What style and type of guides do you Salt guys recommend for a spinning rod used for Strippers off of a private boat. Having never fished in the ocean I have no idea.

Rolly Beenen
Rovic Custom Rods

I like the American Tackle titanium frame ring lock guides for their resistance to salt water damage and the added protection for the rings. For stripers I like the first one or two guides I like a double footed guides.

AmTak, Alps, and Fuji are all good. I do like the 316 frame of the amtak and alps over the 304 frame of the fuji. Nanolite seems to easily be the equal or better of alconite. SIC still seems the best.

Bottom line, you have several good choices these days. You can't go wrong with fuji other than spending more. The others offer better value but require a bit more prep. The ring locks do look stronger without weighing more.

Will he consider a single foot guide? Do you plan on having underwraps? What pound test and will it be braid or mono? Those could be bigger factors.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

i have not had any problems with the minimas so far. i also like the amtak a-frame and vs3. they will give you some added height for spinning applications which allows you to use a smaller ring size

+2 for the Alps VS3's from Batson's.

Hi Rolly,

If you do consider our Ring Lock guides (which I hope you do) take a look at our newest introduction, the “Typhoon” Series. Ideal for inshore style rods with the 8-20mm sizes being perfect for casting rods while the 25-40mm guides are spinning oriented with increased ring heights. They bridge the gap between our ultra-light weight Ring Lock guides and our Virtus Light series which are also available to 40mm size rings for spinning applications. All are available in stainless or titanium frames with either Duralite (Alconite comparable) or Nanolite (SiC comparable) rings.

Best Regards,

Darrin Heim
American Tackle Company

Amtak Ti lites. And I'm sticking to my story

I'm always looking for a ring comparable to SIC simply because the SIC price adds more to the cost of the rod. Most of my clients are very happy with the "alconite", "hardaloy", "carmoly" or what can be called Hard Aluminum Oxide rings that are the backbone of the industry. I seem to recall somewhere that the "nanolite" rings were not quite the same as SIC according to the Vickers Scale. Close, but so are alot of others, the Zirconium for example, from Batson's. These have been tested and rate up to 1700-1800 on the Vickers Scale. I believe that if you want the best, go with SIC (arguments for and against brittleness aside). If you want the next best, go with what is rated as close to SIC hardness. It might be helpful if manufacturers included those numbers in their sales info.

Hi again,

My “comparable” comment was to show that Nanolite is closer to SiC then Alconite which is where many commonly group it. While not quite as hard as SiC, I consider a range of hardness, which Zirconia’s & Zirconium’s would fall into along with SiC as top end ceramic ring offerings. I would also group various Aluminum Oxides together even though hardness can vary a bit too. There is nothing at all wrong with Zirconia in fact Nanolite has a Zirconia base and we have offered Zirconia rings for years. In reality “Best” is relative. I feel that because SiC is harder or more expensive doesn’t mean it’s the “best”. Durability and price are crucial elements in my opinion and Nanolite was the only choice for our premium guides. Without sacrificing anything SiC offers it allows us to have an extremely smooth surface, reduce weight without sacrificing strength and doesn’t break the bank on stainless or even titanium guide frames. I always recommend Nanolite because it’s our “Best”’ but I am often reminded and as Grandt pointed out, Duralite(other’s aluminum oxides) may be “best” for many.

Best Regards,

Darrin Heim
American Tackle Company

"K" series Fuji SiC Titanium.

You haven't mentioned a budget and that could dictate your choice. If money no object then go Sic. Otherwise hardloy. I dont see any benefit in Alconite which I believe to simply be a better quality alu oxide type. No experience with Zirconia or Nanolite so cant comment on those. Although I was attempting to get Alps Zirconia xn rings at one point but in my part of the world no one carry it not even in Asia even though Alp's is a Taiwan company! Fuji more common and reasonably priced in M'sia & Singapore.

x2 "K" series Fuji Sic Titanium

2nd choice Amtak Titan Single foot Ring Locks Nano

X 3 for the Alps VS3's from Batson, 2nd choice are the K series Titanium from fuji.

I have several old saltwater rods that need repair. The guides are shot. I wanted to replace them to get more experience wrapping. What would be a good choice for guides?

They are spinning rods but are not used for casting. (mostly bottom fishing)

I fish in saltwater and tip tops and guides seem to go bad on a regular basis. Is there a guide repair kit made for saltwater size rods?