Anyone Using Seaguar Kanzen Braid?

[philsoreel]

Those are some wicked small diameters. I've only come across one line with diameters that small and that was original PP. The PP 10lb. is bombproof, casts farther than anything I've ever seen, and doesn't give any problems with line twist...used on a spinning set-up for shakeyhead. Can Kanzen match it's strength?

[deep]

This Kanzen seems to be slightly thinner than Samurai for similar pound tests.. Now I wonder if it has the other qualities of Samurai that I've come to love. Is it a 8 strand braid? And what does it cost?

[philsoreel]

Doesn't say anything in the product description about it being an eight strand. It's cheap $13.99 for 150yds. I like how smooth and quiet Samurai is, but that about sums it up for me.

[Hooligan]

I believe that at Icast I was told that Kanzen is either an eight or ten strand carrier. What I know for certain is that it is the only braid I will fish, period. It's smooth and quiet through the guides and has very good behavior in terms of abrasion. It's not particularly resistant, but because it doesn't have a coating on it, it's a lot easier to tell if there IS wear on the line. When you pay attention to it, you end up cutting a lot less line away. Also, because it is uncoated, it's soft and flexible from the start, similar to samurai. I feel that it has better strength to diameter ratios than Samurai. It's definitely a very dense finish, moreso than Super 8 Slick, which shows in the diameters.

[deep]

I believe that at Icast I was told that Kanzen is either an eight or ten strand carrier. What I know for certain is that it is the only braid I will fish, period. It's smooth and quiet through the guides and has very good behavior in terms of abrasion. It's not particularly resistant, but because it doesn't have a coating on it, it's a lot easier to tell if there IS wear on the line. When you pay attention to it, you end up cutting a lot less line away. Also, because it is uncoated, it's soft and flexible from the start, similar to samurai. I feel that it has better strength to diameter ratios than Samurai. It's definitely a very dense finish, moreso than Super 8 Slick, which shows in the diameters.

Thank you. Hooligan, what do you think about the abrasion resistances of the two lines for similar test strengths?

I took a closer look at the specs for the two lines (Kanzen and Samurai). The Kanzen braid costs more for higher pound tests than it does for lower pound tests! Isn't it usually the other way round? Maybe the lower tests have a smaller number of strands. IDK, I'm just wondering. There's a $16 price difference between 20 lb and 30 lb test Kanzen!!

Samurai is slightly thicker for lower test strengths, and thinner for higher tests, compared to Kanzen. That is interesting too!

The 30 lb test- which is what I use on two of my spinning setups- is priced about the same for both lines. The line diameters are almost identical too, for 30 lb test.

[Hammer 4]

Dang, for that kind of $$$ I might have to give it a try. Too bad I still have lots of Samurai left..

[Hooligan]

I'd say that it's pretty similar really, Deep. The thing, though, that I really notice is that there are fewer inconsistencies in Kanzen than in Samurai. Granted, there are few, but every once in a while you will notice a snag, or a place where there is a diameter change or something in Samurai; I've yet to notice that with Kanzen.

[Hammer 4]

I have used 4 spools of Samurai from 20 to 55lb, and haven't noticed any consistences..that I could detect..

[Hooligan]

I have used 4 spools of Samurai from 20 to 55lb, and haven't noticed any consistences..that I could detect..

I've heard that from a lot of kuys, Hammer, but I've also heard from a lot of guys that have seen the same things I have, too. It seems like it's limited to 55 and 70, or has been from what I've used. I have used, literally, 3,000 yards of Samurai since late 2006/early 2007 and have seen it with what I would call infrequency. I have yet to see it with Kanzen, but also don't have the amount of it on reels that I did Samurai and am not fishing braid nearly as much.