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Post 22 Oct 2022, 06:45 • #1 
Guide
Joined: 08/19/16
Posts: 314
Location: Brazil
Well, y'all are coming up on the rod building season in the northern hemisphere, so I was just wondering...

Have any of you tried the Silicon Nitride single foot guides from Proof Fly Fishing or the Torzite guides from Fuji?


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Post 22 Oct 2022, 07:37 • #2 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/10/09
Posts: 1651
Location: US-OH
I haven't but the topic has been discussed extensively on the classic fly rod forum. To summarize the opinions, some swear that these guides are far superior to traditional snake guides and many don't care about performance, think they're ugly, and prefer the traditional look of snakes.


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Post 22 Oct 2022, 09:55 • #3 
Master Guide
Joined: 01/04/18
Posts: 397
Location: Belair Maryland/Swanton Maryland
I had the single foot Fuji K-frame Torzite guides put on an old lighting rod .


They are flipping awesome on my ultralight

The “Oh-face” tells the story :lol
I’ve thought of using the small ones for a fly rod build ..
Cheers Scotto


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Post 23 Oct 2022, 07:11 • #4 
Guide
Joined: 08/19/16
Posts: 314
Location: Brazil
tiptop wrote:
I haven't but the topic has been discussed extensively on the classic fly rod forum. To summarize the opinions, some swear that these guides are far superior to traditional snake guides and many don't care about performance, think they're ugly, and prefer the traditional look of snakes.


All that discussion on the Classic Fly Rod Forum got my attention and aroused my curiosity. My intention was to make a comparison that would be as objective as possible. One of my rods seemed like a good candidate for trying those new guides out. It is built up as a fly/spin combination on an Aventik 6’7” 3-weight S-glass blank and it’s a work in progress. It had already been built using Fuji Alconite (?) single-foot guides. In my previous experience those guides had performed favorably when compared to the more traditional snake guides.

The rod was first taken out for some lawn casting, using a simple overhead cast with no double hauls or anything special. After getting what seemed like the best cast possible, the rod was laid down on the grass and the line out beyond the tip-top was measured and recorded.

Later on the guides were replaced, using the same spacing, with Silicon Nitride guides from Proof Fly Fishing of roughly the same sizes and with exactly the same spacing. The rod was again taken out for a session of lawn casting under similar conditions, with the same type of casting. When the line out of the tip-top was measured, it showed 50% more distance as a result of reduced friction. There was a noticeable difference when false casting to work out more line, in that the line went through the guides faster and much more easily. The same line was used on both occasions.

A more conclusive test would be to build up two rods on identical blanks: one with snake guides and the other one with Silicon Nitride/Torzite guides, using similar sizes and the same spacing. Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. One can take from it whatever they want.


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Post 23 Oct 2022, 07:33 • #5 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/20/07
Posts: 8920
Location: US-ME
Yes; compare. Casting distance will be one factor to observe. In general, round guides favor distance; snake guides line control.


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Post 23 Oct 2022, 07:43 • #6 
Guide
Joined: 07/22/20
Posts: 175
Location: Ancient City, Florida
I have used the Ti nitride from Pac Bay and Fuji Torzites. They have about the same ring opening. The Pacbay have a bigger foot version similar to the Fuji KB/KT. In a size 7/8, the pacbay have a bigger foot than Fuji (KB end at 6), which I like. The Fuji look nicer.
They make the haul a bit smoother and shoot a bit better. I have bent a single foot choke in testing (aggressive haul with a sticky line or at least I think that was it) so I run 3 double foot guides with the last one being the same as my running guides. I think my 8 is Fuji KW 16, 10, 7, then 7’s to the tip.

I looked at the proof fly, but I wanted Ti.


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Post 23 Oct 2022, 12:39 • #7 
Master Guide
Joined: 08/14/06
Posts: 366
Location: US-TN
Quote:
Later on the guides were replaced, using the same spacing, with Silicon Nitride guides from Proof Fly Fishing of roughly the same sizes and with exactly the same spacing. The rod was again taken out for a session of lawn casting under similar conditions, with the same type of casting. When the line out of the tip-top was measured, it showed 50% more distance as a result of reduced friction.


So, if the most distance I can get out of a rod with snakes is 70', I can get 105' by replacing with torzite?

Someone postulated that the major points of friction are the stripping guide and tip top. That set up should be tested, if possible.


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Post 23 Oct 2022, 15:30 • #8 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 09/18/09
Posts: 5561
Location: Relocated to the Drought Stricken West.
I find alconite or sic guides shoot quite a bit further than snakes, but it is like a 30% (swag) difference in the shoot at most, so 10ft shoot to 15 ft shoot.

I like it when drift fishing for small mouth when you are shooting under branches, but otherwise I haven't found a fishing application where it mattered.


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Post 23 Oct 2022, 16:35 • #9 
Guide
Joined: 08/19/16
Posts: 314
Location: Brazil
eastprong wrote:
Quote:

So, if the most distance I can get out of a rod with snakes is 70', I can get 105' by replacing with torzite?


There's probably just one way to find out...


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