What guides are there that compare in hardness to Sic guides? I've been trying to figure out if there's a line to compare or not. I know there are titanium framed guides that are lighter, but I'm unsure about the rings.

Any help would be appreciated.

AC
FishinFreaks
Rogers, MN

Check out the gold cermet, as hard, or harder, as smooth, or smoother, and for sure more expensive. Get me a set while you're at it.

Those would be Fuji guides, and they are in titanium frames. They are supposed to be the lightest guides available from Fuji.

Check out this site [rodcomponents.koolhost.com]

Bill - willierods.com

Cermets are actually softer than SICs.

Mo

Mo, this is from the Fuji website, "The very latest in ceramic technology, Gold Cermet guides and tips continue to be an innovation in the field. This dynamic material provides a non-corrosive, gold ceramic ring that features the hardness of ceramic and the durability of titanium. This combination produces a hardness that rivals Silicon Carbide, while remaining lighter and thinner than SiC or any other ring material. Add Fuji's diamond polishing and the Gold Cermet ring boasts a finish that?s twice as smooth as the SiC ring."

The term "rivals" would indicate that it may be close, but isn't likely to be quite as hard as the SIC material It would certainly be lighter, however.

I think you'll have to go to something like the old carboloy guides to get that type of hardness and then you'll talking about a lot more weight.

..............

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 because it is closer to SiC in hardness, it can be polished extremely smooth, it’s more economical, and is more durable allowing a reduction in material mass without sacrificing strength. We use it across the board on all our Ring Lock guides which includes both stainless and solid titanium frames in freshwater, inshore, & saltwater/offshore styles. I fail to see where the more expensive SiC inserts can offer anything that the Nanolite’s cannot. It’s our opinion that you should not pay more when you do not get more. Using costly SiC and adding sizing/strength restrictions didn’t make sense for us so Nanolite turned out to be our perfect insert and answer to every premium quality need.

I hope you give them a chance and consider them for a build.

Best Regards,

Darrin Heim
American Tackle Company