I recently got these Futures Fins AM2 Techflex because, like you, I don’t like to surf the “bobo” plastic fins that come with boards. Personally, I like to ride smaller boards (right now my go-to is a 5’8” Merrick flyer and I’m 6’1”) with bigger fins to get the drive off the bottom and from what I understand the AM2s are the biggest of the Merrick-designed fins available.

I got them a few weeks before I went to Puerto Rico and I’m glad I did, because there was that huge Valentine’s Day swell that never got under five foot (with most of the weekend a couple feet overhead to double overhead).

Futures AM2 Performance

If you are looking for fins that hold well and allow you to draw out your lines (rather than do quick little turns and carves – think Taylor Knox) then you will enjoy the generous amount of rake (the distance the fin tip curves away from the base) these fins have.

They offer a lot of stability and for me, allowed me to do more of the type of surfing where I could stay high on a wave – as I raced Puerto Rico’s right hand point breaks – due to the large nature of the fins, then drop down and back up to hit the lip. While I am no power surfer by any means (not with these tiny chicken legs at least), I definitely noticed a difference in the way these fins hold especially when compared to what I was riding before – the FCS K3s.

Materials

As I said above, I am always willing to pay for some premium fins as they do tend to enhance, or at least change, your surfing. I have friends who have always just kept the traditional plastic Futures or FCS Fins in their boards and never thought that they made such a big deal. If you are one of these people and are finally considering an upgrade, consider that most premium fins are fiberglass or carbon fiber. These AM2 Techflex fins are fiberglass and feature some cool honeycomb construction that are said to provide extra strength, reduce weight, and perhaps more importantly, flex properly to create more speed through turns.

On that note, I guess I should mention that I have only ridden these on a thruster, and have not ridden the AM2 quad-setup, mainly because where I’m from there is less down-the-line surfing and more up and down. Personal preference really although I follow Kelly Slater’s train of thought when he says “Quads for barrels, thrusters for turns.”

Price

As of right now the AM2s are only like $290 but actually comes with five fins so you can ride them as a traditional thruster or as a quad.

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