There is not such a thing -- is there ?? [flyrods.mrffs.com]

There are at least 3 other companies I know of that advertise either IM10 blanks or completed rods

I guess it is hype ?

I thought the IM 10 All Star rods were called that because they used............

I would not call it Hype. All three businesses that I'm referring to are reputable companies

I still have roughly 10-20 of the Alstar IM -10 blanks in my shop.

What the manufacturers choose to call the material in their rods is up to them. What the fiber manufacturers label their material is often something entirely different. Whereas Narmco 96, Hercules IM6, etc., were actually fiber manufacturer nomenclature, many of the other terms and names were and are cooked up by the people using the fibers, such as rod manufacturers. For instance, a blank manufacturer could buy say, prepeg made from Hercules IM6, and then build a line of rods and say he was using IMHG27 material. That's his perogative and it's often done for the sales impact value he feels it may have.

If you want to see if a particular fiber by that name actually exists, you'll have to get in touch with one of the fiber manufacturers. Otherwise the name may be something concocted by the rod maker.

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

I never noticed the Alstare being called IM10. I figured it was marketing. Like Tom says.

The Shimano Cumara is supposedly IM10
[fish.shimano.com]

American Rodsmiths sells a "Hybrid IM10"
[www.americanrodsmiths.com]

If you go to the Hexcel data site, their highest listed is IM9.

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I still like IM 7. I don't have to baby site them. much technoligy can ya put into a graphite tube.

Tom,

What you are saying is that 4 companies could be buy the exact same fiber prepeg and each could then call it whatever they want! IM7, IM8, IM9, IM10 could all be the identical graphite material depending on what the blank/rod manufacturer chooses to call it?? I do notice that not many of the major (if any) blank companies refer to their products with an IM designation

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 have fishermen walking into my shop nearly every day that will bring this very exact subject up. Most of the time they will believe what the marketers tell them and will be skeptical about anything you may choose to tell them about the subject. To overcome this customer attitude you must provide a proof source to overcome the attitude and shift them to your side. The best way to accomplish this is to hand them something to read offering a different opinion.

I keep the following material at hand and simply smile and hand it to them. The serious ones will read it and realize quickly that the marketers have sold them a bill of goods. It has sold a lot of rods for me! It has also turned a lot of them into rodbuilders - they did not know that this type of information existed.

If you are a custom builder this is some pretty good stuff!

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Gon Fishn

Mike,

Yes, although typically they use names other than the same type used by the fiber manufacturers, such as the "IM" designation you mention.


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

Bill,

All Star did call one of their lines : IM10X

DR

I thought AllStar used the IMX10 wording & then changed it to IM10X after Loomis got sideways about it. I'd have to look at some of my old AllStar catalogs, but my old brain remembers it that way.

Here's your "proof in the pudding":

Big box fishing retailer's discription of two different house brand rods:
Rod Line 1 - "These rods are built on multilayer 45 million modulus Powerwall IM-8 blanks"
Rod Line 2 - "Meticulously crafted on a beautiful 50 million modulus, Powerwall premium IM-8 graphite blank"

Both IM8, but one is 45 and the other 50. AllStar claims their IM8 to be 40.

Here's a funny on the big box rods... the 45million rod sells for $20 more (now I will concede it does have SiC guides - so higher grade guides on a lower modulus blank... um ok?).

I always like to pull out the catalog, show that "modulus" rating to a customer who says he needs a certain IM rod and ask him to explain that one in the catalog. I do that before I share the thread Bill linked. I believe doing that gives the thread even more credibility because the customer now already has a basis for understanding the purpose and relevancy of the article.

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Maybe I should ( walk on water ) like these guys do, or say.

Bill,
One thing to look for when comparing different blanks is to take a dozen different rods from different manufacturers all claiming to have the same length, action and power.

Then, use a caliper to measure the blank thickness at the butt.
Then, use a well calibrated scale to measure the weight of the blank.

If you truely do have identical blanks with respect to length, action and power. If only difference is the blank material and construction, you would normally find the following.

Higher modulus or "stiffer" graphite would be found in rod blanks that
a. have a thinner wall thickness and
b. have a total blank weight that is less than a blank having a lower or less or more flexible modulus.

As Tom and others have said - Higher numbers don't necessarily mean that the blank is better or worse - only different.

Depending on the application, it is generally in the fisherpersons best interest to use a rod that has what would be called a very low modulus with perhaps a thicker wall and perhaps a blank that weighs more than the opposite.

In contrast, at times the opposite will be true. i.e.. it will make the customer happier if the blank is stiffer, thinner walls and overall lighter weight.

That is exactly why different blanks are available.

For example -
It makes no sense to use a stiff, light thinwall 6 foot blank that would normally be used for light biting 2 lb walleye, when actually fishing for 50 lb catfish.
For the case of fishing with 50 lb catfish, it probably makes more sense to use a parabolic, heavy action fiberglass rod that can be bent in a 360 degree circle without breaking.

So, specify the need, work with the client, and blank manufacturers catalog or customer service folks and obtain the blank that best fills the need of the fisherperson.

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In talks with folks at various blank manufacturers - this is one of the main reasons that many manufacturers have eliminated the use of graphite modulus to specify a particular blank.
The main reason that most of todays excellent blanks are not made of a single type of graphite prepreg. i.e Part of the blank may be made from one type of material, and a different part of the blank is made from something else.
Again, the manufacturers are striving to best meet the needs of the fisherperson for a very specific type of action and are attempting to supply the perfectly tailored blank to meet this very specific need.

Take care
Roger

Or you could just tell your customer that you are already using IM95 and that it will be many years before any of the factories catch up with you.

Hay Bill: how about a IM 9500. Just out from the Nasa Space Center. Used on there new jet skin Doooooo