I have worked on all types of reels for years and I have to disagree with Shimano's aluminum gears being crappy . The higher end reels have a 'Cold Forged" aluminum drive gear and last years and years . Pinions are brass . Alan Hawk has written in depth articles on how exceptional Shimano's cold forged aluminum gearing is. It's the Penn spinners of the last decade or so that that had
Forum: rodboard

I'm one who will not use an extra guide unless absolutely needed and I got to say what I see is you should go with two more not just one more. I actually set up running guides with a little more of an angle than what your images show . Not a lot more of an angle but a little more meaning move the object that the line is tied to a little closer without moving the rod. Without knowing how stif
Forum: rodboard

It's much much simpler than it sounds , the below is really self explanatory . With that particular NFC blank and 7 foot length you will more than likely be settling for one of the below groups of transition guides. I don't concern myself with the running guides at all the static test will tell me where those go not some software program that has no idea how stiff or soft the blank I'm buildin
Forum: rodboard

I don't have ant Carbon 4 Rod Geeks models but I have made and sold a few Carbon 2 models and I really like how they perform . I agree about going with a longer rod for wading and casting , the absolute shortest I can tolerate is 7'6" but I much prefer 8 feet because it really makes a significant difference in casting ability and is still featherlight . If you can cast and are satisfied
Forum: rodboard

That guide train is almost exactly the size I use on my largest surf rods except the first two reduction guides are an RV 25 , RV 16 , KW10M , KB 5 and KT 5 runners . I virtually never use braid over 20 pound. If your wife plans on sticking to that Shimano 2500 reel with 10 pound braid your guide should be more along the lines of a 16 size first reduction or a 20 size ring as the largest if th
Forum: rodboard

With the Vanguard 3000 and 10 pound braid the 16 H is a great choice for the main reduction guide especially if you plan on sticking with 10 pound braid and that specific reel which I assume you will . Some prefer the next size up the 20 H and some even go as large as a 25 H but totally unnecessary . I always use 1 KB as the 'Choke' and the rest of the runners are KT on my spinning setup's. I u
Forum: rodboard

All my surf rods and inshore rods are X grip cord with shrink over the top, ( Some I switched to Winn Grip overwraps) and I have used glue at first but found it to be totally unnecessary. I initially sprayed the butt with an aerosol glue and then wrapped the cord , I then decided to apply a heavy amount of glue to a sponge and then pull the cord through the sponge and then apply but I found
Forum: rodboard

I have rods that I used Neon Yellow in regular nylon on and with two coats of Flex Coat color preserver they still look stunning even after heavy use.
Forum: rodboard

Ten pound lime green braid is what I use .......on my reels. For wraps I use rod wrapping thread but if had no other option I think most would use anything available in a pinch. Why would you even consider it , rod building thread is plenty strong.
Forum: rodboard

I have considered the Alps Rapid spin seats but I'm not willing to pay how much more they want for them than a Fuji DPSM or DPSD seat which I always use in the 18 MM size. I don't think ALPS lists the overall weight of the seats either which is what I always look for . They're very nice looking seats for sure. As far as the other manufacturers of graphite reel seats, most mimic Fuji's seats
Forum: rodboard

If you're using braid under a listed 15 pound stated rating it's extremely difficult to determine the best guide train layout for optimal performance . Light braid is so limp and forgiving that it will seem to cast extremely well even on bad guide layouts and that fact alone is the reason I always test layout's that I plan to use light braid on with heavier line which will reveal less than opt
Forum: rodboard

SPOTLIGHT ON MATERIALS | THE LOWDOWN ON GRAPHENE As a highly specialized and engineering-oriented blank manufacturer, we often get asked about materials, and what are truly the best fabrics for making blanks. A number of you have asked about graphene lately – here’s the lowdown. Graphene was the name given to a single layer of connected carbon atoms when they were first observed in the 1
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