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Specialfins

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.

DafyddRees

Well-Known Member
Jul 2, 2008
544
275
153
Hello guys, I was wondering if anyone here had any experience with any of the Specialfin range of fins? I was looking at the:
- Hybrid Professional
- Carbon
- Stereofins Carbon

The fins will be used for spearfishing (~15-20metres with alot of surface time) mainly with abit of freediving (~30metres) on the side so durability is an important factor. Is there a big difference between the Soft and Medium strength blades? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers!
 
Reactions: Broseidon
Not on your list, but I really like my medium SpecialFins BW Specials. They're very responsive, and tougher than the hybrids.
 
Hi Dafydd, I use Hybrid Pro with Pathos footpockets. My blades are medium/hard. If I was making up this combo again I'd choose hard blades because the pathos pockets with their thin and lightweight siderails soften the action of the blades a lot.
Mine are very good for surface swimming. Feels like I could go on for ever. They're good for diving too down to 10 metres and I use them to 15 and more sometimes but over 10 metres I'd prefer it if they were a bit stiffer. At the moment I weigh over 12.5 stones and would like a stronger push from the depths. If you're using ordinary footpockets like Omer, Beuchat etc. the softness shouldn't be a problem.
They seem tough enough to me. Mine are covered in scratches by now as I dive a lot among rocks but it doesn't affect how they work.
Hope this helps.
 
Ah brill, thanks alot Dave!

How are the Pathos footpockets able to change the feel of the blade though i.e. from a Hard blade to a softer blade? From reading the post would a Pathos fp/Specialfins Hybrid Pro (Hard) blade = Omer fp/Specialfins Hybrid Pro (Medium) blade?

A Hard blade does sound a little too much for me but specialfins.com don't seem to do the Medium hybrid blades at the moment. Maybe the Pathos fp with the hybrid blades are the way to go?
 
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Specialfins will do medium or medium/hard if you email them and ask.
Footpockets like Omer have thick stiff siderails which stop the fin from bending. They stiffen the base of the blade. Pathos pockets allow the whole blade to flex. Look at the photos in the link I posted and you'll see the difference in the siderails.
 
I have hybrid hards and kelpie mediums. I use the mediums primarily. Strong reccommendation for Specialfins. Very durable stuff and the workmanship is first class. Great customer service.
Unless you are a gorilla, get no more than mediums. At high speed, my hybrids are the most efficient blades at power transfer I've ever seen, but you have to put a lot into them before the efficiency advantage shows.

Good luck in your search.

Connor
 
That's great, thanks alot for your input guys. I am sold on a pair of the hybrid mediums now with, just hope the omer footpocket is close to the comfort levels of the cressi f/p's!
 
DafyddRees said:
That's great, thanks alot for your input guys. I am sold on a pair of the hybrid mediums now with, just hope the omer footpocket is close to the comfort levels of the cressi f/p's!
Click to expand...
Man up soft lad
Posted via Mobile Device
 
opps, the omer pockets are much less comfortable for most people(there are some folks who hate the cressis). Some kind of bootie is pretty much required for omers. They are also quite stiff. Since the action of the blades is greatly affected by the stiffness of the pocket and, if you find the mediums in omers too hard, try Dessaults or something softer. The Beuchats are very soft. My hybrids in Dessaults are just too stiff. In Beuchats they are almost soft enough.

There is an old, and very long thread by Unirdna, title is something like "the ultimate fin thread" Jon had lots of comments about specialfins, cressis, footpockets, etc. Worth reading.

Connor
 
I've got the same Hybrid/Pathos set-up as Sunfish, but I went for a hard blade. They came with Omer pockets. They never really flexed well and were as uncomfortable as hell, even with booties. I swapped them out for Pathos Fireblade footpockets and they improved 100%. Pathos pockets are twice as light as Omers, and the rails allow the blade to flex right from the end of the footpocket. I've taken mine to -26m and had no problems pushing off from the bottom.
 
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Reactions: DafyddRees
You know I have sensitive skin Steve!

Thanks Trelawney, I think I will go for the same combo as you. I take it the blades will slot straight into the pathos footpockets or does some modification, as in Sunfish's case, have to happen to the blade before they fit correctly?

Cheers
 
Aaaah that's what all the hand cream in your room near the tissues was for
Posted via Mobile Device
 

They have to be shortened a bit to fit correctly, as in Sunfish's post, and some of the siderail on the blade needs to be trimmed back. Use a sharp knife, and don't press too hard onto the blade.
REMEMBER! Measure twice, and then a third time, and cut once.

I glued the blades in with 5200 marine adhesive/sealant. Clean the footpockets where the blade goes with acetone and lightly rub with some light grit sandpaper to rough the surface. Fit the blade, then draw around the outside edge of the footpocket with a marker pen. Take the fin out and mask up the areas that are not going to be covered in glue (it can get messy)

Apply glue to the areas of the blade that go in the pocket, to the inside of the pocket rails and the blade pocket itself. Fit the blade in as snug as it will go. When assembled, wipe off the excess glue. I used long zip-ties to hold everything in place while the glue cured.

I hope this helps.
Chris
 
When you fit the blades to the pockets you want the angle on the blade to come level with the angle on the pocket. I think the amount I cut from the heel end of the blades was about three sixteenths of an inch but try a blade in a pocket and you'll see how far away from each other the angles are.
I (very carefully) used a small hacksaw for the blades and a Stanley knife for the siderails, then used masking tape to hold things together while the glue dried. Trelawney's zip ties probably work better than masking tape. Too much tape tends to squeeze the blades into a curve.
 
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