[Tom Benson]

       Advice please...
                                          I have a Dan Five Rivers rod blank , that I fitted a Maniform handle . Had it years. Just noticed
                                          that one of the competitors in the Estonia Fly Casting Tournament last week was using the same
                                          rod / blank. Any opinions on having it ringed.....
                                          Tom

[Rob Brownfield]

        Any opinions on having it ringed.....

It will most certainly help

Forget snakes, use Fuji titanium SiC or Torzites single leg with a K-series stripper. All far lighter than snakes and super slick to let the line fly on the shoot.

http://www.guidesnblanks.com/product/6711/category/259

[Munro Reid]

I built a 9ft 5wt a few years ago.
They make lovely rods

Munro

[Tom Benson]

                Hi Munro........ Have in the last few weeks bought a Sage , TCR & TCX ..... 9' 5 wt  rods , from members of this Parish 
                                                 And a very happy bunny I am  ........ still have the Dan blank ( which I added a Maniform handle ) &
                                                  also a Harrison 9' 5wt. to which I fitted a Full Wells etc...... your post , hopefully , might energise me to
                                                 ring them oop!        Tom
.   

[Munro Reid]

I liked the TCR more than my TCX which i have since moved on.

The Dan Craft Five rivers blank is a lovely fast action blank, you will be just as happy with that rod as you will be with your Sage rods at a fraction of the price and double the satisfaction landing fish on the rod you have built yourself. 

[Marc Fauvet]

Forget snakes, use Fuji titanium SiC or Torzites single leg with a K-series stripper. All far lighter than snakes and super slick to let the line fly on the shoot.

Hamish, i'm really interested in these but i'm not finding weight comparison charts. any help ? 

[Hamish Young]

Hamish Sandy, i'm really interested in these but i'm not finding weight comparison charts. any help ? 

Thought I'd help you out there Marc 

[Marc Fauvet]

it turns out it was Rob's post.... double HA ! on both of us 

anyhow, sorry Rob, i'm not sure how that happened... 😂

[Rob Brownfield]

Ben did all the weight comparisons when he was building his casting rods...he should be able to help.

Although there is a focus on weight, something worth considering is that a Torzite lining is around 400 times "slippier" than SiC and around 17000 times slipper than a wire guide.  (Source rodbuilding.org). The shoot you get is as friction free as you will be able to achieve with current materials.

If you add in the K-series cranked stripping guide, you get far better transition from the coils of line on the ground up into the first guide.

On a 5 weight rod purely for casting, I think I would be looking at a combinations of guides with PacBay minimas on the top half, Torzites on the bottom.

7 weight and above, Torzite all the way.

[Marc Fauvet]

cheers Rob. i'll see if Ben's still alive... 

slippery line flow with its resultant ease of casting is my interest. it makes the whole casting and presenting process much smoother and more precise, things that any fisher can benefit from. its not just about shooting and distance casting but also of hauling: one way or the other line is constantly going back and forth through rod rings and the easier it does it the better.
what really opened my eyes to this was when i cast a fly line through a Sic lined spinning rod years ago.
one has to do this to understand just how f'n amazing it is.

first try i'll do is with the tip-tops as that's where line bend is most pronounced and friction is highest.
cheers,
marc

[Rob Brownfield]

first try i'll do is with the tip-tops as that's where line bend is most pronounced and friction is highest.

..and I would add the K series butt guide also helps with hauling...the angle reducing drag/friction.

I have been using SiCs on rods for some 20 years, but the Torzites are so much more slick.

Actions speak louder  than words.... http://www.simplemarket.info/demo/bsyoutubeapipro/video/jQ1tNeLsjkk/fuji-torzite-demonstration-part-8.html

Torzite is around 40-44% lighter than the equivalent Sic, but being thinner, you can go down a size and still have a large enough aperture.

If only the price was acceptable!

[Marc Fauvet]

..and I would add the K series butt guide also helps with hauling...the angle reducing drag/friction.
yeah, but that involves more work...  i don't have any rod building tools and stuff or the proper place to do this (yet) so i'll try the tiptop first, that's just a simple remove the old and glue on the new, something even i can  do. 

Actions speak louder  than words.... http://www.simplemarket.info/demo/bsyoutubeapipro/video/jQ1tNeLsjkk/fuji-torzite-demonstration-part-8.html
i've seen that. amazing !

Torzite is around 40-44% lighter than the equivalent Sic, but being thinner, you can go down a size and still have a large enough aperture.
yup ! a good friend that's been using all-Sic for years also recommends skipping a guide (say, 9 rings total instead of 10)

If only the price was acceptable!
agree, but i see it as something along these lines: wouldn't put cheap tyres on a high-end sports car so.... besides, these tyres won't wear out 

thanks again,
marc