The main difference between smithy and flowcord is material and stretch.

The main difference between flowcord and phatty cord is thickness. 


Smithy:

- discovered by LanternSmith for poi spinning

- 6mm 12-strand braided polyester rope

- supple, low stretch, no shrinkage

- comes standard with most flowtoys poi since end 2019 


Flowcord:

- custom woven polyester cord specially designed by flowtoys with leading poi spinners in the 2008-2015 era

- soft, smooth, very comfortable, stretchy

- you can use either size welded rings for flowcord.

- came standard from 2011-2019 with all flowtoys poi rigs except flowmoja contact poi, which comes standard with phatty cord. 


As with all things, poi spinning styles evolve, and with it, preferences in leash cord. In response to recent feedback for braided cord with less stretch, flowcord was discontinued in late 2019, and replaced with smithy cord. 


Phatty cord:

- custom woven polyester cord specially designed by flowtoys

- came standard from 2011-2021 with flowmoja poi rigs

- is thicker and a bit stretchier than flowcord, but also soft/smooth and comfortable 

- phatty cord needs the larger metal o-rings for attachment - it will not fit through small welded o-rings.

- it is possible to use phatty cord and large welded o-rings to make the 'low profile' connection that can be made with flowcord and small o-rings. Please note, because phatty cord is much thicker, it takes a patient hand to make the melt secure. We recommend doing some practice melting before trying it on your actual leash when you're setting up.

Check out this video to see how the low-profile connection for phatty cord works: how to - flowmoja 


In response to feedback for more a durable and responsive cord, phatty cord was discontinued in 2021 and replaced with FPC rope.


FPC: 

- it's custom made to our specs to feel like VPC rope, currently the most popular and versatile high end rope for poi manipulation.
- FPC has all the qualities that people love about VPC = no shrinkage, no stretch, water resistant, super durable
- It's much easier to cut and adjust than VPC = just cut and melt, no need to epoxy
- versatile = good for both poi spinning and juggling (smithy is good for spinning, but not juggling and static is good for juggling, but not spinning)


-You can check it out here: https://flowtoys.com/fpc-by-the-foot


If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us!