I haven’t run into this situation before on lighter weight fly rod builds and hoping to get some advice.

I have an 8wt fly rod blank and I’m trying out REC snake guides for the first time with the smallest guides being size 2. I have some snake brand tip tops but find that the standard loop tip top is smaller than the snake guides. It the large loop tip top is much larger than the snake guides. It seems to me that the tip top should be very close in size to the last snake guides. Should I use larger snake guides and a large loop tip top? Does anyone make a tip top that’s sized somewhere between Snake Brand’s standard and large sizes? It seems to me that my line and connections will all pass easily through the size 2 snakes and a standard tip top but would a large loop tip be better?

No hard and fast rules here other than line to leader knot ought to easily pass through guides and tip top when rigging and line to backing knot ought to also easily pass all guides and tip top.

For an 8 weight I'd use the large loop tip top and not worry about its relative size to a size 2 snake.

X2 Donald.

A loop in your fly line either gets tightened into a knot or pulled apart when it passes through the tip-top. A larger tip-top (within reason) is more likely to pull the loop apart. I fully agree with Donald and Michael.

X4 use a slightly larger tip top, it helps.