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old feel n reel blank question
I know I have read on here a few times about the NFC Delta Hybrid Zentron blanks being the blanks Kistler used before changing from the NFC blanks. The Zentron blanks tip is a darker material, what was the blank used when the Feel n Reel had a white tip? Was it the same blank just colored differently for Kistler?
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Have you gone to the NFC site? How many colors of Zentron do you see there? Google NFC delta blanks, look at the bottom left picture, there is your answer.
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The feel n reels were graphite/S glass (S2) composite. There's 3 types of fibers (that I know of) used for rods besides graphite...E glass, S glass and Zentron (there's boron and other materials that have been used in the past but not common anymore). I'm not sure if Zentron is actually classified as "glass" but it's properties are "faster" than S glass and "slower" than graphite. I've got a few I've built for myself and they are a good option for moving baits. I've used them for chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, bigger topwater and have thrown a swim jig with them. Definitely lighter in weight than S glass (like the Rod Geeks composite S glass blanks) but not as light in weight as the Seeker BS706 (the tomato stake).
So to answer your question, no it's not the same. Pretty sure NFC is the only blank manufacturer using Zentron though.
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Ok, now I am confused even more? Spoonplugger, I have been on the NFC site and seen the white tip blank in the picture many times in fact I have bought 9 of the Delta Zentron blanks, when I got all of my blanks they were not white tips the were the darker material I spoke about, they do have two different materials in the blank and the same type of "seam" lines on them as the white but again they are not white?
Willwork4fish, are you saying the white tip feel n reel were not Zentron but rather S glass?
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All I did was Google Kistler Feel n Reel review since I figured Tackle Tour would have one. They say it's S glass and T800 graphite and usually get their data straight from the manufacturer. Since that review is from 2016 and I didn't start hearing about Zentron until 2019 or 2020 and I know from talking to Alex at ALX that Zentron is different than S glass I came to the conclusion that they're not the same.
On almost any composite blank you'll see a seam or line where they transition, the NFC Zentrons are probably Zentron/graphite composite.
http://www.tackletour.com/reviewkist...feelnreel.html
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The design transition you see is decades old in design, just because it's built of different materials doesn't really change anything. Calstar Graphiter, Lamiglas Triflex, Rainshadow Judge which is also an S glass tipped blank, I'm sure others also. Zentron is a high modulus LINEAR glass, which automatically increases its stiffness and stiffness to weight ratio over regular woven glass like E and S glass. If you really want the white glass tip, ask them to build you a batch, I imagine it will be around 25 blanks per, but doable. Another cheaper option would be to paint the tip or wrap the tip in a bright color if visible recognition is important, salmon and steelhead anglers have been doing that forever to see their rod tips. Lamiglas even used to make a rod/blank with an international orange glass tip for this purpose.
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Thank you both for all your help, I personally like the Zentron blanks and the action on the rods, I have built a few for others that also like them but have talked to people who liked the white tip rods performance so I was trying to find out the difference. I know in this forum I have seen that Kistler did build with the Zentron blanks so in relationships to changes or generations of rods it sounds like the white tip blanks were gen 1, the Zentron then would be a gen 2 and their current a gen 3?
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What I know is Kistler has used blanks from every manufacturer on the planet and it is hard to figure out who they used for a particular rod.
Allen
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