I just got some of these in the mail for a crankbait build I'm about to do. Ho boy. I think I'll need a spot light and a 10 x pair of readers just to see them. I am going to assume I need a forhan locking wrap on these. They are just so small. Anyone have experience fishing these? I am gonna have to play with the static test. I plan on casting light and medium crankbaits with braid mostly. Not sure whether to spiral wrap or not. Thoughts and opinions?

I've been using Fuji L guides in size 4.5 as running guides on the last 6 builds that I've done, and love them. I've only used the Forhan locking wrap on the heavy power flipping and pitching rods I've built. No locking wrap on the other lighter duty rods I've put them on. I haven't had a problem with them thus far, but I'm a fairly new builder so the oldest rod I have them on is just a little more than 3 years old. They do regularly go in out of the rod tubes in my boats rod locker though. No problems with them yet.

Can't give you an opinion on whether or not to spiral wrap or conventional wrap though. I wrap all my casting rods conventional for no other reason than it just looks and feels right to me. I guess I'm a conventional guy.

Robert,
I assusme that you have been using a spot light and a pair of 10X readers for all of your rod building.

A very bright light along with a magnifying head bank really help with all of your rod building.

I don't know what size or model of Fuji runners you purchased. I almost exclusively use the Fuji KB/KT down to size 4 and they work great. I have done a few rods spiral wrapped using these guides for friends and they love them. Like David I personally prefer size 4.5 runners. I always do a locking wrap on single ft guides just for the added insurance, but I really don't think it is necessary with the KB/KT guides. If you bought the Fuji L guded, then I think a locking wrap would be a good idea. I assume you have not seen or used microguide rods, because some brands of microguides are even smaller than the Fuji KB/KT guides.
Norm

I, like Norman, use KBKT's on both cast and spin, and have had no problems of any kind. I use the locking wrap just to be sure-the KT foot is very small. On cast I usually use 3-4 KB's. If you like spiral, do it. I used to dislike spiral because of the goofy visual it gives, but with these small guides, they are hardly noticeable, so I'm back with spiral again. Although the advantage of spiral isn't very much with micros because they are so close to the blank there is less torque than conventional guides. You should be able to get by with one or two fewer guides with spiral.

Norman Miller Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't know what size or model of Fuji runners
> you purchased. I almost exclusively use the Fuji
> KB/KT down to size 4 and they work great. I have
> done a few rods spiral wrapped using these guides
> for friends and they love them. Like David I
> personally prefer size 4.5 runners. I always do a
> locking wrap on single ft guides just for the
> added insurance, but I really don't think it is
> necessary with the KB/KT guides. If you bought the
> Fuji L guded, then I think a locking wrap would be
> a good idea. I assume you have not seen or used
> microguide rods, because some brands of
> microguides are even smaller than the Fuji KB/KT
> guides.
> Norm

I got the L guides,size 4 runners. I have seen them,and yes I use a magnifier and light.
I just was surprised because they are pretty damn small,and I have a feeling one
will hit my floor never to be seen again lol.
Will likely try and spiral wrap this as I love the feel and action of a spiral wrapped rod.

I know what you mean. My floor @#$%& up everything I drop on it, it’s almost like a black hole!

Fuji recommends you order hundreds at a time to avoid this problem. Hahahahah.

Seriously, if I wear my old soft-soled Crocs into the rod room it sounds like I'm wearing tap shoes by the time I walk out.

Robert,
To help with the issue of dropping items and finding them again, build in a room with white walls, white bench and white floors.
That way, if something is dropped, the darker item will pop against the white background in the room, whether it is the floor, bench, walls or ceiling.

Also, you want sunlight bright lighting in the room to give plenty of light for the detailed work you are doing. Also, have even more intense light in the area of the guide wrapping.

Also, use magnification when wrapping and finishing rods.

All of these things really let rod building be a a restful non stressing task.

If you have a finished room and have a darker floor, pick up some white tempered hardboard to lay on the floor and become your new floor. Easy to move about on the hardboard and easy to see anything that gets dropped on the white flooring.

[www.homedepot.com]

Thank you Roger,and all of you for the tips!! This is why I love this board.
My room is small where I build ,and I must use ample lighting. Powerful
glasses and a headlamp works for me. It's a work in progress .
The white hardboard is a great idea. I will look into that.

Robert

To answer the original question, I have used a locking wrap in the past but no longer use one. I have 4s on my personal builds and 4.5-5.5s on customer builds. I might consider using a locking wrap if I used color protector, but don't see the need for it in general.

Norman Miller Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't know what size or model of Fuji runners
> you purchased. I almost exclusively use the Fuji
> KB/KT down to size 4 and they work great. I have
> done a few rods spiral wrapped using these guides
> for friends and they love them. Like David I
> personally prefer size 4.5 runners. I always do a
> locking wrap on single ft guides just for the
> added insurance, but I really don't think it is
> necessary with the KB/KT guides. If you bought the
> Fuji L guded, then I think a locking wrap would be
> a good idea. I assume you have not seen or used
> microguide rods, because some brands of
> microguides are even smaller than the Fuji KB/KT
> guides.
> Norm

This is what I do. For the last 6 years I have mainly only used Fuji micro guides to 4 mm and most always spiral wraps on my baitcasters. I have two desktop mounted lighted 5" magnifiers on my wrapping table and wear 2x reading glasses. I started using a locking wrap on the single foot guides but did not start doing it until about 2 years ago, now because of OCD, I do it always. I know the locking wraps are not necessary because I never had any guides come off a rod I've built unless it was physically damaged. I have removed those guides without locking wraps and they were hard to remove (with Color Preserver). I have dropped them and had to buy more and then found them 5 months later. The rods, I use them for, are inshore saltwater rods made for up to 20 lb fish but I have caught larger fish to 30 lbs+ using them without problems. I made some rods with, micro guides, for guys that use very light tackle to catch Tarpon up to 120lbs, without failures.