Oceanic V 12 split fins????

I recently found a good deal on a pair of semi rigid Mares Oceanic fins and found them to be more stressful on my legs on the swim out and overall I think I like my split fins much better due to the ease of kicking and they seem more fluid and quiet- much less stress on the calfs and quads. I see a product at my local dive shop called soft weights that go around your ankles about a pound or so to help sink the rigid fin in the water to help compensate for the complaints I have experienced and heard mentioned on this post. I definitely think I may look into this product to help enhance the performance of the Mares fins, but will probably lean towards my split fins as my go to fins.  Mike

Ankle weights offset the buoyancy of your wetsuit, not the fin.  Otherwise you tend to float in a U shape with your head and feet at the surface with your knees bent, which isn't that comfortable and with your fins at the top of the water they only propel you when you kick them down.  With ankle weights you should float like a '/' rather than a 'U'.  They also let you take a couple pounds off the main belt, which is always welcome.

I lost one of my ankle weights and duct taped a pound of lead cable to my dive-knife straps as a replacement.  I'm pretty happy with the weight integrated knife. 

Not to change the subject, but I started free diving this year with a weight harness as opposed to weight belt.  It made world of difference in comfort while diving and hiking in to the dive sites as well.

Fin choice is like choosing gears on a bicycle. Do you want to grind away or high reps with less resistance. Personal preference, body type....