Hey guys so I am going to be building my a new texas rig rod soon. I am deciding between a SCV blank or a Point Blank blank. I am pretty much going to choose based on the warranty. Do they both have limited lifetime warranties, or how long are the warranties the two companies offer? thanks!

It's best to read the warranties yourself, to much there for this forum. In essence neither company has a no fault warranty, neither will reimburse the cost of a rebuild or the components involved.

What is the difference between a SCV and a SCIII as far as fishablity. I like St Croix blanks but is the difference worth the extra cost? I have never used a SCV so that is the reason for the question. I have built several SCIII and they have been received very well. Thanks Phil

The SCV will have a higher stiffness to weight ratio than the SCIII, so it will feel a bit lighter and crisper in the hand. It will also tend to feel a little stiffer, model for model, but won't be. It's simply a matter of the lighter weight and quicker recovery in that regard.

The Point Blank model I received is also exceptionally light and "crisp" feeling. I would think it would compare more closely to the SCV than the SCIII.

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SCV is worth the extra money in my opinion, that is, assuming the rod you are building will be used for presentations where sensitivity is of utmost importance. i.e. i wouldnt use an SCV as a crankbait or topwater rod.

That said, the SCIII is a very sensitive rod as well but doesnt feel as crisp as Tom eludes to. As for my personal preference, I use either SCV or SCIII and skip the SCIV all together. I also use the lightest guides I can (typically REC Recoils) and that can make a big difference in the recovery adn sensitivity in my mind. Braided line can also make a big difference in feeling bites and somewhat levels the playing field between some rod blanks.

Nate has it right, IMHO. I don't use REC, but lighter the better.

I think the last thing I would consider when choosing blanks is the warranty. I shorten and strip all finish from my blanks, so the warranty becomes void anyway. As with anything else, there’s a cost associated with a warranty…….nothing is free….and I hate having to pay for it. Most reputable manufacturers offer a warranty to back up their product and I suppose it may give them incentive to have stringent process and inspection controls. I suspect in many cases, they’ll give the consumer the benefit of the doubt and honor their warranty. I would think that the more liberal the warranty, the more the cost is inherent in the selling price.

Most of the blanks I build on are SC5s because I’m not willing to compromise just to save a few bucks. I’ve also built on Batson RX8+ and Eternity blanks as well as several NFC HMs. I know there are many techniques where higher modulus may offer no advantage, but for me they have held up extremely well and given me proven performance.

It’s always tough to determine which brand offers the best blank because of the limited information available (not sure I’d understand it anyway)…..although no shortage of marketing hype.

I would guess because of the limited line-up of the Point Blanks, they chose to target the “middle of the market” ….so to speak. They probably produce a good product at a price that is competitive. Whether they are comparable to an SCV is questionable in my mind, and it may come down to what specific blank may be available for a particular need/purpose.

As I mentioned previously in another post, I have directly compared rods with the same ratings made on a point blank blank and a St Croix V blank and I have a hard time telling them apart as far as weight , sensitively, and overall feel. They are both excellent blanks and are very similar in cost. If I were to choose one over the other it would be hard but would probably choose the point blank, but not for feel or fishabilty but rather because it is unpainted. I like the natural black color, it lends itself to a lot of diiferent color thread wraps. Also if you want to change guides you do not have to worry about the paint coming off. On one of my St Croix V spin rods I wanted to try the Fuji KR guides and when I removed the old guides the finish came off with them. I wound up scraping the blank down and refinishing it. Looked good but I am sure I voided the warranty.
Norm

Norman,
I have to agree with you regarding unpainted blanks. Removing finish from blanks is a tedious job and not without some risk. I’ve also discovered that some blanks can fall into the category of “paint covers a multiple of sins” (Ha).

It’d be nice if the manufacturers that painted their blanks offered the option of no finish, but I guess the finish enables them to identify that a blank is theirs in a warranty situation.

I’ve also reconfigured several guide trains on rods, and having an unfinished blank only requires a quick buffing before reinstalling new guides.

I’m skeptical that Point Blanks would be comparable to the SCV lineup. I figure there’s a “good”, “better” and “best” and it seems doubtful that the Point Blanks would on the level of St Croixs SCVs….or Shimano’s NRX or GLX blanks. We have little or no factual info to base our speculations on, but I suspect that the Point Blanks fall in a niche slightly below the “top of the line”…..maybe close to a SCIV level. The pricing differential although considerable, doesn’t necessarily reflect a significantly better feeling rod. Going from “better” to “best” levels can get pricey with diminishing returns in actual performance.

Jim,
I suspect that one of the most telling way to measure the difference in blanks is to simply weigh the blank - of supposedly equal rods on a scale. (same power, same length and equal butt and tip size. )

Generally speaking, if the blank is higher quality and stronger, the general blank has thinner walls due to its inherent greater strength.

Good luck

That’s all true (up to a point)….and easy enough to do if you have all the requisite blanks on hand. There are other factors that can be measured such as stiffness to weight and others not so easily seen like layup materials and construction. I think it’d be fairly easy to determine a low dollar blank from a high dollar blank (for lack of better terminology), but not so easy for two “identical” top-of–the-line blanks from different manufacturers.