Raymond, if you use the KR setup, it calls for high frame guides so no, you can't use just any guides. They should be of very similar height to the recommended Fuji guides. Angler's Resource has a Fuji height chart on the website. From the sponsors list on the left. I use Fuji, Pac Bay Minima M's, and Microwaves. All work very well. Microwaves get you down to the runners with just the stripper and 1 reduction guide.

Ben, regarding the two guide reduction, one rod was a Rainshadow RX8 med heavy fast action 7 foot rod, reel is Stradic 4000, line is braid, I believe 15 or 20. Not sure, son is using it and loves it for LMB swim jigs, usually 3/8 to 1/2. Light braids are very forgiving. Use 15 or lower and just about anything will work.

Unfortunately my local store doesn't sell the H designation of the guides. At least not on their website. Hopefully when I go into the store it might be different.

If not I'll just apply the concept of a fast choke.

On a slightly different topic. If the benefit of micro guides is so great. Why do I see rods with high build epoxy on the guides? Wouldn't that weight cause the same dampening characteristics?

Thanks Michael..

Also to Roger. The photos you posted are great! I'll be using that!! Thank you

Raymond

Norman Miller Wrote:
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> The Fuji KR guides are easy to wrap, even the
> small KB and KT runners. Their feet require very
> little if any prepping. I have no problem with
> people prepping their guide feet to make them
> easier to wrap. However, I rarely if ever do it,
> because I find it unnessary, and do not want to
> remove the corrosion prevention coating. I do not
> have problems with wrapping unprepped guides. Just
> takes a little practice.
> Over the years I have used all of the various
> guide placement methods and systems for spinning
> rods, and it my opinion the KR concept is the
> best I have used for the rods I build..Other may
> disagree, but that is one of things that makes a
> custom rod custom.
> Norm


After hearing some very very experienced rod builders say they don't bother prepping the guides on many Fuji models i decided to place them along the blank and see how they fit and if they were easy to wrap myself , suffice to say i haven't prepped one in quite some time , the Fuji KL-H and KT's are super easy to wrap over so i haven't bothered .

Norm claiming the same thing means i'm on the right track , Norm is the man , even has a wife that acts as a laser alignment tool .

Raymond Dombrowski Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Unfortunately my local store doesn't sell the H
> designation of the guides. At least not on their
> website. Hopefully when I go into the store it
> might be different.
>
> If not I'll just apply the concept of a fast
> choke.
>
> On a slightly different topic. If the benefit of
> micro guides is so great. Why do I see rods with
> high build epoxy on the guides? Wouldn't that
> weight cause the same dampening characteristics?


There are quite a few builds out there with micro guides on them that do seem to have a large amount of epoxy on them especially out toward the tip top which is a head scratcher for sure . I use Threadmaster high build but make sure only enough is applied to get an even coat and i'm very careful about making sure i don't end up with footballs on the upper portion of the rod.

Micro guides aren't just popular for the weight reduction , the smaller ring sizes have a dramatic impact on how well the rod casts and effects it's accuracy as well . Of course line choice is critical and lighter braids are the key for outstanding performance , micro guides also help cut down on your line being pulled by strong crosswinds making those huge "U" shaped bellows because there's less room for the line to move about and closer than typical spacings aide in that as well.

What type of reel, what type of line (mono, braid), and what diameter of line are micro guides best suited for? I have had bad experiences with "one size fits all" products.

Braids is the 10 pound to 20 pound range will work the best with any micro guide setup , Norm has stated that he uses runners in the 5 size and i just thought thats really small but i ordered a few and when they came in i said "My God , i can barely see them" but i wrapped them temporarily on my 9 foot inshore rod and went out to test cast .

To say i was blown away is an understatement , i was so excited i ran home, ( 3 blocks up from the water) and wrapped them permanently that night , had to go back and retrieve my vehicle as i left it there in all of the excitement . My largest surf rods, (12) feet have size 6 runners and thats plenty big . I was looking at my St. Croix Avid Inshore 8 foot spinner and all the runners look to be size 12 which is WAY TOO BIG so i'm very pleased i decided to experiment and use this website for all it's essential resources.

As far as what type and size line are micro guides best suited for ....... I use fluorocarbon line on the majority of my rods. I only use braid or nylon mono filament line for very specific situations. As I don't use leaders, I have settled on using size 4.5 guides for the rods I build.

On my spinning rods I use Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon line, ranging in size from 6 - 10# test., on 3000 series Shimano reels. On my casting rods I use the same Tatsu line ranging in size from 10 - 20# test, on 200 series Shimano reels. When I do use braid I use 65# test braid, and when I use regular nylon mono filament, I use lines from 12 - 17# test. All on the same rods with 4.5 size running guides. All of the rods I've built with micro guides thus far, far out perform any factory rod I've ever used.

On casting rods I've built I attribute the difference in performance to using micro guides for the running guides. On the spinning rods I've built, I attribute the majority of the performance gain to the Fuji KR concept. I can't be sure how much micro guides help on a spinning rod, because I've never used a spinning rod with micro guides that wasn't a KR concept guide train.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/2018 09:12AM by David Baylor.