Blank recommendation

[GetReel]

Wanting a good blank for 3/32 or 1/8oz hair jigs. I need lightweight, soft tip. 7'6"
I tried an MHX blank (SJ9000-MHX, 6-12lb 1/16-1/8oz, ML F, 4.5 tip, .514 butt, 1.8 wt.) it felt too heavy (tip heavy) for what I want and not enough tip flex I feel.

What at should I look into?

[D.O.C. 989]

If money is no object take a look at the Phenix K2 freshwater series of blanks, they have a couple that might fill the bill. NorthFork composites are running some good sales also if you're not in a hurry for the blank. Batson Brands may have something too.

[willwork4fish]

Call Phenix and ask about the blank that they use to make the Feather series, I think you can get a 7'7" ML...I haven't built one but I do fish the 7'1" Feather Light, it's a good hair jig rod and when I asked them about the blank it was pretty reasonably priced...I'm sure I'll order some this winter.

Another good option is the Point Blank 731MLF ($119) but it's only 7'3", not sure if you're specifically looking for 7'6"

I typically don't use titanium guides but I have found that on longer light rods regular steel frames can make it feel a little tip heavy so I've started using them with that type of blank.

[Hogsticker]

I's suggest the K2 medium light in preferred length, if money is of little concern. You won't much better than that. My 683ml sees a ton of action every time I'm on the water. Too bad Point Blank doesn't offer that light of power in that length. They really need to add dome models. The Feather or Recon are great value options. Won't be quite as light or sensitive as the K2, but still solid options.

[DrewFlu33]

Call Phenix and ask about the blank that they use to make the Feather series, I think you can get a 7'7" ML...I haven't built one but I do fish the 7'1" Feather Light, it's a good hair jig rod and when I asked them about the blank it was pretty reasonably priced...I'm sure I'll order some this winter.

Yep, if you have any Phenix dealers around they can order the blanks. I think they only have 7'7" in M and L though, not ML. I think probably light would be the one to go with for what the OP wants...and as far as 7.5 footers go, I think this is just about the best option for making one that isn't tip heavy.

K2 is great, but not 3-4 times better than the Feather to justify the price. I've never built on a K2 blank, but the finished Feathers are shockingly close to the finished K2s. I'm not saying the K2 doesn't feel better, they're just shockingly close for the price difference.

[Batson-Brands]

Since you're wanting a lighter tip we'd recommend our RainShadow Revelation REVIP76ML

[GetReel]

So Phenix has the Iron Feather series of rods, they are right up there in price with the K2. The Phenix Bass Recon2 has a PHX-S762L-B (7’6”, 4-10lb line, 1/16-3/8oz lure, Fast action)

[DrewFlu33]

So Phenix has the Iron Feather series of rods, they are right up there in price with the K2. The Phenix Bass Recon2 has a PHX-S762L-B (7’6”, 4-10lb line, 1/16-3/8oz lure, Fast action)

Feather and Iron Feather are very different. The latter is an ultralight series of blanks, while the former are a series of bass blanks / finished rods...the Feather blanks aren't "officially" for sale at the rod building places for whatever reason, but they're available. That's why I made the comment about having any Phenix dealers nearby as they can order them.

[willwork4fish]

The finished Feather rods are built on the FTX blank. I just talked to Bill at Phenix. $79 is their list price.

[DrewFlu33]

The finished Feather rods are built on the FTX blank. I just talked to Bill at Phenix. $79 is their list price.

Those are the model names they assign to the finished rods in the Feather series as well. The part numbers for the blanks are identical to their finished rods, but have a -B on the end, presumably for "blank." Unless they've changed their pricing in the last couple months (and it would make a lot of sense if they did....), $79 has been a sort of average price. The shorter ones are a little cheaper, the longer ones a little more expensive (similar to how they price the finished rods in that lineup). The retail on the 6'9" MH is $69 (or again, at least it was), the 7'1" M and other 7ish footers was $79, and the longer 7'7" ones jumped up to $89....I think the 7'3" XH was also $89. The place I've been ordering mine through just gave me a copy of their order sheet as I was always bugging them about what models they have access to and the prices, then like a dummy I lost it.

I've talked to Bill quite a few times. Good guy, but sometimes hard to get hold of!

[GetReel]

Get Bit is running a sale on Phenix Rods now so I think I'm gonna splurge for the K2 for me and my buddy is gonna get a Recon.

The K2 has 2 options in 7'6". One has a line rating of 4-12, the other 3-10. Get Bit is missing info and MudHole has misinformation.
Ill have to call in the morning.
But, between 4-12 line rating or 3-10 line rating, is the 3-10 got enough backbone? Does the 4-12 got enough tip?

I cant upload photos on this site from my iPad

[Hogsticker]

Yep, if you have any Phenix dealers around they can order the blanks. I think they only have 7'7" in M and L though, not ML. I think probably light would be the one to go with for what the OP wants...and as far as 7.5 footers go, I think this is just about the best option for making one that isn't tip heavy.

K2 is great, but not 3-4 times better than the Feather to justify the price. I've never built on a K2 blank, but the finished Feathers are shockingly close to the finished K2s. I'm not saying the K2 doesn't feel better, they're just shockingly close for the price difference.

I'm not disagreeing with you that the performance difference of the K2 isn't 3 times better as is the price, but isn't that generally how the fishing gear industry works? Well, pretty much anything. I'm just curious, if you've never built on an K2, how would you know just how differently they perform? My custom stable consists of Point Blank, NFC XRay, and K2. I still feel as though the K2 is the lightest, most sensitive of the bunch, and these others are pretty much the direct competition when you factor in price and performance. I believe Point Blank is the best bang for buck, striking the perfect balance between reasonable pricing and considerably better than average performance. I guess at the end of the day, it's up to the user to make these decisions, but I don't think I'd tell anyone that the Feather is close enough at a 3rd of the price.

[GetReel]

Well I ordered a K2 for myself and a Recon for my buddy. We’ll see how they differ once I get them and get them built.

[DrewFlu33]

I'm not disagreeing with you that the performance difference of the K2 isn't 3 times better as is the price, but isn't that generally how the fishing gear industry works? Well, pretty much anything. I'm just curious, if you've never built on an K2, how would you know just how differently they perform? My custom stable consists of Point Blank, NFC XRay, and K2. I still feel as though the K2 is the lightest, most sensitive of the bunch, and these others are pretty much the direct competition when you factor in price and performance. I believe Point Blank is the best bang for buck, striking the perfect balance between reasonable pricing and considerably better than average performance. I guess at the end of the day, it's up to the user to make these decisions, but I don't think I'd tell anyone that the Feather is close enough at a 3rd of the price.

Apologies for the delayed response...

I've handled many finished Feathers and many finished K2s...I've fished a lot of Feathers and test casted a couple K2s. Comparing the finished versions of the two rods is just about as close as you can get to building on the two different options and comparing, is it not? If it's not, it must be true that the K2s are just not built well for the quality of the blank?

The difference in feel between the two finished rods is almost imperceptible. I'm not saying it is imperceptible - if they were the same price, I would pick the K2. But For the price difference it's not even close to a contest. I love Phenix rods, so I want to be clear that I'm not badmouthing them. I think realistically it's a case of a new tech blank catching up to older tech. It's also smart design where a bunch of the mass in the Feather blanks at the butt so that they balance extremely well...I've noticed that there are several Feather finished rods that I think balance better than K2s of similar length/weight. Balance makes a big difference in how a rod feels.

Just one man's opinion. I've never built on a Point Blank to comment there.