I have recently started swimming after a long period of complete inactivity due to health issues. For reference, I am a 45 year old woman, walk with a cane, need total knee replacement in both knees due to bone on bone arthritis, and had arthroscopic knee surgery (to remove loose bone fragments) just a few months ago. Because I need to be so careful with my knees, I researched and considered all my options before choosing these. I was advised by a swim coach and trainer (and the info online I found) that I needed to find shorter fins, ideally with a notch in the center (or an even delta/V-shape at the ends). I just received them today, and headed to the pool to swim laps. The verdict? Love at first swim! I put these on as soon as I warmed up, and didn’t take them off (except for a few laps to test my form) for a solid 90 minutes of swimming laps- my kicking remained in alignment, which is difficult for me because of my knee issues and muscle weakness that has resulted from inactivity. The fit is amazing- I was nervous about rubbing/blisters, but they fit my feet perfectly, with no issues whatsoever. I wear a women’s size 9.5 in athletic shoes, and the medium fit me perfectly. My heels are narrow, and my feet are medium width, but because of previous stress fractures in my feet, I prefer a wider fit shoe... I’m picky about fit, and I rarely find something right away that feels this good on my feet! I was using loaner fins at my local lap pool- Keifer brand, Cruiser models, and the small size Keifer fins were more narrow and were too painful to wear for more than a lap or two, but the medium size was too large for me, even with swim socks. These are JUST RIGHT! While the Keifer fins almost float on top of the water while in use, these seem more neutrally buoyant, which seems to eliminate strain on my back. It was harder for me to control my kicking alignment with the Keifer fins, as well, which resulted in some very painful moments. These fins seem to be just what I needed! The silicone heel and footbed is so soft and comfy, and the fin portion is pretty firm, but not nearly as hard as a body surfing type fin (Churchill, for example). Many reviewers have commented that these fins feel heavy, but I didn’t find that to be the case for me. While some foam-type fins (the kind that actually float) may feel lighter and keep your feet on top of the water, and racing fins may help propel you through the water a faster, these seem to be the “just right” balance for me. With the muscle weakness and knee issues I have, I can’t walk without a cane, so I cannot fathom what the “these fins are too heavy” reviewers are complaining about- if I can use these without becoming fatigued, I think you should be able to use them easily, too! My feet were able to remain just under the surface of the water, and I adjusted to them quickly after just a couple laps. I experienced less knee pain today using these fins versus the Keifer Cruiser fins, or swimming without fins, and feel like I got a great workout! I cannot use my right arm right now because of a rotator cuff tear, so I swam laps for 90 minutes using only my legs. I cannot speak to the effectiveness of these fins for those who swim breaststroke or butterfly because I cannot swim this way- with my knee issues, I am limited to sidestroke, crawl, freestyle or backstroke (though no using arms for me today). I was able to focus more on my form with these fins, which seems to be the point of a training fin! I tried a few laps with fins, followed by a few laps without, to encourage muscle memory, and found that my form already seems to be improving. I put them back on for the remainder of my swim session because they felt so good, and I was looking for a good cardio and leg toning workout. I may consider using a different type of fin at some point if I want to go way faster, but since I’m not racing anyone or being chased by a shark in the water I think these fins are pretty perfect for what I need! I am not being compensated for this review, nor did I receive a discount- I purchased these at full price, and am sharing my thoughts because i find reviews to be incredibly helpful to me when purchasing items online. I hope this helps you with your decision, and that you also enjoy the Speedo Biofuse fins as much as I do! I’ll update my review if needed, but so far, so good!
