Spin-casters get to choose between monofilament and braided lines. Should the choice of using nylon monofilament or gelspun braid make any difference in which guides to recommend?

Sizes perhaps, guide brand and types most generally no.

.......

I don't recommend aluminum oxide for braid. I use the duralite or the nanolite microwave guides with great results. I primarily use braid.

I never had any issues with running guidess. The only issue I have had is with tip tops, I haven't had a problem since I switched to Fuji SIC tips. I recommend SIC or equivalent for a tip top.

Braid and Fluoro are my go to lines.

Have Fun

I have had the same experience as John D, never a grooving problem with running guides, but yes on cheaper tip tops. Almost lways use Fuji SIC now.

X3, Fuji SIC.

John, Michael and Lance,
Is Fuji’s SiC that much better than Alconite?

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

Mark

I have never used Alconite tips, so I can not offer any comments, however, I have used Alconite for running guides without issue.

I started out using aluminum oxide then switched to SIC and never looked back.

John

Thanks for the reply, John. It is safe to say most would agree that the tip top will be more susceptible to punishment from the line (and what’s in the water) than any of the guides. After reading your and the other two statements on utilizing SiC for your tip tops, I looked at the Fuji MN Alconite tip top on my Calico rod (with a minimum of 400 hours of nearshore fishing on it) under the best magnification I have (10X) and do not see even any dullness on the ring. Please do not get me wrong, SiC (especially micro grain) is just about the hardest and most polishable of materials available and its heat-dissipation qualities may be better than any other. The trade-off is, as with most things, the harder / stiffer a material is, the more brittle it becomes and I have heard of simply dropping a rod can fracture a SiC ring, hence my use of Alconite. I am certainly NOT saying you are wrong or trying to change your mind; SiC has been the “gold-standard” for ring inserts for a very long time. Being the cheap bastard I am though, I’ll stick to Alconite.

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

I probably would be using Alconite but circumstance made me jump to SIC.. When I cut my first groove I was devastated because it was my go to rod and my mind set went into high gear, This is never going to happen again, no time for experimenting I made the quantum jump to SIC, the top if the line at that time..

I agree that SIC may be more vulnerable to cracking but that event decreases as the ring size gets smaller, so a size 5 tip ring is so compact the force required to break it would be so great that i think other parts of the rod would suffer damage first.

After observing your work and equipment, I don't think of you as cheap, I think of you as thrifty.


Always a pleasure

John


.

John,
Your point on smaller ceramic rings is well received and accepted. If you /anyone experience grooving problems with SiC, then there are much more emanate issues with which to deal and solve.

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