SeaChange
08-20-2014, 09:22 PM
I was planning to post this as a review in the tailmaker forum, but seeing as I only purchased their monofin, and not a tail, I thought perhaps it belonged here instead (mods, if I'm wrong, I'm sorry!)
So! I set out to purchase my first monofin, and had more or less settled on the Fin-fin monofin (you guys know the one-- cute all-black neoprene one piece?) because the price was right, I liked simple look of it and it seemed like a good place to begin. However, I got a notice the day after ordering that they were out of stock. Being the impatient person I am, I decided, to heck with it, if I can find something at a comparable price, I'll get that. I hopped on ebay and was surprised to find a different style of fin than the black bootie style I had seen on the website, also listed under "fin-fun". It was in stock, so after asking some questions about the fit, I ordered it.
At that point I realized, the seller was actually Fun-Fin, and not Fin-Fun. But that was OK. I'd been doing some reading and it sounded like the black bootie-style fin didnt have much power anyway. Including shipping, I paid $65.98 Canadian. It was July 22nd and I expected to receive my monofin by early August.
There wound up being a lot of shipping delays. I received a shipping notification on the 29th, with the latest expected delivery being August 11th. Ok. Slower than I hoped, but cool. That's fine. The 11th came and went. I contacted the seller who informed me the parcel had been returned to her and she was going to ship it the next morning expedited. On the 18th, I got notice that the fin had been shipped. It arrived today, the 20th.
Anyway, I was PUMPED, so I left work early and picked that sucker up at the post office, then biked home with my monofin precariously balanced on my handlebars. It arrived looking like this:
23517
So I opened it up and found my monofin inside, encased in a clear bag with a plastic handle. Great, I can store it in that! There was no paperwork, padding, or other packaging.
23515 23520 23521
I opened it up for a closer inspection. Rather than an embossed or stamped logo, it had a couple of stickers on it, uncluding a fun-fin one slapped haphazardly over one of the ridges. Well, that had to go. I got a scrubbie and took it off right away.
23516
In doing that I noticed some scuff and scratch marks on the edge. Initally I thought the monofin had a removable protective film that had been scuffed, but closer inspection revealed that the fin itself had been cut and bevelled, somewhat sloppily (couldnt get the camera to focus on any off the scratches or rough edges). Which made me wonder why the company wousn't using a solid mould, which made me wonder...
23518
Yup. It's a modified Finis Wave.
Now, I'm not mad about that. That's cool. But nowhere on ebay or the website did it indicate they were modifying another company's product. I was under the impression they were a monofin manufacturer. Upon reviewing their site (http://www.fun-fin.com/mono-fins.html), they do use the name "Wave Junior" with this monofin, but they conveniently fail to mention Finis anywhere.
Anyway, moving on, I love the detacheable ankle strap. It makes adjusting the size and putting on the fin nice and easy. The fin is sturdy plastic. My feet juuuuust fit on the largest setting (I'm a ladies' 8.5)
23519 23522 23523 23524
ANYWAY! I took that little baby right down to the beach and hopped in frigid Lake Ontario, much to the dismay of the single sweater-clad lifeguard hoping to go home early. The cold water must have shrunk my feet, or else the ankle strap stretched, because I had to tighten them two notches before my fin was comfortable and gave me some propulsion. It was amazing. I took a long time to figure out how to move with it -- the loose straps meant I was pushing with the pads of my feet and getting cramps. After I tightened them, it was easier to use my knees and hips to get moving. After about an hour, I feel like I got the hang of it, and despite lakeweed and chattering teeth, I am mad excited to go again ASAP. As a super bonus, a very tiny child spotted me from the boardwalk and called out "Miss Mermaid!" and waved at me -- the monofin was enough to convince her at a distance. The seagulls also seemed enamoured of the bright colour and kept swooping down at me.
TL;DR -- I like my fin A LOT, but I would have just purchased a Finis Wave if that's what I wanted. The scuffing is minimal, but I wouldn't have sold a product in that state. A quick dremelling will probably fix it up. Fun-fin presents itself as though it is a monofin manufacturer, but they are actually reselling modified Finis products under a different brand identity, and that identity is very similar to another succesful company that DOES make its own monofins. Although I don't think there's anything malicious at work, the company name similarity and the conveniently-unbranded Finis products just feel a bit shady to me.
Has anyone else had experience with this company or its products?
So! I set out to purchase my first monofin, and had more or less settled on the Fin-fin monofin (you guys know the one-- cute all-black neoprene one piece?) because the price was right, I liked simple look of it and it seemed like a good place to begin. However, I got a notice the day after ordering that they were out of stock. Being the impatient person I am, I decided, to heck with it, if I can find something at a comparable price, I'll get that. I hopped on ebay and was surprised to find a different style of fin than the black bootie style I had seen on the website, also listed under "fin-fun". It was in stock, so after asking some questions about the fit, I ordered it.
At that point I realized, the seller was actually Fun-Fin, and not Fin-Fun. But that was OK. I'd been doing some reading and it sounded like the black bootie-style fin didnt have much power anyway. Including shipping, I paid $65.98 Canadian. It was July 22nd and I expected to receive my monofin by early August.
There wound up being a lot of shipping delays. I received a shipping notification on the 29th, with the latest expected delivery being August 11th. Ok. Slower than I hoped, but cool. That's fine. The 11th came and went. I contacted the seller who informed me the parcel had been returned to her and she was going to ship it the next morning expedited. On the 18th, I got notice that the fin had been shipped. It arrived today, the 20th.
Anyway, I was PUMPED, so I left work early and picked that sucker up at the post office, then biked home with my monofin precariously balanced on my handlebars. It arrived looking like this:
23517
So I opened it up and found my monofin inside, encased in a clear bag with a plastic handle. Great, I can store it in that! There was no paperwork, padding, or other packaging.
23515 23520 23521
I opened it up for a closer inspection. Rather than an embossed or stamped logo, it had a couple of stickers on it, uncluding a fun-fin one slapped haphazardly over one of the ridges. Well, that had to go. I got a scrubbie and took it off right away.
23516
In doing that I noticed some scuff and scratch marks on the edge. Initally I thought the monofin had a removable protective film that had been scuffed, but closer inspection revealed that the fin itself had been cut and bevelled, somewhat sloppily (couldnt get the camera to focus on any off the scratches or rough edges). Which made me wonder why the company wousn't using a solid mould, which made me wonder...
23518
Yup. It's a modified Finis Wave.
Now, I'm not mad about that. That's cool. But nowhere on ebay or the website did it indicate they were modifying another company's product. I was under the impression they were a monofin manufacturer. Upon reviewing their site (http://www.fun-fin.com/mono-fins.html), they do use the name "Wave Junior" with this monofin, but they conveniently fail to mention Finis anywhere.
Anyway, moving on, I love the detacheable ankle strap. It makes adjusting the size and putting on the fin nice and easy. The fin is sturdy plastic. My feet juuuuust fit on the largest setting (I'm a ladies' 8.5)
23519 23522 23523 23524
ANYWAY! I took that little baby right down to the beach and hopped in frigid Lake Ontario, much to the dismay of the single sweater-clad lifeguard hoping to go home early. The cold water must have shrunk my feet, or else the ankle strap stretched, because I had to tighten them two notches before my fin was comfortable and gave me some propulsion. It was amazing. I took a long time to figure out how to move with it -- the loose straps meant I was pushing with the pads of my feet and getting cramps. After I tightened them, it was easier to use my knees and hips to get moving. After about an hour, I feel like I got the hang of it, and despite lakeweed and chattering teeth, I am mad excited to go again ASAP. As a super bonus, a very tiny child spotted me from the boardwalk and called out "Miss Mermaid!" and waved at me -- the monofin was enough to convince her at a distance. The seagulls also seemed enamoured of the bright colour and kept swooping down at me.
TL;DR -- I like my fin A LOT, but I would have just purchased a Finis Wave if that's what I wanted. The scuffing is minimal, but I wouldn't have sold a product in that state. A quick dremelling will probably fix it up. Fun-fin presents itself as though it is a monofin manufacturer, but they are actually reselling modified Finis products under a different brand identity, and that identity is very similar to another succesful company that DOES make its own monofins. Although I don't think there's anything malicious at work, the company name similarity and the conveniently-unbranded Finis products just feel a bit shady to me.
Has anyone else had experience with this company or its products?