JFE EXCELLENCE AIR

100% T700 CARBON BLADES

Thanks to the collaboration of my dear friend Jean-Yves Giglais I got in touch with Julien Elias the co-founder of JFE, a young French artisan company specialized in the production of carbon fiber fins. JFE is still virtually unknown in Italy, but in France their products have been already appreciated as much as the ones made by longer established companies. It has broken into the market with two sets of fins, the PERFORMANCE and for demanding users the EXCELLENCE. The latter are produced in two versions, the STANDARD with traditional water rails and the AIR with minimal water rails and it is right this one that we are going to take a closer look at.

The JFE EXCELLENCE - AIR are variable thickness blades made entirely of T700 carbon fiber, which for instance is the same material that another well-known Italian company uses for its products. Thanks to an accurate production system (CLS) the steps between the different thickness layers are rounded in order to lower their incidence that is because as we know those steps represent points of potential structural weakness and that can give birth to cracks and breakage. Furthermore, the special coating applied enables the acceleration of the fluids on the surface and consequently it turns swimming into an easier thing. Among the remarkable qualities it should be mentioned the 15° angle of the blade that you can 100% exploit if you use foot pockets from Pathos (see photo). As well as the blades from their competitors, also the JFE ones can be mounted on any foot pocket but we suggest the ones from Pathos as they guarantee a better performance and are already available in stock. Another very important aspect of the AIR is their extraordinary lightness that makes its use really comfortable. According to the hardness in fact their weight ranges from just 190gr to 210gr.

The JFE blades are slightly shorter than the others available on the market in fact they are 76cm long and 21cm wide and end up with "flap" a tip. The water rails have a low profile and are only 10cm long, placed at the end of the blade. Between them and the side members of the foot pocket, there is a 21.5cm gap covered by a side guide that serves only to protect the edge of the blade.

The TEST

First, we must point out that the foot fits perfectly in the foot pocket. The combination of JFE blades and Pathos foot pockets allows the foot to express the thrusting power with the front part (metatarsal) avoiding then to force on the ankles during the execution of the kick. The blade is very reactive in water and the shorter length does not constitute a handicap even coming up from greater depths. In fact, the fin stroke is powerful and fluid (thanks to the "flap" tip that makes you feel its grip on the water) and provides the same feeling a longer blade would give.

These considerations, however, only valid as long as the execution of the athletic gesture is good because of the absence of significant water rails. To speak out is like giving a Ferrari to a young guy who has just received his first driving license, so this is not a blade for everyone. Its reduced size make it ideal for any spearfishing technique as well as for long surface swimming but it requires more attention because the tip can break up by hitting the rocks on the seabed.

Price € 330