old jetfins

[sas0814]

heyya fellas n fellitas,
recientlly i picked up a pair of scubapro jetfins for like 30 bucks offa guy i met, i didnt notice till i got home with em that they were the 60's ish model fins because they dont have the lightning bolt through the S on the fin. for being almost 40 years old they are in amazinglly pristine condition but i was wondering...was this a bad buy? i mean i coulda bought a set of new ones offa leisurepro or scubatoys for just a bit more. could someone who knows a bitta history tell me what are the differences between the older models and newer ones. i can tell these are a bit heavier than the newer ones but other than that? :06:

 

[neonstingray]

It wasn't until the 80's that they got the lightning bolt, so yours don't necessarily have to be from the 60's. I think the only difference was the lighter rubber compound as you said. They do tend to stay in good shape if they're taken care of. I still have my mom's from the 70's and once cleaned off they look almost new. The original straps had rotted though. The fin rubber holds up really well. I don't think $30 was a bad buy.

When you mentioned history, it reminded me of something interesting about the split twin-jets. If you look at them you'll see the openings are just holes in the fin without the channeling of the classic jet fins. Years ago the guy who designed the jet fins said he tried this method first and it didn't work as well as the channel style. Interesting that years later SP used it on the newer split fin.

Austin

 

[Tanked Monkey]

I'll take them off your hands for $40. Seriously, the pre-lightning bolt fins are kinda hard to find, and have a "classic" value.

Mike

 

[Walter]

They aren't quite as efficient as Lightning Jets, but are still better than any fin for which you'll pay $200. When you look at it that way, $30 seems like a steal.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

There is no difference in flexibility or efficiency between the two rubber compounds, the newer lightning fins are just a couple ounces lighter.

 

[sas0814]

excellent, thanks for the replies guys, yeah i was wondering on the effiency and flexability being that it seems heavier, seems i made out pirdy well fer myself...oh lol and mike sorry but i think ill keep em ..

 

[Boiler_81]

AS a point of reference, my Jetfins from the Spring of 1984 do not have the lightning bolts.

It wasn't until the 80's that they got the lightning bolt, so yours don't necessarily have to be from the 60's.
Austin

 

[J75]

I think you got a sweet deal. Honestly, I don't think much has changed on these fins in 40 years. I love the looks I get from the new divers and students when I'm using them, lol. Little do they realize that I'll probably be using these fins long after they've ditched their fancy, fluorescent split fins.

 

[Walter]

AS a point of reference, my Jetfins from the Spring of 1984 do not have the lightning bolts.

The ones I bought in 1983 do.

 

[ronrosa]

Jet fins in general, both lightning bolt and non lightning bolt have an almost cult like following. :11doh:

Since I shoot video, I like the concept of a fin with a smaller blade and more control. I decided to see what all the fuss was about. I found a pair for $25 on Ebay. They should arrive in a few days. We'll see.