Cressi Gara Professional LD Quality and Cressi Warranty

[UaVaj]

I do use my fins to both: freedive and scuba. I do occasionally kick off the bottom with my fin and also do occasionally kick the wreck where I am semi penetrating.




My first set of long fin was a pair of Gara 3000LD (I paid online – leisure pro). I had them almost 2 years and never had any issue whatsoever. It had its battle scars to prove its reliability. (a buddy of mine who uses his fins the exact same way as me, had a pair of JBL esclapez open heel long fin, going 6 year plus, still going strong with excessive battle scar and no crack. If you have a pair of long fin with heavy battle scars – please post a picture of them.)

Cressi recently introduced the Gara Professional Series. The foot pocket on the Professional are night and day when it comes to comfort. So I switch. Sold the Gara 3000LD and bought a pair of Gara Professional LD (I paid retail + tax).

My first set of Gara Professional LD after 8 month of usage. During rinse down after a trip, a 3” fine hair line crack appeared at the tip of the fin (see photo). I take this set to my LDS for options. My LDS take a photo and sends to Cressi for interpretation. Verdict is never seen such a crack. No warranty replacement, however I can buy another set at cost (I paid cost + tax).

My second set of Gara Professional LD had the exact same hairline cracking after 6 month of usage. Back to the LDS for options. My LDS take a photo and sends to Cressi for interpretation. Verdict is I abuse them. Warranty deny.




This lead me to believe that the first set never had any warranty , I "believe" my LDS (Austin's Diving) gave up the profit on the second set to keep me happy as a loyal customer :cool3:. Since the second set has the same fate. It was too much for my LDS to give up the profit again. The first time was generous enough.

Picture do says a thousand words. Please draw your own conclusions.
If you feel I abuse them. No sweat. Perhap it is.
If you feel cressi’s warranty is not up to par? Perpap it is.
If you feel cressi’s professional LD are not up to par? Perhap it is.

I not sure I want to buy another pair of gara professional LD. love the fit, love the performance, love the price, hate the RELIABILITY. Perhap, I will try a 3rd set just to see if it cracks again.

 

[UaVaj]

Under Side

Top Side

 

[g1138]

Are both fins, the Professional and 3000LD, made of the same material?
How do you store them? How do you handle them on rinsing?
It could be that the Professional fin's material isn't well suited for abuse outside of regular finning and bumping in-water.

My brother used to go through many headphones and ear buds because he'd always yank the cords too hard when wrapping them for storage.
Maybe you need to look at your habits outside of diving.
It doesn't look like a finning induced stress fracture to me, since it's only on one side. But really I have no expertize in this at all.

 

[RonFrank]

I would write a letter to Cressi and CC anybody you can think of, the BBB, the LDS, dive clubs, www.sportdiver.com/, etc. I don't care how many dives you have, fins should last at least a year without falling apart. If cressi will not stand by their product find someone who will. These are plastic/rubber fins not headphones! :cool2:

I have Many fins. Biofins, Manta Ray, Force Fins, and Mares and two sets of them all (L, XL). They all have held up well over the years. These apparently do not. These fins are also expensive, $179 at LP so what $250 at the LDS? Then get some epoxy and see what you can do to repair them before they start chipping.

 

[UaVaj]

g1138. i am not doing anything different - my habits has always been the same - other fins (scubapro twin-jet max / mares volo power / atomic split fin / cressi gara 3000ld) in the past have stood up to my habits with flying colors. there is no reason for these cressi gara professional ld to split like this - and twice. imho - these cressi gara professional LD are simply a bad product, the plastic/rubber is simply a bad composition. great for snorkeling and pathetic for diving. perhap that should have been part of the original advertisment/warning by cressi. hopefully someone else won't make this same mistake - twice.

ronfrank. i am with you. absolutely no reason a plastic/rubber fins should split like this, i can only wonder if any another brand/model of fins do split like this? hopefully someone with a similar crack can chime in - pointing out other possible culprit.




at this point. i will see if i can find a used single fin to salvage this pair or sell the other good fin so someone else can salvage their pair. not gonna buy another new set.