If you have any interest in swimming gear, you have probably seen the SlipFin Pro since its release a few months ago. With a radical design that seals around the front of the foot and leaves the heel and ankle exposed, these are very different from anything else on the market.
Made by Finis, I was thrilled to get my hands on them and test them out. I learnt to swim as a child but never trained properly until my late 30s, when years of basketball and soccer had finally taken enough of a toll on my legs to leave me seeking a lower-impact exercise alternative.
At that point, I could stay in the water for a long time without sinking, but a 50 meter freestyle would leave me breathless. Fortunately, I found a great coach and team and my swimming quickly progressed to the point that I can confidently enter 5k open water races. I don’t win, but I (mostly) enjoy them.
Using Fins in The Pool
Picking up swimming later in life means that my fundamentals are somewhat lacking. In our training sessions we use a number of swimming aids like pull buoys, paddles and floats to focus on technique, but my favorite is the Finis Edge Fin. I love a kicking drill and these are like rocket boosters.
As much as I enjoy those fins, I tend to only use them for sprint drills. For longer sessions with fins, I find the Edge fins end up lying on the surface of the water as my legs become fatigued. Great to help with body positioning, but not the best to synchronize legs and arms and develop technique.
This is where the SlipFin Pros are supposed to come in. While traditional fins tend to prioritize resistance and speed, the SlipFins use a lighter, more flexible design intended to support longer efforts, technique, rhythm and a more natural kick tempo.
The SlipFin comes in three sizes – small, medium and large. Sizing is determined by the circumference of the arch of your foot. The instructions for putting them on are “dip, slip, squeeze”. I am on the upper range of the large size and in the pool they slipped on with a bit of wriggling.
You then need to squeeze out any water or air that has accumulated next to the toes. As you do this you can feel the fins grip around your feet. At first they didn’t feel totally secure as I got used to the new sensation, but I started swimming and they stayed on.
In my first session with the SlipFin Pros I swam for around 15 minutes and did some kick drills and freestyle. There was a bit of a learning curve as I found my rhythm. They generate less propulsion than any fins I have used before and initially I wanted to kick harder to feel the same speed that I’m used to with fins.
When I relaxed into the movement they became much more enjoyable. A couple of times I felt like some water had got in so I squeezed them at the wall, and set off again. After 15 minutes I felt some light pressure where the fins were sealed around my foot, but nothing significant.
When I went to take them off they were obviously on much more firmly than I had thought as I had to lever them off my feet. That gave me more confidence ahead of my next swim with them.
One thing that was immediately apparent was I had absolutely no tightness in my calves or achilles as I continued my session without fins.
For my second session, I wanted to spend more time in the SlipFin Pros and see whether that initial comfort would hold up over a longer swim. Having realised how securely they were actually attached to my feet, I was much less conscious of them coming off and could focus more on how they affected my swimming.
To start I did 1,000 meters of freestyle and quickly slipped into a rhythm. One noticeable aspect was that my upkick was much improved as the increased surface area of my foot better caught the water.
I then did 200 backstroke and 50 butterfly. In backstroke the fins were great. I could better balance in the water and the extra propulsion gave me more time to focus on technique.
I don’t like butterfly much. Given the choice I would definitely use the Edge fins for a fly drill to try and power through it, but the SlipFins were still much better than no fins!
Lastly I tried 100 breaststroke. One of the selling points of the SlipFins is that you can use them to do breaststroke kicks. I struggled with this at first and began with a kind of modified fly kick, before settling into a slower, exaggerated breaststroke kick. I didn’t feel like I benefited much from the SlipFins in this stroke, but more practice is needed.
Verdict
The SlipFin Pros are a genuinely innovative training fin that will remain in my swim bag. They won’t replace my Edge fins as I will still use them for sprint drills, but for any effort that is more endurance based or technique focused they will be my go-to moving forward.
Performance – The more I use them the more I like them. Great for working on technique, rhythm, balance in the water and low-impact aerobic training: BOXROX rated ⭐
Durability – A bit early to say but the warranty, customer service and reviews give me confidence: BOXROX rated ⭐
Design & Usability – There’s a learning curve and I’d recommend putting them on for the first time in a pool where you can stand on the bottom, but they are clearly well-designed and easy to use: BOXROX rated ⭐
Value for Money – Competitively priced and I can imagine using these regularly over several years: BOXROX rated ⭐
Community Fit – For BOXROX readers who typically compete in other sports with lots of impact on the legs I think these could be a fantastic addition to your training kit. Swimming is generally low impact but traditional fins can cause tight calves and leave blisters. Not ideal if you need to run a few miles the next day. SlipFins facilitate the aerobic benefits of swimming by making it more fun and removing some of the downsides of traditional fins: BOXROX rated ⭐
The BOXROX Ratings System
- BOXROX Highly Rated (95% and above) ⭐⭐ The best of the best. Exceptional quality and performance. Rarely awarded.
- BOXROX Rated (80% and above) ⭐ Trusted, athlete-approved, and reliable.
- BOXROX Recommended (70–79%) 👍 Good products with some limitations.
- BOXROX Unrated (Below 70%) ⚠️ Does not meet our standards.
