I've been MIA for a while for reasons related to too much work and family functions unrelated to fishing lol. I see more manufactures have entered the game for blanks and components. What's a favorite other than Fuji for guides and real sests these days.

Mark

You're correct; there are a bunch of old and new names today. It's almost as if we need a Daily Racing Form for rod building to keep up.

What are you building or about to build - spin, bait cast, fly?

When it comes to components, Fuji is still Fuji, and you won't go wrong.

Aside from them, I've used guides and seats from Batson/Forecast/Alps, PacBay, American Tackle, Kigan, and Sea Guide. All are fantastic. Each one has their own unique features that I like for various reasons and different types of builds.

Kigan's brazed tip tops are simply stunning, leaving nothing for line to get stuck on. Kigan also makes the nicest hook keeper on the market. Their deep press design gives the guides a more symmetric look in a ring lock design as opposed to the drawing press techniques used by other manufacturers.

Batson's original mini guides ares still the lightest micro guides I've ever weighed based on ring OD.

PacBay's minima guides are fantastic for builds that you want a light guide with as large of an ID as possible, or for an old school wire guide look with a modern twist.

The Alps LXN double foot guides are phenomenal light weight double foot guides for bass rods, and all of the Alps guides are great designs, and are my go to guides.

American Tackle's Microwave system for spinning rods is for real, and very simple to implement. I still wish I could just by the MW guide on its own or just the MW guide and reduction guide as a set instead of buying the whole set. I just don't care for the style of running guides they package with the set and prefer single foot fly guides for running guides.

Sea Guide offers a pretty broad range of guides and are on par with everyone else's offerings. Their guides have a series of small grooves on top to help keep thread wraps in place, which is pretty helpful.

As far as reel seats, I still prefer a typical Fuji ECS or similar from other manufacturers (I use Batson or Pac Bay the most) type seat for casting rods. However, many love the various new styles. For spinning seats, I've ditched them in favor of TN handles.

Again all of the manufacturers on the left have great offerings in guides and seats. You won't go wrong with any of them.

Freshwater spinning and casting are my main interest. Branching out to fly.

Batson's Alps fly reel seats are pretty nice, even Amercan Tackle has some nice ones as does REC. I have been looking at the Sea Guide reel seats but have yet to see one in real life but they look pretty cool for fly reel seats. I am interested in whatever Kigan has also. There is a lot better selection for fly reel seats now than just the Strubble ones.