SCUBA December 2023 issue 141 | Page 60

Neil Hope looks back at some of the best kit reviewed over the past year , plus a few enduring favourites and a peek at new products . Part one of two
Scubapro S-TEK fins
KITTED-UP

Let it Shine : SCUBA ’ s favourite kit of 2023

Neil Hope looks back at some of the best kit reviewed over the past year , plus a few enduring favourites and a peek at new products . Part one of two

Scubapro S-TEK fins
COMPANY : SCUBAPRO PRICE : £ 230 WEB : SCUBAPRO . COM

Scubapro ’ s S-TEK fins , as the name suggests , are aimed fair and square at the technical diving community . They ’ re a rigid style fin featuring a 30-degree angled blade . The open-heel fins are constructed from a blend of polymeric resins known as Monoprene . This robust and water-repelling material lends itself to a variety of products across the company ’ s range .

Matt black with grey ‘ strengtheners ’ situated on the lower side of the foot pocket , the fins are held firmly in place with a pair of heavy-duty bungee straps . What ’ s particularly interesting about the S-TEK fins is that the blade and pocket are actually two separate pieces .
This means they can be disassembled for easy packing or even swop blades with Scubapro ’ s similarly-constructed Seawing Supernova fins . Switching out the blades is a doddle .
Using the supplied multi-tool to remove the Socket-Lock Connecting System takes less than a minute . Should you mislay the rigid plastic locking plate , there are four spares included .
Another feature of the fins is their Removable Steel Weight Plate System . This consists of two-per-fin , 7cm x 5cm stainless steel weights which can be added and removed to provide positive , negative or neutral buoyancy .
This complements overall weighting and allows fine tuning to a variety of finning techniques , all of which the S-TEK carries out with ease .
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