[flathunter]

Most of the rods today designed for catfishing have stainless steel tips.

Every rod I have ever owned from 80 dollars down to 20 bucks, if it had a stainless steel tip I would have to get it replaced with a tip that had a insert.

I would cut groves in the tip which would damage my line, and I use mono not braid, and this happens in just a couple trips.

These rods include

ugly stik tigers, which are suppose to hold up...I just dont get it.

 

[GaryF]

My understanding is that some of the tips are solid stainless, and others are only stainless coated over a softer metal. But good luck figuring out which type a rod has.

I've replaced tips on 2 of my Tiger Rods due to grooving, and it did appear that it was a copper or bronze metal on the inside. The good news is that it's only the tips that seem to wear, and they are easy to replace with something that has an insert.

I'll point out that they make Tiger rods with inserts, too, the BWCA/O 2201 and 2202 have the regular aluminum oxide inserts, but few retailers carry them.

 

[Catfishhunter]

I use Surge rods with ss tips and I have never had to replace the tips. I use power pro line and this is my 4th year and I haven't had any problems with grooving...

 

[GaryF]

James,

Thanks again for taking me out on your boat last week. 4 years with no tip wear is a pretty good testimonial for the Surge rods.

I'm switching to Catfish Safari rods for my boat fishing this year, and they are supposed to be solid stainless as well.

 

[crazy]

Remember there are different thickness of chrome as well. You have your decorative chrome plating then you have your hard chrome that is more for wear resistance situations. What you could be seeing is just the chrome coming off. Also for fishing eye's be called 100% stainless steel it only has to have 50% stainless. Most of that is going to be in your welds. At least thats the way I read it.

 

[bubbajum]

For the guide surface to remain smooth it must be made of a super hard material.

Fuji Silicon Carbide (SiC) rings are 12 times harder than stainless steel and nearly twice as hard as aluminium oxide.

Fuji education page.

 

[metalman]

All chrome plating is very hard. The difference between decorative or "show chrome" and "hard chrome" is the thickness it is applied. Decorative chrome is very thin, often measured in hundredths of a thousandth of an inch. Note I did not say hundreds, I said hundredths.
Take 1 inch, divide it into a thousand. Now take just one of those thousandths and divide it into a hundred, we are talking VERY THIN!
Hard chrome is the same stuff but thousands of times thicker.
All chrome is applied the same way by the electro plating process. There is no such thing as flash chroming or dip chroming. These are just terms for the very thin layers of decorative chrome.
Decorative chrome is applied over an equally thin layer of nickel that is in turn applied over a layer of copper. It is not softer than hard chrome but because it is so thin and often not as well bonded to the substrate it is much more likely to flake off or wear through.
The fishing rod tip can be brass, steel or stainless steel. Each of these can be decoratively or hard chromed so beware and be sure of what you are being sold.
I used to be a dyed-in-the-wool supporter of eyes with inserts but have broken or chipped just too many of them and am now a convert to high quality stainless steel eyes and tips with hard chrome.
...W

 

[catfishcrazy256]

i build my rods and use ss tips and 100# power pro ,never had any problems with the tips groving

 

[MAX1955]

Flathunter I read somewhere a rod can say stainless eyes with the feet being stainless and the eye being a softer metal. I know there are different grades of stainless, some better than others. Hope this helps.

 

[peewee williams]

Most of the rods today designed for catfishing have stainless steel tips.

Every rod I have ever owned from 80 dollars down to 20 bucks, if it had a stainless steel tip I would have to get it replaced with a tip that had a insert.

I would cut groves in the tip which would damage my line, and I use mono not braid, and this happens in just a couple trips.

These rods include

ugly stik tigers, which are suppose to hold up...I just dont get it.

This is often a Surf rod problem due to fine sand/silt on the line.Muddy moving rivers often do the same.It may well be your fishing conditions.

I have carried a rod tip repair kit with me since I first saw one years ago with a wide assortment of tips.It has saved the day for me,family,friends and made quite a few friends out of total strangers over the years.I like Fuji Hardloy tips.Worked great for me fishing mono.Never had to replace one from wear yet.

I love you Brothers and Sisters.peewee