Jet Fins, lightning bolt vs no bolt

[jiml]

Hi,
I hope this is the right forum to post this question.
I had a pair of non-lightning bolt Jet Fins, size XL, that I bought in either '81 or '82. Last year I lost one of them. I've been using another pair of fins that were around the house, but I miss my jets, and would like to buy another pair. I've heard that the rubber compound is different in the newer ones with the lightning bolt, but I was wondering how big the difference is. If I were to lose a fin again, and have to make a "mismatched" pair with one old and one new, would it feel weird, or do you think it would not be noticeable? I'm wondering if anybody has tried this.
Thanks,
Jim

 

[Nemrod]

Best I can remember, the modern USA made Lightning Bolt Jet Fin is more flexible than the original. Scubapro tuned the fin to have more flip in the end section while still retaining the backbone in the upper blade. The USA made Lightning Bolt of today is the better fin. That is what I remember experiencing and reading and being told.

N

 

[ams511]

There has been talk in other threads that Scubapro has outsourced jet fin production to Taiwan and that the new product is noticeably different. So much so that they returned the fins to buy US versions. So if you purchase a new set make sure they are the made in USA version.

 

[jiml]

Thank you Nemrod and ams511. That's important to know about the Taiwan made ones being softer.
There is somebody locally selling a USA-made lightning bolt pair, I guess I'll just buy his and not worry about it. Maybe someday for fun I'll try using a lightning-bolt on one foot and the older one on the other foot to see if I notice a difference.

 

[Nemrod]

To be clear, the USA made Lightning Bolt fins (current production and for the last few decades) is the one I am talking about having been tuned to have a softer or more flexible tip section than the original no lightning bolt version. I know very little about the Taiwan version except that it is not the same as the current USA made fin.

N

 

[oreocookie]

Best I can remember, the modern USA made Lightning Bolt Jet Fin is more flexible than the original. Scubapro tuned the fin to have more flip in the end section while still retaining the backbone in the upper blade. The USA made Lightning Bolt of today is the better fin. That is what I remember experiencing and reading and being told.

N

How much more flexible is the tip of the modern version? I've got a pair of non-bolt fins (circa '78) that I'm strongly considering giving a new lease on life, and the tips seem quite flexible, possibly more so than the tips of my mares quattros. As a side question, has the sizing changed over the years? (A customer came into the shop today for longer springs for her modern XL Jets, with wetsuit boots the same size or one size smaller than the ones I can fit into old larges.)

 

[eelnoraa]

I have seen two kinds of Made in USA Lightning bolt Jet fins. One is noticeably softer than the other. The stiffer one feels like OMS slip stream kind of material. The softer one feels like rubber. The stiffer one also bend a bit more between the blade and the foot pocket. I don't know which one is newer tho. From the look of it, the stiffer one seems newer. If someone tell me how to read their manufacturing date, I can report back.