We have never been a fan of swimming with a pull buoy. Rather than focusing on our drills, we tend to spend more time messing around with the buoy to keep it in place—all of which leads to some not-so-great swim workouts. While we’ve tried the ankle strap method, there is just something so unnatural about tying your legs together. Lucky for us there is a hybrid approach – half swim buoy, half ankle strap. This best-of-both-worlds’ solution provides you with a way to keep your legs still without that “tied down” feeling.
The Finis Axis Buoy
The new Axis Buoy is Finis’ take on the hybrid dual-function pull buoy and incorporates everything they have learned from designing and using buoys and ankle straps in the water. The buoy itself is streamlined and cuts easily through the water. One of the neat tricks with the Axis is that you can also use it like a standard pull buoy instead of an ankle float. Simply reposition it between your legs rather than around your ankles, and you’re all set.
Our Thoughts
The first thing you notice with the Axis Buoy is that it’s fairly small compared to some of the other dual-function buoys out there. We loved how the size and shape made for easy swaps between using it as an ankle float and a more standard pull buoy. When used as an ankle float, it easily cut through the water. You never got the feeling that it was dragging you down. And as a pull buoy, it stayed put and felt very similar to the more standard buoy you are probably used to.
The only downside is that the holes for the ankles are a bit on the small side. So even those with medium-sized ankles may find that you tend to stretch the arms back, possibly leading to you slipping out of the Axis. While this never happened to us during actual laps in the pool, we did have this happen when we first started playing with it. If possible, we’d recommend test fitting it beforehand just to make sure there are no issues.
Wrapping Up
At just $21.99, the Axis isn’t going to break the bank. And while it costs a touch more than a standard pull buoy, it more than makes up for that cost with its ability to double as an ankle strap. If you’re like us and never learned to love the pull buoy, take a moment to check out the Axis – we think you’ll be impressed.