.

Is a 80cm blade enough to get that wave action? Perhaps if you make mini-strides... I only have experience with my current fins, so my idea about softer fins is theoretical, but I would expect soft fins to be extremely nice in calm seas, but in the waves and current I sometimes have in my area I have would be afraid to go in with anything softer than what I have. But again, thats my expectation, not a experience.

 

[rrickardt]

Hey all
After a year of spearfishing going about once a week , my dive time is getting better and to my surprise i have discovered that diving down using proper way (spending less energy while diving has a huge impact on your time under water) and so i figured that switching to long fins and to a different material other than plastic would be a significant change .

So i was planning to get medium stiffnes (i am 187 cm tall and 105 kg )pure carbon from Leaderfins with their Footpocket (Forza) are for about 200$ https://www.leaderfins.com/us/-8368.html
Why is it their pure carbon so cheap in price ? Are they a scam ?
Are they the best choice for 200$ performance&quality wise ?
Is their Footpocket Forza good enough for the blades ?
Please feel free to share your experience with them or to suggest a different choice with that price range.

Leaderfins is no scam, awesome for the price. I am currently on soft fiberglass long with forza pockets, 180cm/75kg, freediving, no spearfishing. My kicking is not slow power kicks, but more faster higher frequency. I found soft pure carbon little bit stiffer than soft fiberglass, carbon is more poppy. Carbon is generally more fragile, if you are hitting reef or rocks often, consider fiberglass, it holds much better. Previously i was on medium fiberglass for 3 years and it held well, i sold them, scratched, but 100% working and i hit rocks a lot.

They suggest medium stiffness up to 100kg. I never saw anyone on hard ones, so i can not comment, i saw a lot of ~100kg guys on medium ones.

 

[Markusfugit]

I used plastic fins for a few years as well, and then bought Pathos foot pockets and the Leaderfins pure carbon blades. I'm really happy with them having used them weekly for about a year. I saw an article recently where someone tested plastic, fiberglass, and carbon fins for efficiency using an underwater speedometer held by the swimmer. There was no appreciable difference between fiberglass and carbon fins as to performance, but the plastic fins were noticeably less efficient. I doubt that for anything but competitive freedivers there is any benefit to carbon that justifies the cost, all else being equal. Two of my buddies got Leader fin blades and footpockets. They have had nothing but trouble with the arms of the footpockets coming off the fins. I'm very pleased with what I have.