Replacing Twin Jets.... F1? F1 LT? Eddy?

[undefined]

After 15+ years and hundreds of dives with Scubapro Twin Jets, I'm ready for something else. I had an awful experience with them at Molokini last month - they simply were not able to put out enough thrust to overcome the current at Reef's End, and my frustration with them has set me on a quest to finally replace them. I had intended on replacing them years ago with good old fashioned Jet Fins, as I was planning on going down the GUE/DIR path, but life (and having a kid) got in the way and I took about a decade off from diving.

I've read dozens and dozens of threads about various fins and have narrowed it down to a few options. Before I list the options, I should probably mention that I do not dive with a drysuit - my diving is divided between local quarry dives in 5mm or 7mm wetsuits and tropical diving (generally in 3mm wetsuits). My foot size is 11.5 - 12 US men's. Likely tropical locations include places we've been and loved - BVI, Bonaire, Roatan, and Hawaii.

I did just buy my 11 year old son a set of Hollis F1s (with the yellow tips) and Bare 5mm Ultrawarmth boots to go with them, but they have not arrived yet so I have no clue if that was a good purchase or a bad one.

Contenders:

Hollis F1 - A bit concerned about so many people saying they love them for drysuit diving but would pick something else for diving wet. I've seen another SB member post that the XL fits his XL SEAC HD Pro 6mm boot well, which is the boot I plan to buy to replace my ancient soft sole booties.
Hollis F1 LT - This seems promising. I like that it is less negative, and the all yellow version is high visibility which would be nice for making it easy to see me. Same benefit on sizing/boot being a match.
Deep 6 Eddy - @stuartv posted an extremely positive review on these. I am not sure about sizing - with an XL Seac HD Pro 6mm boot, I might need an XL or an XXL. It's a shame that the high viz orange isn't made in XXL.
Dive Rite XT - Seems to be another popular choice.
Scubapro Jet Fins - I'm concerned I may need to buy several just to find the right sizing, and these are very negatively buoyant which may not be ideal for wetsuit diving.

What am I missing? My local dive shop doesn't have a lot of options, so I'm almost certainly going to order whichever I pick online.

 

[Marie13]

If you get something besides the Eddy, you may want to consider a different fin that’s smaller to travel with. The Hollis fins are huge.

I know someone (can’t remember his shoe size) who had to go with the Apeks fins because his feet were just too huge for Eddys.

 

[stuartv]

I am currently using:

Deep6 Gear Eddy - size L, for wetsuit diving with single tank, back mount CCR, and sidemount. They are practically neutrally buoyant in fresh water.
Hollis F1 LT - size L (Regular, actually, I think), for wetsuit diving with backmount double steel tanks. They are 1# negative in fresh water.
Hollis F1 - size XL, for all drysuit diving. They are 2# negative in fresh water.

I recently got some Dive Rite XT fins, size L and XL, and have used the L's on a couple of dives in a wetsuit with my back mount CCR. IIRC when I weighed a previous set years ago, they were 0.7# negative in fresh water.

Preliminary feeling on the DR XTs is I like them a lot better than I did the one previous time I tried them, which was in a pool. But, again preliminary, I *think* the Deep 6 size L foot pocket fits my feet/booties a little better/more snugly than the DR XT size L foot pocket. I need more time with them.

I think the DR XT fins are giving me a bit more power than the Eddy fins, and they feel like comparable control for technical kicks like helicopter turns and back kicks.

For wetsuit diving, I definitely would NOT use the Hollis F1 (or ScubaPro Jet) fins. They are way too negatively buoyant for me, in a wetsuit. I would struggle to maintain good, flat trim. Also, on my feet, the Jet fins are not comfortable. You can just look at the foot pocket and see that it is shaped like a 2x4. If you look at the Hollis or Deep6 foot pocket, it is shaped like an actual foot. The foot pockets on the Hollis and Deep6 fins are very comfortable to my feet.

The F1 LT fins are less negative and they work perfectly for me to counter the extra weight behind my head from diving double steel tanks. I also would probably not enjoy these all that much in a wetsuit and single tank config.

For any single tank diving in a wetsuit, a fin that is neutral or nearly so is what really works the best for me. Which means (of my current options), the Deep6 or the Dive Rite. Those are both great fins and which one is best for you comes down (in my opinion) to individual fit. If DR makes one big enough for you and Deep6 does not, then the DR is a no-brainer, to me.

My feet are shoe size 10.5 - 11, depending on the shoe, and very narrow. I generally wear booties (with my wetsuit) that are either Bare Ultrawarmth 5mm or Waterproof B1 6.5mm thick.

If you want to come visit the shop, in Lexington, SC, or come dive with us at Lake Jocassee sometime, I would be more than happy to make arrangements for you to be able to try any of these on and even try them in the water, if you come to Jocassee on a weekend that we'll be there anyway (which is once or twice a month).

 

[Regulated]

Coincidence: I just dove Molokini Reef’s End with my Deep6 Eddy Flippers (white!) on Monday with Island Style. Plenty of power and yet sports car-like maneuverability. They pack well and don’t make you foot-heavy. The spring straps rock.

Wearing those flippers and my newish Subgravity Paragon BP/W, I felt like a big, lazy fish.

Sizing on the Eddy is tricky. My feet are size 12E. I wear a slip-on 3 mm booty. The XL was a bit too big. The L is a better fit, though my toes would prefer that I loosen the spring straps.

While the website says they won’t accept returns, call and talk to Bert. He switched out my too-large XLs for the price of one-way shipping.

That said—tears for Maui. My buddy and I evacuated from Kahana on Thursday. Please help out Dive with Harmony if you can. There’s a Lahaina fire thread with a link to contribute: Lahaina fire?

 

[tursiops]

I did just buy my 11 year old son a set of Hollis F1s

Hollis F1 - A bit concerned about so many people saying they love them for drysuit diving

And yet you bought them for your 11-year old?

Deep 6 Eddy - @stuartv posted an extremely positive review on these. I am not sure about sizing - with an XL Seac HD Pro 6mm boot, I might need an XL or an XXL. It's a shame that the high viz orange isn't made in XXL.

They are not really hih viz orange; just orange. And they turn brown underwater.

Scubapro Jet Fins - I'm concerned I may need to buy several just to find the right sizing, and these are very negatively buoyant which may not be ideal for wetsuit diving.

Jet fins are a cult; many other fins are better, although perhaps not as heavy.

I think the DR XT fins are giving me a bit more power than the Eddy fins, and they feel like comparable control for technical kicks like helicopter turns and back kicks.

I agree with this. But I prefer the Eddys because the are more comfortable on my foot than the XTs, and they are light/shorter to air-travel with, which is now most of my diving.

 

[undefined]

@tursiops - Yes, let's just say the purchase was made prior to reading 50+ additional threads. If I end up eating the cost and buying him something else, that is par for the course. God knows I've bought a lot of scuba gear over the years that doesn't get wet anymore.

Besides, he's young and suffering builds character, right?