Kevlar rods

[philocalist]

Interesting to find this thread; moreso as it widened slightly to include Boron ... and I bought a new / old stock Boron rod just a few days ago, though it's still unused.

First impressions are that compared to a very similar modern carbon rod, the boron rod appears a little heavier and stiffer in the action (for the same diameter / length blank), and considerably more 'robust' in the sense I would anticipate it being capable of heavier-duty use than its carbon counterpart.

[John Weddup]

I am selling a few old rods for a friend of mine who is terminally ill.

 

One of them I am having myself is a fly rod. Always fancied having a go for dace chub etc.

 

It is a Daiwa boron procaster.

 

So obviously used for fly rods aswell. I know nothing about the rod at all other than it feels good quality.

 

John

[robtherake]

Interesting to find this thread; moreso as it widened slightly to include Boron ... and I bought a new / old stock Boron rod just a few days ago, though it's still unused.

First impressions are that compared to a very similar modern carbon rod, the boron rod appears a little heavier and stiffer in the action (for the same diameter / length blank), and considerably more 'robust' in the sense I would anticipate it being capable of heavier-duty use than its carbon counterpart.

 

I had a Shakespeare Boron float rod, back in the day. It was lovely and responsive but went back to Shakespeare three times after the tip section broke during use. The rod wasn't being horsed, and they didn't come up with an explanation, but subsequent conversations with other owners confirmed their fragile nature.

[Steve Walker]

If as - someone suggested - Kevlar is particularly vulnerable to UV degradation, that might determine the type and thickness of varnish used.

[Dick Dastardly]

Its not the varnish Steve.Very few modern blanks are varnished/laquered/hi-builded. Its just the resin itself that is used to bond the fibres together and then built up, Think of it more like a gelcoat finnish on fibreglass products.

[Dick Dastardly]

However to go along with your "UV protection" theory most (in fact all that I can remember off hand) Boron rods had tinted laquer/resin finnishes but cant think of many Kevlar ones that did?

[Phone]

All,

 

I am out of school but wasn't boron to high modulus (or maybe to low(?)). Modulus is the "stretch"(?) of the material. Boron didn't stretch much and therefore could be very thin and still offer a reliable "spine".

 

All of this is historical speculation from an old memory!!!!!!!!!!

 

Phone

PS Didn't/does'nt work as suggested by robtherake

[robtherake]

Ha ha! Ok rob, you got me!

 

'Elastic' is a term that pops up quite a bit. So it allows a rod to be stiff and light but bendy in a way that doesn't lock up and protects light lines?

 

(Ps I have tried to catch big chub with my fox barbel rod but I've only managed 1 on it so far. I've had a few tench on it though and it was a fantastic playing rod.)

 

I'm asking about the kevlex as I've just bought one (the light specialist one) for roach fishing, and a kevlar one was going at the same time (eBay). They seem very similar but the kevlar sold for way more than the kevlex.

 

Some of the old daiwa match rods were carbon/kevlar rods, and they seem very highly regarded.

 

Although they're flexible (in a way that standard carbon rarely seems to be), rods with a kevlar wrap are incredibly strong.

 

I used to have a Tri-cast Tommy Pickering twin-tip. Faced with a stalemate on the Swale with a barbel almost into the snags, I simply walked backwards. The rod bucked and protested, bent into a hoop the like of which I'd never seen up until that point - the guy sitting with me hid his face, waiting for the bang! - but everything held and an extremely cross and surprised barbel was soon in the net.

 

All the kevlar rods I've owned share that same characteristic. To use a hackneyed phrase, they are real player's rods, but can soak up an incredible amount of pressure without breakage.

[robtherake]

However to go along with your "UV protection" theory most (in fact all that I can remember off hand) Boron rods had tinted laquer/resin finnishes but cant think of many Kevlar ones that did?

 

A good observation, Sir. Boron rods all seemed to come in the same green paint job (Bruce and Walker's version was called the Green Dragon).

 

The majority of kevlar rods, however, seem to have an external fibre wrap under a minimal varnish/lacquer finish; if the makers were bothered about UV degradation, it seems a foolish place to put it.

[Anderoo]

Just to complicate this a bit more, having a look around the web I came across this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-DAIWA-WHISKER-KEVLAR-BORON-KBX-90-RODS-/300877891027?nma=true&si=38GfrrU3p5yQpnfBD7od4MZGR4s%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

Salmon rods from the 90s that are carbon plus kevlar PLUS boron!