I have built quite a few rods with Fuji TLSG titanium guides. Very satisfied with these guides This time I am building a 7 weight Sage ONE and I am thinking using snake guides. I have weighted five fuji tlsg7 with a tip, weights around 1,07 gram.Black chrome snakes guides set with top 0.95gram if I go with a 6mm ceramic guides and around 1,02 grams if I go with a fly top or a 7mm sic fuji top. As snake layout I am using three no 1 snakes and then switching to no 2. The amount thread and probably the amount of epoxy will be the same in any of these layouts as I have measured out. Except for the 6 mm alconite guides, all the tops weight the same, however the weight of size 1 snake guides are 0,08 gram wheras the fuji tlsg is 0,15 gram. I am going to use the rod in both saltwater and freshwater. What would you guys recommend? I have all the guides in house ad will not buy any guides for this rod. Thanks

It is your choice.
If it were mine, I would go with the snake guides.
But it is certainly up to you.
Roger

Thanks, If I go for snake guides, should go for a ceramic tip 6 or 7 mm? & mm is lighter than a wire top 7 mm is the same weight.

Terge,
Your choice.
Roger

Probably a matter of personal preference, but I use single foot wire running guides on anything 8 wt or less and titanium ceramic guides on anything 9wt or more.

Terje,
Just my opinion but, I wouldn't use ceramic guides on the tip section of any fly rod used mostly for casting.
If fighting the fish is the primary concern I may be persuaded to consider ceramic but the rod and caster will suffer from the increase in inertia.
Rod tip velocity will be less and casting effort greater.
Titanium single or snakes would be my fist choice especially in the salt.

Eugene Moore

Pacific Bay Minimas will offer the least amount of weight. While "louder" than ceramics, they appear to be resistant to grooving and provide perhaps the best of all worlds.

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Is there a cut off point for considering the minimas? I can see the advantages and am curious. I doubt they would be a good idea on a small creek 3 wt trout rod but I gather you like them for a smallmouth rod?? If so, sounds like a possibility for a bonefish outfit. I assume I'd want to keep the guides fairly big....like 8, maybe even 10?

A 6mm alconite sounds problematic if you ever got into the backing and would rule out shooting heads (I think).

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

I'd use them on what most consider a "3-weight" rod. Absolutely.

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use the "" Snake brand snake guides """"""" light, they will fit the curve of the rod better, for wire guides my vote is for "" SNAKE BRAND snake guides "" for the tip #1 the fit is better an you don't have to work on the guide like the rest of them , cost a little more but what you get in return far exceds the other snake guides
BILL

Tom do recoil guides offer the same charectoristic as the minamu? Seems they would be even liter and even a better chioce?

I can't say as I've held them but never used the Recoils on a rod. Not sure they'd be lighter, but I haven't weighed them.

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Raymond Adam's site has the specs of the REC recoils.. might want to a look there..

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Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day..
Teach a man to fish, he'll be broke!