Rod spines

[rockfisho]

Hi all

I went to the fishing shop today to buy a rod for my new Corvalus 400. when i was checking then out, i couldn't help but notice, that almost all the rods i picked up were built off the spine. I was after a mid range graphite rod, so i was surprised about this. Is this the thing to do these days, or are the rod manfacturers just lazy? I didn't pick up any loomis rods, but the guys said they were off the spine aswell.
I picked up a snyder, built on the spine as always.

cheers

Owen

[Owen]

There is a line of thought being promoted by some that it is better to build the rod on the straightest axis and ignore the spine.
The claim is that any influence the spine may have is negligible.
Interestingly some of those same proponents take other mechanical "advantages" to the extreme (such as wrapless guides) to save weight.
In my book the influence of the spine is demonstrable, even if the line pressure will overcome it eventually.
It hurts nothing to build on it and besides... A good blank should be pretty straight all over.

[dogsbody]

With the mass produced stuff they just slap it together and get it out. Time is money. Just take a good look at the quality of the finishes between a mass produced and a higher quality rod. You get what you pay for as the saying goes.

As for the Loomis being of the spine i guess they're trying to cut costs by saving some time. When you start to cut corners your brand image will suffer and people will not see the value in your product.


Dave.

Dave.

[Stuart]

The funniest range of rods promoted as being built on the spine and even the name suggests the same, “The Backbone Series” from Shimano. I’m yet to see one of their rods built on the spine. As Owen has said, some believe building on the straightest axis is the way to go. This theory has been around for at least 15 years in some form or another. I have done every test known to man and I can’t see any advantage in that system. Building a rod on the spine or opposite is by far the best way people should be doing it. In a perfect world, if blanks where rolled with no flaws and then we wouldn’t need to worry about spines.

Stu