Has anyone ever weighed a set of ceramic single leg guides against a set of traditional snakes? i want to put a set of sic rings on a sage 10 foot 6 weight XP but i notice that sage use the very small thin wire snakes on them and i cant help feeling that a set of sic rings is going to add too much weight to the tip and damp the action - anyone tried it ? i am hoping that a single whipping and epoxy will match the weight of a lightweight snake with two whippings but i dont know - and its an expensive mistake to make if it doesnt work.

thanks jan

The action will not change. If you add enough weight, you can slow or reduce the blank's reaction and recovery times. I'm guessing this what you're talking about.

The SIC single foots are not at all heavy. Probably a wash between snakes with two wraps and resulting finish. I've used nothing but single foot SIC's for nearly 20 to 25 years and wouldn't think about using anything else. You won't hurt your rod's performance with these at all.

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Jan , I do recall seeing a comparison of the weights between the two , I think there were also comparisons of the steel frame vs. the titanium frames with SIC rings. A search may come up with the post , though I don't recall the title of it . I was surprised in the difference in the two incerts , the Ti frames were 1/2 the weight (of steel frames) if I'm remembering correctly . The difference in performance between SIC rings and snakes is night and day , from casting , to noise and line wear . Snake guides belong on bamboo rods or for someone looking for a retro look IMO . Have fun , JHD

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Guys,

thanks for the replies - pretty much what i thought myself - i think it was the ultra light snakes on the factory rod that made me think twice - looks like a set of Ti frame sic's then.

cheers

jan

Make a search on my name. I posted weights of the different guides earlier this year. Fujis concept titanium top is lighter than their snake counterpart.
I use ceramic on all my rods except for REC recoils on rod I use on brushy streams and night fishing.

Jan,

If it helps I have standardised on Fuji T-SG single leg guides now for all my fly rods. They perform very well and their plus points far outweigh any other considerations. Snakes to me are pretty old hat. If you are cruel they are just twisted bits of wire. They allow the line too much contact with the rod shaft and they have a much shorter life on the rod than decent ceramics. For salt water I can't understand why anyone fits them unless it's price and habit.

Regards

Mike OLiver

Jan , the Recoils are incredibly light , but they have a longer foot than most guides . Those are my choice on 2wts and lighter rods where I don't use incerts . I like the single foot light wire Recoils , they weigh almost nothing but require a little longer wrap . Have Fun , John

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