David Wilson
Contributor
Cressi have indeed been around since 1946. Among other things, they patented and introduced the full-foot fin. They still market a rubber-skirted mask, the Pinocchio, first developed in the 1950s:
In the 1960s and 1970s I loved snorkelling with Cressi Rondine fins. I wish they still manufactured them, but they seem to have sold or donated their original moulds to South America. The company discontinued the line when they moved into silicone masks and plastic fins in the 1980s.
As the folks on the vintage diving forum will tell you, there's nothing inherently wrong with older-style equipment and some of us actually prefer pre-1975 designs. Just because something's new doesn't mean to say it's always better for everybody, particularly when items of personal gear are at issue. Having kept a close eye on the development of basic diving gear over four decades, my take on things, for what it's worth, is that most innovations represent a trade-off of benefits and limitations relative to what they are designed to replace. I don't think you can ever say that new things are always better than old things in every respect. There's always a trade-off somewhere.
In the 1960s and 1970s I loved snorkelling with Cressi Rondine fins. I wish they still manufactured them, but they seem to have sold or donated their original moulds to South America. The company discontinued the line when they moved into silicone masks and plastic fins in the 1980s.
As the folks on the vintage diving forum will tell you, there's nothing inherently wrong with older-style equipment and some of us actually prefer pre-1975 designs. Just because something's new doesn't mean to say it's always better for everybody, particularly when items of personal gear are at issue. Having kept a close eye on the development of basic diving gear over four decades, my take on things, for what it's worth, is that most innovations represent a trade-off of benefits and limitations relative to what they are designed to replace. I don't think you can ever say that new things are always better than old things in every respect. There's always a trade-off somewhere.