This week we tried Surfco’s Proteck X-Foil regular flex fins. The Hawaii based company offers high performance fins which feature urethane edges providing surfers with fluid flow and more importantly, reduce fin-related injuries. These are not cheapo fins for beginners and while the trailing edges are flexible, they provide a loose and forgiving ride for advanced surfers.

Proteck fins thruster fins come in both 4.25″ and the standard 4.5″ templates. Surfco also offers fins in a variety of colors and fin systems including FCS, Future, Lok Box, O’Fishl, and NSP. The fins also come in three flexes: regular, stiff, and carbon flex.

We tried both the 4.25″ and 4.5″ templates with great results. What we found was that the 4.25″ fins work well with a smaller board (we tested it with a 5′9 TORE Rocket Fish). These smaller templated fins can help loosen your board up in smaller weaker surf (head high and under). Just remember, it wouldn’t make sense to use 4.25″ fins in your 7′6 funboard. On the other hand, the 4.5″ Protecks worked great in a standard 6′2 shortboard and felt just as good if not better than stock FCS fins. The Protecks provided a lot more confidence in hitting the lip without worrying about putting a gash in your head with a mis-timed lip smack.

The stiff flex fins work best in overhead and larger surf and also work well for the larger/heavier surfer. The Proteck Carbon Fins are extremely stiff and provide the least amount of forgiveness but work well in larger surf (overhead plus) and are designed for the better surfer.

Overall, we highly recommend Proteck fins. They provide surprisingly great performance and even more importantly, reduce the risk of fin-related injuries. With an unprecedented number of surfers crowding line-ups these days, we wish that every surfer would use these fins and improve their surfing and make it safer for everyone else.