After searching the forum and not finding my thoughts already covered, I thought I would open a new topic: I think there are some aspects of the Microwave system that have not received much or any attention. First I'll admit, I've not tried it yet.

But from reading, watching video, and applying logic to the system, I would think that the system has significant differences other than its casting advantages. It appears to me that it would be less sensitive to reel dimensions, line type and test and lure weights/styles than conventional systems (What else is there that drives us into complicated and numerous layouts and tryouts?). This would translate into simpler rod layout, fewer tryouts, fewer guide sizes/heights to stock (of course now, with only a couple finishes and designs available to use with the first guide, it's really simple). Couple these aspects with the obvious "wow" factor and I think it would make custom rod makers who make a lot of rods drool.

It may not replace lower, conventional, guides for travel spin rods which one likes to pack into fairly small diameter rod tubes, but who knows, it could be that a lower Microwave system (or folding first guide? It's the only high one) could work almost as well as a high one.

One application that I've struggled with is the application that wants very light lures to cast long distances with "normal" test weight lines, like 10 pound mono or flouro, and I think that Microwave is a significant step in the right direction. It has often been said that we can cast farther than necessary already, but that is, IMHO, not the case with very light lures and 10 pound mono.

Anyone care to comment?

Your comment on fewer guides sizes to stock has definitely been covered. The problem with the current system is the forced purchase of running guides. For example, they aren't a brand or size that I will utilize. IF the current manufacturer went back to selling ONLY the "basic" Microwave set (Butt Guide and Transition Guide) they would be more attractive to the masses. As it is, they work well ... but there are restrictions that many find unpalatable enough to pass on using them at all.

Microwave guides only come it sets of 9 guides. They say this set is designed for a 7 foot rod. I have never used 9 guides + tip-top on a 7 foot rod in my life!! I have never seen a need for that many guides, and I believe it would change the action of a light spinning rod fairly dramatically. Why don't they sell them individually? I plan to buy a set, but not for a 7 foot rod.

I would like to try the Microwave out myself, but the running guides I would have to buy separately, as for Micheal's comment on the,"... it would be less sensitive to reel dimensions line types and test and lure weights/styles then conventional systems..", my ? is what do you mean by less sensitive and how could that be, is it because of the dramatic change in the micro guide? Just wondering.

Randy -
I was hesitant also about using an "overkill" number of guides on a light spinner - but these guides are so small (footprint and height) that I found I wound up using 8 (7 + 1 + tip) on one rod and all of them on another "buggy whip" type rod - the height of the small guides made the line path problematic without the extra guide(s) however, the decreased weight of the guide plus less thread / finish didn't impact the overall response of the blank. In 30 years this is one of the very few times that rod length + one guide actually made sense.

Michael: i have made that observation several times and its the main reason i use them.
I swap between braid and mono on the beach/pier.
17 # or 20 # mono and 20 or 30# braid. In winter that mono gets nasty stiff.
I can build a rod that casts as far as any microwave system with either mono or braid but not both when swapping from a 3500 with braid to a 5000 with mono.

Maybe its me and the way i lay out my guides but it is what it is so i buy the microwaves.
With the microwaves ( the big one from Swampland for 3000 thru 6000 reels it comes with no extraguides) and the new smaller ones sold as sets, i get within 10 ft and that is close enough for my purposes.

BTW if buying the whole set bugs you, I just came in from test casting a rig where i made up my own microwave type setup..
If you want to try it yourself:
I used an old medium height frame 20 (AmTack with that cross brace) and a 8 Match Minima 4.
I wrapped the 8 minima about 20 inches in front of the reel face first.
Then wraped the 20 right up against the 8 so that the blocking wrap actually touches the foot of the 10
A few tweeks with a pliers on the 8 and it was about centered and i have the first guide of something very close to the microwave.
Set a choker at around 27x reel diameter:i used a 3mm minima at around 40 inches from teh reelface.
Then using an old fly rod tip through the ring located where a 6 minima match would just touch the blank between your double guide and the choker and wraped it there.
Does pretty much what a minima does for me on the same blank with teh same reels it just looks very weird.

I also found matches of other spare guides that allows for the centering of 2nd ring 1 inch or so in front of a bigger one with between a 3:1 to 5:1 reduction ratio. Not pretty but works.

I have built a lot of rods using microwaves and they are most deffinately my go to guides for most all of the rods i build over the last couple of months. I mainly build light or ultra light spin rods for chasing bream and other estuary species down here in Aust and for that purpose these guides are as close to perfect as i have found.

I love the way i can pretty much follow the amtack set out and cover pretty much every reel set up, most if my customers fish light braid 8lb down and fluro in the 4lb range and the lay out suits reels from 1000-2500 really well i simply follow the suggested layout do a static test and adjust if required. I always followed the rule of 1 guide per foot plus a tip but the extra guides in tge MWG set up are super light and work a treat.

My suggestion is to buy a set and give them a try the top end nanolights are cheap compared to other offerings I'm sure you will like them. I sold two rods on thursday purely because of how the MWGs dealt with wind knots we were casting into the wind trying to create them but to no avail the guides made short work and thats what sold the rods. I guess i'm wearing my amtack hat here but i like supporting great products and thats what these guys have come up with.

Cheers

Mark Newcombe
Old Bar NSW
Australia
markscustomfishing.com
American Tackle Pro-Staff

Lorenzo, my prediction (based on zero actual data) that the Microwave would be less sensitive to reel dimensions and line type was based on the observation that it takes most of the loops out with the first guide, and that guide didn't look to me to be very sensitive to the direction the line is coming from. It was only a logical "guess," and it appears from other responses that it was correct. Of course if it is available in only one size, and that size works pretty well, then the only variable in setup is distance from the reel for the first two guides. Thanks to all for commenting. I certainly will be trying them-I am in the middle of building two spinning rods now and have already purchased the guides, so the next spinning rod after these will be the Microwave rod.

Currently Lance at Swampland (on left) has microwave guides in a larger ring.

Micheal, that sounds just about right to me, about the size of the reel and how far you put the butt guide, to me though the runnings which are size 5, that comes with the microwave guide, I would probably like to get them down to a size 4 or maybe even smaller, like size 3, but I would have to test each one to see if they would flow through as flowing as the size 5, I really have no clue, as of know. this was really a good topic I have been waiting for someone to bring this up , lol, as of myself, I have been busy with other things, and couldn't get myself to ask the right ?s, tight wraps!