Hi guys, Thank you Mike, Mike, Rick, Bill & Timothy for the comments. Joe, I didn’t think you were saying they were junk so I wasn’t taking offense. It’s a good question and wanted to hear what people think but I jumped in since I appreciate addressing the subject and talking about our stuff. Hope all you guys have as good luck as I have had with these blanks. I realize that all blan
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Hi Joe, I have been waiting for the opinions,,,,,,,,seems like a very reasonable question to me,,,,, okay, now I have to throw my comments in. True, they are economically priced however if we thought they were junk we wouldn’t offer them and certainly wouldn’t warranty them. Over the years I have used Trulines, Sabres, Seekers, Cal Stars, etc. and have quite the collection of E-glass,
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Hi Aaron, I am sorry for your loss.... My professional opinion is that you should buy a couple more to replace the the loss, then add a few more to the order in anticipation of this occuring again. Hate when this happens, my kids always seem to walk in while I am on my belly looking accross the floor. The dogs like it too, think I am trying to play with them, with profanity included. (I l
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Thanks Steve, Tom actually made the best point in his comment, "If your rod is "snapping to the left or right sharply" then something is pulling it in that direction. It simply isn't going to move in that direction when your spinnerbait is pulling from another direction about not ". That comment and his question would lead me to believe there is something else wrong
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Corrections/Additions, I received some emails regarding my comments on setting up the build. I rambled on and wasn't clear. Rather then answer them individaully I thought maybe I can elaborate further. We always tried to spine the blank first and foremost before any manipulation to build a "straight rod". Often there are more then one spine and we would pick the strongest or the
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Hi, My opinion is, you just make a straight rod. I use a lot of seconds or prototypes in my builds and they are rarely straight. Most blanks are rarely straight. Might seem odd but I am a very visual fisher in that I like to watch the bend in the rod more then landing the fish. Fish are great but nothing beats a loaded rod. The fact is, unless it’s a heavy rod I don’t notice it’s off spi
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Hi Steve, The Titan Ring Lock A-Frames are not currently in stock but should be here in the coming months. We did an entire redesign to reduce weight further and increase durability. They may look slightly different then the standard Ring Lock A-Frame but they will have all the notable attributes making them the most advanced single foot guide out there. We will try to post a “now in stockâ€
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Another excellent Rodbuilding weekend! A huge thank you to Kendra, Vanessa, Josh and all of Lamiglas for hosting. I enjoyed seeing all the familiar faces along with meeting many new first-time builders. And as always, I appreciate the chance to connect with builders directly to talk about our products and potential new offerings. The event was certainly well attended and well executed, I
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Hi Guys, I just received this info from Todd Vivian, boy that guy is always on the details...... lucky for me. Thank you Todd! These guides are absolutely the most advanced Micros yet! They are the NEW "Ring Lock" Micro guides which offer, - Ring Lock frame system securing rings in the frames - Recessed ring design protecting rings from impact - Foot-Lock feature t
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Just promotion here not necessarily a responsibility for a win. Unless of course this angler can say that he cast further or his enhanced line control with Micros contributed to his fish. I guess maybe even lures can have a hard time claiming success since maybe the angler had the right speed for said lure or maybe he didn’t but a starving fish fresh off a bed might have eaten a moving stick ju
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Hi Aaron, I am not sure if you are talking only Fuji here and if so, I apologize for stepping in. I think my response would really depend on what you require from an insert as well as the rod build or even the desired guide style. I mentioned below in an earlier post that we did extensive research to find the perfect ring for our new Ring Lock guides. We chose Nanolite for our primary ring
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Hi Christopher, Fuji Cermets are certainly nice looking guides. I am not sure what quality requirements you need but our GNIA’s will never corrode since the frames are comprised of light-weight solid titanium and feature added bracing to enhance strength. I don’t see what Gold Cermets can offer other then a higher price tag that our Titan frame PVD coated Nanolite ring guides can’t. Spen
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Hi Will, Alconite is a fine insert indeed and so are many other high-grade aluminum oxides that all seem to be in the similar price range. Typically all are very smooth and will serve their purpose without negative effects. For new Ring Lock guides, we did extensive research to come out with something better the Alconite and after visiting with ceramic ring factories we realized that there wer
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Hi Josh, Although the American Tackle Company has always been referred to as ATC, the blank manufacturer named Advanced Tubular Composites called itself ATC for short. Obviously we are two entirely different entities but we both offered blanks. As stated, the Advanced Tubular Composite company is no longer in business but the American Tackle Company remains offering world class components an
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Hi Brian, You know I am going to say I love the Titan Ring Lock guides and I certainly use them. The prices are different then Fuji but you don’t sacrifice a thing. The Nanolite inserts are every bit as good as SiC and the frames offer corrosion protection, lighter weight, flexibility, and design features that enhance durability and function. We also have a complete guide series ranging from
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Hi Ken, Sounds like good info above. I agree with the top receiving the bulk of the friction. The rest of the guides’ friction might depend on the type of rod made or the style of fishing employed. Larger fish taking drag, larger reels rubbing on the stripper guide, a slightly deflected tip-section loaded while retrieving a lure etc. Once loaded in the case of a fish the rest of the guides w
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Hi Jay, My plug will be for American Tackle guides of course. If it were me I would go with our new single foot "Ring Lock A-Frame" guides. They feature our Ring Lock frames with either Duralite or Nanolite rings. I prefer our Nanolite inserts which provide an extremely smooth hard surface will hold up to any braid or mono out there. The frames offer other great features such as:
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Hi Buzz, I am not sure on the exact price range you require but I would suggest looking at our HM Classic Series, they are awesome blanks. They range from the upper $40 to lower $50. Look at the ACMB782 which is rated 1/4 - 5/8 oz. or even the 783 which is 1/4 - 3/4 oz. Another possibility would be the ACCB783 for a bit slower action but still rated 1/4 - 5/8 oz. They have the perfect blend of
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Hi Richard, I’ll bet you can guess what guides I would use……. Well if you are still wondering, I would go with the Titan Ring Locks. I am sure the others are fine but the Ring Locks offer solid titanium frames with outstanding Nanolite inserts which reduce mass/weight, add impact resistance, and are braid proof as well. They cost more then the stainless frames mentioned but they are c
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Hi Phil, Not taking time to consult with material experts or blank engineers and with no technical spec comparisons to offer, I’ll give a quick from-the-hip response. I would point out that S-Glass is an entirely different weave then our Tex material. Texalium uses a 3K twill pattern woven glass that is aluminum powder coated. Both can seem to have somewhat more responsive recovery chara
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Hi Phil, Interesting question and comments. I am always curious to see what people view as innovative and distinctive. Personally I wonder myself what constitutes true ”innovation”? While considering possible answers I always fall back to our company’s personal experience. With creative partners, we have many ideas that are quite unique and seemingly revolutionary. In the end we have to
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Hi Brad, I vary the lengths according to type of rod. I mean that I tend to use slightly longer lengths for heavier fiberglass/composite saltwater rods and shorter for graphite spin/casting etc. I also consider the diameter of the blank as well as the different guides being used. Foot lengths on most guide trains don't have a completely uniform reduction in the foot print per size. This means
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Nice looking guide. Interesting question, now I am curious and would like to know. These are my observations after a quick glance. 1. The black ring is shiny which could be Ti-Ox or AL-Ox, maybe even SiC. H & H's AL-Ox is dull and thinner. 2. The weld with silver solder over it is well done. Finely shaped with sufficient amounts material. Typically a bit more then on H & H frames. Mor
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Hi Sanford, I just have to put my plug in here. Over the last 3 decades, I have made many similar rods and used most every ring guide out there and I have never found anything better then our new "Titan Virtus Ringlock" guides. They are without a doubt in my mind, the best guides ever made and are ideal for the exact rods you are working on. The solid titanium frames are lighter
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Hi Alex, The A-Frame guides (NIA) are very close in height to the Fuji Y frames. I don't have the measurements available at the moment but I know they are very close. We don't offer a TLVSG version in titanium but will soon have the titanium Ringlock A-Frames available. The stainless versions of our Ringlock A-Frames have been out for a while now and they are absolutely the best single foo
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Hi Rick, I know you were probably looking for a non-affiliated opinion here but since none have been given thought I'd speak up. The two models are really different blanks from material to action & power. The SW will have more material and feel slightly heavier in power. The Viper has a faster tips with a mix blend of material which includes the woven Texalium. Preference would depend on t
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Hi Jeff, Although I am not sure where or exactly how you are fishing, I am building a couple of halibut rods right now. I will fish 80# braid with 24oz. to 32oz. leads, spreader bars etc. in 150-500 feet of water. I will also use the same rods for jigging and trolling with a downrigger with no leads spreader bars etc. (I will use lighter as well as 7' rods for shallow water and on downriggers)
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Hi Ted, Not a problem, I am not sure if we have updated the web site yet. Titanium NIRLVL = lite frame NIRLVH = heavy frame Stainless NCRLVL / NBRLVL = chrome / black lite frame NCRLVH / NBRLVH = chrome / black heavy frame Best Regards, Darrin
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Hi Ted, They are available right now and we are just waiting for your order! Seriously though, we do have them in stainless and titanium. I would go with the heavy frames for that blank. Best Regards, Darrin Heim American Tackle Company
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Hi Matt, Take a look at the new "Virtus" Ringlock guides as mentioned above. They are outstanding and I dare say the best guides made. The super durable frames protect the Nanolite rings which will hold up to any braid or mono. Available in stainless or solid titanium alloy, they are the ideal choice for sure. Although durable, the NFG's are a stiffer, longer foot-print, antiquat
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