16: Guide Rings on Kaizen Platinum rods
There wouldn’t be much point in spending a lot of time and effort developing what we consider to be the perfect blank, in terms of its action and the type of carbon and resin that has been used to produce a rod that is extremely lightweight, if we then added fittings that hindered that performance.
We wanted to not only use very lightweight rings on the Platinum range of rods, but also ones that were durable as well, whilst having the minimal possible impact on the curve of the rod when it is under loading, either casting or playing a fish. To find out more about how these blanks are constructed, have a read of Platinum carbon and materials explained.
The weight of the guides has an impact on how quickly you can move the rod through the air when casting, and that in turn affects the tip speed that you are generating. It is that tip speed that causes compression in the blank and builds up the power that is ultimately transferred through to the lead, and determines how much energy it has and therefore how far it will travel. So, basically, the lighter the finished rod is the further it will cast – if comparing exactly the same blank with differing weights of guides.
Guides are attached to the rod via whippings and varnish, and the spot where the ‘foot’ of the ring sits against the blank causes a small flat spot, plus the whipping and varnish itself adds a tiny amount of extra weight.
Single leg rings, like the Sea-Guide TDG ones that we chose to use throughout the Platinum range, are not only lightweight, but because they only attach to the blank in one place – unlike double legged rings – they have far less impact on the action and minimise additional weight.
The 50mm butt ring is double legged as it is on a part of the blank that doesn’t bend as much, plus it makes sense to have additional strength for this guide, and generally all butt rings will be of this type. A ring of this size is the perfect choice for use with modern big pit reels and it is positioned at just the right distance up the blank so that your line cones off the spool and through the guide with the minimal amount of friction, or ‘slap’ against the blank when casting.
All of the rings that are used on the Kaizen Platinum range are made stainless steel, which makes them durable and long-lasting, and Sea-Guide use an Adaman inner which can’t pop out of the frame, and is far lighter than materials such as ceramic rings. This material also offers superior performance when it comes to reducing friction, which not only allows the line to flow more smoothly when casting, but also means that there is less friction on your line when it travels across the guide under extreme pressure when playing a fish.
The 16mm tip ring is large enough to allow leader knots to easily pass through it without slowing down the lead when casting, and are also useful when playing fish if any weed gets caught around the knot, or just up your line in general as it is less likely to become completely clogged. The inner material used reduces friction on your line, even under extreme pressure – the tip ring takes by far the most pressure.
To see what these guides look like, and why we have used them, head to your local Korda stockist where you will actually be able to have a feel of the rods, and you can find one using our store locator.