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Old 03-20-2013, 07:32 PM   #1
A_Alburrito
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Mako Vs. Cressi Fins

So I have been on the prowl for new fins and I have narrowed my selection down between the Mako Competition Fins and the Cressi Gara Professional LD fins. Not really sure which ones to get. Mako offers the competition fins in a package with a lot more equipment for $208 and the cressi fins alone are about $170. If anyone has personal experience with either of these fins I would love to hear your opinion.
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Old 03-20-2013, 08:51 PM   #2
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Re: Mako Vs. Cressi Fins

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Originally Posted by A_Alburrito View Post
So I have been on the prowl for new fins and I have narrowed my selection down between the Mako Competition Fins and the Cressi Gara Professional LD fins. Not really sure which ones to get. Mako offers the competition fins in a package with a lot more equipment for $208 and the cressi fins alone are about $170. If anyone has personal experience with either of these fins I would love to hear your opinion.
I would go for the Makos, since they have removable blades. I had the Garras for two years before the plastic got brittle and cracked. Had I gone with the makos to begin with, I would have been a able to simply replace the blades. And its cheaper to upgrade to fiberglass, or carbon later on, since you will already have the foot pocket.
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Old 03-20-2013, 09:03 PM   #3
A_Alburrito
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Re: Mako Vs. Cressi Fins

with the replaceable blade feature are there any problems of the blade getting loose or falling out?
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Old 03-20-2013, 09:11 PM   #4
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Re: Mako Vs. Cressi Fins

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with the replaceable blade feature are there any problems of the blade getting loose or falling out?
Its possible. A buddy lost a OMER fin, but I've never heard of anyone losing a Mako. Maybe someone can chime in on that one. People will sometimes glue the fin in with semi-permanent glue (so you can still pull it out later) to make sure it stays in. Loctite in the screws would also help keep them in.

All that said, most people end up going to removable fins eventually, and my guess is that if loosing fins was an issue, they would not be as popular with experienced divers. Gluing fins seems to be an extreme precaution taken by a minority of divers with removable fins.

Good luck!
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Old 03-20-2013, 09:14 PM   #5
A_Alburrito
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Re: Mako Vs. Cressi Fins

thank you so much and would you recommend fiber glass over conventional plastic blades? i really don't see the reason for spending the extra $125 for fiberglass fins.
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Old 03-20-2013, 09:58 PM   #6
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Re: Mako Vs. Cressi Fins

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thank you so much and would you recommend fiber glass over conventional plastic blades? i really don't see the reason for spending the extra $125 for fiberglass fins.
Absolutely. Carbon is even better.

But the jump in performance from regular scuba fins to longblades is big enough to keep you happy for another 2-3 seasons. Some guys even stick with plastic fins. If your diving shallow, the difference won't be that big anyway. The difference is really noticeable when you are bombing down and have to kick for 20 seconds or more just to get down. You spend a little less energy for each kick cycle, and over a bunch of kicks it really adds up. But over a few kick cycles, it won't matter as much. When you are ready to upgrade, you will know.

Probably the better use of your money right now would be a class, if you haven't taken one already. What you don't know could kill you much easier than you think. Most of the information they give you in a class is already online or in books (Umberto Pelizzari's "Underwater on a Single Breath", etc...) but the coaching on your technique, safety and rescue is something that a properly trained instructor is qualified to help you with. Think how hard it would be to learn to ride a bike from a book...

Dive safe!
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Old 03-20-2013, 10:04 PM   #7
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Re: Mako Vs. Cressi Fins

Thanks, I appreciate the info and I'll definitely look into classes.
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Old 03-21-2013, 10:22 AM   #8
OutdoorCatholic
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Re: Mako Vs. Cressi Fins

I recommend plastic Makos. The big advantage is not so much the replaceable blades (many people, myself included, have used the Cressi Garas for years with a lot of abuse without problem) but the blade angle. Cressi Garas are a straight blade which makes surface swimming a pain in the butt (well, ankle) while angled blades make surface swimming a lot more bearable. I would consider the replaceable blades as a secondary benefit. If anything, having two sets of fins will be hugely advantageous 'cause you'll quickly learn that having backup gear is really important. Considering the fact that the Makos are less expensive anyways, I think it's an easy decision. The plastic vs glass vs carbon is way overblown. I know of plenty of good divers who hunt at 100' using plastic long fins. Too many guys get caught up in the glitz and glam of their gear. Like Gabe said, it's the length that really makes a difference and the material is going to be far less a factor than your skill.
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Old 03-21-2013, 01:48 PM   #9
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Re: Mako Vs. Cressi Fins

I have the Mako FG fins and I love them to no end. But as someone else already said the plastic is good enough/the same. I sometimes wish I went with the plastic and saved a ton of money, but the blue camo makes my heart warm. The plastic blades are stupid cheap to replace too. The foot pocket in the mako's is the best I've ever used.
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Old 03-21-2013, 03:07 PM   #10
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Re: Mako Vs. Cressi Fins

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I have the Mako FG fins and I love them to no end. But as someone else already said the plastic is good enough/the same. I sometimes wish I went with the plastic and saved a ton of money, but the blue camo makes my heart warm. The plastic blades are stupid cheap to replace too. The foot pocket in the mako's is the best I've ever used.
My guess is that if your used to FG fins, and try to use plastic fins, you will notice a difference. I still have my plastic Garras for backup and when I have to use them the feel stiffer and give less propulsion. Good for a workout, not as much for bottom time.
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Old 03-21-2013, 10:20 PM   #11
2fishin2
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Re: Mako Vs. Cressi Fins

FG no plastic! Plastic is crap! You get what you pay for. Save your money and buy one pair of fins to last . Dont purchase fins based on the ability to replace a broken fin later. Good fins never break, cheap ones do! And yes the material used in making blades does make a huge difference.
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Old 03-22-2013, 07:00 AM   #12
A_Alburrito
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Re: Mako Vs. Cressi Fins

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FG no plastic! Plastic is crap! You get what you pay for. Save your money and buy one pair of fins to last . Dont purchase fins based on the ability to replace a broken fin later. Good fins never break, cheap ones do! And yes the material used in making blades does make a huge difference.
Ok thanks for the info and would you say that the cressi gara professional ld fins are better than the mako competition fins?
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Old 03-22-2013, 08:40 AM   #13
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Re: Mako Vs. Cressi Fins

Anyone who would simply label plastic fins as "crap" is making a sweeping generalization and is not well informed in this area. I would recommend taking advice from people that actually know what they are talking about. If you get the Cressi or Mako plastic fins you'll get years of use out of them and in the unlikely event that they break under normal usage, at least in the case of Mako, they'll replace them no questions asked. I'm just trying to help you save some money and not break your budget by buying overkill fins for your skill level. Like I said before you'll be glad you have old trustworthy fins to fall back on when you eventually upgrade to the high end stuff to either lend out or use when stuff breaks or gets lost. If money is no object then by all means go with the FB or carbon blades.
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Old 03-22-2013, 10:09 AM   #14
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Re: Mako Vs. Cressi Fins

I'll preface this by saying that this is only my humble opinion, after having tried a few plastic fins, and currently owning 2 pairs of fiberglass fins, 1 fiberglass/carbon fin and 3 pairs of carbon fins.

There is a substantial increase in performance between plastic and fiberglass. The difference between fiberglass and carbon is not as great, but I think it's significant, and to a point, more about feel and responsiveness. Could somebody hunt at 100' using plastic fins? Sure, they could. If they had never tried anything else, they'd probably be happy doing it. But knowing what I do, if I could afford it, I'd be using fiberglass or carbon.

To answer the OP's original question, I've used all of the Cressi Gara plastic fins including the 2000, 3000 and Professional. The Professionals were the worst. The fit was strange in the same size, and the feel when kicking them was very different, in a bad way. Of the two fins you asked about, I would go with the Makos. If you want something a little softer, the Cressi 3000LD wouldn't be a bad choice. As somebody stated, though, I do like the ability to replace the blade on the Mako in the future.
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Old 03-22-2013, 11:01 AM   #15
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Re: Mako Vs. Cressi Fins

When you're starting out things like water access, breath hold, problems equalizing, lack of dive partners, lack of knowledge, discomfort in the water, etc. will be much greater factors than the quality of your gear. If you have the money and are sure you're in it for the long haul, get the FG. If money is an issue and you haven't been diving for very long then go with the plastic Makos and just replace the blades with FG if and when you need to. If you're reef diving in less than 40 feet of water then the types of fins you choose will be irrelevant aside from the greater possibility of damaging high end carbon fins.
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