These Fin “Reviews” are intended to be used as a comparison tool, so that YOU can get how particular fins worked for ME on MY boards in certain conditions. Remember, countless factors effect a fins performance, the best thing to do is become a Finatic and test fins on YOUR board at YOUR break for YOURSELF. None the less I hope my fin reviews HELP you make more informed, smarter, fin decisions.

Good Morning! I am excited to finish our review of Future Fins or FCS Fins! In retrospect BOTH companies make a product that has changed the surf industry. You have to give FCS a pat on the back, because they were first to market. (Innovation NOT Imitation! As we discussed before.) However, that would make Futures the new guy in town with a lot to prove and they have done that. (Take the Future Fins Elevon Quad for example, INNOVATION in it’s truest form.) So, in conclusion if we’re taking the (most important) information we’re given at face value; that FCS Fins were designed with 2 tabs to create flex in a certain way and help protect your board and Future Fins has designed their product for maximum strength (sometimes at the expense of your board) and for a “true” glassed in feel, then it should be said that one is NOT better than the other, one is just different than the other. I mean if one was truly “better” than the other, one wouldn’t be here. Because after all, wouldn’t everyone surf on the “best” fins?

Sorry Guys! I’ve been SWAMPED today, meant to continue our discussion LONG before now. Prioritizing is the new black (or something like that) and I had to help out in the warehouse today otherwise a few of you would have been pissed. Anyway, on to the discussion at hand, Future Fins or FCS Fins and now it’s time for us to take a look at Future Fins. Future Fins haven’t been around as long as FCS, (not even half as long) but BOY do they make a product! Future Fins are SOLID, once locked into your board nothing’s taking them out. (apart from a fin key) That’s a good thing right?!? Well, not necessarily, remember how I told you FCS’s fins are designed to break off upon impact to avoid damage to your board? Not so with futures, if you hit something hard enough you’re pulling your fin plugs right out of your board and looking at some SERIOUS damage. Not only are the fins gone, but your board could be totaled and if you’re the impactee it’s going to HURT. (trust me on that one) More to come…

Two, FCS also claims that their boxes actually provide a level of protection for your board. How is that, you ask?!? Good question! Well, FCS‘s two tab system was also designed so that upon any kind of impact to your fins, they will break off with out any damage to your board. Interesting thought, huh?!? Proof? Yep, I have some… I personally have had a close encounter with my own fins (took a barrel to the head in Costa Rica and landed on my fins) and to my surprise when I got to the beach there I was missing a fin, HOWEVER both tabs were still securely locked into my board and there was ABSOLUTELY NO damage to the board itself! So FCS’s concept seems solid! However, now that we’re dealing with $120.00 sets of fins, the question is would we really actually loose our fins or damage our boards… Interesting… Discussion to be continued…

Now that we’ve talked about some of the most important pros about FCS Fins, lets look at the potential cons. The only REAL con is, is their system strong enough? In other words are the two tabs and the two screws enough to secure the fins in such a manner that your fins seem like glassed in fins? Well if you talk to FCS, the two tabbed system was designed that way from the beginning (PURPOSEFULLY) for a few reasons. One, this design actually helps create an intentional flex pattern within every fin that transfers more speed from the fins to the board through turns. I can follow the logic, but is it a fact?!? I guess that’s for us as surfers to determine. (One day I completely intend on finding some science guru to do some flow tank testing on a few different fin templates from both Futures and FCS, but until then well just have to go with the information we’re given.) Discussion to be continued, sort of...

So, let’s give credit where credit is due (and yes I went back to sleep around 5:00am, thanks for asking) and talk about FCS Fins first. I mean they practically invented removable fins. (for shortboards anyway) So, I think they deserve to get first mention. Anyway, the IMPORTANT positives about FCS Fins; they’ve been time tested, they’re the most widely used surfboard fins around the world and of course the current 10x world champ Kelly Slater (I’ll call it now, soon to be 11x world champ, make note of today’s date so I can say told you so later) swears by them. (though we should take off our surf goggles for a moment to look at the last fact because Kelly does get paid buckets to surf for FCS, but I think that it still deserves mention, for two reasons. One Kelly surfs FCS Fins; Two he has become indisputably the best surfer that ever lived and has done that for the most part on FCS Fins) Discussion to be continued…