First, let me say I have no idea how fins work. Even more, the only noticeable difference for me when it comes to fins is when I change the setup from thruster to quad and vice versa or when I break one off during surf. I have some surf friends that can feel the honeycomb in the fins and they change the fins according to the waves when we arrive at the beach. I think they are faking it:). So don’t expect an in depth analysis on the foil, rake, size…of fins (I googled the terms:)). I did however notice that simple FCS fins can cost 120€ or more, which is kind of ridiculous. So I was really happy to get a set of Ho Stevie surf fins for testing. They are made in the same way as the top fin models of big-name brand fins – meaning they are not plastic and yes, they do have the honeycomb core! And they are much cheaper that the big name brands so you can get your hands on high quality top of the line surf fins for almost half the price!
Now when buying surf fins I always go for allround fins (playing it safe since I don’t know what I’m doings) and Ho Stevie surf fins also have an alround shape that is suitable for most of conditions. They are also lightweight and as I have learned the Honeycomb HexCore provides the perfect amount of flex… giving you ultimate maneuverability, speed, and acceleration. If your fins are too stiff, your surfing will feel stiff and difficult to maneuver. If on the other hands there is too much flex in your fins, you won’t have any drive or hold in the wave.
Fins look very well made, I have been using them for almost a year now on my regular small wave board and they still look as good as new, I can not say a bad thing about them. So if you want quality fins at an affordable price check them out at Ho Stevie!
Very unhappy with HoStevie customer service. I would write a review on the quality of the product, however I never received it. I ordered the set of blue futures in a quad setup from their website. The owner of the company emailed me the next day and said that it was out of stock and he could send me the black instead. I immediately returned his email asking when the blue would be in stock, if he had orange instead, and if not just send the black. I never received a response from him. I sent two additional emails asking for a status report with no response. I see on his Facebook page he has plenty of time to surf. He states he does not spend millions in corporate sponsors so that he can charge half price for the fins. The truth is you will save about $50 because he obviously has no staff and spends his profit on surfing trips. Really cool that you get to surf all the time, but you are screwing over other surfers to do it. I’ve missed a week of waves now (which in Texas sucks because you only get a couple months of waves.) I should have just ordered from DHGate and waited ten days to come in. Now I have no fins and I have to contact pay pal to report HoStevie and get my money back. Very disappointing.
Turns out there was a problem with his server. Refunded my money and sent me the fins as well. The owner contacted me and apologized for the problem. Turns out they are not a ripoff and the owner stands behind his company.
Thanks for the update Dave!
I have a set of ho stevie quads and sets of futures and fcs. The price difference is extreme and we all know most fins are made in the same china factory’s and of the exact same material. There are some differences like NVS etc etc but if you want a good fin for a good price then you cant go wrong. Stevie is just a surfer trying to live the stoke and puts out good products at reasonable prices for us common folk that dont want to drop 170 bucks to help some name brand jerk off get even richer .. His quad set has plenty of drive and holds well when it gets hollow..
Hey Stephen, thanks for the input, I agree! :)