# stainless steel guides?



## Guest (Oct 27, 2014)

good, bad? all of my rods have either ceramic or aluminum oxide inserts. i picked up a fenwick eagle today and couldn't get over the lightness. i won't buy until i hear some ideas on them.

thanks for any input.


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## SConner (Mar 3, 2007)

I have a Fenwick Eagle spinning rod and have had no issues what so ever. Seems to cast same distance as comparable rods with ceramic inserts, have had no problem with line cutting grooves in tip guide and they are a bit lighter. What concerns do you have?


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## polebender (Oct 29, 2011)

I have one also. Great rod! The stainless steel guides are great for the braids, but are just as good with other lines.


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

id rather have the SS ones, ive seen several ceramic inserts pop out before. i have a trolling rod right now i dont use because the insert keeps popping out even after i glue it back in. i gotta replace the guide someday too


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## Guest (Oct 27, 2014)

thanks, guys. sconner, my only concern is that i know nothing about them. i can't get over how light they make a rod. it's got to be a joy to cast. think i'll go up and look at them one more time. they'd make a sweet panfish rod.


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

If they are super polished I'd say they'll probably do just fine.

*Edit. Can I retract this statement? lol. If using braid, I'd say I wouldn't recommend using SS guide inserts.


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## Guest (Oct 27, 2014)

mb, how can i tell? the description is ss guides with ss inserts. i understand the eagle is fenwick's cheaper line, but they've always had a pretty good reputation. that being said, i use mostly st. croix premiers or avids. i was just shocked at how little these weighed and how they seemed to fit my hand.


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

stormfront said:


> mb, how can i tell? the description is ss guides with ss inserts. i understand the eagle is fenwick's cheaper line, but they've always had a pretty good reputation. that being said, i use mostly st. croix premiers or avids. i was just shocked at how little these weighed and how they seemed to fit my hand.


I'd say just take a good look at it. Feel them. Should be able to tell how smooth they are. All I know is going from a Berkley Amp rod with SS guides to a high end G. Loomis rod with Alconite or Zirconium guides, I could definitely see the difference in how long it takes the braid to get "fuzzy". Like bigtime. At least twice as fast I'd say. I won't use SS on a spinning or casting setup anymore with braid.

Annnd with a little more research, I uncovered this discussion online. These guys are tralking about the line/dirt cutting grooves in the guides..

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/35367-using-braid-with-berkley-amp/




> Most Berkley and Fenwick rods have guides with stainless inserts. I recently replaced the tip on a Fenwick for someone. It had 9 grooves in it. They use braid alot.
> 
> It's not actually the braided line that cuts the guide. The culprit is the dirt and sediment from the water that gets deposited in the pores/weave of the line over time. Dirty mono will do the same thing, just not to the same degree. Braid will NEVER cut ceramic guides, even the cheapest ones.
> 
> I'd use the braid for a while and keep on eye on the tip. Once it starts showing signs of wear, have it replaced with a Fuji Alconite. You'll never have any problems after that.


And then this little nugget:


> FWIW, when Berkley decided to build a rod specifically for use with braided lines (Lightning Rod Shock), they used aluminum oxide guides instead of the SS304 guides they use on ALL of their other rods. What does that say about the durability of their SS304 guides?


I just didn't like how rough it was on my line. I hadn't considered it cutting grooves in my guides. Ceramic you won't have to worry about it.


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

I have had some cheaper rods with stainless guides that I liked and used a lot. I imagine some use better steel than the others. They are definitely going to be a lot more durable than ceramic guides which can chip, or totally break and fall out.


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

More opinions. Some pretty interesting 

Casting and durablity tests for ceramic vs stainless guides??

Never had an issue with a guide insert popping out, chipping or anything like that. Stainless would take a gouge just as well as ceramic takes a chip? I'm guessing a lot of that has to do with misuse or abuse anyhow. Once it's stepped on, all bets are off lol.. I've seen enough evidence of SS getting grooved and my own experience to make me not want to even mess with em. You wont find many(ANY??) high end rods with SS inserts I can tell you that much.


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## Guest (Oct 27, 2014)

mb, thanks for doing my legwork. it's much appreciated. i strictly use trilene mono these days and am quite comfortable doing it, so braid won't be an issue.


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

stormfront said:


> mb, thanks for doing my legwork. it's much appreciated. i strictly use trilene mono these days and am quite comfortable doing it, so braid won't be an issue.


Glad I could help.


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## James F (Jul 2, 2005)

As a welder/steelworker in a specialty steel mill.I can honestly say that even High end stainless steel is mostly for corrosion resistance. This is actually a softer steel, more suited to support an insert.I have two Fenwick rods with stainless guides, and both the tip and second guides have grooves worn in them.Dirt and heat can make a huge difference when working with stainless.It turns into a gummy mess when stressed. This can be a factor when fighting a fish, not the casting. And when you hear about some of the coatings like Titanium and others, this is also for corrosion resistance and not strength.These materials as solids/one piece are extremely expensive and labor intensive to manufacture.


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## Guest (Oct 28, 2014)

i've sure learned a lot today. you guys all rock. thanks for all the input.


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## kritterkare (Jul 30, 2014)

I would not be afraid of these guides though I have had tip guides wear about all the way through and needing replaced on fly rods. I would bet the lightness you feel is the technology of the rod blanks. Graphit if that is what is used on those rods has been evolving for years with weight going down and strength going up. 
Be sure to check out the different actions they offer if they offer med, med/fast and fast actions for the fishing you will do most.


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## Guest (Oct 28, 2014)

on this model, the economy model in the fenwick line, the guides are used to reduce the weight as opposed to the blank technology. 

truth be told, i was buying rods long before graphite rods hit the market and have been impressed with their evolution. that being said, the better models in most lines seem to have other than ss guides.

in my rod racks, i have ul, lite, ml and med power rods. i specifically buy rods for different applications, different species. if i have one vice left in my older age, it's fishing rods....lol


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## kritterkare (Jul 30, 2014)

Yep I would be happy to get a new rod or two every year and I can spend hours looking at brochures comparing rods. I mainly fly fish and find many rod lines use cheaper components to make more affordable rods and I have had ceramic and titanium guide eyes come out as well as have titanium tips wear so I can not see steel guides being any better or worse.
I got a top of the line Orvis flyrod on a trade up that retails for 700.00 on up, a 6wt. which is a midweight rod and is a silly 2.6 oz and bigger game rods at under 5oz. The original Helios had people breaking rods on fish cause they tried to shave off too much on the blank weight and for me even though the technology is amazing the pricetag is less then inspiring but the rod technology does trickle down. 
You just might find this Fenwick model to be your next favorite rod as I would not see the guides being an issue, I remember when my brother got a new lightweight Berkley rod and he is still quite happy with it, it added a good 10' to his cast with less effort once he got the line right.


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