I had a chance to sample a set of the new Hobie Miragedrive ST Fins this morning. As I suggested would likely be the case, they do indeed seem to be an ideal 'middle gear' solution - perfectly suited to anyone who isn't terribly keen on pushing the Turbo fins along, yet wants more performance from the Miragedrive.

There is only marginally more resistance in the leg stroke, although performance is noticably better than the standards. And whilst being much easier to operate than the turbos, it seems to me as if there's not a lot of difference between top speeds. I didn't have a GPS unit with me to test this out, nor a spare set of turbo fins to compare. But I will get my chance to do so, because I'll be picking up a pair of ST fins for certain.

They won't replace my turbos, but they will probably get more use. Unless speed is paramount on any given trip, I think I'll be making use of the ST fins instead. Not only do they make for a more leisurely outing, I also suspect that they will be less likely to cause the Miragedrive to suffer from long-term wear and tear. I'm thinking that the extra pressure put onto turbo fins due to their size simply has to create more stress for the Miragedrive. Given that I'll be using them nearly every day very soon, I think it's probably a good idea to only have to make use of them when I think I really need them.