I am planning to build a #9 fly rod for the salt and am going to use Fuji single foot ceramics. I've used sic before but never the alconite ring guides...at about 1/3 the cost the alconites looks pretty good and from the research I've done on this site it sounds like the perform very well. Any reason I should not use the alconite over the sic for a fly rod? Any opinions/information would be helpful. Thanks in advance, Brian

I've used the Alconites and SICs. Personally, I can't percieve the difference in performace. I think that SIC has an advantage in long, long term wearability (is that a word?). I just wish that I had enough days on the water like some my customers where that was a problem :)

The ring material is of less important to me that the frame material. For the salt I like the titanium frames from Fuji. The are lighter and do not corrode in the salt. The new Titans are also solid titanium frames, and a lot less expensive, if you can find them.

For salt the Fuji titaniums are very non corrosive and the best option.

The SiC's are 15% lighter in weight than the Alconites. The titaniums, yet another 15%. A naked rod blank will be the most efficient one. The less weight you can put on your rod blank, the better it will perform. But does that performance justify the cost?

Better to have and not need than to need and not have.

Personally, it "seems" like I can feel the difference between the Alconites and the SICs, especially on fly rods. The SICs just seem so much more slick than the Alconites. Combine the SICs with a really good line (I like Scientific Anglers XPS), and you can cast it a mile. Alconites are very good guides, but I'm just really fond of the SICs.

How says SIC are lighter than Alconite? From what friends have told me, who have weighed guides side by side - Alconite ans SIC weigh just about teh same, with the edge going to Alconite. Why? The rings are thinner

Billy...

Your sources are wrong. Yes, they are close, but the edge does not go to the Alconite. I have weighed the guides myself. I use the scale I use to weigh gun powder, and the fact that I'm still alive proves that it's accurate. So do my check weights. A CLAG7 weighs 3.9 grains. A BLAG7 weighs 3.7 grains. A LSG7 weighs 3.1 grains. A TLSG7 weighs 2.4 grains. A noticable difference even on the small guides.

Better to have and not need than to need and not have.

Matt

Your information is correct. I weighed all these guides too.
Is it possible to publish weights of another Fuji’s guides here?