current vented open-heel fins ?

Looking for vented open-heel fins and I'm coming up with less than a
few years ago (is the scuba industry going through a consolidation like
most other western businesses ? shame if so, monocultures fail (to
provide consumer choice, supplier diversity, quality, innovation, etc.
etc.) - soapbox stowed...).

I find: Dacor Turboflex, Aqualung Rocket 2 (traditional Rocket with a
quick release strap ?) IDI Power, ScubaPro Uwatec Jet.

I have a pair of Oceanways (?) Hurricanes vintage 98 which do me fine,
I recently tried unvented and split and know why I like vented.

I remember how comparatively heavy and stiff the Rockets I learned with
were and would like something that's lighter and flexier/whippier if
possible - do the new rubber compounds offer that ?

These are for a 6ft female with long legs & reasonable leg strength who
would like more power out of her stroke. Her buddy ;) is suggesting
vented fins.

Your suggestions appreciated!

PS: we/I are not Luddites or old-schoolers, I just find that the
classic long stroke from the hip gives more moment per energy used, and
a vented fin gives the best combination of stability in the stroke (no
shimmy off the line of motion) and lack of return effort.

"Fred T." <ftp10009@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1156388214.163753.114180@i3g2000cwc.googlegro ups.com...
> Looking for vented open-heel fins and I'm coming up with less than a
> few years ago> I find: Dacor Turboflex, Aqualung Rocket 2 (traditional
> Rocket with a
> quick release strap ?) IDI Power, ScubaPro Uwatec Jet.

Asking about fin preferences (not that you did) is akin to asking favorite
ice cream flavors.

That being said, having -personally- done as extensive a personal testing
in a controlled and comparative environment as anyone I have ever known, of
several types of fins, I will categorically state that Dacor Turboflex fins
are, by a significant margin, the -worst- fins on the planet.

Most people's criteria for a "good" fin, is the kind they own, which they
usually get as a default of the limited selection of their local dive shop,
on initial gear purchase.

After that, some people are fortunate enough to upgrade, and notice a
difference from their first "default fin".

It's further my opinion that the "venting" in the fin has squat to do with
the overall difference in characteristics- vented fins seem to be shorter
and stiffer, and usually made of rubber, therein lying the performance
characteristic.

FYI, of the fins I tested, Mares Quattros and Jetfins tied for the top
performance, in underwater lap speed in an olympic pool.

I went with the Quatts because they were much more comfortable on calves
and ankles- I own both kinds (Jets and Quatts).

> I have a pair of Oceanways (?) Hurricanes vintage 98 which do me fine,
> I recently tried unvented and split and know why I like vented.
>
> I remember how comparatively heavy and stiff the Rockets I learned with
> were and would like something that's lighter and flexier/whippier if
> possible - do the new rubber compounds offer that ?
>
> These are for a 6ft female with long legs & reasonable leg strength who
> would like more power out of her stroke. Her buddy ;) is suggesting
> vented fins.
>
> Your suggestions appreciated!
>
> PS: we/I are not Luddites or old-schoolers, I just find that the
> classic long stroke from the hip gives more moment per energy used, and
> a vented fin gives the best combination of stability in the stroke (no
> shimmy off the line of motion) and lack of return effort.

With all due respect, I'd say that's all in your mind.

In my humble opinion (nobody laugh), fin preference is decided by a wide
variety of physiological factors of the individual leg.

I've had experienced divers that I trust look me right in the eye and tell
me how powerful twin-jet type fins kick, when I know them to be -absolute
crap-.

On -my- legs, that is...

And I'll put my Quatts up against your "vented" fins any day for
performance... but maybe not -your- comfort.

All I know is, different folks like different fins.

Assuming that your chick will do well with the kind you prefer is folly.

Beg, borrow, rent, compare.

I took several kinds of fins to the community pool, swam hundreds of
underwater laps with a mask, and kept careful records of comparison.



--


Popeye

"I'm no longer concerned about seeing civilization arrest its decline
into barbarism, I'm simply enjoying the spectacle." -Vox Day
www.finalprotectivefire.com

On Thu, 24 Aug 2006 13:09:38 -0700, "Popeye"
<popeye@finalprotectivefire.com> wrote:

> Asking about fin preferences (not that you did) is akin to asking favorite
>ice cream flavors.

Avanti Quatro

Chocolate

"GWB" <gwb3483@eatel.net> wrote in message
news:50vse2td8ged5uheackfrcia9brmina5vj@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 24 Aug 2006 13:09:38 -0700, "Popeye"
> <popeye@finalprotectivefire.com> wrote:
>
>> Asking about fin preferences (not that you did) is akin to asking
>> favorite
>>ice cream flavors.
>
> Avanti Quatro
>
> Chocolate

How about a Acid......... :))

Rick