Speedo Trialon rubber swim fins

[Deleted]

Has anyone tested out the Trialon swim fins? They say 100% natural rubber. A 2 tone gray fin with different color foot pocket depending on the size.

[DavidRitchieWilson]

Hi, Bill! I for one am delighted that Speedo Trialon fins have made something of a comeback:

They have been around for at least a decade. The Malaysian Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) is CYH, where the fins have the product code DF500:

The fins have been marketed under two other brands:
Dolfino Marina

Mirage SkinDiver

Speedo originally had two versions, the long-bladed Trialon fin and the die-cut short-bladed Optimus training fin (below), which came with either a "U" or a "V" cut in the blade:

There are reviews of the Trialon fin here:
www.speedousa.com/accessories/training-gear/training-fins/trialon-rubber-swim-fins/style-7530039
www.usmsswimmer.com/201009/swimbagfinssept-oct2010.pdf
www.usmsswimmer.com/201507/swimbagfins2015.pdf
The following videos review the Optimus fin, which is a cut-down version of the Trialon:


I have posted a thread elsewhere describing currently available full-foot rubber fins at www.vintagedoublehose.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=8421. It excludes the Trialon as I believed at the time that Speedo had discontinued the product. News of the Trialon's demise being premature is most welcome and I see from Speedo's website that it is listed as one of their "Best Sellers".

As for my own experience with the fins, I do have a pair in my collection and I have tried them out in the North Sea while wearing my trusty Hydroglove. It's a good, solid fin with stiff side-rails providing reasonable thrust. An interesting feature is its very flexible tip, which can bend right round back over itself, a characteristic I've only ever noticed in Russian-made "Del'fin" fins. The Trialons I own come with a green tip, but the rest of the fin is navy blue. I see that the latest version is also two-tone, with one colour for the foot pocket and the other for the entire blade. On the sole of my fins there is a daisy wheel date of manufacture indicator.

The foot pocket is extremely comfortable, so much so that I almost forgot I was wearing the fins. Some users have discovered that Trialons, like other Malaysian-made fins, can run small, so fitting isn't always straightforward. Another issue is that the foot pocket isn't long enough to completely cover the toes, which protrude through the toe opening and may lead at some stage to the walls of the toe opening tearing away from the base during vigorous flexing of the blade. On the plus side, the foot pockets accommodate broader feet well.

Hope this helps.

[Deleted]

Thanks David.. The size issue was one concern. Having other Malaysian fins I suspected the sizes running small was some thing to take into account. I think they size them for a snug fit with bare feet in addition to being just a bit small. Figuring out how many sizes up are needed for a suit covered foot can be a bit hit and miss. As luck would have it I may have an older sister fin to the new Trialon to help as a guide.

[nikeajax]

If I were a betting man, which I'm not, I would have bet that DRW was going to be the guy to answer this question, Mr. Fin-Geek himself DRW, my wife may be PM-ing via my user profile: hopefully you can point out a coupl'a fins she's lookin' fer... As they say, don't hold yer breath: she's a really busy lady and squeezes in time for things, so I don't know when it might come...

Cheers mate!

JB

[DavidRitchieWilson]

Happy to help, JB! I've enjoyed sharing what I know on this thread.

[Deleted]

Jul 12, 2016 9:00:33 GMT -8 nikeajax said:

If I were a betting man, which I'm not, I would have bet that DRW was going to be the guy to answer this question.

JB

In my mind there was no bet. I knew David would be the one with the answers. We have had some private dialog and shared info on a few things but David has devoted WAY more time to digging up and keeping track of some very interesting stuff as related to diving.

Maybe David's real job is part of MI6 and he surfs the deep web with TOR on a daily basis. We just get to benefit from his personal interest in old diving related stuff that he digs up.

Anyhow, that is why I asked on this forum. The info could prove useful to others.

[Deleted]

I just dug out my foot pocket fins, all three types.

Dolphin made in Japan, size 8-10, 25-27, 42-44

Coral made in Malaysia, size 44-45 11-13

Dacor Corda made in Italy, size 11-12


So taking a ruler, each fin was measured by sliding the ruler into the toe of the fin up to the heel. measurement was taken from the ridge that is at the toe of the foot pocket.

Dolphin 10 3/16"

Coral 10 1/4"

Dacor Corda 10 7/8"

Based on the US size, the Dolphin and Coral have 1/16" actual size difference and represent both the smallest and largest listed size.Yet the Dacor Corda is listed as inbetween but measures a half inch longer.

[nikeajax]

Jul 12, 2016 11:17:49 GMT -8 @cstmwrks said:

Part A In my mind there was no bet. I knew David would be the one with the answers. We have had some private dialog and shared info on a few things but David has devoted WAY more time to digging up and keeping track of some very interesting stuff as related to diving.

Part B Maybe David's real job is part of MI6 and he surfs the deep web with TOR on a daily basis. We just get to benefit from his personal interest in old diving related stuff that he digs up.

Anyhow, that is why I asked on this forum. The info could prove useful to others.

Part A It's finding a sucker to bet against you

Part B Are ya sayin' DRW's a Double-knot-spy:



JB

[Deleted]

Jul 12, 2016 12:12:21 GMT -8 nikeajax said:

Are ya sayin' DRW's a Double-knot-spy:



JB

I could not confirm or deny.

[DavidRitchieWilson]

I'm afraid the reality is much more banal than the image you are conjuring up! In my retirement from the "chalkface", I just enjoy researching what appears to me to be the neglected stuff when it comes to vintage diving, i.e. fins, masks, snorkels, suits, while I envy the depth of knowledge and breadth of skills you guys have when it comes to regulator matters.

On the topic of Bill's full-foot fins, it doesn't surprise me that they differ in foot pocket length while all being labelled with the same shoe size. Malaysian fins do tend to run small and Italian fins tend to be narrow fitting. I've found Japanese fins pretty true to size, not least because their shoe size system is basically foot length in centimetres. There was a German National Standard, DIN 7876 of October 1980, which proposed that any fins in compliance should display the length and breadth of their foot pockets in millimetres. Sadly, few manufacturers complied, hence today's continuing fin-sizing muddle.

I can't resist adding a little information about the three fin models:

Dacor Corda
These were available in two versions during the 1970s, a black non-floating model and a blue floating version:

Dacor outsourced their production not only to Italy, but also at one time to Malaysia.

AQA Dolphin
"AQA" is one of the brands of Gull Marine Sports in Japan, focusing on the swim training and snorkelling end of the diving market. I've seen AQA fins in a department store in Kyoto, which I visited in summer 2000.

AQA Dolphins change their colour with their size. Gull's all-rubber full-foot fins are popular in the Far East, where plastic fins have made less of an inroad. I have a pair of white Gull Mew closed-heel fins, which have stiff blades.

Coral
Coral fins that are made in Malaysia may be of the DF200 or another variety (see my previous message about the original equipment manufacturer CYH). Here's a picture of the "DF200" version:

and here's a "DF300" Coral made by AFS in Malaysia:

Both "DF200" and "DF300" models are marketed under a variety of brands.

[nikeajax]

Jul 13, 2016 2:21:03 GMT -8 DavidRitchieWilson said:

I'm afraid the reality is much more banal than the image you are conjuring up!

Oh-ho! I'm on to you pal...

Am I the only one who wondered why he goes by "David Ritchie Wilson"? DRW, or Dr. W! And why is he so obsessed with fins, Fins, Finnish... he's the insidious Dr. Wuopio from Finland, Wuopio is Finnish, and it means "dweller in a narrow bay with steep shores" which ties back into swim fins...

Oh dear, now that I've blown your cover, I guess I'm doomed... well bring it on!

Geez, I really do need to get outside more, don't I?

JB

[Deleted]

David,
If you don't mind, what size speedo fins do you have? What do they measure from inside the heel pocket to the outside edge of the toe?

[DavidRitchieWilson]

Jul 13, 2016 15:20:52 GMT -8 @cstmwrks said:

David,
If you don't mind, what size speedo fins do you have? What do they measure from inside the heel pocket to the outside edge of the toe?

Hi, Bill.

I have original Speedo Trialons in two sizes, so I'll give you both measurements:

1. Size XL (US 10-11, EU 44-45): 10 inches exactly
2. Size XXL (US 12-13, EU 46-47): 11 inches exactly

[DavidRitchieWilson]

Jul 13, 2016 8:33:15 GMT -8 nikeajax said:

Jul 13, 2016 2:21:03 GMT -8 DavidRitchieWilson said:

I'm afraid the reality is much more banal than the image you are conjuring up!

Oh-ho! I'm on to you pal... Am I the only one who wondered why he goes by "David Ritchie Wilson"? DRW, or Dr. W! And why is he so obsessed with fins, Fins, Finnish... he's the insidious Dr. Wuopio from Finland, Wuopio is Finnish, and it means "dweller in a narrow bay with steep shores" which ties back into swim fins... Oh dear, now that I've blown your cover, I guess I'm doomed... well bring it on! Geez, I really do need to get outside more, don't I? JB

I think we all have to get out a bit more, JB, in my case to the beach to take advantage of this mini heat wave while it lasts!

In the UK, the foreign intelligence service (MI6) is now headed, at least in theory, by our new Foreign Secretary, the ex-Mayor of London Boris Johnson:


www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2139634/Boris-Johnsons-orangutan-lookalikes-Gurning-messy-eaters-trademark-shock-hair.html

That's him on the left, in case you're wondering... somehow the world is beginning to feel a lot less safe now that the UK is severing its ties with the European Union.

[Deleted]

Jul 14, 2016 2:05:57 GMT -8 DavidRitchieWilson said:

Jul 13, 2016 15:20:52 GMT -8 @cstmwrks said:

David,
If you don't mind, what size speedo fins do you have? What do they measure from inside the heel pocket to the outside edge of the toe?

Hi, Bill.

I have original Speedo Trialons in two sizes, so I'll give you both measurements:

1. Size XL (US 10-11, EU 44-45): 10 inches exactly
2. Size XXL (US 12-13, EU 46-47): 11 inches exactly

Thanks David, that will save me getting the wrong size.

For what it's worth, I don't think the world is less safe with an independent UK. Seems more like going back to the way things should be. Aah well, politics is a world that does not live in reality, it lives in perception.
I have relatives in the UK so you might say I have some skin in the game. Anyhow I hope that it turns out well. I'd like to go back over and visit again, though my fond memories are from the 90's and the sparsely populated country side of Barton looks to be paved over with housing these days.