If you had a choice

[618PRO]

Rainshadow Eternity 68MH or NFC X-Ray SJ 685. Will be a 6' 8" for plastics and light jigs. Length, butt, and tip essentially the same. I don't have experience with either.

[Sarcazmo]

Great question. I have two of the new eternity blanks waiting to be built. Let us know what you decide.

[denraytay]

Not sure you could go wrong with either. I have one of each I need to get started building. I have been a big NFC fan but the Rainshadow Eternity blanks are nice also.

[618PRO]

I have an old Castaway skeleton 6'8" heavy jig/worm and have heard they use Rainshadow blanks but not sure which one it is. It has been a good rod.

[Spoonplugger1]

I seriously doubt Castaway uses Rainshadow blanks, Lance Dupre at Swampland would know as he used to sell the excellent Castaway blanks along with many other brands including Rainshadow. Castaway has many designs that in no way resemble the Rainshadow line. Back to the question at hand, the Eternity line is brand new, I have no idea what the new non-US made blanks are like, but Rainshadow's other offshore blanks are to some heavier in power than they expected, and the NFC are just the opposite, the Xray blanks are cheaper now on sale than the Eternity blanks. Only you know what your fishing conditions are like, and what you like in a rod for those conditions, if you were a Loomis fan than you would have a general idea what to expect from NFC, just remember a 3 power Loomis is closer to a 4 power NFC. If a blank is a remaster of a particular Loomis blank it will say so in the drop down menu when you select the blank. When in doubt,call them and ask, or get on their many media sites.
It's not as easy as measuring tip and butt sizes to get the right blank, you're leaving out blank wall thickness and materials used.

[Bassbme]

Once you add in the excise tax that NFC charges and the $35 flat rate shipping charges, the X ray blank is more expensive than the Eternity blank. And yes I know all blanks are subject to the excise tax, but it is built into the price of the Eternity blank.

As far as the specific blanks mentioned, I also have no experience with either of those blanks. But I have built 2 rods on NFC X ray blanks, and one rod on one of the new Eternity blanks, so I can offer some thoughts on how the blanks perform sensitivity wise. The Eternity blank is going to be just as sensitive as an X ray blank would be. And while I personally didn't have any problems getting the X ray blanks I ordered, in a timely manner, others have. So that is something to consider. If NFC has the blank in stock, you'll get it pretty quickly. If not, you could be waiting a while.

One other thing about NFC, and I love the X ray blanks I have built on, but I don't think I received the blanks that I actually ordered. I ordered MB 736 blanks, and based on the dimensions and power of the blanks I received, I am almost positive that they sent me SJ 736 blanks. One thing that makes me almost certain that I received SJ736 blanks is that when I requested decals for the blanks I ordered (I didn't get decals with the blanks initially) they sent me decals for the SJ 736. I know of others that got blanks other than the blanks they ordered, as well. NFC may have that problem cleared up, but it is a possibility to keep in mind.

I'm not degrading the NFC X ray blanks at all. They are awesome blanks. I am just passing on valid concerns that may affect your decision.

As far as the Rainshadow blanks go. I am a huge fan of their blanks. I can't really speak to whether or not they fish more powerful than their specs would lead you to believe. I personally think they fish to their specs, and in some cases, lighter than what I would expect. But I would say the same thing about the other NFC blanks I have built on.

One thing I love about the Eternity blanks, is that Batson provided CCS numbers for the Eternity line of blanks. CCS is a standard way of measuring the power and action of a blank. If you are familiar with the system, and can relate the numbers with the power and action of rod you're familiar with, it pretty much takes the guess work out of choosing the right blank. So, because of that, and the fact that I wouldn't be worried about getting the blank I actually ordered, and that I would get it in a timely manner, I would go with the Eternity blank, and I would order it from Utmost Enterprises. They are excellent, and only charge what actual shipping charges are. I ordered my Eternity blank from them, and had it at my house in northeast Ohio, in 3 days, with a shipping charge of $18. And they ship blanks in PVC tubes, not cardboard tubes like NFC does.