I am planning my next build and am considering one of the ultra thin rings available, among them Fuji's Torzite, SeaGuide's RSol, and American Tackle's Pentalite. SeaGuide's RSol ring is silicon nitride, and someone told me in a private email that Fuji's Torzite ring is also made of silicon nitride. Is Pentalite this same material too? Any sense how these ring materials compare to one another in smoothness and durability?

I am currently leaning towards SeaGuide's RSol ring because I can get it on a stainless steel frame, which reduces its cost considerably. The guide train I plan on using is 16-8-5 to 4 or 4.5 runners and a 4 or 4.5 tiptop. As intriguing as SeaGuide's product is to me right now, I am having trouble finding a place that stocks their RSol tiptops with a 4 or 4.5 ring. Anyone know where I can get this?

Thanks for thoughts and comments!

Have used both the Fuji Torzite, and the SeaGuide RS guides, both are excellent, and the SeaGuide guides are less expensive. Have not used the AT Pentalite guides so I know very little about them except they only come with a titanium frame and are a similar in style to both Fuji and SeaGuide guides. If you are planning on using the SeaGuide XOHG guides in a KR-like build, it should be noted that SeaGuide does not have size 8H XOHG, which precludes using a size 16H based reduction train.
Rod Builders Warehouse sells all the SeaGuide products, if they don't have what want contact them, I'm sure they will get it for you.

Why would their lack of an 8H SeaGuide preclude using the 16H to start the reduction train?

The KR concept is based on height groupings of the reduction train for various reels and lines. The sizes and heights of the reduction guides have been engineered to allow the guides to form ”groups” that will automatically space themselves along the blank at the right interval and right height for certain reels, lines and actions. The size 16H stripper is aways paired with a size 8H second reduction guide, a size 20H is aways paired with a 10H, and a size 25H is paired with a 12H. In most cases, the third reduction guide is a 5.5M for all of them, however it can vary depending on the reel and line used and also on the length of the rod. The Fuji KL-H and KL-M guides and SeaGuide XOH and XOM guides are very similar in heights, thus it is possible to use the SeaGuide XO20HG and XO25HG guides in a KR-like concept, but the XO16HG does have a XO8HG to pair with for a true KR concept. I guess you could jury rig together a reduction train but it will not be a KR concept.
[anglersresource.net]
Norm

If this is to be a spinning rod, let the line path dictate your guide sizes. Don't pre-determine them and then force the line to conform to that.


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...I mostly use Torzite for my projects.
Especially the color of the T2 frame.
And I claim that it is the best ceramics I have had.
Besides, the FUJI workmanship is the best and there is no problem with the selection for the KR system

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Distributor of luxury Japanese blanks, FUJI guides.
SUZUKI BLANKS, Carefully made in Tokyo, Japan

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Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/2020 03:17AM by Robert Drabik.