Tell me about Gator Glass - as sold by the sponsors

What do you / don't you like about them?

Are they E-glass / S-glass / Fibre glass / what?

I've never seen one
Robert

I've played with them a little bit, and if I recall correctly, they are glass. The Good - they remind me of the original Ugly Stiks. Inexpensive and darn near bulletproof. Flexible as heck but about as unbreakable as you can get. The Bad - they remind me of the original Ugly Stiks. Not the lightest and/or the most sensitive blanks in the world, but they aren't made to be either. The Ugly - they remind me of the original Ugly Stiks. They don't have a smooth finish. They have almost an unfinished look, with ridges and swirls and in their own way, they look sort of cool in a mean way. Nothing elegant about them.

If you want an inexpensive workhorse rod that you are going to beat the stuffing out of and sensitivity isn't an issue, I don't think they are all that bad. I wouldn't make a walleye rod out of one, but for big river catfish or pike, I wouldn't hesitate at all. I'd have a few myself if they offered a two piece. Still might get a few and convert them, maybe for a winter project.

Tehy have thier place - some people want cheap rods they can beat teh snot out of and not worry about it breaking. And if it does break, it was cheap so I'll just grabn one of teh 10 backups I have, lol. Just because a person doesn't want a top quality blank, doesn't mean they do not appreciate a balanced rod, with the right length/diameter grips. There's all levels of custom, and this is one of them.

I here tehy are good for pole vaulting too.

Robert they were for years the main stay of Star Rods before they moved off shore still used by many companies for their finished rods, as has been described one tough blank manufactured in Miami by Gatorglass laminating, if they have any disadvantage it is they are generaly heavier then models offered by other companies,good blank good value
John

They are perfect for banging around the boat and not worrying about. I build them for a bunch of commercial grouper guys here in St. Petersburg, FL. I build the T80XH black on black with the NFG guides becuase they don't have to worry about them breaking, inserts popping out, etc. They are a bit heavy but when you are strapping 9/0 Senators to them with electramates a little extra weight in the rod is not noticeable. Sensitivity is not a factor as grouper rarely "nibble" the bait.

I have been using Gator blanks since the early 90's and buy the standup blanks by the hundred.I have had very little breakage and the price is right. The company has changed owners several times over the 13 years I have used their product and my source in Miami tells me the current product is not as durable as the older blanks. Jesse

I use Gator blanks but my favorite is the T80H which I use for 7' gaffs.
Rick