Taking the guess work out of graphite rods
May 11th 2008 00:42
If you've been looking at fishing rods lately, you know how confusing it can be. Most rods today are made from some kind of graphite composite. Still, there's too many prices, too many manufacturers, and then, there's that "IM" stuff! Just what is IM?
To make things simple, let's just say the IM rating gives an indication of graphite quality in a rod. Unfortunately, there are no industry standards. Realizing that, while it may be safe to assume an IM6 rod is inferior to an IM7 rod from the same manufacture, things are not that simple when trying to compare rods of different manufacturers.
Qualities such as sensitivity and balance must also be considered. For instance, I have and IM7 rod with poor balance and after a while I can feel that lack of balance in my wrist. Conversely, I have an IM6 rod balanced to the point that it is like lifting a feather compared to the IM7 rod although the "superior" IM7 rod is a couple of ounces lighter!
As IM ratings go up, so does the price. Although, as stated, the industry lacks standards for IM ratings, if you want to spend the money, it's probably safe to assume the the rods of IM8 are better than IM6 rods even when different manufacturers are involved.
Money alone however, is not and indicator of a good rod. Through shopping around you can often find private name rods that are vastly superior to name brand rods at great savings!
Rather than add to the confusion, the bast advice I can offer is to shop around, look for a balance of qualities in a rod, and don't assume that high prices equate quality. AND, most of all, unless you know what you're doing, don't buy sight unseen from the Internet!
To make things simple, let's just say the IM rating gives an indication of graphite quality in a rod. Unfortunately, there are no industry standards. Realizing that, while it may be safe to assume an IM6 rod is inferior to an IM7 rod from the same manufacture, things are not that simple when trying to compare rods of different manufacturers.
Qualities such as sensitivity and balance must also be considered. For instance, I have and IM7 rod with poor balance and after a while I can feel that lack of balance in my wrist. Conversely, I have an IM6 rod balanced to the point that it is like lifting a feather compared to the IM7 rod although the "superior" IM7 rod is a couple of ounces lighter!
As IM ratings go up, so does the price. Although, as stated, the industry lacks standards for IM ratings, if you want to spend the money, it's probably safe to assume the the rods of IM8 are better than IM6 rods even when different manufacturers are involved.
Money alone however, is not and indicator of a good rod. Through shopping around you can often find private name rods that are vastly superior to name brand rods at great savings!
Rather than add to the confusion, the bast advice I can offer is to shop around, look for a balance of qualities in a rod, and don't assume that high prices equate quality. AND, most of all, unless you know what you're doing, don't buy sight unseen from the Internet!
Until next time--watch yourself and watch your line!
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