I was wondering if the graphite guides are available to the custom builder or is that a Diawa exclusive?

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com

I believe they are most exclusive. I can't verify this however. By the way the rods that sport these guides start at around $529.00



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2017 07:19PM by Lynn Behler.

Graphite rates from 0.5 - 1 on moh's hardness scale - not much harder than soapstone - and guides are made of graphite?

The frames are made of graphite.

Graphite and carbon fiber are different. Graphite is what is in a pencil lead, carbon fiber is what today's rods are made from, the term graphite is used incorrectly!

And if the carbon fiber is made using graphite?

Lynn,

I just saw a spinning rod, (with the graphic guides), priced at $279.99 to $289.99 on another web site.

Here is the description from the site:

Finely tuned to the specifications of Daiwa’s Elite Series pro-staffers, the Daiwa Tatula Elite AGS Spinning Rods are the result of an intense three-year project that was aimed at satisfying the requirements of tournament anglers. Delivering unmatched sensitivity that you can feel in the palm of your hand, the Daiwa Tatula Elite AGS Spinning Rods are fitted with AGS (Air Guide System) carbon fiber guides, which are 20-40% lighter than standard guides.

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2017 11:57AM by Donald R Campbell.

Phil,

My bad, I should have said Carbon Fiber. Thanks for the education.

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com

Graphite is sometimes rarely added to carbon fibers, but below is the edification of carbon fiber sources.

"About 90% of the carbon fibers produced are made from polyacrylonitrile (PAN). The remaining 10% are made from rayon or petroleum pitch. All of these materials are organic polymers, characterized by long strings of molecules bound together by carbon atoms."

Thanks for the info Donald. The only rods I'd seen up until now with those guides were in the Steez lineup. Forgot they were called AGS



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2017 02:11PM by Lynn Behler.

The chief selling points of these graphite guides are apparently "sensitivity" and "feeling", neither one of which can be measured or documented, while the price of these guides is easily documented.

x10 on Phil's comments.

I suspect that the major reason for these guides is to put more money into the pockets of the component and rod suppliers. Doubt that any user of the rod using the rod made up with these graphite guides or any other high quality metal framed guide with similar ring material.

Good luck

"Sensitivity and Feeling" belong in a lonely hearts website, not a fishing website.

Come now boys, with that outlook we'd all be fishing with tree branches! Just kidding.

No rust should be the first selling point.

Wonder about impact durability though?

A friend received a rod as gift from a client with those guides a couple years ago. The rod was purchased in Japan while on a fishing/business trip. It's a 10' light surf rod and pretty sweet. The first thing I said was "hope you can get replacement guides". They are impressive but look easy to break. I started a thread asking for info about purchasing on this site, with no luck. I also did some research and came up empty.

Just found my old post. Search "ags guide system"

Frames are titanium outer with carbon fiber inner.

$96 for one 30 mm K style guide.Even if I had $$ to blow I couldn’t .

Unlike Lynn, I'm not kidding when I say (considering comments in past threads) that I am surprised by a couple of the comments, and not surprised by a couple of the others.

The words sensitivity and feeling most certainly do belong in conversations about fishing rods. The sensitivity of a fishing rod, its ability to transmit vibrations from one end to the other, most certainly can be measured, and I suspect quite easily. Just because the results of such testing hasn't been published, doesn't mean that it hasn't been, or can't be done.

And while "feel" is a subjective word, it doesn't mean that it has no place in the building and use of a fishing rod. Nor does it mean that it can't be measured. Quite the contrary ..... feel is is everything when it comes to fishing. How a rod feels in your hand. How a rod feels when casting. Etc ..... The feel of a fishing rod is measured each and every time you use it. Every cast, every retrieve, every fought fish ........ Can you put on number on "feel"? Not really. But that doesn't mean you can't put a value on it.

As far as other comments go ..... I have read and participated in many threads where the emphasis on building the lightest rod possible, especially when it comes to the guide train, has been given the utmost consideration. Given what I've learned in the short time I've been building rods, I can certainly understand that. In fact, IMO the guide train is the life blood of a fishing rod. Just as if not even more important than the blank the rod is built on. How can a product that offers weight saving in the guide train, something that by all accounts will improve the performance of a fishing rod, for some reason be simply marketing hype?

At one time nylon mono filament fishing line was considered marketing hype. As was graphite being used to make fishing rods. As were micro guides. Just because someone personally doesn't find a use for something, doesn't mean it's simply marketing hype.

The debate, if there is one, comes down to cost effectiveness. Can an angler perceive the performance difference between the weights of different components? Can they "feel" it? Can they justify the cost? Some can, some can't..Just think ..... there are many people that find the cost of a custom built fishing rod unjustifiable. If that were the case for everyone, some of the members of this site would be out of a job.

I agree the transmission of vibrations and pressure through a rod blank can and could be measured. If a rod blank manufacturer had objective information which revealed the superiority of its product why would the seller neglect to advertise this information? I am confident the average angler is more than intelligent enough to understand facts like these.