Looking at the Fuji catalog of guides, I find several different materials listed. My goal is a walleye rod based on the St Croix 5S60LF blank. I feel that on a blank this light, the guides should also be light so as not to damp the action and sensitivity too much. I also feel that titanium framed guides are pretty pricy. Since I am building the "ultimate" rod for myself, what guide material (the ring, not the frame) has the best wear characteristics while also being light weight? Is the weight savings from titanium big enough to be worth the cost?

Thanks.

Skip

Check out the American Tackle Titan Guides.Dont quite know about the ring hardness but the price is right.

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

The new Baston Componet Catalog has a Viker's hardness chart for guide ring, great catalog by the way, and the chart is also in the online version.

[www.batsonenterprises.com]

Skip,
My recommendation is the Fuji Alconite and here's why. Everybody knows that the SIC guides have the hardest vickers scale readings alonside with the best specific heat. Alconites aren't that far behind in specific heat and no matter which way you cut it, a braided line won't groove either one under regular use. However, alconites aren't as brittle as SiC so you have a lower incidence of guides shattering upon impact, which can happen when you're screaming across a lake at 80 miles per hour or you drop your rod while moving it from boat to car or whatnot. One possible drawback that I've been told is that alconites are supposedly not as smooth as SiC due to the slightly softer material, but I haven't personally seen too much difference yet. That may change in a year or maybe not. So, that's my two cents. Hope this helps.

Chia - where did you find the specific heat of Alconite? I my knowledge Fuji has not said what that is or for that mater what the vickers of Alconite is. Also, your last statement "One possible drawback that I've been told is that alconites are supposedly not as smooth as SiC due to the slightly softer material" is not true. Hardness of the substrate does not relate to smoothness of the ring surface.

Skip - As Fred said, look into the American Tackle Titian Titanium guides, very light, corrosion free and with an Nanolite ring that provides excellent performance for a line guide ring and costs less than SIC.

SIC guides are smoother than the Alconite. At least that is my observation. And cerment is smoother still.

Tom
The specific heat of the guides is available through Fuji Japan. Unless you know people, you'll have to learn how to read japanese. Another possible way to find out is to see if any of the fuji reps carry those stats. Please note that the smoothness issue was something I was told as I'd posted above that you seemed to have overlooked, so it's not my opinion but rather that of someone else and being that i haven't proved or disproved it, I offered it as something else to think about and find out about. Afterall, the more we keep learning and trying to improve, the better we get.

BTW, Fuji has released the vickers hardness of the alconite guides. My sources are actually from Malaysia through reps directly from fuji japan. Perhaps you should try through fuji japan as they might be more forthright with the product info.

On a walleye rod, the hardness of even hardloy (Fuji) and hialoy (Pac Bay) and others are plenty hard enough. Light weight? If you want that, get on the waiting list with a supplier for Titans; you're not going to get them immediately, though. They're new; popular and sold out as soon as they're received right now.

In my experience SiC are great until you smack them up against something. Then you have a chattered or cracked ring. Titanium frmaes are nice but very pricey. In my opinion not worth th emoney to weight ratio cmapred to the stainless frame. Btson has the Zirconium Rings that are Tich coated that are very nice. I use the exclusivly since Fuji rings have had a tendancy to pop out recently.

As mentioned, hardly is plenty hard enough. I have a set of Fuji harloy guides on a slamon bobber rod. We use 50-80 pound braided line (Tuff Line Plus) for its non stretch and floating characteristics for bobber fishing. In the 10 years I have had this rods with the same guides there is no grooving in the rings. Theses guides have experience over 123, 20-40 # salmon according to my journal to date. THat says something for the hardloy.

David Banaka