by
Olivier Poirier-Leroy
The FINIS Manta Paddles are an alternative to the traditional power paddle. Here’s a chlorinated review of these strapless power paddles.
Swim paddles are one of the preferred types of swim gear for the chlorinated athlete looking to create a stronger, more reliable pulling motion.
The increased surface of the paddle is designed to boost a swimmer’s strength and technique, increasing distance per stroke cycle and showing our body what it takes to swim with a long, powerful stroke.
The FINIS Manta Paddles, a strapless power paddle, takes the standard old-school dinner plate paddle and switches things up with an ergonomic (and again, strapless) design that makes it a sturdy alternative to other popular power paddles, including the Speedo Power Paddles, Sporti Power Plus Paddles, and the legendary Strokemakers.
In this review, I share my experience training with the FINIS Manta and discuss its similarities to FINIS’ other strapless paddle, the popular FINIS Agility Paddles, compare it to other power paddles on the market, and much more.
So strap in with your strapless paddles and let’s get to it.
Let’s start off with the things that are particularly awesome about the FINIS Manta, including:
The FINIS Manta paddles, unlike other comparable power-focused swimming paddles, use a strapless design. Sound scary or intimidating? It shouldn’t!
By cleverly designing the paddles for use without straps swimmers are encouraged (or “forced”, depending on how you want to look at it) to use proper hand placement and palm pressure against the water when swimming. Otherwise, the paddles slide off the hands.
A strapless design is a great choice for swimmers focused on improving feel for the water because there is no straps to keep the paddle firmly locked onto the hand, swimmers develop a better sense of how the water moves against and with the hands.
Swim paddles can often place undue pressure on the finger tips, and not where it should be focused—the palm.
The FINIS Manta paddles have a slightly wide design—or at least it looks that way when you put them on your hands—but I ended up really liking this as it reduced wrist fatigue from the fingers having to work overtime to maintain stability of the paddle.
Swimmers are always looking for ways to generate more propulsion from their hands and pull in the water, and poor paddle design can place needless strain on the fingers, and by extension, the wrist and forearm.
The slightly wider design of the Manta paddles helps to keep the center of the pressure in the middle of the hand.
The FINIS Manta paddles have a manta shaped design—hence the name—with slightly raised edges that allow swimmers to use a more natural hand placement when pulling. Flat paddles can create an artificial “brute force” effect, pushing through blocks of water which isn’t how the hand actually grabs and moves water.
The FINIS Manta paddles use a slightly contoured paddle edge that more closely resembles how the hand moves through the water.
I noticed that this gave better tactile feedback about hand positioning when swimming, either at slow, controlled, technique-focused speeds or when I cranked up the intensity.
The corrosive effects of chlorine come for all in the water, whether it’s thinning out our training swimwear or turning the rubber in swim caps, fins, and goggle straps brittle. Same goes for the rubber straps that go into most swimming paddles.
With the FINIS Manta, because there are no straps, there is no worry about future strap snaps or finding a replacement strap in the middle of a swim workout.
The combo of a sturdy plastic construction and strapless design mean no further investment required down the road to upkeep the paddles.
Swim paddles typically have a left and right where each paddle is shaped to the hand, with smaller surface areas on the “inside” where the thumb is located.
The FINIS Manta Paddles use a symmetrical design, which is rare in swim paddles, meaning that the paddles can be used on either hand.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about this at first, preferring the ergonomics and better movement patterns of side-oriented equipment (especially with swim fins), but I actually preferred this set-up with the Manta paddles.
Why?
Well, for starters, I didn’t have to search the paddles for the tiny “left” or “right” through foggy swim goggles to figure out which was which during a hard main set.
And second, the symmetrical design seemed to promote a cleaner hand entry because it I wasn’t tempted to knife the water with the inside of an asymmetrical paddle.
Unlike some of my heavier short-blade fins or some paddles, the FINIS Manta paddles float softly on the surface of the water when not being worn.
Handy for those moments when fishing through your mesh bag for a piece of swim gear and half of it ends up in the water.
The FINIS Manta Paddles are excellent, but like every type of swim gear, they aren’t perfect. Some key things to be aware of include:
The strapless design does come with a downside, unfortunately. For swimmers who aren’t maintaining a constant pressure of the palm of the hand against the paddle will find that the paddle will bump up against the middle finger repeatedly over the course of long main sets.
Over the course of a few distance-focused swim workouts I noticed my middle fingers feeling a bit sore towards the end.
Extended use and getting better used to training with the paddles would almost certainly ameliorate this, but it is something to be aware of.
The FINIS Manta Paddles are on the slightly more expensive side compared to other contenders in the power paddle category. Here is how they line up against some of the heavy hitters:
| Power Paddle | Price |
| FINIS Manta | $25 |
| Sporti Power Plus | $9.75 |
| Speedo Power Plus | $21 |
| Strokemakers | $24 |
*Prices accurate at the time of writing, may not reflect current pricing.
It should be noted, however, that the FINIS Manta Paddles are the only paddles in this list that are strapless.
The FINIS Manta paddles are the most recent in FINIS’ line of strapless swim paddles. The O.G., the FINIS Agility Paddles, a wildly popular paddle that can be used for all four strokes and is more oriented towards technique.
The Agility paddles provide instant feedback about hand placement and building a clean hand placement and catch. The Manta Paddles are a more power-oriented paddle designed for building strength and distance per stroke.
Use the Agility paddles for improving technique. Use the Manta paddles for improving strength.
The FINIS Manta Paddles are a unique paddle that stands alone in terms of design and functionality.
The strapless design means ultimate longevity and technique-focused swimming (nothing motivates a cleaner hand entry and strong pull more than the risk of the paddle sliding off the hand, after all).
While the plastic loop over the middle finger may cause light soreness in some swimmers, for most swimmers, the FINIS Manta Paddles are an excellent alternative to the traditional power training paddle.
Get yourself a set, try them out in the pool, and swim your way to a stronger, more technically proficient pull.
8 Benefits of Swim Paddles (Technique and Speed). Using swim paddles can help you do a ton of different things in the water. Here is a look at the seven benefits of using paddles at swim practice.
How do Swim Fins and Paddles Change Swim Technique? Fins and paddles are popular tools for training and improving swim performance. But how do they impact technique and speed? Let’s find out.
How Finger Tip Paddles Will Help You Swim Better. Fingertip paddles can help you boost your feel for the water and become stronger in the pool. Here are the benefits of these bad boys and our list of the best fingertip paddles for swimmers.
Olivier Poirier-Leroy Olivier Poirier-Leroy is the founder of YourSwimLog.com. He is an author, former national level swimmer, two-time Olympic Trials qualifier, and swim coach.
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