# litest blank



## c hook (Jul 6, 2016)

who makes the lightest blank, with a fast tip. And what's the trick to building a balanced rod. :texasflag


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## MikeK (Dec 11, 2008)

Need way more information to compare weights. For example . . .

S661-MHX Fast Action 0.67 ounces.

Probably not what you're looking for; here are the rest of the specs: 5'6", UL power, 2-6# line, 3/16oz lure.

With a reel attached, a lot of rods are tip heavy when held in the fishing position. Here are some things that can help. Decrease weight towards the tip with light guides and minimal wraps and finish. Move the reel seat as far forward as comfortable. Don't remove weight from rear grip with split grips. Add weight at the very butt of the rod.

Many rod builders just concentrate on making the finished rod as light as possible. Balance is definitely a personal preference thing.


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## c hook (Jul 6, 2016)

*6'8" or 6'10" trout rod, fast tip*



MikeK said:


> Need way more information to compare weights. For example . . .
> 
> S661-MHX Fast Action 0.67 ounces.
> 
> ...


i want it as light as possible, obviously balanced. :texasflag


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## MikeK (Dec 11, 2008)

From websites so I've not handled or measured:
MHX NSJ812 6' 9" 1.3oz
Batson ETES610MXF 6' 9" 1.3oz
Phenix TX683ML 6' 8" 1.23oz
St Croix (Rodgeeks) SCV610MLXF 6' 10" 1.5oz

Blank I've used:
Sarge SGT844 7' 0" 1.41oz
From Lance at Swampland rods, could trim butt.

Lightest guides I've ever used are Fuji K series with Titanium frames and Torzite rings (also most expensive I've used). Make your guide wraps as short as possible and finish as thin as possible.

Use a 2 piece reel seat with foam arbors and no decorative insert.
Use cork or carbon fiber split rear grips as short as comfortable.
Don't use a fore grip.
Don't use a hook keeper.
Don't add a decal or decorative wrap.

That's gonna give you the lightest rod possible.

Position the reel seat where it needs to be for the balance you want.


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## B&C (Jul 23, 2010)

I've built several on the Batson ETES 6-8 MF and MXF (1.3 and 1.1oz). The MF is my favorite blank. I believe they discontinued them. I stocked up on both before they were gone and it looks like Get Bit still has some MF at a great price.

https://getbitoutdoors.com/bass-spinning/


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## CroakerJO (Mar 16, 2011)

POINT Blank should be included in that list. It is among the lightest for sure.


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## MikeK (Dec 11, 2008)

CroakerJO said:


> POINT Blank should be included in that list. It is among the lightest for sure.


My bad . . .

Point Blank PB691MLXF 6' 9" 1.58oz


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## c hook (Jul 6, 2016)

*interesting*

looks like the build out is where the weight comes from. :texasflag


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## MikeK (Dec 11, 2008)

c hook said:


> looks like the build out is where the weight comes from. :texasflag


Yep! :cheers:


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## CroakerJO (Mar 16, 2011)

Yes, it comes down to the build. I have photos of a 7ft POINT Blank with SK2 split seats, minimal grips, short wraps and titanium guides that floats with a CI4 reel and a 3/8oz spinnerbait tied on. It has something to do with the light weight combined with the larger butt diameter trapping a little more air, I'm sure.


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## teamfirstcast (Aug 23, 2006)

I always look for blanks that are as close to 1 oz as you can get being approx 6'6" and suited for our inshore fishing style. the St. Croix SCV is very light and strong, there are some Castaway blanks in that range, the top of the line Rainshadow Eternity series, as well as most all the Laguna blanks. The Laguna blanks in that size are right at 1 oz, very strong and have a nice fast action. To keep the build light, use titanium guides, smaller sizes like 8 and under, minimal guide wraps size A thread, thin epoxy, no big deco wraps, carbon fiber split grips - length balance about 7". finished weight s/b under 2-1/2 oz . Lightest Laguna Ive seen was 1.7 oz with label and recoil guides.


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## c hook (Jul 6, 2016)

*??*



teamfirstcast said:


> I always look for blanks that are as close to 1 oz as you can get being approx 6'6" and suited for our inshore fishing style. the St. Croix SCV is very light and strong, there are some Castaway blanks in that range, the top of the line Rainshadow Eternity series, as well as most all the Laguna blanks. The Laguna blanks in that size are right at 1 oz, very strong and have a nice fast action. To keep the build light, use titanium guides, smaller sizes like 8 and under, minimal guide wraps size A thread, thin epoxy, no big deco wraps, carbon fiber split grips - length balance about 7". finished weight s/b under 2-1/2 oz . Lightest Laguna Ive seen was 1.7 oz with label and recoil guides.


what's something like that run??:texasflag


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## CroakerJO (Mar 16, 2011)

The lightest components are generally the most expensive due to the materials used to make them. High-modulus carbon fiber and titanium are the two starters for a very light rod and both are "the most" expensive components out there compared to everything else.


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## spoonplugger1 (Aug 11, 2015)

Titanium guides aren't the lightest guides, some of the smaller stainless guides are as light, or lighter and a bunch cheaper, well under a buck a piece. The question is simply will your build allow them to be used. There is only one rule that is consistent, build your rod with the lightest and least amount components to get the lightest, best balanced rod. Lighter powered and shorter blanks are always lighter, and better balanced, nothing is lighter, or cheaper than what doesn't exist. What is the bare minimum that will do the job?


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## impulse (Mar 17, 2010)

Keep in mind that other trade-off. 

The lighter the blank, the thinner the wall thickness and more prone to shatter if you load it up, especially after you even tap it against a sharp surface.

High modulus doesn't equate to high toughness. Besides, I'd rather shatter a $50 AllStar than a $300 ___________(fill in the blank), even if the AllStar is a little heavier.

Just for a reference, I imported 4 piece fly rod blanks from Korea, 7' x 4 weight, and the blanks weighed 0.8 oz. They made a real sweet 4PC, 4WT fly rod, but I wouldn't want to build a flounder rod out of them. Maybe a back deck croaker rod... 

My 9' 5WT 4 piece blanks weighed 1.6 Oz made from 43 million modulus graphite and 1.5 Oz made from 51 million modulus. Were they worth the extra money for 1/10 Oz? I wouldn't have paid it, but some customers were happy to. To each his own.


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## jpayne (Jan 11, 2017)

Laguna sells 6.6ft blanks and they weigh 1oz flat


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## Ltrichel (Jan 18, 2013)

Where do you get the Laguna blanks. I just retired and am getting back in the game. My last build over 20 years ago was fenwick glass blanks, so I have a lot of catching up and this forum is a great place to do it.


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## trevore (Aug 7, 2014)

*Laguna Custom Rods*



Ltrichel said:


> Where do you get the Laguna blanks. I just retired and am getting back in the game. My last build over 20 years ago was fenwick glass blanks, so I have a lot of catching up and this forum is a great place to do it.


Call Laguna directly. They will sell you a blank.


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## habanerojooz (Dec 4, 2006)

I recommend to pick an experienced rod builder before you buy the rod blank and the components and talk with them about what you want and how you fish. I have learned that what looks good individually, may disappoint you when it all comes together. 

Long ago, I wanted to build the ultimate rod. Picked out a special blank first. Then the special eyes and finally the split grip handle. Then I let a builder put it together and the end result was a light rod that feels very tip heavy. 

I learned a lesson from that exercise. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## teamfirstcast (Aug 23, 2006)

*lets get techinical if you want...*



spoonplugger1 said:


> Titanium guides aren't the lightest guides, some of the smaller stainless guides are as light, or lighter and a bunch cheaper, well under a buck a piece. The question is simply will your build allow them to be used. There is only one rule that is consistent, build your rod with the lightest and least amount components to get the lightest, best balanced rod. Lighter powered and shorter blanks are always lighter, and better balanced, nothing is lighter, or cheaper than what doesn't exist. What is the bare minimum that will do the job?


Titanium is lighter and stronger than any stainless steel used to make guides, its just a matter of physics. Are there some SS guides lighter than some titanium guides? Of course but they arent the same size or style... a #12 titanium stripper guide will def be heavier than a SS #4 single foot guide, and yes SS is cheaper, but thats not the point of my earlier post.

"... nothing is lighter, or cheaper than what doesn't exist." no argument there, but you wont catch many fish with it. :mpd:


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## spoonplugger1 (Aug 11, 2015)

Team, You have quite few untruths in your post. Respectfully, when the difference between a SS guide and a Ti version is so small a postal scale requires 20 of each to reliably measure the difference, will anyone ever notice the difference on a rod build? We're talking parts of a grain. Ti guide material, which by the way is not pure Ti, pure Ti would never allow the forming done to make a guide. The supposed Ti REC guides aren't pure Ti either, it's nickel titanium, notice what comes first, it is a memory metal like spring steel and formed the same way. Ti/ceramic guides are not the same material, it can't be bent and return like REC guide. The simplest description of Ti is a metal with similar toughness of steel, but much closer in weight to aluminum. Back in my racing days we used and made a lot of Ti parts, there were a bunch of places where Ti could not be used, it wouldn't take the stress, or work cycle without failure.


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## teamfirstcast (Aug 23, 2006)

*haha...*



spoonplugger1 said:


> Team, You have quite few untruths in your post. Respectfully, when the difference between a SS guide and a Ti version is so small a postal scale requires 20 of each to reliably measure the difference, will anyone ever notice the difference on a rod build? We're talking parts of a grain. Ti guide material, which by the way is not pure Ti, pure Ti would never allow the forming done to make a guide. The supposed Ti REC guides aren't pure Ti either, it's nickel titanium, notice what comes first, it is a memory metal like spring steel and formed the same way. Ti/ceramic guides are not the same material, it can't be bent and return like REC guide. The simplest description of Ti is a metal with similar toughness of steel, but much closer in weight to aluminum. Back in my racing days we used and made a lot of Ti parts, there were a bunch of places where Ti could not be used, it wouldn't take the stress, or work cycle without failure.


Spoon, first please list ANY and all of the untruths in my posts. Second, no one is using a postal scale to measure the weight of these guides (lol). Yes, they are very light - I said that... matter of fact titanium is approx half the weight of any stainless steel or nickel, And yes, I'm very aware of the material used to make Recoil guides, mostly nickel which gives them their great corrosion resistance. We aint making race cars, just fishing poles, practically no stress on a guide on a standard inshore casting or spinning rod. Titanium has the highest strength to weight ratio of any metal, just as strong as steel/steel alloys, at half the weight.

The OP asked about the lightest blank, and building a balanced rod. I listed real world examples i have used and built many times. I hope he was able to get some good information from this thread.:cheers:


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