10-06-2008, 12:31 AM
So, I borrowed the next door neighbor's pool today for some fin testing.
The apparatus:
1 swimming pool
1 Outcast Fish Cat IV Deluxe
4 sets of fins
As you may recall I just recently got a set of Force Fins to replace (or so I thought - more on this later) my Mares Power Planas. Included in the deal was a pair of Scubapro Jetfins. I also had an old set of Caddis tuber fins.
Here's a pic of the group again:
![[Image: DSCF9140.jpg]](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t177/shigspeed/Fishing/Tube%20Mods/Fins/DSCF9140.jpg)
So, let's first discuss fit:
Caddis: I've had these for probably close to 15 years now. I've mostly worn them over boots and they fit over LARGE boots. That said, recently I've been wearing booties over waders and they can pinch a bit since you have to snug them down to prevent your toes from "escaping" out the front.
Jetfins: Nice snug comfy pocket, but too small for even my booties. Work well with just my wader stockingfeet (neoprene) but not the best for rocky or otherwise sharp environments.
Mares: Nice foot pocket, no real issues with squeeze
Force: Open ended pockets, but they taper nicely. I've had to mod mine to fit my foot as they're bigger than I need, but I fished for hours yesterday an no foot squeeze issues
Next, resistance force:
The Caddis and Force fins feel about the same with respect to resistance. Pretty low. The Caddis are pretty flexible so they bend out of the way rather easily. The Force are a tad more rigid, but the shape probably effects this. The Jetfins have a bit more resistance and they're heavier so it takes more work to move them through the water. The Mares' are brutes. They are barndoors in the water. You WORK to drive them through the water. Sounds bad, but wait, theres more...
Maneuverability:
I drove through the pool, and did a u-turn. The ease with which I could do this went (best to worst) Mares, Caddis, Jetfins, Force. Pretty much the same from a dead stop, but slightly accentuated. The Force SUCK when it comes to stationary positioning. ZERO ability to push to the side. The big-a$$ Planas can be twisted by the ankle and pivot you right now.
Acceleration:
With the biggest blades, the Mares' failed here. However when do you need a blast of speed while 'toonin/tubing? Maybe if you have to pursue a fish? Anyway, the other three were probably similar in initial acceleration (you could go full churn pretty quickly whereas getting "on plane" with the Mares is similar to getting started on a big fixed gear bike) - top speed is another story...
Top Speed:
For big speed you need big guns. The Mares ROCK. Again, you push a lot of water, and it appears that the thrust vector is pretty good on these. I'm sure some of the water spills off the side and is wasted, but enough of it goes straight back to give you some serious speed. Interestingly enough, the Caddis were second fastest with the Jetfins just a touch behind. With the floppy fins it's surprising that the Caddis was as fast as they were. Most disappointing was that the Force Fins were the slowest.
- Side Note: I was timing the drag race across the pool, but the cheap stopwatch I was using got wet and died. Sorry, no hard data
So, for a day of fishing in calm water and air, you'd want efficiency. To best gauge this what my friend and I figured would be the best would be to go out to a lake and start finning up to a set heartrate. Then clock speed. Rest, eat, and repeat. That way, for a given exertion we'd be able to learn how fast you are going. Sorry, couldn't do this.
What I can do is give you my general feeling here:
Caddis: Not bad at all. Can cruise relatively quickly with low effort. Can motor pretty well if you thrash 'em. Decent all-around fin except for the fit on the foot. Cheap backup set of for the visiting friends that want to go fishing.
Jetfins: Not bad either, but too small a pocket for boots/booties. Maybe a larger size is available? No size markings on these. Heavy and stiff but they do the job.
Force Fins: Huge disappointment. Only good point is that they're easy to move in the water. No magical thrust vectoring or gee-whiz efficiency here. I churn up the water as hard as I can but I still don't get going nearly as fast as I'd expect for what they cost and the hype behind them. You can't maneuver with them very effectively, though they are comfortable and you can somewhat walk in them.
Mares Power Planas: I think I"m going back to these bad boys. They're bulky and awkward on land, but in the drink they push a lot of water in the direction that you want them to as fast as you can push them. To get going it takes a bit more oopmh, but once moving, they seem very efficient. A slow steady pace keeps you truckin. I think the deceptive thing about these is that when you pedal them as fast as you would other smaller fins, you feel like you're getting a work out. You are. But you're going much faster as well. I'd bet that with a 50% stroke rate of these vs. the Forces, you'll be going the same speed. 100% to 100% these vs. Forces I'm sure you're going quite a bit faster with the Mares. (Mind you, 100% of the max rate on each fin - ultimately fewer strokes per minute on the Mares vs. Force).
So, caught in the middle of the lake when the wind kicks up, I'll be wishing for my Mares. I think if max velocity home was an issue, for sure. Even if you're concerned about burning out, you could probably dial back a bit and still motor very efficiently with a lower stroke rate. The only thing that might make you chose a different fin would be if you have smaller, less powerful legs. If this is the case, I'm going to have to go with the el cheapo Caddis for performance. The Force may work okay and are more comfortable, but you'll be kicking fast, and most any other fin you can get over your footwear of choice may be just as good.
So until I can get my hands on the next big thing, I'll probably be slipping the big 'ol Planas back on.
Anyone in the market for a nearly brand new set of XXL Force Fins?
_SHig
[signature]
The apparatus:
1 swimming pool
1 Outcast Fish Cat IV Deluxe
4 sets of fins
As you may recall I just recently got a set of Force Fins to replace (or so I thought - more on this later) my Mares Power Planas. Included in the deal was a pair of Scubapro Jetfins. I also had an old set of Caddis tuber fins.
Here's a pic of the group again:
So, let's first discuss fit:
Caddis: I've had these for probably close to 15 years now. I've mostly worn them over boots and they fit over LARGE boots. That said, recently I've been wearing booties over waders and they can pinch a bit since you have to snug them down to prevent your toes from "escaping" out the front.
Jetfins: Nice snug comfy pocket, but too small for even my booties. Work well with just my wader stockingfeet (neoprene) but not the best for rocky or otherwise sharp environments.
Mares: Nice foot pocket, no real issues with squeeze
Force: Open ended pockets, but they taper nicely. I've had to mod mine to fit my foot as they're bigger than I need, but I fished for hours yesterday an no foot squeeze issues
Next, resistance force:
The Caddis and Force fins feel about the same with respect to resistance. Pretty low. The Caddis are pretty flexible so they bend out of the way rather easily. The Force are a tad more rigid, but the shape probably effects this. The Jetfins have a bit more resistance and they're heavier so it takes more work to move them through the water. The Mares' are brutes. They are barndoors in the water. You WORK to drive them through the water. Sounds bad, but wait, theres more...
Maneuverability:
I drove through the pool, and did a u-turn. The ease with which I could do this went (best to worst) Mares, Caddis, Jetfins, Force. Pretty much the same from a dead stop, but slightly accentuated. The Force SUCK when it comes to stationary positioning. ZERO ability to push to the side. The big-a$$ Planas can be twisted by the ankle and pivot you right now.
Acceleration:
With the biggest blades, the Mares' failed here. However when do you need a blast of speed while 'toonin/tubing? Maybe if you have to pursue a fish? Anyway, the other three were probably similar in initial acceleration (you could go full churn pretty quickly whereas getting "on plane" with the Mares is similar to getting started on a big fixed gear bike) - top speed is another story...
Top Speed:
For big speed you need big guns. The Mares ROCK. Again, you push a lot of water, and it appears that the thrust vector is pretty good on these. I'm sure some of the water spills off the side and is wasted, but enough of it goes straight back to give you some serious speed. Interestingly enough, the Caddis were second fastest with the Jetfins just a touch behind. With the floppy fins it's surprising that the Caddis was as fast as they were. Most disappointing was that the Force Fins were the slowest.
- Side Note: I was timing the drag race across the pool, but the cheap stopwatch I was using got wet and died. Sorry, no hard data
So, for a day of fishing in calm water and air, you'd want efficiency. To best gauge this what my friend and I figured would be the best would be to go out to a lake and start finning up to a set heartrate. Then clock speed. Rest, eat, and repeat. That way, for a given exertion we'd be able to learn how fast you are going. Sorry, couldn't do this.
What I can do is give you my general feeling here:
Caddis: Not bad at all. Can cruise relatively quickly with low effort. Can motor pretty well if you thrash 'em. Decent all-around fin except for the fit on the foot. Cheap backup set of for the visiting friends that want to go fishing.
Jetfins: Not bad either, but too small a pocket for boots/booties. Maybe a larger size is available? No size markings on these. Heavy and stiff but they do the job.
Force Fins: Huge disappointment. Only good point is that they're easy to move in the water. No magical thrust vectoring or gee-whiz efficiency here. I churn up the water as hard as I can but I still don't get going nearly as fast as I'd expect for what they cost and the hype behind them. You can't maneuver with them very effectively, though they are comfortable and you can somewhat walk in them.
Mares Power Planas: I think I"m going back to these bad boys. They're bulky and awkward on land, but in the drink they push a lot of water in the direction that you want them to as fast as you can push them. To get going it takes a bit more oopmh, but once moving, they seem very efficient. A slow steady pace keeps you truckin. I think the deceptive thing about these is that when you pedal them as fast as you would other smaller fins, you feel like you're getting a work out. You are. But you're going much faster as well. I'd bet that with a 50% stroke rate of these vs. the Forces, you'll be going the same speed. 100% to 100% these vs. Forces I'm sure you're going quite a bit faster with the Mares. (Mind you, 100% of the max rate on each fin - ultimately fewer strokes per minute on the Mares vs. Force).
So, caught in the middle of the lake when the wind kicks up, I'll be wishing for my Mares. I think if max velocity home was an issue, for sure. Even if you're concerned about burning out, you could probably dial back a bit and still motor very efficiently with a lower stroke rate. The only thing that might make you chose a different fin would be if you have smaller, less powerful legs. If this is the case, I'm going to have to go with the el cheapo Caddis for performance. The Force may work okay and are more comfortable, but you'll be kicking fast, and most any other fin you can get over your footwear of choice may be just as good.
So until I can get my hands on the next big thing, I'll probably be slipping the big 'ol Planas back on.
Anyone in the market for a nearly brand new set of XXL Force Fins?
_SHig
[signature]
]![[Image: happy.gif]](http://www.bigfishtackle.com/images/gforum/happy.gif)
Just to add my two cents - I have a pair of Force Fins and they are worth the extra few dollars. ![[Image: sleeping.gif]](http://www.bigfishtackle.com/images/gforum/sleeping.gif)
.![[Image: P1050006.jpg]](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t177/shigspeed/Fishing/Lakes/Heenan/P1050006.jpg)