Ok so I was looking in my mudhole catalog today and I saw the calstar gf700ml and there was also a gfx700ml. So whats the difference between the GF and the GFX?

Hi,

The GF series came first, classic Calstars. The GFX series was their answer for braid line users. This series has more flex.

Capt Neil Faulkner

So do the GFX blanks have a lighter tip than the regular GF series?

Hi,

The GFX's have more flex in the top half of the blank to act as a shock absorber when using braided line that has very little stretch. Usually a blank with more flex has less material in the top half of the top of the rod when compared to a very fast or fast tip.

Capt Neil Faulkner

This is like deja'vu. I was at Mudhole on Saturday, checking out the differences between a GF700ML and a GFX700 ML. They both use a #7 tube tip, and the butt size is smaller (.785 vs. .895) on the GFX. Action in the tip section did not seem to me notably different (I checked this as did Bob Magruder and Bob McKamey, and we couldn't really detect a difference). The butt section on the GF is definitely a bit beefier.
The price difference is only a couple of dollars. Mudhole lists the GF 700ML as handling 20-30 lb line, and having fast action. They list the GFX700ML as handling 20-40 lb line and having moderate action. However, if you go to Calstar's website, they list both blanks as having fast action and both handling 20-40 lb line.
All things considered, I didn't see (or feel) much of a difference between the two blanks. I went with the GFX700ML. It is going to be primarily a live bait rod for oversized tarpon, but will see service fighting wahoo, kings and mahi as well. Frankny, I don't think you can go wrong with either choice.