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Thread: Finis Competitor vs Foil

  1. #1

    Finis Competitor vs Foil

    Hello!
    I am a swimmer who swims mainly 200m butterfly.
    What do you think is the best of two to improve my dolphin kick?
    Or should I look for another fiberglass monofin?
    Does anyone have ever swum 50m underwater without breath with the Foil Monofin and the Competitor and what was the difference between these two in your time?
    Thank you in advance!

  2. #2
    Do you want to make it easy, swim fast, get a muscular workout, or want to feel your legs / body better?

    Do you intend to train for more than :20 mins at a time and more than 2x / week?


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  3. #3
    Hello, fellow swimmer! If you're looking to improve your dolphin kick, I'd make sure you have a strong kick before putting a fiberglass monofin on. Since you're a 200 flyer, I'd assume you don't really have a problem with fly kick. But this is the internet and I don't know you so forgive me if I tell you something you already know. (Who knows, maybe this thread could be helpful to someone less knowledgeable in the future.)

    I personally haven't worn the Competitor since it's so expensive but I have worn the Foil. I like my (regular) fins sung because I know they won't fly off my feet. The Foil felt perfect. It fit just like my fins! It was sung, comfortable, and gave a surprising amount of propulsion for a rubber monofin. But then I ran into a personal problem with it. Whenever I took off into an all-out kick sprint, the monofin would fly off of my feet. After a few laps of trial and error, I realized the force of my kick was so strong, it was stretching out the heel strap to the point where my feet would slip out. I was never able to swim to my 100% in that monofin. I had to kick around 80% to make sure the monofin would stay on my feet.

    Because the Competitor is super expensive, I haven't had a chance to wear it. From what I've learned about it, I'd say only get it if you're a very serious swimmer and serious about using it frequently. It's ridiculously big and requires special care since it's fiberglass. You don't really want to drop $300 on something you're not 100% serious about.

    For reference about my underwater dolphin kick times:
    (sorry I don't train in meters often but these are my times in yards)

    50 Yards underwater dolphin kick, no breathing, no fins: 26 seconds
    50 Yards underwater dolphin kick, no breathing, basic Speedo bi fins: 22 seconds
    50 Yards underwater dolphin kick, no breathing, Finis Foil: 25 seconds

    Honestly, I would recommend looking into a Finis Rapid (or wave if you're like me and have small feet), a Finis Shooter, or a Finis Trainer before you look into a Competitor. The Rapid and Wave are the same monofin, but they've got different foot sizing. They're both monofins with a plastic blade (which I found gave more propulsion than the rubber monofin and it didn't fly off of my feet when I sprinted!). The Shooter and the Trainer are essentially the same monofins as well (except the Shooter is wider and the Trainer is longer). They're a step up from the Wave/Rapid and Foil but a step down from a Competitor. They've both got a fiberglass blade but it's much smaller than the Competitor's. They also cost a lot less than a Competitor!
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  4. #4
    The finis foil, little yellow rubber one is great for training butterfly... but you need to wear it tight... and for that, you'll either be limited by time on the water or if there's any slippage, blisters.

    It's durable, inexpensive and portable though.

    I'm biased, but the Lunocet is ideal for prolonged butterfly trainings.

    It's what Michael Phelps used on Discovery Channel's Shark 🦈 Week


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  5. #5
    Senior Member Pod of Oceania Mermaid Jaffa's Avatar
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    I love my Foil! Its such a speedy little monofin.
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  6. #6
    Hi Flyswimmer!

    I am also a strong swimmer and I am a HUGE competitor fan. You can swim so fast with it, it feels wonderful to 'fly' through the water!

    I've heard from many people that the Foil is very floppy/weak. It's the weakest Finis ADULT monofin, aside from the Luna. I wouldn't buy it.

    However, I do not recommend the FINIS competitor either - I've heard horror stories about its discomfort. Don't waste your money on an uncomfortable monofin. You will start to resent it, use it less and less and it will just lie in your closet eventually, untouched.

    If you want a super comfortable competitor monofin, buy a Subgear Trygons competitor or Scubapro competitor. Both of these are extremely comfortable. I have the Subgear Trygons and am absolutely in love with it. Once I wore it for 2 hours straight with no interruption, and I had NO discomfort whatsoever - no blisters, no pain, no red feet, etc.

    The only downside of a competitor is the fact that it is difficult (difficult, not impossible) to travel with it on a plane. Traveling with it by car or even bycicle is no problem at all, if you have a good monofin bag.

    By the way, you should also look into Finis Shooter and Finis Trainer. Both are very comfortable and provide good propulsion.
    Last edited by MermaidLiara; 02-06-2018 at 06:28 AM.

  7. #7
    I have had the Finis Shooter, Trainer, Competitor, and now the Foil. The Competitor is big, unwieldy, has sharp edges and corners. It is not the fin if you want to increase the frequency of your kick revs. It is for you if you want to get maximum thrust with slow, deep kicks to cover a long distance. You can only swim in the prone or back positions with it. The foot straps on mine broke in about a year's time. Big investment, but not durable. The Foil is smaller, much more affordable, and much safer for pool lane-sharing (all rubber, vs. Competitor with fiberglass blade). It gives me plenty of thrust, enables me to increase kick frequency revs, and I can do sidestroke kicking to my heart's content. For training, the Foil is for me!

  8. #8
    Senior Member Pod of Cali Ashton's Avatar
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    I would say start out small and work up to the big ones, I love my competitors. But I did not start out with them.
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