Spinning Guides

[jlang95]

What kind of spinning guides do you guys prefer? I’ll be building a Batson RX10 ETES-68MXF and this will be the first spinning rod I’ve built. On my casting rods I always used AT Ti-Forged guides and liked them but I’m thinking about stepping up my rod game and going with Fujis. Trying to decide if the Titanium guides are worth it over the CC guides and then debating on SiC vs Torzite. What are your guys thoughts?

[setsail26]

I would go Fuji titanium SIC on a blank like that. I can tell the weight difference between corrosion control and titanium on a light blank. I don't see much advantage to torzite unless you feel the need to have the best. I would do a KR setup with KL-H 20, KL-H 10, and KL 5.5M for a reduction train and then whatever size runners you like (usually 4.5 for me). I built an RX10 ETES72MF
with the guides I suggested and really like it.

[jlang95]

My plan was a KL-H 16, KL-H 8 and then a KL 5.5M. I’m just having a hard time finding those matching with colors and rings and also being in stock lmao.

[Mattman]

Fuji TiSiC's are a staple for me. The weight reduction is very impressive. Very corrosion free.

I struggle with the Torzites from a cost standpoint. For the big jump in price, I would expect a ceramic that out performs SiC in every category, but that's not the case. Same thing back 15 or 20 years ago with the titanium framed Gold Cermet. Very expensive guides that had their place but didn't out perform SiC in every category.

[jlang95]

Fuji TiSiC's are a staple for me. The weight reduction is very impressive. Very corrosion free.

I struggle with the Torzites from a cost standpoint. For the big jump in price, I would expect a ceramic that out performs SiC in every category, but that's not the case. Same thing back 15 or 20 years ago with the titanium framed Gold Cermet. Very expensive guides that had their place but didn't out perform SiC in every category.

It sounds like that’s what I’ll end up going with, I knew the TiSiCs were proven. Why’s your typical guide train look like for a 7’ish spinning rod look like Mattman?

[setsail26]

Your guide plan starting with a 16 is fine with light braid. More than ten pound braid, mono, or fluoro I would start with a 20. My favorite rod building supplier is voodoo rods. I suspect they will have what you want.

[Mattman]

Why’s your typical guide train look like for a 7’ish spinning rod look like Mattman?

For most freshwater set ups that aren't at the ultra light end or the heavy swimbait end, not counting the tiptop... 25, 16, 10, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5.

[RGMatt]

Why’s your typical guide train look like for a 7’ish spinning rod look like Mattman?

For most freshwater set ups that aren't at the ultra light end or the heavy swimbait end, not counting the tiptop... 25, 16, 10, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5.

Matt
Everyone seems to have jumped on the KRh guide system these days. Sounds like you still like the 27x method. Dont get me wrong its proven and flat out works. Would like to hear your thoughts on one vs the other
TIA
Matt

[jlang95]

Why’s your typical guide train look like for a 7’ish spinning rod look like Mattman?

For most freshwater set ups that aren't at the ultra light end or the heavy swimbait end, not counting the tiptop... 25, 16, 10, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5.

Matt
Everyone seems to have jumped on the KRh guide system these days. Sounds like you still like the 27x method. Dont get me wrong its proven and flat out works. Would like to hear your thoughts on one vs the other
TIA
Matt

What’s the 27x method?

[RGMatt]

https://www.rodbuilding.org/read.php?2,393151
theres a link in the above thread

its a method of finding the choke guide placement when using the original fuji New Guide Concept. Take your spool dia. and multiply by 27 = choke guide(first running guide) placement from the spool lip.

[Mattman]

Matt
Everyone seems to have jumped on the KRh guide system these days. Sounds like you still like the 27x method. Dont get me wrong its proven and flat out works. Would like to hear your thoughts on one vs the other
TIA
Matt

Well, this is going to probably be a little lack-luster of an answer, but I don’t really jump on the “what’s new” bandwagon. I take a look at that sort of stuff and examine it a bit. But I rarely feel I need to make some immediate drastic change. And, unfortunately, I tend to view some of these things as strictly a marketing ploy to sell something.



When learning to spiral wrap, 25 years ago, I most like the Roberts Wrap method. However, I wound up doing my own tweak on that to get what I felt was best. At some point the Bumper method came out. I looked at it and messed with it a bit, but I just didn’t like that hard transition. I couldn’t see any benefit to it and my head was telling me that, if anything, you could wind up with some degradation in performance. And I still use my modified Roberts Wrap to this day.



Shortly after I started building rods the NGC method was introduced, replacing the Cone Of Flight method. I looked at it and played with it and liked it. But, I did my own play on it that made more sense to me. The NGC had a high frame choke guide that was the same diameter as the low frame running choke guides. And finally the running guides. I really felt that the high frame choke guide was completely unnecessary and I decided to pull that out of the mix. So, I’ve always been doing something between the KR Rapid Choke and the NGC. I tend to not like the rapid transitions in any method and I’m not in love with the transition in the KR. I tend to like my reduction train which was based on guide ring diameters relations to each other.



Anyway, this long winded rambling is really meant to illustrate that I look at what’s going on and I will base my methods on some theory out there, but I rarely follow it to the letter. If I see something I don’t like or doesn’t make sense or prove out in my testing, I just don’t use it. Or potentially I will modify it.

[MikeK]

Consider Seaguide tangle free . . .
Titanium frame with silicon nitrides rings
Reduction guides are slightly lighter than Fuji
TiXOHRSG 20
TiXOHRSG 10
TiXOLRSG 6
TiXORSGN 5.5

American Rodbuilders Warehouse is distributor.

[RGMatt]

Thx for sharing Matt
yeah seems like theres always some new latest greatest system. I know the rods ive built using similar reduction guides to what you suggest cast great. I did one with the standard K guides in 25/16/10 and that setup worked great too. setup like the NGC.

I have a few Kr sets in 16/8/5.5 to play with but IDK if im sold on that setup yet. maybe for my last xmg50 lsj781 spinjig blank ill use em with smaller reels. but i think ill be ordering some 20 and 10 Kr-h for the ML and M blanks.

MikeK.
thanks for sharing your seaguide setup. tjeir guides looks nice too and at a good price.

[RMCatchNrelease]

I just ordered KR 20h, 10h , 6M , 5.5kb , 5kt set for an NFC build.

The 20H ring is smaller than I was expecting. It is much smaller than the guides on the expride 610ML.

I know most folks go straight to smallest runners but I like the step down look to my eye.

First spinning build. Usually go 10,6,5.5,5 on casting set-ups.

[Bronzeye]

I struggle with the Torzites from a cost standpoint. For the big jump in price, I would expect a ceramic that out performs SiC in every category, but that's not the case.

In what category/ies do SIC guides outperform Torzites?