HALCYON VECTOR PRO FINS | SRP: FROM $395
A New Shape for Technical Fins: Design and Performance
Mark Evans: Halcyon are renowned for their high-end technical diving range, and now they have added the Vector Pro fins to the line-up. The first thing that strikes you is the unique shape of the Vector Pros – we are used to seeing relatively short, wide ‘tech’ fins, but virtually all of these splay out from the foot pocket and end with a broad blade. The Halcyon Vector Pros are different – they become very wide from halfway down the foot pocket, reaching their broadest point level with your toes. From here, the blade remains uniform in width before tapering to the tip. Halcyon say this design ‘maximises thrust, delivers optimal power and provides extraordinary control’, but how does it perform in the water?
Well, I have to say, these fins have some serious power! The thrust you get from a frog kick is incredible, and they are equally impressive with a flutter kick, modified frog, etc. As you’d expect, back kicking is also relatively straightforward in these fins as well.
I was using them wearing a drysuit and a single 12-litre steel cylinder. When I decided to give it some beans and give a series of forceful frogkicks, I left my buddy in my wake. But then on the flipside, when I dropped close to the silty quarry bottom, and did some helicopter turns and back kicks, and frogkicked in a wide circle, I could do so without disturbing the fine silt. These fins deliver power when you need it, but also allow for delicate manoeuvring when you are in tight confines, such as a cave, or inside a wreck, or swimming near easily stirred up terrain.
Built for Durability: Monprene Construction and Comfortable Fit
The Vector Pro fins are also tough and durable, being constructed from robust Monprene. The large foot pocket, which has ridges on the bottom for some additional grip on boat decks, swallows your foot, and is extremely comfortable, firm and supportive, but not stiff enough that it doesn’t fit to your foot/boot. The covered spring strap makes donning and doffing the fins a piece of cake, even with 5mm neoprene gloves on. Plus, this strap is adjustable – with just a screwdriver, pair of pliers and a thin allen key, you can shorten or lengthen the strap quickly and easily. Combine this ability with the sizing options – Medium, Large and XL – and you can see that the Halcyon Vector Pro fins would be able to fit a wide selection of boot sizes.
Mastering Trim: The Innovative Ballast Control System
Another innovative addition to the Vector Pro fins is the Ballast Control System. Now we have seen fins with removable weights before – I am thinking of the Scubapro Tech Fin, with its metal plates on the blade – but Halycon have taken this concept one step further. The weight system on the Vector Pros is seamlessly designed into the Monprene fin on either of the foot pocket level with the tips of your toes. You end up with six adjustable options – no weights, one weight, two weights, one heavy weight, one weight and one heavy weight, and two heavy weights -allowing you to fine-tune the fins from slightly positive to decidedly negative. As long as the foot pocket fits both your drysuit boot and your wetsuit boot, this enables you to use just one set of fins in warm and cold waters and adapt them for varying dive suits, equipment configurations and environmental conditions.
Swapping out these ‘weight slugs’, as Halcyon calls them, is very simple. You just take out the screw pin, push out the weight currently in place, slot in the replacement, and put the pin back. Done. The different high-grade stainless-steel weight slugs come in neat little drawstring bags that hold two each, which should help prevent you from losing them in the depths of your dive bag!
Halycon have also launched some nifty little canisters, which slot into the weight pockets on the Vector Pros. The company says these then provide storage for O-rings, rescue dye, etc. Quite how many people will store stuff like that in their fins remains to be seen, but I like the level of inventiveness from the team at Halcyon.
Value and Versatility: Are the Vector Pros Worth the Price?
Finally, we have to mention one thing – the price. Now, nearly £300 for a pair of fins is a pretty hefty price tag, but you also have to look at the feature-rich design of the Vector Pros. Plus, we know Monprene is an extremely tough material, so these fins should give decades of service, and once you break that price down over several years, it suddenly doesn’t seem quite so outlandish. If you are able to use this single pair of fins for both cold water diving and on your trips abroad, instead of needing two separate pairs, that also weighs in on that price being more reasonable. www.halcyon.net
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes the Halcyon Vector Pro fins unique?
Unlike traditional “short and wide” technical fins, the Vector Pros feature a unique tapered blade design that starts wide at the toes and narrows toward the tip to maximize thrust and control.
What is the Halcyon Ballast Control System?
This innovative system allows divers to insert stainless-steel “weight slugs” into the side of the foot pocket. It offers six different weight configurations to adjust the fins from positively to negatively buoyant.
Are Halcyon Vector Pro fins good for frog kicking?
Yes. These fins are specifically designed for technical diving maneuvers, providing exceptional power for frog kicks, modified frog kicks, and helicopter turns without disturbing silt.
This article was originally published in Scuba Diver Magazine
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