mikench
Well-known member
Alan I’m sure you will like it.
Putting Line Through Its Paces
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. Alan, I’d rather you not take my word for it, that way I can’t be blamed if you don’t like it ?. It works fine for me, 6lb straight through didn’t put shy dace off Yesterday.
Ive used it,in 4/6lb,didn't like it,that is compared to what I was using,I think it was Golden Marlin at the time,thats a chestnut brown colour,but it was better imo,I may well have another try in future,who knows..
I used to get huge spools of Bass Pro line from a friend who was always travelling to the States, then moved to Pro Gold but availability is variable, so these day simply use Gardner lines in which I have total confidence in.
I do use Drennan Float Fish for trotting and if I could only get Sensor I would happily use that.
I do use Drennan Float Fish for trotting and if I could only get Sensor I would happily use that.
To test or not to test....
I do it sometimes (testing for indicative breaking strength and measuring diameter) and I found a few things:
I've not found much proof for degradation with age in lines which are kept somewhat cool, dry and in the dark. I have spools which are just under forty years old and still are OK in my book, although not all of them. I have quite some line which may be older which I got in second hand lots.
I have found that some lines do however not even withstand half the breaking strength which is on the tin. I'm not sure if this is a result of aging or not. It occurred in one instance on a line which I realy liked for its softness. It specified 890 gr (8/00 so high breaking strength) and didn't manage 400. I tested this last week after loosing several good fish in a match.
The test I do for breaking strength: I take around half a meter of line, tie two double overhand loops at the ends and hang a weight at one end and hold it on the other, using dowels of a cm or so. I start at 60% of spec and the go up in steps. When it fails I check with a new length sometimes.
I try to lift as gentle as I can to avoid dynamic forces. Of course I test the line knotted so it's ok if it fails at 75% spec or higher.
I also measure diameter, which is quite an eye opener. Most are over their specified diameter.
I do it sometimes (testing for indicative breaking strength and measuring diameter) and I found a few things:
I've not found much proof for degradation with age in lines which are kept somewhat cool, dry and in the dark. I have spools which are just under forty years old and still are OK in my book, although not all of them. I have quite some line which may be older which I got in second hand lots.
I have found that some lines do however not even withstand half the breaking strength which is on the tin. I'm not sure if this is a result of aging or not. It occurred in one instance on a line which I realy liked for its softness. It specified 890 gr (8/00 so high breaking strength) and didn't manage 400. I tested this last week after loosing several good fish in a match.
The test I do for breaking strength: I take around half a meter of line, tie two double overhand loops at the ends and hang a weight at one end and hold it on the other, using dowels of a cm or so. I start at 60% of spec and the go up in steps. When it fails I check with a new length sometimes.
I try to lift as gentle as I can to avoid dynamic forces. Of course I test the line knotted so it's ok if it fails at 75% spec or higher.
I also measure diameter, which is quite an eye opener. Most are over their specified diameter.
I don't know if anyone is reading this but I'ts keeping me occupied so I might as well share. Last week I bought some new line (Kamagatsu in this case, I'll only mention brands if they test good) to make hooklengths and replace the stuff wich failed so dramatically.
The reason I post once again is that I simplified the test and now keep some time to go fishing?.
I now put a weight over the given breaking strain (f.i. 150%) and put it on digital kitchenscales. By gradually trying to lift you can find the point where the line fails while constantly keeping an eye on the reading. A lever can help to manage lifting the weight 'slowly', taking the weight off the scale into the line, gradually taking out the stretch and working to the breaking point. By substracting the reading at (or just before) breaking from the passive weight you have a good indication of the breaking strain of the line under test. A bottle of water makes for a nice weight because you can easily vary the weight. One has to keep in mind that the bottle doesn't tilt while lifting because that will represent something dynamic and that's not what I want. So some kind of bridle might be needed.
Many scales can be reset to zero once there's a weight on it and will give exact, negative readings which will indicate the breaking strain as well.
The Kamagatsu line failed at just over 80% of the specs and is very close to the given diameter. That's a good line to my idea. I find quite a few which perform better but are up to more than 1/00 more diameter.
The reason I post once again is that I simplified the test and now keep some time to go fishing?.
I now put a weight over the given breaking strain (f.i. 150%) and put it on digital kitchenscales. By gradually trying to lift you can find the point where the line fails while constantly keeping an eye on the reading. A lever can help to manage lifting the weight 'slowly', taking the weight off the scale into the line, gradually taking out the stretch and working to the breaking point. By substracting the reading at (or just before) breaking from the passive weight you have a good indication of the breaking strain of the line under test. A bottle of water makes for a nice weight because you can easily vary the weight. One has to keep in mind that the bottle doesn't tilt while lifting because that will represent something dynamic and that's not what I want. So some kind of bridle might be needed.
Many scales can be reset to zero once there's a weight on it and will give exact, negative readings which will indicate the breaking strain as well.
The Kamagatsu line failed at just over 80% of the specs and is very close to the given diameter. That's a good line to my idea. I find quite a few which perform better but are up to more than 1/00 more diameter.
wetthrough
Well-known member
That's lateral thinking for you
I was a bit dubious about leaving a weight suspended on line. While measuring stretch I found some lines will just keep stretching until they break at way below their rated BS. 5.5lb Silstar Match Team couldn't take more than 1kilo/2lb3oz. It's a bit tedious but you need to do several tests. I've seen lines vary by as much as 36%.
I was a bit dubious about leaving a weight suspended on line. While measuring stretch I found some lines will just keep stretching until they break at way below their rated BS. 5.5lb Silstar Match Team couldn't take more than 1kilo/2lb3oz. It's a bit tedious but you need to do several tests. I've seen lines vary by as much as 36%.Yep! found this in my hooklength material I wrote about so I binned that and bought new line.
If you get chance i'd be more than interested in your findings with daiwa sensor....6lb would be good
Are you in favor of the stuff or where you the author of "I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole". I literally sat here laughing after reading that.I never have seen Daiwa sensor and even think it's not in the shops here. I just found it online and noticed it's realy, realy cheap. I did consider buying a spool for a moment because it is so cheap but there's a number of reasons I won't. The most important is the fact that the specs are not stellar. The Super G line (which performs as promised and is of correct diameter) has a BS roughly double of that of Sensor. I use 20/00 main line for ledgering most of the time. I would need 31/00 to approach the BS of the Gline and 33/00 to just surpass it.
To be honest: for quite some purposes I use Maxima, which specs just a hair better than sensor so I'm not against cheap lines. Tests show that it's over its specd diameter in such a way that I correct this on the spools. BS is on spec, as far as I remember.
Obviously its interesting to read about peoples findings when they test lines & its good to know relative breaking strains and diameters but I think we sometimes get hung up on that aspect of the line & little else.
What I think could be very interesting are some bench tests on things like abrasion resistance. I seem to recall Jim Gibbinson doing this some years back by pulling weighed lines a measured distance back and forth through U shaped bits of tube that were lined with something abrasive and seeing how many strokes back and forth before they broke.
A modern version of that sort of test across a range of brands in differet strains could be very interesting.
What I think could be very interesting are some bench tests on things like abrasion resistance. I seem to recall Jim Gibbinson doing this some years back by pulling weighed lines a measured distance back and forth through U shaped bits of tube that were lined with something abrasive and seeing how many strokes back and forth before they broke.
A modern version of that sort of test across a range of brands in differet strains could be very interesting.
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Yep! found this in my hooklength material I wrote about so I binned that and bought new line.
I never have seen Daiwa sensor and even think it's not in the shops here. I just found it online and noticed it's realy, realy cheap. I did consider buying a spool for a moment because it is so cheap but there's a number of reasons I won't. The most important is the fact that the specs are not stellar. The Super G line (which performs as promised and is of correct diameter) has a BS roughly double of that of Sensor. I use 20/00 main line for ledgering most of the time. I would need 31/00 to approach the BS of the Gline and 33/00 to just surpass it.
To be honest: for quite some purposes I use Maxima, which specs just a hair better than sensor so I'm not against cheap lines. Tests show that it's over its specd diameter in such a way that I correct this on the spools. BS is on spec, as far as I remember.
I like sensor, use it for the biggest part of my fishing.
Regarding maxima....i've done numerous pull tests with 8lb maxima tied direct to 6lb sensor and the maxima always snapped first. The break was never at the knot, it was always a few inches above the knot.
If you look at the line test chart their results show sensor has way higher b/s than stated, and is lower in diameter than stated.
wetthrough
Well-known member
I have a suspicion that Daiwa rate their lines differently to other manufacturers. I have had 4lb Sensor break at 4.29lb knotted, once out of around 50 tests. Generally it's much better than that with a low of around 5 1/2 and high of around 6 1/4lb. As far as I know, in general manufacturers quote the average which for a main line is pretty useless as it's always going to break at the weakest point. There are likely to be a several weak points if you have 30+M out. My suspicion is that Daiwa rate there lines at the lowest they will break at possibly because their manufacturing lines run at the rated BS so they can guarantee the rated BS as every inch has effectively been tested. Total guesswork but it adds up.
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There's usually loads on ebay. I get bulk spools as it's excellent valuse for money. You can pick the bulk spools up for between 8 quid to a tenner or so. Just click on the cheapest with post search and look through them.
OK, ordered a spool of 4lbs @ 20/00. That's what I'll use for ledgering because I'm used to Maxima 20/00 for this. Strength is not the primary spec I'm looking for, just some abbrasion resistance and decent pricing. About £ 10 is the best shipping I could get so totals up to £ 20.
I don't see it here, which is strange. When I fished for carp (that must be 30 yrs ago) we had bulk spools of Maxima in the shops. That's when I started using it. I don't see these nowadays.
20/00 is sufficient in terms of BS and abbrasion resistance because I use hooklengths up to 16/00 on rivers, but often lighter (I don't fish commercials). For hooklengths I use Super G-line most of the time. Have some stuff which is older and not even sold anymore like See adler which I realy like for the color and feel. Cheap stuff as wel.
I'll report back here once I get the spool and find some time to test it. Ebay tells me they'll deliver on the 2nd of october and I have a match on the 3rd, so it might be field test before lab test....
PS: found it in one Dutch web shop for € 23 + shipping afterwards.. a bit steep I'd say
I don't see it here, which is strange. When I fished for carp (that must be 30 yrs ago) we had bulk spools of Maxima in the shops. That's when I started using it. I don't see these nowadays.
20/00 is sufficient in terms of BS and abbrasion resistance because I use hooklengths up to 16/00 on rivers, but often lighter (I don't fish commercials). For hooklengths I use Super G-line most of the time. Have some stuff which is older and not even sold anymore like See adler
which I realy like for the color and feel. Cheap stuff as wel.I'll report back here once I get the spool and find some time to test it. Ebay tells me they'll deliver on the 2nd of october and I have a match on the 3rd, so it might be field test before lab test
....PS: found it in one Dutch web shop for € 23 + shipping afterwards.. a bit steep I'd say
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OK, ordered a spool of 4lbs @ 20/00. That's what I'll use for ledgering because I'm used to Maxima 20/00 for this. Strength is not the primary spec I'm looking for, just some abbrasion resistance and decent pricing. About £ 10 is the best shipping I could get so totals up to £ 20.
I don't see it here, which is strange. When I fished for carp (that must be 30 yrs ago) we had bulk spools of Maxima in the shops. That's when I started using it. I don't see these nowadays.
20/00 is sufficient in terms of BS and abbrasion resistance because I use hooklengths up to 16/00 on rivers, but often lighter (I don't fish commercials). For hooklengths I use Super G-line most of the time. Have some stuff which is older and not even sold anymore like See adler
I'll report back here once I get the spool and find some time to test it. Ebay tells me they'll deliver on the 2nd of october and I have a match on the 3rd, so it might be field test before lab test
PS: found it in one Dutch web shop for € 23 + shipping afterwards.. a bit steep I'd say
Ok, so i'm assuming your not in the uk?
If you were then this would have been looking at....
Daiwa Sensor Monofilament - Bulk Spools - Various | eBay
Available on 4oz bulk spools or 300m spools.
www.ebay.co.uk