Braid Thickness

[S Hook]

Going to spool this Suffix up.  50lb(.34mm)is actually thinner than 30lb(.38mm) Fireline.  I like the Fireline, but was thinking about going up to 50lb and when I saw that Suffix was actually thinner I went with it.  I guess it pays to look at the diameters of the line you are using.

Edited May 24 by S Hook

[Busanga]

Dont always believe the specs written on the spool. sometimes 30lb s more like 40lb and as far as dia is concerned, it seems different companies measue it differently..  ie some measure flattened braid and call that the dia. 

[S Hook]

On 5/24/2023 at 3:18 PM, Busanga said:

Dont always believe the specs written on the spool. sometimes 30lb s more like 40lb and as far as dia is concerned, it seems different companies measue it differently..  ie some measure flattened braid and call that the dia. 

Gotcha. In this case it was thinner and I got more 50 pound on than I had 30 pound.

[Pearl Bomber]

I would recommend looking at the braid break chart here. It’s got everything on a very handy chart.

You’ll find all the info and specs for nearly every braid.

 

 

Edited May 24 by Pearl Bomber

[VanStaalSteve]

30-pound Fireline is rope. No need to use it. Try 20- pound. Cast much better than the 30 and tests out at over 40-pound test. Great around rocks. 

[S Hook]

On 5/24/2023 at 7:08 PM, Pearl Bomber said:

I would recommend looking at the braid break chart here. It’s got everything on a very handy chart.

You’ll find all the info and specs for nearly every braid.

 

 

Great chart, but seems incorrect for the two braids I mentioned. 50 lb Suffix looks thinner than 30 lb Firelline, but the chart says it’s quite a bit thicker. 

Edited May 25 by S Hook

[Pearl Bomber]

On 5/24/2023 at 9:18 PM, S Hook said:

Great chart, but seems incorrect for the two braids I mentioned. 50 lb Suffix looks thinner than 30 lb Firelline, but the chart says it’s quite a bit thicker. 

Interesting, the chart’s actual thickness test is nearly identical for both lines stated thickness. Suffix-.014 in, SW- .35 mm

Got a micrometer? 

 

 

[Busanga]

On 5/25/2023 at 12:09 AM, VanStaalSteve said:

30-pound Fireline is rope. No need to use it. Try 20- pound. Cast much better than the 30 and tests out at over 40-pound test. Great around rocks. 

Is how they market it mainly in the USA, so people go ooooh this braid is strong 30lb breaks at 40lb...pure marketing trickery for the USA market (biggest market in world).

 

Braid in Japan and SA for eg breaks pretty much around stated specs...in SA they even say be careful this particular braid is USA specced.. meaning you think you are buying thin 20lb but in actual fact are getting thicker 35lb for instance.

 

That leads to confusion over line diameters too, as there is no magic, generally the thicker braid will break at higher weights,  so there is a marketig balancing act going on between oooh this line is so strong and oooh ths line is so thin...cant have it both ways (give or take a few % points either way for new materials). hence the other trickery of stating diameter of the line flattened rather than its true diameter. 

 

One of the popular stated super thin lines is actually thicker slghtly than its cheaper counterparts when it is wound on to a spool... marketing !

[S Hook]

I learned a lot by starting this thread.  One thing I learned is that I probably would have just stuck with the 30 lb Fireline if I knew it had a breaking strength of 50 something pounds.  But what I have now is 50lb braid at about the same thickness with  approximately 65 pound breaking strength, according to the chart.  That should be more than enough, as was the 30 Fireline.   When you get into a blitz the other day like I did with 20-40+lb plus fish it makes you want to go heavy. lol   Those fish are tackle busters although the only failure I had was my FG knot, which won't happen again. Back to barrel swivel.

 

So basically I upgraded from the 30lb Fireline to 50lb Suffix and went from a 40 pound Floro leader to a 60lb Floro leader.  I plan on taking a trip to the Cape Cod Canal soon, so I should be good. Thanks for all the replies!

Edited May 25 by S Hook

[S Hook]

On 5/25/2023 at 5:47 AM, Pearl Bomber said:

Interesting, the chart’s actual thickness test is nearly identical for both lines stated thickness. Suffix-.014 in, SW- .35 mm

Got a micrometer? 

 

 

No

[Heavy Hooksetter]

Braided line is already one of the thinnest lines you can find to look for something even thinner?,,,

 

HH

[Heavy Hooksetter]

On 5/25/2023 at 2:12 PM, Heavy Hooksetter said:

Braided line is already one of the thinnest lines you can find to fish with, now you look for something even thinner?,,,

 

HH

 

[Mr. Eel]

30lb fireline is more like 70lb braid....definitely stronger than 50lb suffix 832

 

Best thing to do is go by the line diameter. If one diameter is thicker the line is stronger. Most lines are made out of the same material so it makes sense. 

[S Hook]

On 5/25/2023 at 3:52 PM, Mr. Eel said:

30lb fireline is more like 70lb braid....definitely stronger than 50lb suffix 832

 

Best thing to do is go by the line diameter. If one diameter is thicker the line is stronger. Most lines are made out of the same material so it makes sense. 

According to the chart, 30lb Fireline has an actual breaking strength of 51lbs and 50lb Suffix 832 has an actual breaking strength of 70lbs.  

https://www.dropbox.com/s/z0rt7cbdccq2on7/Latest Braid Test.xlsx?dl=0

[aquaholik]

On 5/25/2023 at 4:12 PM, S Hook said:

According to the chart, 30lb Fireline has an actual breaking strength of 51lbs and 50lb Suffix 832 has an actual breaking strength of 70lbs.  

https://www.dropbox.com/s/z0rt7cbdccq2on7/Latest Braid Test.xlsx?dl=0

 

The Fireline that you have in your picture is the original Fireline fused and the closest one on the chart is Fireline Crystal 30 lbs. I believe you are looking at the Fireline Braid 30 lbs which is a different line altogether. Fireline Crystal and Fireline Original in 30 lbs breaks around 70 lbs.

 

 

Edited May 25 by aquaholik