Hoshi bladed spokes

Quoted message said:

So I've read in the archives that the Hoshi bladed spokes are no good,
but I just got a wheelset with these spokes (obviously used - came
with the bike). I have a few questions:

1) Were the breakages random or only in the rear wheel? If rear-only,
was it drive side or both?
2) How bad is the failure? When one goes, do the others go too so that
I am stranded on the road?
3) Were the breaks at the Z bend or at the blade ends? If not at the Z
bend, why doesn't anyone else (including DT) make them? Is it (still)
patented or was it just an unreliable design?

"No good" may be a bit strong. They are 15g on the ends, squished to 1.0
x 2.65mm in the center. We build fronts that way on request.

But not rears. Why aero spokes in the rear? Your rear wheel is well
behind all the turbulence of bike and thighs -- 'aero' is pointless.

If it were mine I'd just redo it with 14-16-14 normal stainless spokes
and ride it. YMMV.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Quoted message said:

So I've read in the archives that the Hoshi bladed spokes are no good,
but I just got a wheelset with these spokes (obviously used - came
with the bike). I have a few questions:

1) Were the breakages random or only in the rear wheel? If rear-only,
was it drive side or both?
2) How bad is the failure? When one goes, do the others go too so that
I am stranded on the road?
3) Were the breaks at the Z bend or at the blade ends? If not at the Z
bend, why doesn't anyone else (including DT) make them? Is it (still)
patented or was it just an unreliable design?

Thanks,
Josh

from what i've seen of them, and i used to have a wheel built with them,
they're just not that great quality. the design was quite cunning, but
the material didn't appear to be that good. i'd attribute failure to
material rather than the design.