Travel Fin Research

[BoundForElsewhere]

interesting no one suggested force fins. i have my eye on a pair on ebay right now. i'm dying to try them although i'm not a big kool-aid fan.

 

[theDrExplorer]

Why don't you like the ScubaPro Go Sport? Do you consider them too heavy? They are my fav travel fins, I use them a lot for shorediving as well.

ScubaPro Go Sport was definitely in contention... but since the Oceanic Accels were lighter, a bit shorter AND cheaper, so I decided to go that direction for now. I do like how the ScubaPro Go Sport comes in lots of pretty colors! I was only able to change the strap colors (and the little triangle) on the Accels for red ones to match my overall color scheme. The $32.95 MSRP is a bit steep, but you can get them for much cheaper on Ebay.

 

[theDrExplorer]

Deep6 is out of the small/medium size last time I looked a few weeks ago. Unknown when they would be back in stock. OP would probably fit in the small/medium size. That’s what I wear with a size 7 women’s shoe. They fit my 5mm extra small wetsuit booties and size 8 Fusion drysuit boots.

Yes, it was out of stock... and I tried to buy from places that had fast shipping and free returns so that I could try them out at home with various sock/bootie combos.

 

[theDrExplorer]

Have you looked at the TUSA HyFlex SWITCH Pro?

These look nice, but the MSRP is >$200!
Somehow I didn't see any threads discussing this when I did my research either

 

[theDrExplorer]

interesting no one suggested force fins. i have my eye on a pair on ebay right now. i'm dying to try them although i'm not a big kool-aid fan.

I've never seen force fins in person, nor have I tried them myself.
Perhaps when I do get a chance to try, I'll be a convert! They do have a nice compact size...

 

[MichaelMc]

I've never seen force fins in person, nor have I tried them myself.
Perhaps when I do get a chance to try, I'll be a convert! They do have a nice compact size...

ForceFins are very compact and easy on the ankles. I do not know the size in small though. Here is a set of size comparisons I did with XL as the common size. Though not designed as travel fins, you can see they are significantly smaller than the "small" travel fins of others.

I would go with Force Fin Pro, Hockey, or better for Scuba. I found the originals nice for skin diving but not for the drag involved in scuba. So when comparing experiences with people that have tried them, be clear on which they tried! In my Pros, I easily swam against current that had others sheltering behind rocks, but the Hockey are more powerful. None of them are inexpensive.

Force Fin Hockey -- XL 18 x 8.5", 4.6 lb. (per pair, measured by me)
Force Fin Pros -- L 17 x 12 x 4.2” 3.4 lb. (per pair, measured by me)

Some lengths and weights, if considering travel.

- Force Fin Hockey -- XL 18 x 8.5", 4.6 lb., slight negative Underwater Hockey Force Fin – Force Fin
- Hollis F2 -- XL 19.7", 1.7 lb.
- Aeris Accel - XL 21", < 3 lb. Accel
- SP Jets -- 21.8", 5.25 lb. v. negative https://scubapro.johnsonoutdoors.com/fins/fins/jet-fin-w-spring-heel-strap
- SP Go Travel -- XL 22", 2.6 lb, Scubapro Go Travel Fin
- Deep6 Eddy -- XL 22", 2.5 lb. Deep 6 Eddy Flippers
- APEKS RK3 -- XL 22.5 x 9.5", 2.75 lb, neutral
- Mares Quattro Excel Plus - XL 25", 6.2 lb. Mares Excel Plus, Open Heel Fins
- Dive Rite XT - XL 26 x 9", 6.3 lb. XT Fins with Stainless Buckles | Dive Rite

With just blade length specs:
- Mares Avanti Quattro - R 15" blade, 2 lb. neutral Avanti Quattro +

They also have an Adjustable Force Fin that straps over the foot instead of having a fixed foot pocket, though I do not know how powerful it is. The newer Flying ForceFin (an upgraded version of the Pro) has the center top of the foot pocket open, which may make fit easier.

 

[JMBL]

ForceFins are very compact and easy on the ankles. I do not know the size in small though. Here is a set of size comparisons I did with XL as the common size though. They were not targeted as travel fins, yet I think you can see they are significantly smaller than the "small travel fins" of others.

I would go with Force Fin Pro, Hockey, or better for Scuba. I found the originals nice for skin diving but not for the drag involved in scuba. So when comparing experiences with people that have tried them, be clear on which they tried! In my Pros, I easily swam against current that had others sheltering behind rocks, but the Hockey are more powerful. None of them are inexpensive.

Force Fin Hockey -- XL 18 x 8.5", 4.6 lb.
Force Fin Pros (L 17 x 12 x 4.2” 3.4 lb.)



ETA: The also have an Adjustable Force Fin that straps over the foot instead of having a fixed foot pocket, though I do not know how powerful it is. The newer Flying ForceFin (an upgraded version of the Pro) has the top of the foot pocket open, that may make fit easier.

I second that

 

[theDrExplorer]

ForceFins are very compact and easy on the ankles. I do not know the size in small though. Here is a set of size comparisons I did with XL as the common size. Though not designed as travel fins, you can see they are significantly smaller than the "small" travel fins of others.

I would go with Force Fin Pro, Hockey, or better for Scuba. I found the originals nice for skin diving but not for the drag involved in scuba. So when comparing experiences with people that have tried them, be clear on which they tried! In my Pros, I easily swam against current that had others sheltering behind rocks, but the Hockey are more powerful. None of them are inexpensive.

Force Fin Hockey -- XL 18 x 8.5", 4.6 lb.
Force Fin Pros -- L 17 x 12 x 4.2” 3.4 lb.

They also have an Adjustable Force Fin that straps over the foot instead of having a fixed foot pocket, though I do not know how powerful it is. The newer Flying ForceFin (an upgraded version of the Pro) has the center top of the foot pocket open, which may make fit easier.

Thank you for the comparisons! I was wondering whether those Force Fin weight numbers are actually for one fin or for a pair? One pair, I'm assuming?

It looks like the other weights listed are not consistent in that sense... I excerpted three that I've measured myself.
I think that the weights for Aeris Accel and SP Go Travel listed below might be for one pair, and the weight for Hollis F2 is one fin. BUT, my measurement for one Hollis F2 fin in the smallest size comes out to 869g (or 1.9lb). Sometimes the manufacturer or reseller websites also don't label this clearly, which makes it even more confusing!!

- Hollis F2 -- XL 19.7", 1.7 lb.
- Aeris Accel - XL 21", < 3 lb.
- SP Go Travel -- XL 22", 2.6 lb

If the SP Go Travel XL is 2.6lb per fin, that would be equivalent to 1179g, which is almost double the 625g I measured for SP Go Travel M/L. If it's 2.6lb per pair, that would be about 590g per fin for the XL, which is lighter than the M/L.

SO CONFUSING! After typing all of this... I'm just gonna stop thinking, and just gonna have some beer now...

 

[Streydog]

When it comes to buying travel fins you are going to be making a compromise in performance. In my opinion your fins can make a bigger difference on your diving than most of your other equipment. I started with the Accel's then the Mares Super Channels then the Mares Volo super somethings, All of which could be squeezed into a carry on. All of these have been left behind and I have checked a bag so I could use longer fins.

If your husband is going to use only socks with the Accel's, take plenty of tape or band aids. They are pretty hard.

Something that I do not see mentioned much is the fin used compared to the users size. Sure the size of fin can vary by shoe size but a 140 lb person can have the same shoe size as someone 250 lbs.

 

[MichaelMc]

Thank you for the comparisons! I was wondering whether those Force Fin weight numbers are actually for one fin or for a pair? One pair, I'm assuming?

It looks like the other weights listed are not consistent in that sense... I excerpted three that I've measured myself.
I think that the weights for Aeris Accel and SP Go Travel listed below might be for one pair, and the weight for Hollis F2 is one fin. BUT, my measurement for one Hollis F2 fin in the smallest size comes out to 869g (or 1.9lb). Sometimes the manufacturer or reseller websites also don't label this clearly, which makes it even more confusing!!



If the SP Go Travel XL is 2.6lb per fin, that would be equivalent to 1179g, which is almost double the 625g I measured for SP Go Travel M/L. If it's 2.6lb per pair, that would be about 590g per fin for the XL, which is lighter than the M/L.

SO CONFUSING! After typing all of this... I'm just gonna stop thinking, and just gonna have some beer now...

The Force Fin specs I listed (Pro and Hockey) are per pair. I measured mine a few times on one post office letter scale.

I believed the other specs I listed were as pairs, but I defer to your having actually measured some, always the best approach. Yes, getting good data is hard.