It appears to me that braid has , like most stuff these days, has fallen into the domain of spin doctors. Claims made for diameter and strength are all over the place and lead to uncertainty.
Crikey the PE rating of braid is a simple and accurate system free of grey areas and interpretation, yet manufacturers seemed to have stuffed this up as well with bogus claims, leaving the poor ole angler scratching their head (although anglers need to take some responsibility in the mis perception of PE rating as a breaking strength
).
I recently loaded an 10000SW spool with Performance braid. The stated diameter of the braid should of allowed a conservative 250+m to fit on the spool -- actual 189m
. The line was loaded under pressure as well. I wonder if the manufacturer measures diameter when the braid is under load??
I recently ordered some Berkley whiplash to try. They have some optimistic claims for their braid as well. There is no doubt it is thin (which has pros and cons) but actual diameter doesnt seem to stack up to marketing claims.
Wouldnt it be a god send if a reel actually put out its stated drag, or a PE5 line was actually 0.370mm in diameter and the spool actually loaded the stated meterage for a given PE class etc etc
On the positive side it does give me an excuse to buy and try more stuff