I have been reading many posts about individual's blank likes and dislikes on this board. It seems to me there are many builders that really like the St. Croix Blanks along with the Rainshawdow and Forecast Rod blanks. They suggest that the blanks offer a fairly decent quality with a very affordable price. I would really like to hear opinions on this topic as I believe that St. Croix and Batson Enterprises produce excellent blanks. I have built on both and am planning on building more and am trying to get opinions on blanks that offer good quality for a good price. I think St. Croix does this, but I am new at building rods so am interested in other opinions.

Thanks
Steve

Well, Steve--I know you've seen this ad nausium at this site, but you've gotta add Dan Craft to that list as well. OUTSTANDING performance at prices lower than St. Croix. That being said, I also am a big fan of both the other brands you mentioned--in fact, we're stocking distributors of Rainshadow blanks simply because we like them so much ourselves! Here's some "thoughts":

Dan Craft's Sig V is one of the lightest, "crispest" blanks out there at any price. It has a staggering speed of recovery, and is a joy both to cast and fish with. His FT Series is gaining a cult-like following for it's insane reserve power and wonderful tip-action, and his Sig III are one of the best values anywhere on a wonderful, lightweight blank with a beautiful blend between crisp recovery and traditional "presentation" feel. We've got a bit of an intro/write-up on each of his series on our site (http://www.rockymountainrodbuilding.com) under "Our Products"..."Blanks"..."Dan Craft". You can click the links on the left to view all the available models along with pricing.

The new Rainshadow RX7+ and RX8+ are STELLAR, world-class blanks unlike anything I've come across. Fantastic "feel" with incredible casting abilities. The RX8+ is simply the nicest performance blank I've built on. Unfortunately, Batson has yet to receive their shipment of these blanks so they're backordered until mid-June. Their RX7 is available now and is a wonderful all-round fly blank, particularly for trout and bass, IMO. Nice moderate-fast action, beautiful fit and finish, and great price. The Forecast "RX6" blanks are also awesome sticks for the price, though not in the same caliber as the others listed here IMO. The 2pc blanks are especially sweet feeling and cast/fish very nicely. You won't find the complete lineup of available models on our site as we don't keep the full lineup in stock, but if you click the Rainshadow/Forecast link on the left then "Rod Blanks"..."Fly" you'll see all the available models along with the retail pricing.

And of course you can't go wrong with a St. Croix IV or V. Awesome sticks at very decent pricing--especially for their performance! We're not stocking distributors, but would be happy to special order them for you. A number of the other sponsors here would likely have the complete lineup in stock if time is an issue.

Anyway, I'm sure you're about to get inundated with helpful suggestions, so I'll sign off here and wish you the best in your quest for the right blanks for your needs...as I've said above, you're in good shape with either of the brands you suggested and can't help but strongly encourage you to add the Dan Craft blanks to that "best value" list as well.

All the best,

Steve, I am relativley new to rod building (4 years). However, I have built six fly rods using Dan Craft's blanks: 3 weight thru 9 weight. Absolutley impressive in every way. Michael T Williams, Eugene, OR

Don't know about fly rods, But I love the St. Croix spinning & casting blanks from the SCII to the SCIV (haven't tried the SCV) Good value

Mike



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/09/2005 10:45PM by Mike Barkley.

When I began building rods, my goal was to sample a little bit of everything. I wanted to try and build at least one rod of every reputable brand I could find. I started with St. Croix and Lamiglass, and I haven't moved on yet, and it's been about 5 years. Yes, I've picked up some blanks on sale here and there of other brands. They were fine--no complaints--but not nearly as nice as the St. Croixs and Lamis for the price. By far, the nicest blank I've used to date is the SCV--absolutely fantastic in every possible way. For my own personal spinning/casting rods, I use the SCIII series. They're almost as nice as the SCVs, but a bit more affordable, and there are more blanks to choose from. For my own fly rods, I use the SCIVs and Lamiglass Perigrees--I couldn't be happier.

I still want to try a few other brands (Dan Craft comes to mind), but it's hard to convince myself to try anything else.

Yes Andrew i agree, before i quit building rods a Dan Craft is a rod i just have to build. LOL who ever quits, i still have two sitting here i haven,t got to. BEST, John

I've built a few rods on the SC IV (before IPC), the 7 1/2 ft 3 wt 2 pc. is a great rod. I've made one for myself and a friend of mine and he really likes it. I've also made one using the 9' 6 wt(SC IV prior to IPC) and I just completed a 9' 5 wt on the Dan Craft Signature V. I'd have to say between the 5 and 6 wt that the 5wt Signature V would be my favorite. If you're looking for a blank in the 5-6 wt range I'd definitely recommend the Signature V.

Thanks to all for their opinions and it seems that all have very similiar trust in ST. Croix. Blanks aswell as Rainshawdow. I never checked out the offering at Dan's Craft but it seems many realy like them aswell. I know originally I was talking about good value with good quality, but I could'nt help notice nobody mentioned Loomis or Sage. Is this because they are too expensive or do people think they don't offer the same quality to value ratio?

Regarding Loomis and/or Sage, it's mainly the expense for me.