"starfins" hyper

[Alex "STARFINS"]

Hello to all freedivers and those, who simply wants to enjoy finswimming with a comfort (like a fish) ;-)
After some time conducted by me on this forum I understood that many have questions on which not always it is possible to get an answer ! Often people which want to purchase the first fin (hyper) And biggest-selling fear have it is a size footpckets and comfort !
In practice - it and really not very much easily ! But it all influences from the volume of much work (total amount fins) We did not small of them, cause in this business already 14 years !
And upon completion, that not to lose our time and not to discuss the same questions !
I want to do such suggestion, that some of you, made attempt our fins in water and told about the feelings here, on this forum :
first 5 persons can purchase a Starfins hyper at price for 300 euros all is included (postal home delivery), or in your city (if he in Europe) if it is possible (by bus, train)
Simply 99% our representatives blow off a sticker with information from a Starfins and for majority our Starfins looks as well as many their producers ! Is not a problem for us, cause not all fins work so fine !!! Еhis is reason why we do not need advertising before ! Web a site soon will be ready .
But those who use our fins, can tell about quality and longevity of our fins !
Time to time i see hypers, which used 7 years maybe more and in them continue to swimm on Championships of different countries !
it can be I will help some of you to get answers for interesting you questions !
offer apologies for my english - can speack Russian and Ukrainian well more
I wait letters on e-mail: immersion@ua.fm

With best regards
Alexandr Lichenko

"STARFINS"

 

[polishpower]

Can you post some pictures or videos of the fin?

 

[Kars]

Hi Alexandr,

Very impressive offer!

Maybe your could offer one fin to a reviewer, who will test it and write an article on it on Deeperblue?

As a suggestion for you, indeed the footpocket size (gamble) is indeed one of major problems when ordering a fin. I know that a good fit, with a firm but not squeezing fit people will swim more comfortable but also more efficiently.
An Idea as to how to achieve this, would be asking people to measure their feet in a specific way, at more places, a Youtube video of that would be advisable. Maybe also ask customers for a photo in order to know their foot's shape.

Other aspects that are important to know are, buoyancy, pocket angle, blade stiffness, colour. Well I think you know all that.

What also be handy is to give people advice on what fin would fit their needs their best.
For instance a fin for deep diving would be a bit stiffer than a fin for dynamic.
For recreational use you may want to have slightly bigger footpocket. All important considerations.

 

[Alex "STARFINS"]

few photos of Stafins hypers !

 

[Kars]

Nice photo's!
Can we also see one from the side to see the angle?

How buoyant is the fin?

Do you also make a fin with a fully supported heel?

What footpocket and blade colour options are there?

Is the fin reinforced between the footpockets to prevent folding, bending over the length of the blade?

A close up video of someone swimming 50m apnea with the fin would be great to see how the fin behaves in practice!
(I like this perspective: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9vTAJrHZp8]YouTube - Freediving dynamic + turns practise [/ame] )

 

[Alex "STARFINS"]

Hi Kars,
Maybe you could be one of this reviewer ?
Anyway peoples from this forum start to write me and maybe after few weeks will write on deeperblue ! Or maybe Goran Golak try to find a little free time to describe our Starfin hyper ! He use it one mons !
So, for make a Starfin hyper I need to know a bit info about client :
age , height, weight, foot size & foot lenght in centimetre from heel to the end of fingers(like on the photo).And I am interested by what for a client leg: ordinary, thin or wide ! + if not difficultly or there is situation a need, then yet pictures of foot !
Of course yet always interests me a fin will be used for what purpose, from it much depends and it straight influences on a footpockets.
We use footpocket angle from 20 to 30 degree and possible more if the client want it !
I like and use fins with zero buoyancy or a little bit positive, but here we can do like a client want !
We have yellow & black colour of blades & they can be handmade or from factory ! Stiffness oft the blade I choose, my experience allows to do it ! But for more exact choice what fin will be interesting me you used to this moment and what stiffness he had ?
But I want to say that all these parameters of future fin I can choose - mostly is so !
Stiffness of the blade on fin will I choose - listening to recommendations of customer ! And it does not have the special value, but depends on the technique of swimming of sportsman ! What amplitude he does a wave (stroke) with? If amplitude is not large and frequent - that a fin must be more soft and if large amplitude and waves not frequent (as swimm majority of freedivers , on a double kik`s with a pause after ) - that hard more ! BUT, when the protracted breath-holding goes or it diving on a depth, that all know that on the last 20 seconds or 15-20 meters all takes place - here where the real work ! Begins And in such terms at the strong lack of oxygen - a hard fin does not enable to swim well and not valuable kik`s begin, and imitation of them ! I think that it is necessary to use not hard, and even soft fins - is my personal opinion !

 

[Alex "STARFINS"]

few pict for u Kars about our old type fully supported hill hypers ! We don`t make this type 4 years ! But many peoples use they for this day !
Of course man - we put in this place two peaces from more hard black rubber ! For to do this place more stable ! You will see it in your next hyper - from us ;-)

 

[Alex "STARFINS"]

few pict for u Kars about our old type fully supported hill hypers ! We don`t make this type 4 years ! But many peoples use they for this day !

 

[Kars]

Alex I think you should ask Goran, he's got a name, and he's a much, much better swimmer than me.

Wow I like all the options you listed!

For my fin the circumference of my foot was also measured, at the top of the arch and also at the widest part of the foot.
What I find is many fins squeeze the width of the foot too much, while sometimes not applying enough support on top of the foot.

WW in their classic fins (I've got two) put a hard neoprene patch on the ceiling and on the sole of their classic footpocket. An improvement I really like, because the neoprene seems to spread the pressure evenly and comfortably.

Also another question, Have you tried making left and right foot specific footpockets? When I look at the average foot, I see there is directional point in the design, where the big toe is not in the centre, but totally to the side.

Yep the Kick 'n Glide technique is very popular amongst freedivers, thanks to the hyperfin. Indeed such a fin needs to be a bit stiffer, but not too much.

For deep diving I think a 'medium' stiffness fin is on average the best choice. The first push through the buoyancy can use a bit of force, but when you definitely need it is after the turn at the end of the rope. In this situation your speed is 0, and you need to get going, constantly pushing up 4-10 KG of negative buoyancy. In this situation a soft fin will be easily overpowered. Such as happened to me with my WW Classic MD1-Long distance. It was a bit scary to feel your fin become like a towel

 

[Alex "STARFINS"]

I`m forgot about friend of my Pavel Morozov ! He use our Starfins all time & put to youtube video about his own record !
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT9MRFjg_U0]YouTube - DYN 175m 16Apr2010 Morozov[/ame].

 

[Kars]

I like that design Alex, the elegant white lines and the dark blue!

What's that little 'bridge' between the pockets on the photo?

Video:

I'm pleasantly surprised with the way the fins moves, it looks stable and does not V-bent (fold - bent over the length)
Taking a long shot, my guess this is a medium stiffness fin, with a bit of buoyancy.

I wonder how the fin feels, or how it can be made to feel.
For instance my current fin, thanks to the buoyant soft rubbers feels very round, soft, feminine, which I love. :inlove
A disadvantage though is that it's too buoyant.

Yes I think fin building is a delicate art, and it's challenging to hit those very subtle nuances experienced swimmers will notice instantly!

 

[SpeedyGonzales]

A few pictures of Starfins)

 

[Alex "STARFINS"]

it only is visibility that both legs are straight directed ! in realities they a bit stand in inward !
this part of glass between footpockets for prevention of breakage of fin ! Now we use the hard rubber !
yes, you almost guessed about that a Pavel starfin swimm in it .
Practice showed that after the protracted swimming in hypers with a positive buoyancy the underbody of back (small of back) hurts It look like that when you did not hang up on itself an enough load (weight) and dive on a little depth - a back will be ill !!! With me so it was

 

[Alex "STARFINS"]

hello all,
not small people wanted to have a fins from us and all of them will get soon ! And I hope that soon we will see reviews about our Starfin hypers here - on deeperblue !!!
with best wishes

Alex

 

[Goran Colak]

Hi guys,

I use Star Fin for some while now, and I can honestly say it is a great fin!
You can go fully custom with Alex, about anything you want on the fin, foot pockets are tight but comfortable, blade is a little bit softer then in other manufactures and at the end you get maximum thrust for energy you put into the kick...

I don't see any downside on Alex fins, and above all it is cheaper then concurrence!

I'm not that good about writing reviews, and this is not one for sure, just a short notice about the fin, and my personal opinion...

 

[pavlito]

hello all,
not small people wanted to have a fins from us and all of them will get soon ! And i hope that soon we will see reviews about our starfin hypers here - on deeperblue !!!
With best wishes

alex

hi alex
i am new in finiswimming as i was competitive classical swimmer.
My team worked last year with your fins and this year with rocketfins.as i start this year i swim with a rocket but i heard good says about your fin.my fin is little used with medium blade ans as i do only 50-100m i thing i have to go to hard blade.i swam with starfin hard and i swam very quick.
As new isport i have some questions
do you like to answer?
Only for sprints
do your model 2010 is diferent of2008 that i tried
diference between flyer and hyper
carbon and fibreglass
i asked the last questions because my father order a flyer speed pro with carbon for my upcoming races.he saw this fin in a photo of cabanov

 

[Alex "STARFINS"]

Hi Pavlito,
for in order that to choose hardness of blade I each time set many questions to the customer - exactly to hit the mark ! (they can be known at the order of hyper) .
I do not sell hyoers as many do it from a flow, and do them for a concrete man - individually ! Certainly in some countries there are my representatives at which it is possible to see something and purchase, but it subject to condition that a fin will try and the sizes of shoe befit !
certainly for a sprint it is needed to have a fin hardner more then for other distances ! Beginers usually ask fins more universal than those, that proiy order ! it looks so:
beginers want 1 fin for many distances. 50-100-200m, 400-800-1500m
profi ask every time : 1 fin for 50sf, 2nd for 100, 3rd for 200-400, 4th - 800-1500, 5th for 50ap-100im + other for long distances.
Yes, of course we made many different changes in our hypers we don`t stay in one place & we are abreast with time , aim in the future
that is why we left off flyers to do - hyper is quicker ! Very much small people flyer use and as a rule it is very strong sportsmen ! For example from 30 sprinters of participating in a world cup there will be an only 4-5 flyers users , other in hypers ! And they together with the trainers use the old technique of swimming, which does not suit for hyper ! But there are exceptions from rules, are talents ! For example Pavel Kabanov ! Pavel can swimm in different fins and here always win ! Because simply stronger than other in several times!!! By the way on a photo for Pasha in a hand fin of mister Grankin from Russia ))
and in the fins of type hyper (as our Starfin) it is not needed to have very strong feet and ideal technique - a fin helps to get results of extra class without the special efforts ! but trainings need anyway ))
is here the Only moment from what some sprinters love to use flyers - because in him it was easy to do a starting jump what in hyper ! But it in the past ! We know how do the hyper that in him it was comfortably and quickly doing jumps ! is needed simply in the mail of order to write a request about this problem and we will decide her !
best regards...

 

[Alex "STARFINS"]

Hi Piotr,
i`m work with your fin now ! Don`t worry ;-)
check e-mail ))))
p.s. sorry for not so fast response, a little so busy last time )))

 

[nostres]

"Hello dear Piotr,
Of course we will do for you black blade with blue rubber !
I will want to use the some middle blade , but no so soft ! cause u are
bigfoot ;-) and you need a little more hard blade then others ! And deep
dives need not soft fins ! I will use blade for a 400-800m.
Don`t worry , I want to do some good for u ! If you want, we can do the
hyper with black blade & black rubber, but we need for this + 2 days !
think about and let me know as soonest possible !
Best wishes
alex"

Thank You Alex, I am happy to hear my fin won't be pink. And it's amazing that one week from this email You are ready to send it!

 

[Alex "STARFINS"]

Hello Piotr,
i sent your fin today !
Let me know after receiving parcel !
good luck !
Alex