Braid diameter

[Eastern Tackle]

I sort of figured most braids were close enough in diameter so I never worried much about it. I got some JB 80lb blue solid that I wanted to try, because I have loved the hollow core for a long time. I have some Boat Braid and wanted to compare.

One thing I noticed was the thickness by feel. So I pulled out the calipers and here is what I found:

Jerry Brown Solid 80lb -color Blue - .0215in /.56mm
Daiwa Boat PE6 80lb -color Multi - .0170in /.46mm
Tufline xp 80lb -color Green - .0235in / .59mm
Sufix Herculine 80lb -color Green - .0200in / .53mm

Herculine is old school original braid back from when Jerry owned Sufix and no longer available, at least under that brand.

[ksong]

I don't believe the statistics. Braided /PE lines are not truely rounded and it is hard to measure correctly.
Daiwa Boat PE6 is 60 lbs line, not 80 lbs as they claim.
My friend tested Daiwa PE8, which they claim 100 lbs line and the line constantly breaks at 78 lbs.
The only way you measure the right diameter is to put the lines on your reel. PP has thinner diameter than original Tufline ( not coted XP) by their claim, but I could get more lines with Tufline on the same reel.

[Eastern Tackle]

I call them how I see them. I stand by the measurements.

[xs_tackle]

Originally Posted by Eastern Tackle

I call them how I see them. I stand by the measurements.

For those of us who want to decide what to make of your report, it would be helpful to know the protocol you used to measure the lines and to know how you arrived at the stated breaking strains of the lines (if you did something other than to restate the mfr's claimed breaking strain).

[ksong]

Sorry, Estern Tackle. I thought you posted published statistics.
Anyway, it it is believed measurement of different brands can not be accurately done. The best way to know is to put the lines on the reel.

[Snagged]

Use a snap guage with about ten pounds of load on the line.

[Eastern Tackle]

The ratings are manufactures stated ratings from the labels.

I have an Instrand machine here, that can accurately test the actual line strength. However, It has two hooks for the connection on the top and bottom. So you have make some kind of loop in each end of the string to hook it to the machine. What you end up testing is the knot strength in the line and not the line itself. I would almost have to have some kind of cam arrangement, that could withstand a lot of force, to accurately measure the line. That is probably an available component, but I don't need it for my work, so we won't be getting one. I have used it to test crimps in mono several times. Its perfect for that.

Sampling in this test was done using standard Mil Spec statistical sampling methods. If I was doing the test for industry, I would have sampled over various spools, but I just used what I had on hand, as this was just for fun.

Analysis was basic, comparable to plotting measurements on a scatter chart, taking out the outliers and averaging the results. Statistic sampling 101 stuff.

The line was only under the load of me pulling it off the spool. Less than one pound of pressure.

Yes, I have a Bachelors degree from Radford in Operations with a focus in Quality Control and have used a set of calipers before, to answer your question before you ask. That, and some commercial and charter fishing, is how I pay to fish myself.

If you have other results that are different, I invite you to put them up, because as I said, this was just for fun and done more out of curiosity than anything.

[MrBill]

I'll be honest. I really don't need to know the diameter of different brands of braid. Reliability is much more important. The best way to test any line is to fish it.

Spooling the braid on the reel is a big problem for most people. You cannot pack it on to tight. I was fishing with a guy that had just bought a new reel. The tackle shop had spooled on his braid. It looked full as he showed me his new toy. After the first tuna, the spool looked about 3/4 full. After the third tuna, it looked half full. The line never broke but was now packed down tightly. Nothing packs the line on a reel better than a hard fighting tuna using 25#'s of drag.

I saw something very interesting this year. I was on a boat where this guy brought aboard two new empty reels. He showed me this spool of braid that he had epoxied on wings on the ends. He placed the braid spool in a five bucket of fresh water with the rims touching the bottom of the bucket.

When he started cranking on the braid, the braid spool was slowed down by the wings. It also stayed in place in the bucket of water. It was working like a paddle wheel in the water. He was using a glove to help get even more tension. Those reels were packed very tight. After a few nice fish, his reels had only gone down about 1/8" on the spool.

[Eastern Tackle]

Kilsong,
This is the machine I was telling you about. It is very accurate and strong. This week the lab tech is testing brackets for blinds, so the hooks are not on there.