Polonius 2 Posted May 12, 2014 Report Share Posted May 12, 2014 Hi guys, I was wondering if anyone buys cheaper bulk braid off ebay to spool their reels with. I have bought cheaper braid from ebay before - paid about $40 for 800m of 50lb. I have spooled my TLD 25 with it and it seems to work ok, ties fine, however I am yet to hook anything drag meltingly serious with it; a few dog sharks and small eagle ray runs is all its been subjected to. I was wondering if anyone has any prefered eBay brands that they have tested and do trust to not fail under serious pressure. I was contemplating buy this one: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Pro-100-PE-Dyneema-Spectra-Braid-Fishing-Line-Yellow-100M-300M-500M-1000M-Y-/380666213410?pt=AU_Fishing_Clothing&var=&hash=item58a1797422 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Underpants 1,543 Posted May 12, 2014 Report Share Posted May 12, 2014 Nup and the ol' adage "you get what you pay for" comes to mind......generally rather wary of cheap anything off Ebay. Even if it there were some good reports out there i'd be dubious of the quality control, the next 1000 spools could be s**t. Not much $ to try but would be interested when a decent bronzie jumps on! All else fails: http://www.paulusjustfishing.com/4linetesting.htm Recon the one in your link is there? Not a good review/comments for the heavier stuff. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ale 301 Posted May 12, 2014 Report Share Posted May 12, 2014 I’ve used plenty of eBay braid in the past, never had an issue with it breaking under what is conceived as acceptable, but have heard stories and seen a failure last month on a charter that was said to be due to cheap china braid brought off a local shops bulk spool . But, I will say that over the last couple years I’ve slowly upgraded all my most used and loved reels to have some sort of brand name braid. Some of this brand name stuff is head and shoulders above the eBay stuff and worth the extra $$$, some of it to a lesser extent. The main difference is that even tho the cheap eBay stuff works “fine†it’s not as nice to use and more often than not, a bigger diameter when compared to its big $$$ cousin. Also, just be very weary when buying from eBay in regards to what you’re getting. Many times, the spool that is pictured is not the spool you get. You may get the same colour and noted breaking strain, but don’t be surprised if its branded totally different. I’ve also bought some no name china braid, and when it arrived, was a spool of the knock off Power Pro stuff. Ive used that particular label shown in that link as well with no major ill effects Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trihull 177 Posted May 12, 2014 Report Share Posted May 12, 2014 You can also buy it direct from the manufacturers, in some cases, also look for how many strands, upwards of 6 and $$$ goes up....Most are made in Korea, or China... even the "brand names" are made there as well. Just remember the old saying , You get what you pay for...... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
southie THE BANGA 2,304 Posted May 12, 2014 Report Share Posted May 12, 2014 From what i have hears and seen..... search for an brand called Sealion Braid..... Super thin, ties well, breaks well above breaking strain, alot of "gun" anglers use this stuff..... Cheap too...... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tinker 1,645 Posted May 12, 2014 Report Share Posted May 12, 2014 I still recommend getting from a tackle shop, especially one with a spool winder to get the braid on tight. Have a mate that bought imitation Power Pro Bite Motion off fleabay, and compared to the genuine stuff, gets a fair few tangles and birdsnests. It just doesn't cast the same or feel right. At least if you buy it from a tackle shop, you can go back and whinge if it lets you down. And at least you know that by supporting your local bait and tackle store, they will be there for the future. Just my two cents....... Yorky 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Polonius 2 Posted May 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2014 See I have looked around a few shops in Adelaide and the cheaper backing braid that many use isn't a "proper" brand as far as I was told, i.e it's not Penn or Power Pro or whatever. It seems that even from a tackle shop if you go the cheaper option you are still buying god knows what, except you will probably still pay 2 or 3 times what something from eBay will cost you. Thanks for the link to the braid testing website, that is really informative. Seeing those numbers makes me wonder why you would ever fork out the big bucks for things like Power Pro; the numbers seem worse than most of the cheap stuff. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trihull 177 Posted May 13, 2014 Report Share Posted May 13, 2014 For those interested, I did find this link to Braid testing / Buyers Guide and reviews... http://www.paulusjustfishing.com/4linetestingbuy.htm Quote Link to post Share on other sites
newtontoney 57 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 iv used the spectra type braid off of ebay for years and never had a problem, caught tuna, sharks, rays, snapper, on it no worries, never let me down. My mate uses it in his boat too for same species and has never been let down. some of the braid he has had on his reels for a few years and still not a problem. If there was a cheaper option in local stores id definitely use it, but I personally cant afford to use very expensive braids on my reels. I have too many other vices Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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