Rainer
Contributor
Yup, add spring straps.
Mares Fins with ABS buckle....ouch! am I doing something wrong?
- Thread starter GregA2k6
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DiveMaven
Contributor
My husband had so much trouble with those ABS buckles that I replaced them with spring straps. He wishes I had replaced them sooner. 
They can be pretty tricky at first. I still have to check that I have taken them out of the locked position. Yes, it is true, I have spent minutes tugging on a locked buckle.
Mares, same buckle, different fins...It's definitely easier with gloves on, but mine haven't gotten any looser w/use. After pulling up a fingernail on more than one occasion, I went w/spring straps. I ended up w/the Innovative straps.
RICHinNC
Contributor
Seriously....although my suggestion was quite serious...but I always felt like I was about to break the thin plastic buckle using the force needed to open them. Never feel that way with my springs.
PAdiver93
Contributor
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...but they do open easily in the water - resulting in a loss of a fin. Therefore, to eliminate both problems - install spring straps (15 mins of making them and installing plus $20 in cost) - and you will be one happy Mares Quattro owner.
(Search the Board for a thread for this DIY project, the thread will provide drawings, links to sellers of supplies and so on. And the cost can easily be offset by selling your old ABS straps on ebay)
(Search the Board for a thread for this DIY project, the thread will provide drawings, links to sellers of supplies and so on. And the cost can easily be offset by selling your old ABS straps on ebay)
I would also wonder if the straps were pulled too tight. I never used the QR even before I switched to springs - I could hook a (gloved) finger under the strap by the buckle and flip it off the bottom of my boot heel that way. I like the straps strong enough they won't fall off on their own (confirmed with up to 6' giant strides) but not so tight you can't get under them. Ironically I wear springs a tad tighter due to their natural elasticity being a bit greater than that of a rubber strap...but still easy enough to just hook a finger under and release.
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