Well Scott V. I ALSO use Classic Coat right now. I have some Diamondite and plan to
get some Threadmaster one of these days. I have always been happy with Flex-Coat
however, as soon as I tried the Classic Coat it was imediately apparent that the CC
was clearer in the mixing cup. like WATER!!

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

Flex Coat is trustworthy to me. Threadmasters claims to clarity appear to be true in the bottle and on the rod, so i'd give three thumbs up to it. Gene Bullards Diamond II is a pretty good finish, worth a look at, its a pretty clear finish.

I asked this same question about three years ago here, bought a quart of the collective response and ended up throwing the stuff in the snow out back. The best thing to do is to get a bunch baby bottles of finish and find out what works best for you.

Long time Flex Coat user. Tried LS Supreme and it gave me fits. My only use for it now is making buttcaps and winding checks. Recently been playing with Threadmaster and I agree that so far, if you gave me cups of both FC and TM in a blind test to mix and apply, I don't think I could tell the difference. I also agree that I find it to be harder when cured, much more like a hard plastic. Good stuff, and was all Andy promised. If it holds up over time as good as it is supposed to, it's going to be a terrific product. Haven't tried any of the other finishes, and have no reason to .

As mentioned, it comes down to finding one you like and gettting used to working with it. I've seen some great finishes with LS. I am just so set in my ways that in all but one attempt with LS, I couldn't get it to work. The one time I got a good finish, it was because I made myself be patient and let it tell me what it wanted to do, instead of trying to make it behave like a different finish. But I'm impatient. I don't like to have to think when I put on finish, so I stick with what I like. And now I'm starting to like Threadmaster a lot too.

Thread Master for me too. It's working properties are very similar to Flex Coat but it's the super water clear clarity that swings my vote.

David

Threadmaster by a large margin. Tried most but have settled on Threadmaster. Best results (for me) by far

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

I've tried most of the epoxies out there and have had good results from more than one of them but I have to admit I'm totally enamored with the working properties and the finished product I get with Threadmaster.

I need to try the Threadmaster from Andy, but at the moment I've got too much Flex-coat I need to use up. I've never gotten anything but exceptional products and work from Andy, so I have to believe he's got a good product in the Threadmaster finish. I had a couple of samples of the LS Supreme Hi-Build and liked the way it worked. Great for single coat repairs.

Lynn Huffman
LH Custom Rods

Both ThreadMaster and LS Supreme are my favorites, but I've been using ThreadMaster exclusively since purchasing it at the Charlotte Show.
Stan

I have become a big fan of Threadmaster. My previous favorite was LS Supreme and I still like it and still use it (depending upon what I'm doing). If I had to pick one and only one for all round use and in all temperatures, then I'd pick Threadmaster.

I have become a big fan of Threadmaster. My previous favorite was LS Supreme and I still like it and still use it (depending upon what I'm doing). If I had to pick one and only one for all round use and in all temperatures, then I'd pick Threadmaster.

Threadmaster Here!

My favorite finish of all time was the original Diamond II from Bullard International. Gene has pulled a rabbit out the hat, again, with the new version of the old standard. Frankly, it's one heck of an epoxy finish. I was surprised somebody that had been out of this for so long could get back into it with such a great product so quickly.

LS Supreme High-Build suits what I do best. I don't think any finish releases bubbles this well and certainly none this thick releases bubbles so well. This is a great epoxy finish (I like it much better than the standard viscosity version).

Andy's Threadmaster will be a great success because it builds on the most popular finish of all time - Flex Coat. Same ease of use and working properties, but with greater clarity and color fastness. The chemistry behind it makes it a true 21st century thread wrap coating.

I've probably finished more rods with Flex Coat than with any other finish. Other finishes may have surpassed it in some areas these days, but in the long run there isn't really anything wrong with it. It's predictable and easy to use and it works just fine.

I've used many others as well and have gotten very nice results with all of them. These days I tend to reach for whatever happens to be in my finish cabinet, which is generally one of those listed above.

...............

i'm just a novice, but....
i tried a couple of other makes before trying Threadmaster. ..now, i've got two bottles of "other makes" that i'll probaly never use.

ronnie

OK Andy - don't let your head swell. if any one does like I do and coat there cork with clear then you have noticed the difference between thread master and other finishes. My natural cork used to come out with a kind of golden color when using thinned finish on them as a sealer. When I used Thread Master it was like night and day. All finishes were yellow yet thread master kept the cork it's natural color.
I still would like a lighter color in the Exotic cork though. ? Real light like cork.

Have you tried the Laguna pattern? It's uncolored cork granules....same as natural cork.

Andy Dear
Lamar Fishing Products

Andy
That is what I use but it would be nice to have some thing lighter ?? Food for thought ?

You can't make it any lighter...that is natural cork at it it's lightest shade w/ no color manipulation at all. the other patterns undergo a heat treating process to achieve the color shading, bu tthe Laguna is completely untouched....it's exactly the same as a natural cork ring.


Andy Dear
Lamar Fishing Products

We must be looking at two different colors ? natural cork is I think more a light cream color where the laguna is more a light tan ?

Personal opinions only:
Used Flex Coat ever since I've been building, both High Build and Lite. Tried LS High Build and Lite. Tried Pac Bay. Tried ThreadMaster.

ThreadMaster first or tied with Flex Coat, but clearer (OK, then, "brighter", "harder", "glassier"). Pot life not an issue because we make sure to (a) pour the mix into a tinfoil pan or one we make out of tinfoil sheet so it spreads nice and even, releasing most of the bubbles and (b) keep the stuff around 80deg, as it says in the instructions.

I don't mean to offend anyone or any of our sponsors; this is just my experience and opinion so far. I haven't tried the Diamond product because the gentleman at the CLT show told us so many "rules" about how to use it that we decided to skip it.

BTW, thanks, Andy. You made believers out of Gary and me.

Uncle Russ

LS Regular for the first coat, LS High Build for all additional coats.