I use revolving spool reels for fishing bait and plugs in salt water. I use a topshot of monofilament over a PE braid backing. The mono seems to cast just as far as the gel-spun for practical purposes and I can usually untangle "wind knots" which occur in the monofilament I am casting. I'm usually reduced to cutting out wind knots in PE braid. The mono topshot also acts as a fuse: it will break before the gelspun backing and before the rod itself. There is a genuine risk of a fish breaking undamaged rod when you fish the ocean. Like all tools, there are different rods for different tasks.

Kent you are correct, both Spectra and Dyneema are brand names for PE fibers. I guess the point I was trying to get across is that all/most braided line is made from the same stuff and the problem with braid is that it’s difficult to know what you are getting due to marketing, thinnest vs strongest, and even though two different brands label their braid as having the same pound test they can be very different because there are no universal standards.
There is a fellow (aquaholik) at stripers online who has an ongoing tread concerning everything you need to know concerning braided line. He and his associates have tested a bunch of braided line brands and has the results listed in a public Dropbox link which is updated routinely, if anyone interested.
[www.dropbox.com]
Hopefully this link will come up ok.
Norm



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/05/2020 10:39AM by Norman Miller.

Thanks for posting that link Norm. I just checked it out.

I think it is a good idea that there are people trying to fill that data void on the braid line products, but there is a problem with it...

Because the plastics industry is changing all the time and the processes used to make the gel spun fibers is constantly changing, the resulting data is constantly changing as well. And we are also assuming that the sourced gel spun fibers are being made exactly the same year to year, but the sources could have variances we will never know about.

So a chart like that one has the name of a product and then the data for that product, one mentioned says 2016. Well it is now 2020 and suppose that same product is no longer made from the same fibers that this data was derived from? Or, made the same way?

The data on the chart is carved in stone, but the PE fibers in the industry are ever changing. And there is no way laymen can ever know what products are now different than when that data was created.

So there is a growing increasing degree of inaccuracy in a chart like that with each passing year as the plastics industry changes what is behind those brands and product names. There is no way they can or will be the same year after year.

A corvette today is not the same as a corvette from last year. And 4 years down the road, it is quite different. Same with braid lines. The plastics industry is constantly developing and improving hopefully.

And that data can change if the particular brand is not weaving it the same as they did before and there is always room for a flaw in the production process to create weak spots in the line which won't measure up to those stats from time to time.

Even the patented Dyneema and Spectra fiber processes can have varying results from factory to factory. So even that resulting data can not be counted on to remain consistent from year to year. Honesly, none of it can. It changes by the minute or a push of a button.

So while that data is interesting and attempting to fill a void, its practical use for me is quite limited indeed since the lines I buy are not on that chart. I often buy unbranded line in bulk simply marketed as PE line without the Dyneema or Spectra brand names on it. And I don't lose fish either unless I do something wrong like not retie often enough, or let the line get too frayed, or lose the fish in structure. So my point is I don't really see any significant difference in performance between the most expensive brand name braid lines and my cheap unbranded bulk line. I think by now the Chinese have it down very well and I appreciate the savings for this one product. I am not fond of paying 10 or 20 times the products' actual value just because it has some brand name on it. Being retired now on a fixed budget I had to find ways to get what I needed at prices I could afford.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/05/2020 11:24AM by Kent Griffith.

Kent, send in a sample and have aquaholic (Lee) test it. Benefits all of us just as CCS does.

While materials and processes evolve certain companies tend to do better at ensuring products meet their specifications. I believe it is worth supporting those companies.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Does your generic Chinese braid give any indication to its strength or diameter? If you are interested as to how it compares to other braids, I’m sure you could send a sample to aquaholik and have a it evaluated. I did notice that the chart has a generic Chinese 20# PE braid listed and it did not fare very well for strength vs weight. I tried a number of different braid brands and have been using J braid X8 recently and have found it to be sufficiently strong, casts very well and is relatively inexpensive compared to other brand name braids. A viable compromise for me. I also tried Hitena Air braid which is a 12 strand braid. It is quite strong and casts extremely well, but it’s major drawback is it’s expensive. I agree it’s hard to know what you like until you try it, but the braid chart is a good starting point.
Norm

I'm new to braid so I have been doing some research. Probably nothing compared to those of you that have been using braid for years.

FWIW I came to the conclusion that Daiwa decided to change the dynamics in the braid line market place. The J-braid line is, IMHO, a much better line for the price point than anything previously offered. Yo-Zuri has followed suit and is my current value choice.

While not offering a value price point line at this time Berkley offers a consistently good line across all their offerings. They are an example of what I was alluding to Kent.

Funny how some of the worst lines, like KastKing, have some of the highest ratings.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

The Yo-Zuri line appears to be very nice. I have not tried it yet, but I think it will be the next braid I buy. It has one of the highest strength to weight ratings among all the braids, and is quite thin so it should cast great.
Norm

Kent,
WOW!!! More than a wealth of information. Allow me to thank you for the entire RB.O membership.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

When you setup your guides, do you place the base of the guide (right where it turns up to the ring) or the outside face of the ring on the measurement GPS suggests?

I go by the location of the ring.