New Yellow Hockey Fins

[TN Traveler]

OK - the new Yellow Hockey Fins arrived today.

First observation - BOY ARE THEY YELLOW!!!

Second observation - they definitely are slightly more flexible that the originals. You can tell they will "snap" without having to give maximum effort. They are about the same flex as my Tan Delta Excellerators, maybe a tad stiffer.

Third observation - they have been "thinned" - probably why they flex a little easier. This also seems to allow a more even flexing all along the blade.

They are now in the dive bag and will get a great test next week in Cozumel and I will report back the results.

Hope the pictures below show what I am describing.

 

[meesier42]

I keep forgetting that I am not the only one that has a pair of the Mod_0 Hockey Force. Its not just that Bob is making them with different material, the profile of the ribs on the back and the blade tip were redone to really improve the smooth feel and explosive snap. Enjoy Cozumel

 

[Islandheart]

Man oh man, those puppies are REALLY yellow..... LoL. Them fishes will really see you coming.

Glad they showed up for you.

B

I spoke to Bob today and my Smoke Blacks went out last Friday and they should be here soon. I've got a busy week with Rescue tomorrow, Open Waters Wed., DM sessions on Thurs, Rescues again Friday and Open Waters again Sat.

So they will get a work out pretty quick........

I'll write up my thoughts asap.

B

 

[TN Traveler]

Actually the Yellow matches the yellow webbing on my BP/ W almost perfectly. My wife loves the fact that I am no longer wearing totally black and can be spotted easily, if I swim off ( which rarely, but sometimes happens - mostly when I am head down trying to get a shot of some critter in a hole).

These will get a real test next week.

 

[TN Traveler]

I keep forgetting that I am not the only one that has a pair of the Mod_0 Hockey Force. Its not just that Bob is making them with different material, the profile of the ribs on the back and the blade tip were redone to really improve the smooth feel and explosive snap. Enjoy Cozumel

I wish I had more time before having to pack these - they really do have a different feel when you load them up. They bend in a much more even way - the Mod 0's tended to bend at the end of the ribs and at the foot pocket - these seem to load up evenly along the entire length of the blade. Still plenty of stiffness but just a smoother action.

I also noticed that when I bent them forward (like loading from frog kicking) they are good and rigid - not much different than the Mod 0's.

I am thinking this is due to the changes in the rib design.

When I get back I have a couple of comparison tests planned by loading the blades with weights and seeing what the difference in bending is.

But right now I think these will be great to dive with.

Thanks Bob!!!

 

[Mike808]

Those look really sweet! If these are as good at frog kicks as people say then they might be in my future.

I am starting to see why some of you guys have such huge collections of force fins... it gets addictive.

 

[Islandheart]

Really do love the Yellow! The Navy boys would laugh me out of the area if I showed up with those.
But must agree, they set you apart from the all black divers we seem to have in mass.

Enjoy and I look forward to your reports on them.

Bob C.

 

[TN Traveler]

OK - here are my first impressions after 2 days of diving thm. (This is being done on my iPad, so it is slow going)

They definitely are different from the Mod0's - the increase in flex is noticeable. They are slightly stiffer than my Tan Delta Excellerators but you can feel the flex with a slow easy kick. With a moderate kick such as cutting across a stiff current or into a moderate current you can feel the flex and rebound working. In a stiff current I had no problem going against it - not quite as well as the Mod0's but stll better than the Excellerators unless you put the whiskers in "max speed" position.

My feeling is that they handle current better than any fin I have used. Again, no cramps or knee stress.

This is my first impressions and I will provide more info after the next set of dives.

 

[TN Traveler]

Well I am back from Cozumel and definitely gave the new yellow Hockey Fins a test. They handled some pretty good currents with no problems - actually no loss in performance from the Mod0's but easier on the legs. They felt absolutely effortless, almost like original FFs - at slow speed I really did not feel them. My wife observed that although I was kicking slow I was still going faster than she was with her BioFins - which was never the case. If I put a little effort into the kick, I could really feel the snap and rebound. I was usually at the back of the pack, taking pictures but if the dive master signaled that he found something, with just a few hard kicks, I was first to get there. If the autofocus on the camera was not somewhat cantankerous, I would have gotten more good shots (probably does not help that I am half blind underwater and can't clearly see the rear screen to be sure it has focused before I shoot ).

With the viz as good as it was, I'm not sure the Yellow color made much difference, but my wife loved that she could always tell where I was (she said the yellow fins were always visible even when I was head down taking a picture of some critter in a hole).

For me, these fins are a "home run". They are Force Fins on steroids, with all the benefits of the originals plus the ability to handle alternative kicks with no problem.

One other observation from my wife, after I pointed out how some fins were disturbing the bottom from three to 4 feet above it, these fins did not cause any disturbance until I was about 1 foot above the bottom - no little "poofs" of sand.

Thanks Bob

 

[TN Traveler]

Here is a picture of the Yellow Hockey Fins in action in Cozumel.
(This the the best of them - wife managed to cut off part of the fins in the others )