This year Pathos Pro Spearfishing has launched a complete set of 3 new carbon fiber blades: Maximum, Ultimate and Supreme. We have analyzed the Ultimate.
Best for which kind of use?
In the line-up of carbon fiber fins by Pathos the Ultimate are thought for medium to deep diving, both for spearfishing and freediving, but also for those spearos doing a lot of surface transfers. These fins have been used by Giacomo De Mola in the 2° category Italian Championship in 2018, and they have been great, according to Giacomo, moving along the grotto.
Pathos
Posted by Apneapassion.com on Friday, March 29, 2019
Materials
This part is key and another step forward for Pathos blades compared to the previous versions and to competition. Blades are made of 100% carbon composite, but utilizing two different fibers, the 285 T4 4×4 twill for the external surfaces, a solution intended to be more flexible and resistant to cracks, and the 285 T2 2×2 twill internally, for best reactivity. In particular, Pathos goes into very professional and deep detail of the materials used. The T4 has an areal weight of 285 g/m2, with tensile strength of 3530 MPa, tensile modulus of 230 GPa, and elongation at break (%) of 1.5. This parameter of course does not consider breaking at fatigue, meaning inferior elongations repeated many many times, which can lead also to cracks. The T2 the same parameters, but 2×2 twill, which determines different final characteristics.
Design and external look
Glossy surface and extremely high perceived quality for the Pathos Ultimate blades, with the quite traditional look of the twill carbon fiber. Somehow the appearance of the new blades also indicate a step forward compared to the previous generation of fins, the Pathos Abyss, that had actually obtained the best results in the Y-40, the deepest pool in the world, in the descent and ascent phases of the dive.
Tip of the blade has a convex flap shape for best push during the final phase of the kicking, while water rails, of constant 16 mm total height, are positioned all along the blades, but are small to avoid interfearance with the bending of the carbon fiber, no excessive weight increase and no overlaod on the blades, which would effect the fatigue on the legs. Remember, in fact, that water rails avoid water sliding excessively laterally to the blade instead of along it, but an axcessive height of the water rails can determine too much water remaining on the blade and loading the legs of the spearo too much. An example of this situation can surely be the C4 Mustang HT with the EVO variable height patented water rails, intended to generate maximum push at every kick, but determining surely a very heavy feel on the legs.
Angle between foot-pocket and blade is 28°, a high value angle that gives good performance, but also needs a well trained and technically skilled athlete. This solution is also indicated by Pathos as a good help for surface swimming.
Dimensions measured by AP are length equal to 69.5 cm from the curve under the footpocket to the tip of the flap, and 62 cm laterally to the flap. The maximum width of the blade measured inside the water rails is 18.8 cm. Thickness of the blade goes from 0.66 mm on the tip of the flap, to 0.90 mm at mid length, and 1.15 mm almost in front of the footpocket.
Flexion
Pathos has worked hard to improve the already highly performing Abyss fins, which had great push vertically, but were somehow less comfortable in the surface transfers. To improve this characteristic one important aspect has been to have a fin able to bend softly also in the area in front of the footpocket. As visible in the photo, the Ultimate have a very progressive bending curve.
To obtain best performance during kicking the positioning and the cut of the layers of the carbon fiber have been implemented to obtain what is today considered the most efficient and powerful solution, the S curve, meaning a double curve of the blade along its length.
To download and read all technical data of the Pathos ultimate blades click on Pathos Ultimate data chart.
