Molchanovs C1 Shorties Review (by Adrian)

Over the past month or so, I’ve had the pleasure of diving with the Molchanovs C1 Shorties - a carbon fibre short fin that delivers on all the quality promises we’ve learnt to expect from Molchanovs.

The fins are shorter than the normal C1 and an excellent size for traveling. They fit effortlessly into a Molchanovs monofin bag, as they are about the same length as a monofin from the heel to the tip of the blade.

In terms of foot pockets, the Shorties have a very nice padded foot pocket based on the Molchanovs custom foot pocket which includes an arch support. These are very nice features for a foot pocket that is sold in standard sizes rather than custom manufactured. It took a little while to get used to the arch support, but they are quite comfortable and I’ve worn them for hours at a time. The first few days required some adjustment and I got blisters on my second toes like I did with my Molchanovs monofin. So, I might recommend wearing a sock or investing in a little electrical tape while you acclimatise to your new piece of kit.

In terms of performance, there is a lot of power in the little fins. They are slightly wider than the C1 long fins and stiffer than my Immersion carbon fins. This means that they give you good push for their size. In the pool, their size is a real advantage as you can move freely within the lane without accidentally bumping other people in the adjacent lane. They do take a bit more work than long fins, but this is a good trade-off for training.

As for depth, I took them to 50m and had a good, solid descent and ascent. In fact, because of the stiffness and width, they may help during free-fall. The bend and snap of the carbon is really nice. So, when you are diving, you get an excellent flex in the fin that you won’t find in any other fin of that size that I’ve tried. In my opinion, although they are a little more work than a long fin, the power-size tradeoff is a good one.

I would definitely recommend this fin if you’re looking for a travel size carbon fin or a very high-end training fin. I rate this fins - two thumbs up 👍👍