Pathos came out with the 3rd generation of their unique footpockets. If you're interested in background information read this thread
http://www.freedivingspearfishing.co...ts-review.html To sum up the recent history of these foopockets:
- Pathos are the lightest most compact footpockets on the market.
- One of the reasons for this is that blades get glued directly into them without rails. See this thread for an explanation of fin rails http://www.freedivingspearfishing.co...planation.html
- Gluing blades in footpockets this way makes for a permanent installation and an overall lighter and more reactive/faster fin.
- One of the Pathos footpockets notable advantages is a stiff sole that allows a direct transfer of power to the blade.
- 1st generation Pathos foopockets had very soft tendons.
- The combination of lack of blade support by the tendons with the stiff sole caused some carbon blades to break. (This is information I gleaned from my European sources, not a result of my experimenting with Pathos footpockets and Pursuit blades. By the time I found the Pathos footpockets 2nd generation was already out. I think Alan owns one of only two pairs of 1st generation Pathos that I had. He's using them with Pursuit C90 blades for two years now without a problem.)
- In response to the problem 2nd generation Pathos footpockets were made with very stiff tendons.
- These tendons were so stiff that it was difficult to combine the footpockets with blades to make an overall moderate stiffness fin. This in turn made marketing the Pathos footpockets difficult.
- Pathos are my preferred footpockets regardless of their past shortcomings, and I went as far as weakening the tendons / altering them physically to create the stiffness and flex I needed for myself and some customer's fins.
A pic of the notches I made in the tendons of my 2nd generation
Pathos footpockets.
Over the last year I suggested a few times to
Pathos to make the footpockets with tendon stiffness somewhere in the middle between 1st and 2nd generation. I guess
Pathos received similar input from others, I can't imagine they'd make such a change just based on my opinion, because with their 3rd generation footpockets they did just that. Not only do the tendons now have moderate stiffness and can be combined with Pursuit medium stiffness blades, but the rubber over the foot arch and the toe area is now much softer and more comfortable. I think guys with a high arch that previously found the
Pathos to be uncomfortable will now be able to use them. The 3rd generation footpockets allowed me to go down a size from a
Pathos number 44-46 to my normal 42-44. A customer that previously wanted to use
Pathos footpockets with Pursuit C90 blades and couldn't because the current largest size 46-48 was too small for him, now found the 46-48 size perfect, and he's convinced
Pathos changed the mold
To be clear the 3rd generation footpockets are exactly the same as the previous ones, except for the grades of rubber used in the different parts of the footpocket, of which there are at least three, freakin' amazing. I'll post some pictures soon because I think the difference in the rubber is visible.
Pathos footpockets are available in the US from
www.FreedivStore.com
Pathos footpockets review take 2
Still not the best solution for a narrow foot like the Beuchat.
Linear Mode
