I’m getting ready to build on a Point Blank 7’6 HM blank that I just bought from the Get Bit Outdoors sale (happy birthday McKenzie). I’ll use it in both freshwater and saltwater. In considering guides, I’ve never tried black-stainless guides in saltwater. Does anyone know how they compare in corrosion resistance to polished stainless? Thank you.

I have always felt they were better for the salt. Can't say I did any controlled experiments though.

I generally go with Fuji but on some of my saltwater builds I do use a guide with a 316 stainless frame which should be the next best to titanium. I also felt the zirconium inserts were a step up from alconite. Be prepared to do more fitting though....bending legs and grinding feet. Might be much better now as that was a few years ago.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

The problem I found is the dark Blue / Black dz wears off in time then you have black frames with bright metal showing so I just stick with bare metal just a TIDBIT., [ wear's off by line rub ]

William Sidney
AK

For six decades thoroughly rinsing rods with fresh water immediately after every fishing trip in the salt has kept my rods and reels corrosion free after use in salt water - except for a couple of times when I forgot to rinse a rod or stored it in a rod bag soaked in salt water.

Very good advice, Phil.

I only had corrosion problems when I started wrapping and used Fuji Hardloy's back in the med 80's. Since then I use mostly Titanium frames when i wrap for myself. The few rods that have stainless frames have little to no corrosion because I always rinse and wipe down my rods. Rods I've purchased that have black frames usually show the silver under the black after several years of use. My rods have rod bags.

Thank’s everyone. I’m probably going to go with polished stainless. My last couple of builds were with titanium/torzite, but this seems like such a beefy blank to benefit from the lower weight of those much more costly guides.