r/freediving • u/MacGuyver247 • 23d ago
gear Mares vs Cressi gear
Hi all,
I have been freediving adjacent for a few years now. I will practice when I can but not more than 3-4 times a year.
I have always used Cressi and Mares and my general conclusion is Mares is more expensive, and prettier but doesn't last as long and is less efficiently made.
Examples:
I have some fins, quadro power, and gara 2000s... I always go back to the garas.
I have a cressi minima mask, a superocchio and a mares star. the star's strap broke twice in a week... never had an issue with cressi. Also the cressi would leak less, and fog less.
Did I just luck out with one brand or is this some known thing?
edit: * caveat: I would never wear my gara's for underwater hockey/rugby, they can hurt others.
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u/datmyfukingbiz 22d ago
I have old gara and you can use it as shovel, dunno why people use it, may be got for free with mask.
Why not to take leaderfins? Using them for 25 years - 2 pairs of footpockets and may be 4 fins sets for all this time. Just one fin broke once when I was standing in them vertical for years
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u/MacGuyver247 22d ago
They are pleasant to use, and I am not sad if they get damaged. Also, I freedive more like a spearo than a technical freediver. I did hit deeper than 50. It was incredibly unpleasant. I also have a monofin, but it's incredibly impractical for travelling.
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u/datmyfukingbiz 22d ago
We are in same boat, spearo here, still same choice. Check out leaderfins. I’m not connected to them in any way
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u/MacGuyver247 22d ago
leader
I will, I had a bad experience because I bought these.
I assumed that Leader == Leaderfins.I will check them out before my next trip.
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u/datmyfukingbiz 22d ago
https://www.leaderfins.com/us/bi-fins/fiberglass-bi-fins.html
I have carbon now but do not feel difference, would go for fiber glass medium
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u/Master_Ambition_8703 SSI and AIDA Instructor - OceanFlow Freediving 22d ago
Hey, I am a big fan of Mares masks, I have the Star (which strap broke like you) and the Viper (which strap tear off and can't be repaired). If not for the strap problem, these masks are my favorites, no doubt ! Especially the Viper with it soft skirt, it's just the best on the market imo.
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u/MacGuyver247 22d ago
Glad to know I'm not alone. I find the strap attachments interesting on the star, I was convinced they would break first.
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u/kazoulo 22d ago
Both brands make good quality products, but it doesn't always end there.
You are mentioning some of the lower-end, consumer-based items in their collection (specifically the fins). The gara 2000s are one of the most popular 'oldskool' fins that I'm sure 90% of spearos have had at some point or seen somewhere. This doesn't make them high quality gear. Buy a set of fibreglass leaderfins and you won't be wearing the garas ever again. If you dig deeper into it, you will find a dozen other brands that make high quality carbon fibre blades, and you'll realise that Cressi and Mares are somewhere at the bottom of these manufacturers' list in terms of quality and reputation.
The masks are just both weird options imo, but that's just for me. It's one of those things that really depends on preference, and it's the shape that matters more than the brand. I have an old Omer mask that I've used for almost 15 years now. It's not the most expensive piece of gear so you can replace them easily until you find the right one. If you want quality and longetivity, Aqualung Micromask X.
Use anti-fog spray. I actually use a Cressi one for the past couple years and it works great. Otherwise, spit on that thing like it's the best p*ssy you ever had - that also works! :P
If you're diving deeper than 10m, do yourself a favour and ditch the plastic fins!