For those of you who stock guides vs order to build, how many guides of each size do you typically keep? I am tired of ordering per build which has been almost biweekly lately. It also adds time to builds for procurement. At the same time I don't want to sink $1k into guide stock. Unless that is normal.

I would consider myself to be at the self sustaining hobby phase. In other words I don't do this as a full time job. I am on the Coosa chain and build mostly bass fishing rods. 90% of the time the orders are for casting rods. Typically build on Fuji sic or Fazelite unless otherwise specified.

I spent money originally on a complete guide set in all the guide types I knew I was going to use, and tested and built till I had guide systems laid out for the vast majority of my builds, never using those guides in a build. Once the systems were in place I had a feel for what and how many guides I needed on hand. I soon found out that I needed only a small stash of reduction guides which were pretty standardized by reel size groups and a bunch of running guides which were also standardized over a much wider array of all the reduction guide systems.

Aaron,
First of all, I am a low-volume builder and hence order my guides and tip tops per each build.That being said, once (or should I say “if”) you have determined the guide style, make and model of your builds, ordering the appropriate guides should be rather straightforward; a KT-5, for example, will fit just about any blank. However, ordering tip tops requires a larger array of tube sizes to accommodate different blank diameters unless you are building on the same blank each time, which I doubt you are. The amount you spend on inventory is really up to you and how many rods you actually build.
With the lengthy shipping times imposed upon us by a few suppliers, building-up an inventory can be a viable alternative. I only use shops which ship promptly = properly!!! Don’t forget that while time is money, that inventory costs money as well!

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

Thanks Mark and Spencer.

I was running some numbers and I think I am going to try stocking enough for four typical casting builds. This would be KW #8 qty 4, KB #6 qty 4, and KT #5 qty 50 to have extra for running guide repairs if needed. It makes more sense to order tip tops and other made to fit parts per build but stocking the guides will reduce backorder issues. I am having some right now with PKWSG8S from GetBit. Ordered early April and still not shipped.

Any idea how many guides one would need to order to get a nice discount?

I mean if you average 1.5 rods per week, and buying in lots of 1000 gets you 50%, off I'd spring for it.

I have no idea of wholesale vs retail pricing on guides. I know it is substantial on some brand of blanks.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Aaron,
Russel introduced an issue worth exploring = quantity discounts. If I could receive a 50% discount on guide orders of 100 pieces or more, I would most likely take advantage of it! However, that seems overly optimistic to me. If I were to purchase 1000 guides, half of them might become obsolete before getting around to actually employing them on builds lol. But one man’s ceiling is another man’s floor!

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

Order all the guides you can afford in the size for your most produced rod. Sometimes you can get them on sale in larger lots like when Fuji discontinued Ti frames and Alconite rings. They had them on sale everywhere and I stocked up on the sizes I use the most for my specific inshore builds. Tip tops can be bought for the specific blanks you use with the guide train used. I know what I build on and try to stay consistent.

Fewer the better.

Guide types, styles and materials change.

No need to be stuck with $$$$$$$$$$$$$ of obsolete guides down the road.

p.s.
Forecast your rod builds out a year to the best of your ability and stock to fill the years worth of guides. If you can't forecast out a year, then don't buy a years worth of guides because you likely won't use them up in that time.

Take care



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/2021 05:45PM by roger wilson.

Before ordering in big quantities, be confident that a technology change won't all of a sudden make your stock obsolete.