"David Strike" wrote:

> > > I'm at a loss as to why you should single out cave divers?
>
> > Cave divers are the only people I've ever known to claim that Jet Fins
> > were right for everybody.
>
> You should get and about more often!

I bow to your superior travels.  Tell me who else you know of that has
claimed that Jet Fins are right for everybody.

> > > As for the design being 'old'!  It may be.  But it works.
>
> > Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Every test there's ever been has
> > shown modern fins to be more efficient, more comfortable, more
everything.
> > Jet Fins haven't been copetitive for at least 20 years.
>
> Oh, really?  I'd be most keen to hear more about these 'tests'?  (You're
not
> referring to the 'tests' carried out by manufacturers to promote the worth
> of their product are you?)  Nope.  I'm talking about tests done by
independent testing agencies and just about every scuba magazine in the
industry, excepting, of course, Nekton which, to my knowledge has not done
any kind of testing.  That's not an insult, only an observation.  You can
claim bias all you like, but it's hard to explain away the fact that other
Scuba Pro fins seem to have done rather well, while the Jet Fins have done
so poorly that they're not even submitted for testing any more.

> And I didn't say anything about 'beauty'.  Neither did I - or do I -
maintain that jetfins are the 'best'.  Or that
> they're for everybody!

I didn't say you said anything.  You asked why I singled out cave divers.  I
told you.  Simple as that.

> we had mine since '74, and having tried numerous other brands before and
since, still revert back
> to them.
>
> > Beauty is still in the eye of the beholder.
>
> > > Not only because of their comfort and performance characteristics,
> > > but also because I like the security and comfort of the spring heel
> > straps.
> > > (A feature of the jetfin design is that - where they're not already
> > > included - spring heels can be easily and securely attached.
>
> > That's a matter of chicken and egg.  The spring straps were developed
for
> > Jet Fins.
>
> Actually, they were developed for Farallon's!

As far as I know, not here they weren't.  If they were, then I'll have to
look up George and have another talk with him about honesty.

> >It's no surprise that they fit them.  They've also been developed
> > for other fins.  They do, indeed, appear to be something that came out
of
> > the cave diving groups

> Their introduction had nothing whatever to do with cave diving needs.

Perhaps it's you that needs to get about more.

> >that apply well to everybody, well, everybody that
> > uses open heel fins.

> > > Indeed!  Had that particular design not been patented, then it's quite
> > likely that spring
> > > heels would have proven to be the preferred option for all open-heel
> > fins.)
>
> > Who patented them?  Here in S. Florida, they are available for a wide
> > variety of fins.
>
> That was a historical reference to the fact that the manufacturer who
bought
> Farallon already had a good share of the fin market with their own
products.
> Rather than see another manufacturer introduce the concept, they prevented
> it from being used.  Today, of course, they're even available with plastic
> clip-locks that attach to the buckle points on most fin designs

I presume I'm still missing something.  Who patented them?

> > > (My Sea Hornet regulators are also 'old'.  But the design works. )
>
> > If your Sea Hornet regujlator has more than one hose, it's a damned site
> > more modern than Jet Fins.
>
> Single hose regulators were in use - and already on the market - well
before
> jetfins were introduced in the early '70's.  But then again, age in a
> regulator - with critically engineered moving parts - is measured in
> different terms to those of fins.
>
> > > That's not - or shouldn't be - an issue in diving!  I suppose that it
> > > depends on whether you want multi-purpose fins that also lend
themselves
> > to
> > > snorkelling and surface swimming.
>
> > I do, which is why I have my Mares TRE fins.  My Quatro Power fins are
> > really awful on the surface, but quite powerful underwater.  They're my
> > first choice for spearfishing and/or high current, in fact, any place
> where
> > acceleration and power are important to me.  The TREs are more
comfortable
> > everyplace else.
>
> > > That's terribly kind of you, but I'm sure that your needs are greater
> than
> > > mine.
>
> > Moot point.  I was speaking to Andy.  He's the one with the color issue.
>
> I was also addressing my post to Andy, who'd asked Huw where he got his
> jetfins from and the cost!

That's nice.  It does not change who I was addresing.

Lee