Received a shipment of Minima 4's. They are supposed to go on to a MHX blank for a flipping stick.

In looking the guides over, I have noticed that the 'insert' isn't 'rolled' very well on the side of he guides nearest the reel - I'm worried that the sharper edge will catch my leader knot.

Has anyone here ever had a problem with Minima 4's and leader knots? I'm going to be using 50-65lb braid and 20-25lb leader.

Thanks.

I've not had that problem with any of my leader knots on rods ringed with Minima 4's.

...........

Larry,
Double check the shipping documents and if necessary, check with your supplier.

It sounds like you may have the single swaged Minima 3 guides, not the double swaged Minima 4 guides.

The minima 3's with their single swaged inserts had this issue on certain sizes of their guides.

By the way, what size guides do you notice the problem.

In past shipments, I found a few examples of this problem on the very small guides where it is more difficult to get the swaging perfect.

By the way, for the very few guides that I found like this, I just called my supplier and they sent me replacements - no questions asked. No need to return the guides, since the distributor never found it necessary.


Be safe



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/2014 01:16PM by roger wilson.

It is on the #6 running guides. These are TiCH coated so they are 4's - not shipped incorrectly. They just don't seem to have been formed correctly to me...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/2014 02:52PM by Larry Green.

maybe they were Picked wrong tell the supplier

Bill - willierods.com

Larry,
Tell the supplier and ask them to ship you replacement guides. Have them check the guides before packing to be sure that there is no defect.

I have found a few of the Mimima 4's in the smaller guide sizes - 5,4 and 3 that had a bit of an issue. it is not on many of them, but there were a couple that I had replaced.

It is much harder to get the perfect swage on these smaller guides.

I know that my supplier has always shipped replacements with no issues.


Good luck

Larry,
I just went and checked my supply of #4 tich guides very closely, and found no defects in my current batch.

So, I expect that if you receive a replacement it will be just fine.

Good luck

BUT
It sounds like he has 3's I would not use them IMHO Get 4's

Bill - willierods.com

They are not 3's. They are TiCH 4's but based on all the pics and comparison to each other it is a QC problem. They are not 'swagged' on the reel side. I'm returning them. Will try to get replacements if MH can verify they are correct.

Thanks.

I just had this issue with Minima 3's. I sent a few to Mudhole for them to inspect. They were BF3XG size 5. I had them cut the line on the trial run for the rod. I came home and cut 5 of them off and replaced them. The first 4 guides from the reel out were also Minima 3's BT3XG double foot and they were fine. Thanks, Lynn

So now I have to check all the guides to make sure they are Double Swagged ???
I thought the 4's were Double swagged ??
i don't need getting a good fish on and my line gets cut buy there guides

I thought this would happen -- and it did

Bill - willierods.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/04/2014 05:55PM by bill boettcher.

I have a similar problem with the titanium framed Minimas. On one side the ring is wider than the frame and on the other the ring barely extends past the frame. It is pretty clear the rings were not centered correctly in the frame before swaging. I have not tried to pull a ring out the frame, but I can't imagine it would be much of trick to force one out. It is really not worth my time to wrap them on to see if they work OK.

It is still not clear to me if the titanium framed guides are supposed to be 3s or 4s. The model numbers are TM3XG and TFX3XG. Seems to make sense they are single swaged 3s. If not why don't they use 4 instead of 3 in the model number?

I build rods just for myself and I only order only a dozen guides or so at a time. Given the minimal time I have for building rods it is frustrating to have to use that time to return some $2 guides. Frankly, though I like these guides in concept and have built rods in the past with no issues on steel chrome Minima 4s (which look correctly made), I am likely just to go with ceramic ringed guides in the future because I know I can start wrapping when the guides come in the mail.

One other question, when I look at rods in the store with Minima guides they all seem very uniform and correctly built. Do manufacturers get a better grade of items than hobbyists or do they just reject loads of defective items before they use them?

After typing my previous reply I just checked some XF4XG size 3W that I recently ordered. One of them does not even have a ring.

I have decided that I am returning the Pac Bay guides and reel seat. I am going to stick to Fuji. The Alconite's may be slightly heavier but if the 6 builds I have completed I have had extremely consistent guides.

I too only build for me or close friends. Shipping is too high to take a chance on something that may or may not work.

Any time that one builds some rods, it is always a good idea to order spares of the guides that you are using.
You never know if you might damage one, one gets damaged, needs replacing, or possibly having a manufacturing defect.

Better to have a couple of spares, than losing a customer or fishing time, because a rod does not get finished due to a guide issue.

Be safe

OK Pac Bay

I am sure you will read or some one will let you know
What is up Are these guides as bad as builders are saying ??
I like them -- BUT -- if any of this is the way they are

Ya got to fix this

Bill - willierods.com

Bill,
These guides are great. They are light, generally well made and do a wonderful job of building a great rod.

Have there been a couple of manufacturing defects in their guides. Yes. But you can likely say that about nearly anything.

Good luck

Bill,
These guides are great. They are light, generally well made and do a wonderful job of building a great rod.

Have there been a couple of manufacturing defects in their guides. Yes. But you can likely say that about nearly anything.

By the way, I have a pretty good supply of all types of Minima guides. Because of this post, I did a very careful examination, under light and magnification, of each guide. I found 0 defects in any of the guides that I currently have in stock.


Good luck

I just checked out my Minima 4s to see if I was having the same problem or not. Didn't find any that wheren't Swaged. I will say how ever that there is more material on the side pointing away from the reel then the side facing the reel. Based on this I would say that the insert gets put in from the side away from the reel and gets crimped on the side facing the reel. So I can see how these could get messed up.

I carefully reviewed the Minima guides I have recently received.

The TM3XG-16 and TM3XG-8 look good. I also have a number of sizes of M and V style steel frame with chrome ring guides that look just fine.

The TM3XG-7 and TM3XG-6 both have almost all of the ring on one side of the guide frame. On the 7 it is the side facing the reel and on the 6 it is the side facing the tip that has the swaged ring at the same OD as the frame. I think these are likely defective as they are not consistent with each other and the difference from the size 16 and size 8 guides is very noticeable even with my bad eyes.

The TFX3XG-4W and XF4XG-3W both have much more ring on the side of the guide facing away from the reel (except the one that has no ring at all). It seems to me that the XF4XG may in fact be incorrectly picked Minima 3s. My concern is that their seems to be no radius on the ring on the side facing the reel, it looks like an edge instead.

I am calling the supplier tomorrow to see if I cant get this sorted out.