Hi, I have noticed that many rodbuilders recommend using a size or two larger ceramic guide compared to a wire one like Recoil. I too was under the impression that ceramic guides had a smaller ID than the wire guides so I took the liberty to measure the inside diameter of some of the Fuji and REC guides I had at hand and I was dumbfounded by the results. Apparently, Fuji SiC guides have a larger inside diameter than the REC guides of the same number rating. Results given as guide size # - in mm.

Fuji LSG Gunsmoke Frame/SiC Ring
#6 - 3.98
#7 - 4.77
#8 - 5.38

Fuji TLSG Titanium Frame/SiC Ring
#6 - 3.98
#7 - 4.75
#8 - 5.38

REC Recoil
#6 - 3.91
#7 - 4.68
#8 - 5.23

Has anyone ever done a test like this one in the past and did you arrived at the same conclusion.

I might be missing something so I would like to know if there's any particular reason why rod builders recommend increasing the ceramic guide by a size or two when using SiC vs Recoil, especially when we're building fly rod if in actuality the SiC guides have a larger ID than Recoil guides. The size difference is not a lot but still they are a bit larger. Anyone care to explain.

Thanks,

Pedro

Unfortunately guide manufacturers don’t have a standardized way to classify their parts. For the most part they are kind of close, but the only way to know for sure is what you did, measure and inspect.

Microguides are even worse, one companies 4 may be smaller and lighter than the next companies 3. Once the parts start getting really small the differences are amplified as a percentage of the overall size of the part.

The ID may vary even within the same company depending on ring material, etc.

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Pedro,
If you're building a fly rod check the sizes of the Recoil fly guides rather than the spinning guides.
Much larger ID much less weight.
The fly guides ID's
#1 4.8mm
#2 5.6mm
#3 6.1mm
#4 6.5mm
#5 7.2mm
#6 8.1mm
Both single foot and double foot (snakes) are approx the same ID.

Eugene Moore

Eugene Moore Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Pedro,
> If you're building a fly rod check the sizes of
> the Recoil fly guides rather than the spinning
> guides.
> Much larger ID much less weight.
> The fly guides ID's
> #1 4.8mm
> #2 5.6mm
> #3 6.1mm
> #4 6.5mm
> #5 7.2mm
> #6 8.1mm
> Both single foot and double foot (snakes) are
> approx the same ID.
>
> Eugene Moore


Eugene,

The recoil guides I measured are advertised as universal and can be used for all types of fishing rods including spinning / casting / fly, model (RSPG) [www.mudhole.com].

If you're refering to the recoil guides model (RSF / RSFX) [www.mudhole.com] then you could very well be right. I do not have those at hand so it is nice of you to post their measurements.

Thanks,

Pedro

To understand what has happened with the whole ring size issue, you need to go back to the beginning. When FUJI first introduced ceramic ring guides in the mid 60’s they were measured to compare with existing stainless steel guides that had no ring at all. The ring ID of stainless was simply the size of the opening in the metal frame. Fuji adopted the method of using frame ID measurements for ring size and they have never changed from this original philosophy.

As various ring materials emerged, the diameter of the rings was altered to meet certain performance and strength standards. So, “fatter” rings like Aluminum Oxide actually end up with smaller inside ring diameters than, say, SiC of the SAME?RING?SIZE.

Most manufacturers use the same point of reference but frame weight and material and ring material can make a noticeable difference in total frame OD or ring ID. Non-ring guide measurement is at the discretion of the manufacturer.

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