Sorry for the double post

Short answer...yes they do.

Longer answer...I use them and am very impressed with the castability and fishability. I have built a few rods with these guides and can say without a doubt they excellent guides, cast further and more accurately than conventional. I was a sceptic but now am a believer.

Full disclosure, I am a AT Prostaffer but I formed this opinion before that. I am not just drinking the Koolaid, I believe in these guides.

To answer your question Claude: YES they do. I am a custom rod builder and for the past year of so ALL of my rods feature the Microwave family. The line management system provides you longer casts with the same or less effort. As far as the casting sets, I haven't notice a marked increase in casting distance, but have had fewer backlashes especially when pitching or skipping. I have also done several "retro-fits" removing the factory guides and replacing them with Microwave sets. A couple of other posts mentioned salt water, I have customers that are using the Airwaves in salt water and have not heard of any issues. If you think about it, instead of having a ceramic ring in the guide the Airwave is stainless.



Dave Romano
DCR Customs
Wallingford, Connecticut
American Tackle Pro Staff
www.dcrcustomrods.com
sales@dcrcustomrods.com

Thanks for all the replies. Lot's of AT Pros on here. Next question, will the SS airwaves hold up to braid or would I be better off with a composite ring like in the Micros? Since these are popular among builders and have been out for 5 years, why do you not see rods in stores with them? I have yet to see one in Cabela's, Academy, Sportsman Warehouse, GM. Never saw a SC, Kistler, Cashion, G Loomis, 13,or any others with them. Again, thanks for the reviews and I will try them, but I like to do my research prior to build, not shoot from the hip. Too much engineering background I guess.

Products have certainly changed since I built IGFA trolling rods 35 years ago and component prices have increased, but I am sure they have improved five fold.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/02/2017 07:57AM by Claude Iler.

Claude they are out there. Companies like Duckett fishing uses them along with Lews and the entire line of Egnima rods is built with microwave both spinning and casting. Manufactures take the easy way out, they know people buy what they are used to and so that's what they build. Putting rods in stores with microwave guides now becomes the responsibility of the sales person to explain what they are and how they work. And to tell you the truth they don't know what they are or how to sell them. I build rods for two tackle stores in my area and when I talk to the young men at the counter about things like this they don't have a clue. So what happens is that inventory just sits and doesn't sell. As the word gets out it will gain in popularity and more manufactures will sue them, I think.
etter
On the other hand the buyers don't know much either. I have worked shows and asked questions about "ring lock" deep pressed guide rings and they look at me like I had two heads??? Microwaves, they think they are toasters. American Tackle would be better served advertising to end users then rod builders. They should swamp the fishing pages on the internet.

When you try them you will see they work. On those bigger rods I have used the Microwave 30's in titanium...........sweet!!

Tom

tomscustomrods.com

Since you will be fishing inshore waters I would go with the titanium tidal wave guides because of the corrosion resistance and lighter weight. They are more expensive, if you want to save a little money use the duralite rings. Neither the Duralite or Nanolite rings can be cut or scratched with a metal file, so both will hold up to any kind of line. The airwave inserts are not as hard as the ceramic inserts but still should hold up well, and they are very inexpensive.
Norm

Claude Iler Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for all the replies. Lot's of AT Pros on
> here. Next question, will the SS airwaves hold up
> to braid or would I be better off with a composite
> ring like in the Micros? Since these are popular
> among builders and have been out for 5 years, why
> do you not see rods in stores with them? I have
> yet to see one in Cabela's, Academy, Sportsman
> Warehouse, GM. Never saw a SC, Kistler, Cashion, G
> Loomis, 13,or any others with them. Again, thanks
> for the reviews and I will try them, but I like to
> do my research prior to build, not shoot from the
> hip. Too much engineering background I guess.
>
> Products have certainly changed since I built IGFA
> trolling rods 35 years ago and component prices
> have increased, but I am sure they have improved
> five fold.



Regarding the MicroWave Air guides(formally known as AirWave) and their use on rods in the market place; On top of the companies that Tom mentioned and many more they are on Lew’s Mach 1 rods that won Best Of Show ICAST 2016 plus best of shows at Big Rock East & West, as well as AT’s People’s Choice "Best MicroWave Rod” ICAST 2017. And were on this year’s ICAST 2017 Best Of Show combo Lew’s Mach Crush rods. So they’re out there and prominent.

_______________________________
God Bless, Don Morse

800-516-1750 ext. 1207 / don@americantackle.us

Rod Building..... It's What We Do.

I was a fishing rep for a while and sold to Henry's ( Big Rock) , BPS, Cabelas , WM and a host of other wholesalers so I know the difficult part of explaining and selling a new concept to them. People are driven by what they perceive the public will buy. As far as Ducketts and Lews, our local Cabelas carries both Ducketts and Lews but nothing with Microwave guides.I have asked several times in stores for a very popular SW bait and inventory is controlled by the home office, which really does no good. When BPS opened stores in Myrtle Beach and Savannah, there fishing set was 75% freshwater and 25% salt, that's unusual in two coastal cities. As Tom said employees in these stores are uneducated about what they sell and how it work, what is best and so forth.

I plan on trying 2 sets on two spinning rods and conclude my own finding , and I feel like it will be great based on the feedback I have received here on this forum.

Don, I wish I was still in the game, we could have met you at ICAST, haven't been since it left Vegas. It certainly is a fine venue for the fishing industry.

When it comes to fishing tackle I am more interested in data, facts, and proof than in beliefs or marketing. I recommend measurable facts such as hoop strength., coefficient of friction, tensile strength, diameter, rather than vague claims such as "stronger", "faster", "more sensitive", "lighter",

There is no need of a rifle sight on a fish pole to improve accuracy. As long as the rod does not have loose grips or a loose ferrule it will deliver the weight or bait in the same direction every cast. A competent angler will learn to compensate for a rod which does not cast precisely in line with the rod's long axis, just like he will quickly compensate for a crosswind. Advertising alone does not make better casters or better fishermen.