Aqualung slingshot fins

[scubabear47]

I was thinking of buy a pair of aqualung slingshot fins and i was wondering if any one who has them or used them have any feed back on them

 

[merxlin]

Felt good but not worth the money IMHO. I tried them on two dives (I use Atomic Splits now) and did like them a bit better while trying to do photos (small fin movements versus the splits) but liked the splits better for general cruising around. I tried both the softest and firmest settings. I did not have to work against any current so can't comment about that.

 

[Skooter]

I really like mine. I use the softest setting for general cruising, and like that I can set them up to 3 for a stiff fin in currents, thats where they really work the best.

 

[oldschool]

I haven't tried them but I believe certain things were meant to be kept simple like snorkels and fins. The more parts involved, the more likely a breakdown. I'll stick with my Cressi Rondine A's for now.

 

[capt. dave]

Love them-don't need to be a rocket scientist to adjust the three levels. My LDS let me try several before purchasing them.

 

[Shaka Doug]

I've tried the slingshots on some dives. (The extra large ones.) If you'd like my feedback I can tell you I find that they make my legs 'bounce' through a kick cycle. You will feel this as you kick downward. You get about halfway through the kick and the spring (bungy) catches up and over rides your kick and you tend to feel a fight as the fin gets harder to kick for a moment. They don't kick smoothly and evenly through my kick cycle is what I'm getting at. It makes me feel like my kicks are "pulsing". The adjustable feature is kind of cool but do you think you would adjust on the fly as you came into or exited currents? I hardly think that would be a common practice. As far as I can tell, you would have to stop, remove both fins, make the adjustments and replace the fins and then carry on. That could prove to be quite inconvenient. To me, the adjustment would need to be planned prior to entering the water.

The slingshots seem like a novel idea but they appear gimmicky to me almost more than splits or those fold up fins do.

 

[diveChiq]

i have a pair and i love them.
i keep them on the hardest setting and i think they are great for cruising or powering through the water. i like the fact that they are not too long.

 

[meesier42]

I will say that I was pleasantly surprised when I tried this fin, I went in really thinking they were nothing but another gimmick, but they did work better than I expected, but I was expecting to break them on the first time out. They have way too much "feedback" they have an odd feel and for strong kickers they can easily be overpowered, similar to the Mares Volo. The upkick/recovery was difficult, worse than most fins.

For the money, look for something else. My testing on them put them well behind the top fins I have tested; Slingshots at about 42# static thrust and 15.5 seconds in a 25 yard sprint, the Apollo ($150-200) does 49# and 13.5 seconds, the ForceFin Pro ($220) did 51# and 12 seconds.

 

[Shaka Doug]

I found a two inch piece of one of the adjustable spring straps from a Slingshot fin underwater today. It must have either broken while someone was diving or maybe they did an in water adjustment and broke it. Anyway I guess there aren't break-proof. I can't imagine the fin could have been very old... Not a good sign...

 

[Jorgy]

When the Slingshots first came out there must have been a big promotion and marketing push on them two local dive shops had lots of inventory and heavily promoted pool sessions to try this "new" technology.....two folks I know and dive with often bought fins......

Fast forward to now, they both dive with the bands set to the highest setting and don't change them at all........

Divechick's and Skooter's posts seem to echo the same.....hardest setting is where they seem to work best. Shaka Doug's "rebound" issue is also minimized by the hardest setting as it is closer to a plain old paddle fin.

While I am not DIR I do believe in simple is better and fewer failure points, when you add the fact that most don't seem to adjust them often and the broken band Shaka Doug found, I personally would stay clear of them.

Of course, just my opinion, I don't own Slingshots nor have I dove with them. I'm a guy who dives SP Jets 80% of the time, the other 20% of the time I manage to get my hands back on my old Yellow Twin Jets (soft squishy non-DIR split fin) that my son took from me when he became certified......

I have confessed on the board in prior posts that I prefer my splits over the Jets, I am just to cheap to buy myself another pair...........

M