Why doesn’t GLOOMIS use micro guides

[MichiganMikee]

I was going to buy 2 new gloomis glx casting rods jig and worm rods and I noticed they don’t use micro guides on there rods ? Strange seeing how every company typically uses them anyone know if there is a specific reason for why gloomis has not changed that ??

[fishballer06]

Perhaps because they're a pain if you use a leader... 

[MichiganMikee]

Yea that’s true 

[bigturtle]

every company uses micro guides? ya i dont know about that one

[lmbfisherman]

I’m not a micro guide person?  I’m fine with the regular guides.  What matters to me most is how they fish though.

 

[S Hovanec]

Not everyone likes them.  They wound need to introduce a whole line of rods with them or have every model with both guide types.

[MichiganMikee]

1 hour ago, bigturtle said:

every company uses micro guides? ya i dont know about that one

Yea I know every rod company does not use micro guides it just seems like most do guess I didn’t mean it so literal ..

[Loomis13]

Just a complete guess as I'm not sure where they are made. But perhaps, they are made up north somewhere and the guides could freeze up there. I know they sell rods all over and many to the south but just a thought. It seems like Loomis are Croix are the big companies up this direction (Iowa) and down south isnt as heavily those two major brands. 

[Mike L]

I may be wrong here, but one of the reasons to use micro guides is to keep the line closer to the blank which helps the overall sensitivity throughout the length of the rod. 

So maybe they feel the added benefit is to small to make a discernible difference in thier product. 

 

Or Not...

 

 

 

Mike

[J Francho]

Never mind the warranty replacement/repair on them.  They are somewhat delicate.

[Hulkster]

I for one, am glad they don't. i like traditional guides. 

[badgerboyng]

I talked about micro guides with a St Croix rep when I visited their factory this summer. He said there was a huge push for micro guides a few years ago, and a lot of companies, including them, started manufacturing rods with micro guides. But he said now they hear from a lot of people who want them to be removed because of leader issues and how quickly the tiny guides freeze when fishing in very cold weather. He basically said that micro guides were a fad, and even though they're still around, a lot of people don't prefer them. 

 

Personally, I've always seen G Loomis as a more traditional company that's slow to change its ways. So maybe they just out-waited the fad, and when they update their rods, I think they'll continue to use traditional guides simply because there's not really anything wrong with them, whereas micro-guides bring several more issues into play. 

[WRB]

I don't know what you all are saying, Loomis uses micro giudes. What Loomis doesn't use is double foot large rind minimal spaced standard guides. Micro guides are not all the same or always have 3mm ID rings. Micro guides have a single foot, light weight low profile frames with smaller ID rings and the guide train is placed close together to minimize line drag on the blank and that is what Loomis high end rods use. 5mm guide rings are micro guides or if you prefer mini guides.

Tom

[Further North]

On 2/14/2018 at 7:10 PM, fishballer06 said:

Perhaps because they're a pain if you use a leader... 

I use a leader and like micro guides.  Works fine with the right knot...

13 hours ago, J Francho said:

Never mind the warranty replacement/repair on them.  They are somewhat delicate.

Interesting.  I've had them for years, have not had any issues.

[fishnkamp]

Originally I bet Gary Loomis did not fall in love with them. Now that Shimano is involved with G Loomis, I bet the idea of launching a complete line with them would be too costly to be approved.

[rangerjockey]

Gary Loomis was gone from Loomis/Shimano long before micro's became popular. G Loomis has never been a "me too " type of deal.

 Heck, it took them 10 years to introduce a split grip.

[J Francho]

10 hours ago, Further North said:

Interesting.  I've had them for years, have not had any issues.

Be honest, not one bent guide?  I find that hard to believe.

 

8 hours ago, fishnkamp said:

Originally I bet Gary Loomis did not fall in love with them.

Gary sold the company to Shimano in '94, while struggling with health problems.  While he may or may not like them, he had no influence over what G. Loomis does since.

[S Hovanec]

38 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Be honest, not one bent guide?  I find that hard to believe.

 

 

Not a one.  I can say that, but I think I use better guides than some of those OEMs.  I may baby my equipment more than most too.

[J Francho]

I'm testing gear for review.  I am careful, but not overly careful.  I'd say you're in the minority, given "typical" use. 

[S Hovanec]

When I say not one, I'm speaking of "micros".  I've had many bent up 6mm and larger guides.  Probably because they're easier to catch on things.

[Further North]

3 hours ago, J Francho said:

13 hours ago, Further North said:

Interesting.  I've had them for years, have not had any issues.

Be honest, not one bent guide?  I find that hard to believe.

I've bent plenty of guides...just not those guides.

 

...and those rods get treated like any others in my boat.

[Tim Kelly]

Lots of micro guides bend very easily. The Fuji KR micros are much stronger though due to the way they are designed. I build my own rods and will only use the little Fuji guides now as most others bend too easily.

[spoonplugger1]

Found this oldie but goldie with so much mis-information it's mind boggling. G Loomis before Shimano used micro guides all the time, for decades, they were called match guides, used in Europe since WW2, Japan since a little after that. When the first Japanese long spool reels hit the US the Shimano Aero reels also came with a series of Aero rods with match guides. Fuji made match guides in double.foot and single foot versions into the 90's, the flyweight series, now they have come back in with the KL-H series.

Fuji F-frames micro guides have never been the strongest, they were the worst for many years of production where they were used by us custom builders before the re-introduction of the K series Fujis. the Pacific Bay, Batson, and Alps guides were always more reliable and used for well over a decade before the KRs here in the US, much longer overseas.

Of all these guides, including the weak Fujis before the KRs, you could hang an 8 lb downrigger weight off the guide without deflecting let alone bending, or breaking one. The others were beefier, 12 lbs can hang off them. The problem with the older Fujis were they were built with frames like he Alconite LAGs, and the proportional downsizing left to little material to take any abuse at the bend itself from the user. Worked fine during fishing.

Six 3 mm guides weight the same as one 6 mm guide, that's nothing to sneeze at if you are trying to make the lightest, most sensitve and best balanced rods. 10 lb braid to fluoro leader knots fly right through my guides.

[SMITTY0045]

I’m convinced it’s because they kind of try to stick to the “classic” rod styling. Conventional guides, cork handles, and generally black or gunmetal blanks. I think it has a lot to do with their brand image

[d-camarena]

I hate micro guides, thats the only downfall in my lews frog rod. I use 65 or 80lb braid and the knot catches on the guides every once in a while. It not a big problem but annoying. When i buy rods i look fod non micro guides