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Used them today. Comfort is the best of any fin I have used. Stiff, seems like long slower kicks work best, I was hopeing for better burst speed but still cool. Thay have about the same power as my Vipers. Did not cramp up for several hours. Easy to walk in and out of the water. Bottom line= I realy like them. I would recommend them to a friend.

Second time out. Very compfy, nice power, close to my Vipers. The best fins I have used so far.Very happy with them. I think I will get Kicks too.

Thanks for the information reports on the DaFins, ClanB. I will be checking these out.

kicks are a little more flexey higher kick speed

I’ve always had problems finding fins that didn’t double as implements of torture. My feet aren’t really that big at size 13 but they are real wide (EEEE+) and have freakishly high arches. My poor dogs have been squeezed into cramp hell and rubbed raw to the point of bleeding by just about every pair of fins I’ve ever had.

But then I bought a pair of XXL Da Fin “Big Bu” model fins and it changed my life. They’re a little loose on my bare feet but worn over a pair of fin socks they’re absolutely the best I’ve ever had. I can stay out for hours now and I love it. Needless to say I’m a huge fan of Da Fin!

everybody foot is not the same just like buying shoes
try to let you try them before you buy them or have a good return policy if you don't like them

Any longevity reviews on the dafins.

When i got mine (mail order) I was very unhappy with the width of the heal strap, I hardly used the fin maybe 10 times (left them at a friend in california) upon return the next year I was surfing up in santa cruz and camping at a site south of town, so I had an adventure idea of gettin a buddy to drop me in town and i would surf the points back to the site (about 4 miles)

so he drops me off I head down to the beach sit on the sand pull on my fins and snap! snap! both heal straps gone looked really dry rotted. I had to walk a ile into town in y wesuit board under arm and leave my gopro at a store as payment (till i returned the next day) fo a new pair of cheap fins (all they had) to get be back in the water and surfing back to my camp site.

so check your heal straps for dry rot.

Fin walking and not rinsing them off with fresh water are sure fin destroyers. I have walked in my Vipers V5 Orange Dots (flexi blade) a bit too much and the one fin finally cracked along the outer ridge. That fin is down way too flexible... even for me. The other fin is borderline so I will keep my eye open for a cheapo/free Orange Dot size L.

Applying minimal amounts of silicon was recommended to me as a way to preserve fins. haven't tried it as yet as I need to get to a camera store to buy it.

Bob

Applying minimal amounts of silicon was recommended to me as a way to preserve fins. haven't tried it as yet as I need to get to a camera store to buy it.

Bob - Try hardware or DIY stores. I think what they are talking about is silicone spray- basically a lubricant, but my bottle says for sports equipment it is used as a protective medium.

I was given the same advice at a dive shop when I got my first pair of full-foot Cressi Rhondine (sp?) fins decades ago. It works. That said though, it is a lubricant, so use sparingly. When I get off the couch and try to do things right I spray a bit on a paper towel and wipe it on. I'm a lazy sack though so I seldom keep up on this one. Can't remember if it makes sand stick to the fins or not when you're out of the water, but then you'd be out of the water anyway.

Saw an online interview with Spyder Wills...he said he'd had the same pair of Duck Feet going back to the 60's I think it was. Said the sun was the enemy, always buried his fins in the sand while on the beach.

Nels

Update on silicone spray: I keep my Duck Feet in my truck most of the time, in the back under a camper shell/canopy. Out of direct sunlight but subject to heat and cold. We've had weeks of warm and extremely low humidity (5-10%) weather. Ducks are maybe 3-4 years old. They were recently used but I had rinsed them off well and they were dry. I took a couple of photos and then applied silicone spray to one of them, playing with direct spray and also spraying a rag and wiping on.

Well...they sucked the silicone spray up like a sponge takes water. I'm probably a couple of years too late to try this on this pair. The silicone didn't noticeably change the color or anything. Not worth taking "after" photos. My heel straps are in fine condition because I wrapped them in neoprene when they were new.

Once I finished the second fin I remembered a product called 303 Protectant. It's expensive. An aerospace product that has migrated into general use, water based, not petroleum like a product such as Armor All. That one might be worth checking out. Once my Ducks dry out or seem like they need attention again I'll give that a go. Amazon sells 303 and you can save some money there plus read the reviews.

Nels

Switched over to the pair of DaFins that I brought with me to PR. The Yellow Dot V5 pair were just too damn tight and cramping for some reason. Found that I did not have an extra pair of Orange Dots which I would have brought. So happy the DaFins came with me. The kick transition only took about 5 minutes so feel comfortable enough to take them out in the challenging surf situations (I am like that in new situations/conditions).

Nels,

I got a small tube of gel from a dive shop. Aquanuts brand.

yet to test it.

Bob

This might be handy is anyone in the UK needs some

http://www.e46fanatics.com/forum/showth ... p?t=351362

Sorry didnt check that,the links broken. Ive found some 303 on ebay and its just been delivered, I got the 59ml spray as my winter fins have never seen the sun

Well I won a pair of these in a comp and not liking then or having much confidence in then I gave them to a friend as he needed new fins.

He does not surf much so i thought they might last, after about 1 surfs in 6 months, the back strap snapped again.

They have not been left in the sun (no sun in wales) abused or walked in, They have the thinnest worst heel straps of any fins i have used in 22 years!!

only other fins i have ever broke have been abused from being walked in across rocky reefs. but took years to break.

don't life guards use these?

I have been using my pair for two years... they have been exposed to cold and hot temps but I have not stretched out the heal straps much. Am always careful with that. I do use 1 to 2 mm fin socks but the foot pocket is plenty large so my feet slip in easily.

krusher74 wrote:Well I won a pair of these in a comp and not liking then or having much confidence in then I gave them to a friend as he needed new fins.

He does not surf much so i thought they might last, after about 1 surfs in 6 months, the back strap snapped again.

They have not been left in the sun (no sun in wales) abused or walked in, They have the thinnest worst heel straps of any fins i have used in 22 years!!

only other fins i have ever broke have been abused from being walked in across rocky reefs. but took years to break.

don't life guards use these?

I gave my friend every tip I could think of to make them last and they still snapped!

I saw a video of one guy wearing big booties... not surprised they snapped. Maybe a Force Fin would be better in those conditions.

rodndtube wrote:I saw a video of one guy wearing big booties... not surprised they snapped. Maybe a Force Fin would be better in those conditions.

Not heard of a force fin, is that a brand?

My friend was using these bare food and they were a good fit so no need for him to pull hard on the heel straps (and they had only been on about 10 times anyway)

I think they would be fine if that heel strap was just as big and thick as all other fins I have seen/used. I have never had a heel strap break of any of my other fins in 22years surfing.

I wonder if this happens to many other dafins?