PacBay Minima TiCh guides.

[jimmyjoe]

    Does anyone here have any first-hand experience with the guides mentioned above? They are titanium frames with chrome inserts. I'd like to know whether there are any downsides to them, and whether the support rings are fragile in any way, or not. Thank you.   jj

[MickD]

I have not used them, but I have a friend who loves them.  They also get good reviews on another building forum.  Builders like their low cost, good looks, their low weight.  They will not be as hard as premium ceramic rings, but I think the need for that level of hardness is overrated for guides.  I expect they will last quite well.  On the other hand, I would put a premium ring tiptop on as that is what will groove first, and it is not unusual for non-primium tiptops.

[.ghoti.]

Ive been thinking about giving them a shot, but have not.

 

Tom Kirkman has said, on his rodbuilding forum, that if PacBay made all the sizes he needs, Minima guides would be all he would use.

 

I believe an excellent rodbuilder, Scott Hovanec, who is a regular here, has posted that he has had grooving problems with these type guides. I don't remember if his problem was with Minima guides. Might have been another brand. Maybe he will chime in on this topic.

 

I tend to take most negative online reviews with a grain of salt. Or with a handful. Ditto for rave reviews. I suspect a large percentage of such "reviews" are from people repeating something they've read online, and want to appear knowledgeable, without have any actual experience with the products in question.

 

Having said that, I do believe, implicitly, both of the people I mentioned. They both have a lot more experience that I, and are both much better rod builders than I will every be.

 

So, what to do, when two such respected people disagree?

 

Buy some of the guides and try them for myself. My own opinion, when based on experience, is more important to me than any opinions I may read online. 

 

Try them yourself. The low cost is a plus. The light weight is a big plus. You may find a new favorite product.

 

If you want another recommendation, try some Alps, F series, titanium frame guides. Very light. Very strong. Hard ceramic rings. And lower priced than comparable Fuji titanium frame guides.

[spoonplugger1]

I've used both the stainless steel and the titanium guides many times, they are a better quality product than what you see on the store rods, those guides used to be available from Jann's Netcraft. There is an easily decernible difference in weight between the Ti and stainless, when put on a 9 1/2 ft. Steelhead rod it borders on OMG.

If you can live with the durability on an REC guide, these are plated to be harder to groove.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

I do not discount the opinions contrary, but I have used them with success. 

[jimmyjoe]

    Thank you, all. I asked because I bought a custom light power steelhead rod that has these guides, and it arrived with one of the support rings (titanium) cracked. There's no problem with the rodmaker; they're replacing the guide without question and refunding to me my mailing cost. Fabulous, standup guy. My problem is trying to discern whether this series has problems, as in fragility. The rodmaker thought it might have been handling or vibration related during shipment. Possibly. I thought, though, that shipping temperature might have had something to do with it. Y'know ... uneven thermal expansion and contraction. I guess it was a freak occurrence, and I'll just happily wait for the rod to get back to me.  Thanks again.   jj

[S Hovanec]

The guides I've replaced that were grooving are the Berkley SS-304 guides that come on certain Fenwick, Abu and Berkley rods and are/used to be available at Janns

 

If memory serves me, the TiCh Minimas aren't Titanium but are Ti plated stainless.  There are Titanium framed guides available too, but they look nothing like the TiCh ones.

[jimmyjoe]

Which do these appear to be?

[Josh_Bovaird]

I just built a drop shot rod using the minimas TiBlack guides and really anxious to get out on the water.  The guides are pretty light the whole rod cam in under 3oz finished