Gents, first off Happy Thanksgiving to all and I sincerely appreciate all the valuable info from the website over the last two years. Always a good read. So here’s what I’ve been thinking about for a few weeks….a while back I wrapped for myself an MHX CB843 and a Rainshadow IMMP70M. Both are great for throwing jigs, spoons and flukes down on the Tx coast. Very similar in performance for me. So here’s my question…..If I walked into a rod store carrying, let say the P70M. And in the store were hundreds of marked and unmarked blanks from all the manufacturers. And I had with me a tape, a set of calipers, and scale and any other tool I could carry for a side-to-side comparison of specs. How would I find a blank that I would be reasonably sure it would perform like the P70M. Obviously measuring and looking for a blank with the same length, weight, butt, tip, etc would be a start. But then what? How do you make a objective side-by-side comparison for the other blank manufacturing properties that you can’t measure with a tool in the store such as power and action? Bend them against a corner? Bounce the tips off the floor? Poke the ceiling. Whip thru the air? Cut the check and hope for the best? Anyway I have to get back to the rod shack and bend/bounce some more blanks. Thoughts and feedback always appreciated. Everyone be safe. Thanks.

The CCS would do it, but you run into a similar difficulty as only a small number of manufacturers provide those type across the board specs.

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I think you are doing the best you can since objective specs are not available. Whipping a graphite rod through the air will provide no information. Really big butt diameters for the length of the blank usually indicate a magbass or extra-fast action, but not infallible. If the store has a carpeted floor you can gain a little info on power and action by flexing the blank with the tip on the floor. The most accurate info on most rods and blanks, I believe, is the lure weight recommended. If you eliminate from consideration blanks well outside your target blanks, then you have a chance of evaluating power and action from the methods you intend to use and adding flexing against the floor.

But it's at best a crap shoot.

Only by testing blanks side by side for CCS data will you get a true and accurate comparisons.

If you built your own CCS rig and the source would accept returns, you could cull their blanks as you now are, take some home, return the ones that didn't fit your requirements.

I test every blank I get on my CCS rig. Power and action angle, not frequency. Really helpful to have the data. Some brands do give data, Quickline, Point Blank, and some will, on request, provide it.

Larry,
If you have truly found the "Magic" blank, then by all means run the CCS and keep repeating the same thing. I had gotten in a groove a few years back looking for that same repeatable formula and then it occurred to me that maybe I was stuck and by not trying different things I was missing something. So I started thinking outside my box and trying different guide configurations, spacing, blanks...everything. It fundamentally changed the way I build rods. Don't be afraid to experiment and try different things; you just might find something better.
Lance