The Nerdmaid
04-21-2016, 01:06 PM
So I recently received my new fiberglass monofin, the Nemo Wing from Waterways! I'm very excited, and overall, quite happy with my purchase. I dithered a LOT about what brand to get, but eventually settled on this one because it was very well reviewed by freedivers online, and with good reason!
I've never done a comprehensive review before but I'm gonna do my best to break things into categories that make sense. I'm going to give scores out of 5, but keep in mind some things, like fit, are really subjective. I've also used the competitor as a measuring stick, since it's so popular with mermaids. I'll also add pictures soon. Phone's not letting me upload right now :(
Fit: 3/5
So I'll start with the only real bad news (at least for those without small feet). The footpockets are BIG. My guess is that it runs a 1.5 to 2 sizes large, as well as being wide. I was initially planning on getting the size 40-43, thinking well, I'm a 40, so it should fit fine with room for socks. Thankfully I emailed Bogdan about sizing, and he told me they run large, and that a 37-39 would be best. Thank god I did! It's big enough that I can't wear it without my 3mm socks and I may even be best with a 4 or 5mm pair. Can't imagine how big the other would have been. I think it's designed with thick neoprene socks in mind, since the footpockets are wide both side to side, and top to bottom. If you have naturally wide, and for lack of a better word, "thick" feet, it may fit well without.
Once I got my fit issues sorted, the full footpockets were super comfortable, definitely better than the open heel styles I've tried, and far superior to the adjustable straps I constantly need to pull up. They do require a bit more work to get on, so not ideal for silicone, but with a fabric tail you can roll down, it should be just fine.
Effectiveness: 4.5/5
I struggled with this category a bit, but eventually decided that speed alone is too dependant on things like technique and blade stiffness. I got medium stiffness, which I think is a good balance between power and flexibility.
It's definitely a fast fin, and smaller plastic monofins just can't compare. At 70 cm wide it's a hair smaller than the competitor, but I doubt that's enough to be noticeable. I'd borrowed a couple different soft bladed fiberglass fins, and while they work fine and take a little less energy, I feel like the medium has that extra push I'd been wanting. I'm about 160lbs, and the propulsion is great. If you're very petite however, you might feel a soft blade is more than sufficient. Of course a lot depends on personal preference.
The only reason I'm not giving full marks on this is because I wish the fin had slightly more of an angle. Not often a focus for mermaiding, but definitely a consideration when freediving. Officially it has a 12 degree angle between blade and footpockets, but it feels very close to a non-angled blade. With the amount of power it generates, the flex can be a bit hard on the ankles, but I'm sure they will eventually strengthen.
Flexibilty: 3/5
One thing I was surprised by is the flexibility of movement. While it's obviously slower to turn than a small fin, it's better at the twists and rolls than I anticipated. I suspect cutting it into a classic mermaid shape would also make this easier, allowing the corners to flex separately, and bringing range of movement up from just ok to good. Unfortunately I won't be doing this right away, since I also want to use the fin for straight freediving, but if and when I cut it, I can post an update.
Stability: 5/5
The Nemo has two features that help with stability: ribs and neoprene wings. While this may hinder range of movement some, both work quite well for their intended purpose. It's much less prone to wobbling than the fiberglass fins I've tried without. If you're still learning dolphin kick or are new to monofins, this is probably one of the best choices in the fiberglass category.
Customer Service: 5/5
Super excellent. Bogdan got back to me immediately about my sizing questions, and consistently replied to my emails either the same day or the one after. He explained that sizing ran large, and I would definitely have room for neoprene socks with the smaller size. He even texted me to confirm my order because his emails weren't going through at first, and got my secondary email address to send me all the shipping info.
Cost/Value: 5/5
Okay, so I'm grading on a curve here, because all fiberglass fins are pretty expensive. This one however, is cheaper than pretty much all other similar styles I could find, yet still great quality. And at 220$ US, it's significantly less than the Finis Competitor. Shipping was 50$ US, and took about a week, which I think is pretty good considering it was going from Ukraine to Canada. The fin, plus a bag for it, plus neoprene socks, plus shipping and tax, brought me up to 400$ Canadian. Which accounting for the current exchange rate is actually the bare, taxless cost of the competitor all on it's own!
Other Notes:
One thing worth mentioning is that this fin is quite buoyant, probably due to the neoprene wings. Could be neutralized with some small ankle weights, which I might test in the future.
While I don't currently have an underwater camera, I hope to eventually post a video of myself swimming in it, to give a better idea of how it performs in motion.
I've never done a comprehensive review before but I'm gonna do my best to break things into categories that make sense. I'm going to give scores out of 5, but keep in mind some things, like fit, are really subjective. I've also used the competitor as a measuring stick, since it's so popular with mermaids. I'll also add pictures soon. Phone's not letting me upload right now :(
Fit: 3/5
So I'll start with the only real bad news (at least for those without small feet). The footpockets are BIG. My guess is that it runs a 1.5 to 2 sizes large, as well as being wide. I was initially planning on getting the size 40-43, thinking well, I'm a 40, so it should fit fine with room for socks. Thankfully I emailed Bogdan about sizing, and he told me they run large, and that a 37-39 would be best. Thank god I did! It's big enough that I can't wear it without my 3mm socks and I may even be best with a 4 or 5mm pair. Can't imagine how big the other would have been. I think it's designed with thick neoprene socks in mind, since the footpockets are wide both side to side, and top to bottom. If you have naturally wide, and for lack of a better word, "thick" feet, it may fit well without.
Once I got my fit issues sorted, the full footpockets were super comfortable, definitely better than the open heel styles I've tried, and far superior to the adjustable straps I constantly need to pull up. They do require a bit more work to get on, so not ideal for silicone, but with a fabric tail you can roll down, it should be just fine.
Effectiveness: 4.5/5
I struggled with this category a bit, but eventually decided that speed alone is too dependant on things like technique and blade stiffness. I got medium stiffness, which I think is a good balance between power and flexibility.
It's definitely a fast fin, and smaller plastic monofins just can't compare. At 70 cm wide it's a hair smaller than the competitor, but I doubt that's enough to be noticeable. I'd borrowed a couple different soft bladed fiberglass fins, and while they work fine and take a little less energy, I feel like the medium has that extra push I'd been wanting. I'm about 160lbs, and the propulsion is great. If you're very petite however, you might feel a soft blade is more than sufficient. Of course a lot depends on personal preference.
The only reason I'm not giving full marks on this is because I wish the fin had slightly more of an angle. Not often a focus for mermaiding, but definitely a consideration when freediving. Officially it has a 12 degree angle between blade and footpockets, but it feels very close to a non-angled blade. With the amount of power it generates, the flex can be a bit hard on the ankles, but I'm sure they will eventually strengthen.
Flexibilty: 3/5
One thing I was surprised by is the flexibility of movement. While it's obviously slower to turn than a small fin, it's better at the twists and rolls than I anticipated. I suspect cutting it into a classic mermaid shape would also make this easier, allowing the corners to flex separately, and bringing range of movement up from just ok to good. Unfortunately I won't be doing this right away, since I also want to use the fin for straight freediving, but if and when I cut it, I can post an update.
Stability: 5/5
The Nemo has two features that help with stability: ribs and neoprene wings. While this may hinder range of movement some, both work quite well for their intended purpose. It's much less prone to wobbling than the fiberglass fins I've tried without. If you're still learning dolphin kick or are new to monofins, this is probably one of the best choices in the fiberglass category.
Customer Service: 5/5
Super excellent. Bogdan got back to me immediately about my sizing questions, and consistently replied to my emails either the same day or the one after. He explained that sizing ran large, and I would definitely have room for neoprene socks with the smaller size. He even texted me to confirm my order because his emails weren't going through at first, and got my secondary email address to send me all the shipping info.
Cost/Value: 5/5
Okay, so I'm grading on a curve here, because all fiberglass fins are pretty expensive. This one however, is cheaper than pretty much all other similar styles I could find, yet still great quality. And at 220$ US, it's significantly less than the Finis Competitor. Shipping was 50$ US, and took about a week, which I think is pretty good considering it was going from Ukraine to Canada. The fin, plus a bag for it, plus neoprene socks, plus shipping and tax, brought me up to 400$ Canadian. Which accounting for the current exchange rate is actually the bare, taxless cost of the competitor all on it's own!
Other Notes:
One thing worth mentioning is that this fin is quite buoyant, probably due to the neoprene wings. Could be neutralized with some small ankle weights, which I might test in the future.
While I don't currently have an underwater camera, I hope to eventually post a video of myself swimming in it, to give a better idea of how it performs in motion.