The Italian company with the C4 FBG Umberto Pelizzari fins has finally added the last step to its fins line. In fact, if the carbon fiber blades have since the start been the n°1 and first product in the history of C4 Carbon, polymer blades have followed, and recently the C4 Umberto Pelizzari polymer fins have won, together with the C4 MB002, the Best Choice by Apnea Passion. With the C4 FBG Umberto Pelizzari fins, it is the time for fiberglass blades. Indeed, this material is less expensive and more resistant to shocks, and somehow it is easier to use by the diver and with potential very good performance, even though, mechanically, it will always have a lower elastic return than carbon fiber. Let’s analyze these new really interesting glass fiber blade fins by C4!
General overview
Colours and foot pockets
Offered in black or white colour, the C4 FBG Umberto Pelizzari fins are matched with the best foot pocket by C4, the 250. This is also offered in black or white for a perfect pairing of colours. The blades have the Umberto Pelizzari signature only on the superior face, written with a nice flashing silver colour. The foot pocket sizes available are from 36/37 to 46/47, with 7 mesures in between, a very complete offer.
Available hardness
The C4 FBG Umberto Pelizzari are offered in 3 different hardness: 20, 25 and 30.
The 20 are definitely very soft feeling the blade out of the water, but indeed can be, according to C4, quite amazing for freediving, be it Dyn or CWT, the latter with no more than 2 kg of weight. But even in spearfishing at deep depth, of course in variable weight, they have been tested by C4 athletes giving unexpected high performance. Going to stiffer blades, such as the 30, these are more oriented to spearfishing. Overall, a complete offer for any use, body weight, and training.
Measured dimensions and weight
Once more C4, starting from the amazingly light 250 foot pocket, leads in regards to the weight reduction of the fins. This is an aspect not all companies look at, but has definitely, especially in recent years, a very positive reception by the passionate freedivers and spearfishermen. In fact, feeling the fins light on the foot does generate a comfort sensation, not only during the dive, but moving at the surface and during the duck dive.
Weights
We have measured a couple of numbers of the C4 250 foot pocket and the weight of the blades, in the 20, 25 and 30 hardness and these are the results:335 grams the 20 blade, 370 grams the 25 blade and 405 grams the 30 blade. 320 grams including connection elements for the 43-44 C4 250 foot pocket and 310 grams size 38-39.
Measures
The length of the blades is exactly the same between different hardness. The measure from the connection screw at the tip of the foot pocket to the flap is 59 cm at the centre and 63 cm laterally, dew to the wale tail profile.
Materials, layers and manufacturing
The C4 FBG Umberto Pelizzari, as said, are made with glass fiber, but in particular it is a Made in Italy Prepreg solution. This is the best material for consistency of the mechanical characteristics determined by the quantity of resin per square cm. The Made in Italy is an additional guarantee of quality.
The blades are made with lamination in moulds, which, according to C4, has given the best final results resistance and performance wise. This in particular with the C4 250 foot pocket.
Looking at the layer distribution of the glass fiber, it is apparently a simple solution with orthogonal positioning of the sheets of composite material. This is easily visible lighting the white blade from behind, so that the lines of the glass fiber layers appear evidently with a darker colour.