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All Other Gear Tanks, BCDs, Regs, Fins, Stringers, and all other gear we use in Spearfishing.

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Old 03-22-2013, 11:30 AM   #16
jfjf
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Re: Mako Vs. Cressi Fins

Possibly it would help the OP to explain that the Cressi fin blades would also be described as being made of "plastic".

With respect to the Mako fins, the Fiberglass is definitely better, but if you want to keep the cost for fins under $100.. the competition fins work very well.
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Old 03-24-2013, 09:55 PM   #17
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Re: Mako Vs. Cressi Fins

Quote:
Originally Posted by A_Alburrito View Post
Ok thanks for the info and would you say that the cressi gara professional ld fins are better than the mako competition fins?
Get the Makos!

I had the Cressi Gara LDs for around 4 years. My first pair of freediving fins, and I thought they were great. As I started getting more involved and doing more drop diving and less surface swimming, I started wondering about other people's fins. I tried some carbons and immediately decided I needed to upgrade. The plastic is just an inferior material. It loses snap over time, and doesn't have the properties that make fiberglass or carbon superior choices. My garas 4 years after purchase were not the same fins they were out of the box. Think about it, it's a plastic part that bends. Have you ever bent a piece of plastic over and over and over? You get the picture, it's just a nature of that material to lose rigidity over time.

In my experience, plastic fins are fine if you're going to do primarily low energy surface swimming and diving 25 feet or less. Can an experienced diver use them to dive down 100+ feet? Of course, and Roger Federer could beat me at tennis using a badminton racquet....but what does that prove?

At the end of the day, it's not about the gear, it's about you. But having quality gear makes life easier and more fun. I used my plastic garas for 60 foot drops in high current conditions. They held up just like they were supposed to, and I had a blast doing it. There is nothing that you cannot do with those fins. But once I upgraded, I realized how much more work I was putting in to get the same results. I was making it harder for myself. If you go for a higher quality product up front, you'll have much more ease and enjoyment in your diving.

I wouldn't recommend you go with the fins I bought though. I fell in love with them and bent over and paid the $600 price tag. That's entirely unnecessary. When a spearo buddy asked me about fins, I suggested he get the fiberglass makos. He took them out on a dive trip and I couldn't believe the quality. GREAT fins. They looked as well made as my C4 Fuegos. I tried them out and found them to be very powerful and solid (he got the Extra Long) which I wouldn't recommend unless you're a crossfit guru like he is. The difference between his Makos and my Garas was night and day.

Fins are an issue of much discussion and disagreement. You're going to go back and forth between the savings and the benefits etc... But I can tell you, having experience with both products, that you will NEVER regret buying the Makos versus the Garas. If you buy the Garas, you'll love them too, because you won't know what you are missing (just like me). But a few years from now you'll upgrade and wish you just bought right the first time.
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