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Tropol Monofin - a Fondueset Review
- Thread starterFondueset
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
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That sounds good. I have not measured exactly (very difficult!) But I would say they are very close. Max at Triton says about 23 degrees - Tropol says about 19 depending on how it is measured. With a 30 degree angle I wonder about drag from the footpockets. It would be interesting to try.
Finally our community pool re-opened and I took the fin in - this time with no socks for the first time. The footpocket material gets sort of slippery when wet - so with 45 minutes of 50 meter sprints there was no rubbing or blistering and my feet were completely comfortable. I was also surprised that the fin fits well without socks. I did quite a few sprints at or near max effort with no slippage.
Also - regarding blade stiffness. I have tried and have not been able to overpower the blade.
Also - regarding blade stiffness. I have tried and have not been able to overpower the blade.
Well I talked with tropol about a possible 30 degree fin with a softer blade I will let you know if I get futher development
Kars you seem pretty happy about your fin,could you tell how much it costed?comfort with socks without socks?waiting time from order until the fin arrived at your hands?
thank you
Kars you seem pretty happy about your fin,could you tell how much it costed?comfort with socks without socks?waiting time from order until the fin arrived at your hands?
thank you
My fin costed me E 400 + E 100 shipping. I ordered via Natalia Avcheenko from hyperfins It took me two tries to get the right size; though Natalia measured my feet in person the manufacturer still managed to make it much too spacious. The first fin was in my hands after about 4 months, the second 4 months after that. The second fin was still much to large on my arch - I've got flat feet.. - so I took a deep breath and cut some cm's out and glued the arch back together. From what I've heard the fin now cost E500, and the shipping is still around a E 100 I hope.
I think 30 degrees is more for beginners, who are not flexible in the feet. When you start some training your flexibility increases and you actually find 25 giving you a bit more support while gliding. I have a tendency to relax my legs and back to much resulting in a banana like "hollow back" draggy hydrodynamics. It is not my or measured fact, just my subjective feeling. - I hope someone here can complement my feeling?
Yes I'm happy with my fin, even after testing newer fins like the aforementioned custom 30 degree WaterWay glide fin. I think the main difference lies in the softness of the rubber used by Hyperfins, the foot pockets flex more and spreading the workload over a longer time in comparison to the harder less flexible foot pocked rubber used by other fin builders.
In other words my fin prefers "push and glide" over "kick 'n glide".
I use a plastic bag and soap in my foot pockets.
I have only a pair of 5mm socks, but with soap I can get in. But than the fin is pretty tight and I cannot have it on for more than say an hour.
Finally I would like to pass on some commonly known wisdom about Hyperfins, when someone offers you one - test it, when it fits buy it. If you order one, be prepared to wait, and wait some more. Also tell them at least 1 size smaller than you actually have, maybe even 2 sizes if you like snug foot pockets.
Also with Hyperfins the blade stiffness seems a level less than that of Waterway. If you like the WW soft fin, you should ask for a Hyperfins Medium.
You see there are plenty of variations between brands, so I think it's very useful to read comparisons.
I hope my comments were useful to you Titan.
Being used to a relative soft fin, I would choose a 'soft' or 'medium-soft' blade, and ask for 25 degree from Tropol. I've seen and tried their prototype fin (which was 2 sizes to small for my feet) for 100m in Sweden last year, and it feels like a very durable well designed and polished fin. And I would surely like to try a soft version of their latest design.
I'm surprised in a positive way about the customisation service Tropol seem to offer now, I wonder if it's not a misunderstanding of some sort.
All the best!
Kars
I think 30 degrees is more for beginners, who are not flexible in the feet. When you start some training your flexibility increases and you actually find 25 giving you a bit more support while gliding. I have a tendency to relax my legs and back to much resulting in a banana like "hollow back" draggy hydrodynamics. It is not my or measured fact, just my subjective feeling. - I hope someone here can complement my feeling?
Yes I'm happy with my fin, even after testing newer fins like the aforementioned custom 30 degree WaterWay glide fin. I think the main difference lies in the softness of the rubber used by Hyperfins, the foot pockets flex more and spreading the workload over a longer time in comparison to the harder less flexible foot pocked rubber used by other fin builders.
In other words my fin prefers "push and glide" over "kick 'n glide".
I use a plastic bag and soap in my foot pockets.
I have only a pair of 5mm socks, but with soap I can get in. But than the fin is pretty tight and I cannot have it on for more than say an hour.
Finally I would like to pass on some commonly known wisdom about Hyperfins, when someone offers you one - test it, when it fits buy it. If you order one, be prepared to wait, and wait some more. Also tell them at least 1 size smaller than you actually have, maybe even 2 sizes if you like snug foot pockets.
Also with Hyperfins the blade stiffness seems a level less than that of Waterway. If you like the WW soft fin, you should ask for a Hyperfins Medium.
You see there are plenty of variations between brands, so I think it's very useful to read comparisons.
I hope my comments were useful to you Titan.
Being used to a relative soft fin, I would choose a 'soft' or 'medium-soft' blade, and ask for 25 degree from Tropol. I've seen and tried their prototype fin (which was 2 sizes to small for my feet) for 100m in Sweden last year, and it feels like a very durable well designed and polished fin. And I would surely like to try a soft version of their latest design.
I'm surprised in a positive way about the customisation service Tropol seem to offer now, I wonder if it's not a misunderstanding of some sort.
All the best!
Kars
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I was thinking - I would measure the blade angle with a line from the heel to the ball of the foot - not to the toe - measured this way I think it would be closer to 23-24 degrees than 19 - as Lubos has diagramed it on the cutaways earlier in this thread.
My understanding is that Tropol would need to tool up to add more angle - this means there would need to be more demand. However - do email Lubos and ask him - this is the only way he'll find out what the demand is! I have told him that I think 25 degrees might be useful - but that I am not so sure about 30. Kars - perhaps you can say - I am concerned such a large angle might create drag between the footpocket and blade.
As mentioned - I quite like the angle of this fin - and the very comfortable footpockets. Swam probably 3-5 km today in open water. Very nice day! Extremely good visibility at about 5 meters and a friendly pod of carp that came to swim with us for half an hour or so. Temperature was 15c - a little brisk in our 3 mil suits!
My understanding is that Tropol would need to tool up to add more angle - this means there would need to be more demand. However - do email Lubos and ask him - this is the only way he'll find out what the demand is! I have told him that I think 25 degrees might be useful - but that I am not so sure about 30. Kars - perhaps you can say - I am concerned such a large angle might create drag between the footpocket and blade.
As mentioned - I quite like the angle of this fin - and the very comfortable footpockets. Swam probably 3-5 km today in open water. Very nice day! Extremely good visibility at about 5 meters and a friendly pod of carp that came to swim with us for half an hour or so. Temperature was 15c - a little brisk in our 3 mil suits!
Thank you KArs and Foundueset you have been great you will a beer by my acount one of these days,
in their site it says that they could made such fin, so I emailed them and lubos said they at the moment they only have the 15 degree footpocket
first of all I think tropol has done a great fin for a great price with a good custumer service without ridiculous waiting times, I wait seriously a tropol fin and by wait foundue said it is recomended to any freediver
In my opinion hyperfins are great fins but the wait and price is not competitive
Foundueset 30 degree meaused from the instep of the foot gives me a straight blade I think tropol measurement way is correct, about drag I think knee bends or a not straight blade gives more drag than even large footpockets
thank you all for your coperation can't wait to try this fin in dahab :inlove
in their site it says that they could made such fin, so I emailed them and lubos said they at the moment they only have the 15 degree footpocket
first of all I think tropol has done a great fin for a great price with a good custumer service without ridiculous waiting times, I wait seriously a tropol fin and by wait foundue said it is recomended to any freediver
In my opinion hyperfins are great fins but the wait and price is not competitive
Foundueset 30 degree meaused from the instep of the foot gives me a straight blade I think tropol measurement way is correct, about drag I think knee bends or a not straight blade gives more drag than even large footpockets
thank you all for your coperation can't wait to try this fin in dahab :inlove
Hi All
I Just got my Tropol Fin today. I started looking for an additional/replacement mono for to my Waterway Glide Medium Distance. The Glide is really nice but my feet tend to start hurting really bad after about 45 Minutes. I dive my Glide now for 1.5 Years so my feet should have adapted by now as far as possible. The pain is not a problem for competition since I have to wear it only for minutes. Also for DYN training it's not a problem since i do seldom train more than 45 minutes in one session with the Mono. However it became a problem when Training CWT in the Lake, usualy remaining in the Water for one to two hours. Also the different Glide fins I tried on (which where the same Footpocket size as mine) turned out to be totally different. So lucky you if you have one that fits perfectly, lock it away and keep it as your precious ;-)
The Day came when my feet were still hurting at every step I was taking more than 24 hours after the last training. I decided to give it a try and test a fin with footpockets made in moulds so that "if one fits all will fit" could finally be achieved with a Monofin. I sent Lubos an email asking if he could manufacture a Monofin till the end of July (Since I wanted to train with it and possibly take it with me to Aarhus for the WC).
He was very fast in his replies and so we agreed on a fin on friday 10. July. He started his work right away on the weekend and two weeks later he sent me an email with a picture of the fin ready to ship
Unfortunately the fin arrived on July the 29, the first Day of my holydays in the mountains so I had to wait until today (Hiking and flying motorplanes and gliders with a fin on would have been a great challenge anyway.
During my email conversation with Lubos he pointed me to this thread and I promised to add my experience with it.
So I unpacked the tropol fin just now in the office and of course couldn't resist to put a foot into it (allways big fun for my comrades... The footpockets are very tight and it was hard work to get in and out without soap. But the fit was very comfortable, no "hot spots" at all. I have a european shoe size of 41.5 and ordered a 41 from Lubos (My Glide has 290mm footpockets). The footpockets of my glide are quite a bit longer than my feet. I'm unable to touch the front with my toes. The fotpockets of the Tropol feel softer and very snug with my toes touching the front.
The Blade is about 5-6 cm shorter and 2-3 cm wider than the Glides one. Lubos suggested a 800m Blade which he and I guessed would be about the same stiffnes or a little bit softer than my Waterway medium Blade. When unpacking, I was astouned about the very stiff impression the blade made to me. Could be that this comes from the fact that the blade is shorter than the one on my Glide. I'm curious what it's going to feel like in the water.
The Blade is of perfect quality and the footpockets and wings look rock solid. The leading edge is made out of solid "rubber" (I guess some sort of Silicone) so there shouldn't be any issues with compression. To bad the fin would just arrive some days after our national depth championships...
I will take the fin to its first dive tomorrow for some DYN training and let you know about how It compares to the my Glide.
The contact with lubos was very pleasing so far. His responses were very quick and he held his promise to manufacture and ship my fin before the end of July! (from order to my Desk in less than 19 days!)
These are my inputs so far. I can't wait to try it in real action...
Have a lot of fun,
Michi
I Just got my Tropol Fin today. I started looking for an additional/replacement mono for to my Waterway Glide Medium Distance. The Glide is really nice but my feet tend to start hurting really bad after about 45 Minutes. I dive my Glide now for 1.5 Years so my feet should have adapted by now as far as possible. The pain is not a problem for competition since I have to wear it only for minutes. Also for DYN training it's not a problem since i do seldom train more than 45 minutes in one session with the Mono. However it became a problem when Training CWT in the Lake, usualy remaining in the Water for one to two hours. Also the different Glide fins I tried on (which where the same Footpocket size as mine) turned out to be totally different. So lucky you if you have one that fits perfectly, lock it away and keep it as your precious ;-)
The Day came when my feet were still hurting at every step I was taking more than 24 hours after the last training. I decided to give it a try and test a fin with footpockets made in moulds so that "if one fits all will fit" could finally be achieved with a Monofin. I sent Lubos an email asking if he could manufacture a Monofin till the end of July (Since I wanted to train with it and possibly take it with me to Aarhus for the WC).
He was very fast in his replies and so we agreed on a fin on friday 10. July. He started his work right away on the weekend and two weeks later he sent me an email with a picture of the fin ready to ship
Unfortunately the fin arrived on July the 29, the first Day of my holydays in the mountains so I had to wait until today (Hiking and flying motorplanes and gliders with a fin on would have been a great challenge anyway.During my email conversation with Lubos he pointed me to this thread and I promised to add my experience with it.
So I unpacked the tropol fin just now in the office and of course couldn't resist to put a foot into it (allways big fun for my comrades..
. The footpockets are very tight and it was hard work to get in and out without soap. But the fit was very comfortable, no "hot spots" at all. I have a european shoe size of 41.5 and ordered a 41 from Lubos (My Glide has 290mm footpockets). The footpockets of my glide are quite a bit longer than my feet. I'm unable to touch the front with my toes. The fotpockets of the Tropol feel softer and very snug with my toes touching the front.The Blade is about 5-6 cm shorter and 2-3 cm wider than the Glides one. Lubos suggested a 800m Blade which he and I guessed would be about the same stiffnes or a little bit softer than my Waterway medium Blade. When unpacking, I was astouned about the very stiff impression the blade made to me. Could be that this comes from the fact that the blade is shorter than the one on my Glide. I'm curious what it's going to feel like in the water.
The Blade is of perfect quality and the footpockets and wings look rock solid. The leading edge is made out of solid "rubber" (I guess some sort of Silicone) so there shouldn't be any issues with compression. To bad the fin would just arrive some days after our national depth championships...
I will take the fin to its first dive tomorrow for some DYN training and let you know about how It compares to the my Glide.
The contact with lubos was very pleasing so far. His responses were very quick and he held his promise to manufacture and ship my fin before the end of July! (from order to my Desk in less than 19 days!)
These are my inputs so far. I can't wait to try it in real action...
Have a lot of fun,
Michi
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I made some pictures to compare the blades. The ruler besides it has a total length of 52 cm.
The Tropol fin is shorter but more than 3 cm wider than the Glide. The total area seems to be just a little bit smaller than the area of the Glide fin. So the induced drag produced by swirls at both sides of the fin should be a little bit less. But I'm still a bit concerned about the hard blade... we'll see this evening
Have fun,
Michi
The Tropol fin is shorter but more than 3 cm wider than the Glide. The total area seems to be just a little bit smaller than the area of the Glide fin. So the induced drag produced by swirls at both sides of the fin should be a little bit less. But I'm still a bit concerned about the hard blade... we'll see this evening
Have fun,
Michi
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