This is an old-school fin with some new-school touches. Made entirely of high-quality natural rubber, the blade is vented to reduce stress while accelerating water over the blade. It’s a beefy fin, one of the heaviest in this group, and it feels like it could last forever. It comes with an excellent spring strap fitted with an over-molded heel pad and finger loop for easy donning and doffing. The spring strap mounts are angled to increase comfort and, according to Hollis, provide a better transition of power. Bonus: The spring strap offers multiple mounting positions, so you can shorten up the strap from one to two inches to really dial in the fit. The fin’s size range is on the large side to accommodate thick wetsuit or drysuit boots.

Performance
The F1 is a big fin that can generate some impressive power and speed, but you’ll tear up your legs and ankles getting there. On the other hand, use a relaxed flutter kick or frog kick, and this fin will deliver the goods. Test divers felt the fin offered decent maneuverability and found it to be one of the few designs that made it easy to back up. Comfort-wise, the F1’s big rubber foot pockets are like sticking your bootie in butter. And the spring strap was deemed first-rate, making getting in and out of this fin quick and easy.

Bottom Line
Overall, test divers found the F1 a functional fin but best suited for specific uses. However, test divers who also dabble in tec diving simply loved this kicker.

||| |---|---| |Stats| | |Top Averaged Speed|2.2 mph| |Ergo Score| 57| |Top 5 Points| 6|

||| |---|---| |Specifications| | |Warranty|One-year Ltd.| |Sizes| R, XL, XXL| |Colors| Black| |Weight| 3 lbs., 4 oz. (size R)| |Bouyancy| Negative| |Price| $150| |www.hollisgear.com|

See Below for the Full Scuba Lab ** Fin Reviews from the May 2010 Issue**