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Personally,I wouldn't buy "cheap braid"........I like Fins and Power Pro myself........not the cheapest,but they've never let me down.

Others will have their opinions,and they're probably a lot more qualified than me to answer.........but,that's what makes us all opinionated!

Good luck with whatever your choice may be.

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Better quality braid will last longer and be better "fit for purpose". Depending on what your fishing for, maybe a 150 yard top shot will be all you need. Agree with Outandabout Fins and Powerpro are both very good brands. I use Suffix 832 mostly now for lines up to 30lb, but speak to any reputable tackle store and they'll suggest a suitable option based on what your going to chase

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A 4000 size reel will hold 300yd of 10lb Power Pro perfectly. I know many people opt for less braid backed with mono, but I like a full spool.

 

Braid may seem expensive, but not when you take into account that it will last you 12-15 years, maybe more. When you fill the whole spool you can use the top half for 5,6,7 years or more, then take it off and wind it on the other way and use the other half.

 

Don't pay Australian prices though, order it from the US, even with shipping you'll save heaps. Power Pro is great stuff and I also like Jerry Brown and Fireline, although that's a bit different being a flatter fused line.

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Things would depend on your intended use. Cheaper braids are often thicker (or s**t coppies) so not ideal for lure casting but ok for bait work.

 

Bulk spooled braid from a 'reputable' local tackle store can be good value especially given they should load it properly and with a suitable mono backing. the added bonus here is they should be able to to 'topshot' 100m or so oton a mono backing, making it even cheaper.

 

Be wary of loads of s**ty Chinese Power Pro copies on the interweb. http://www.paulusjustfishing.com/4linereview.htm#Power_Pro_fake_from_China

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I like to have a good feel as I like the smooth braids as I fish fairly deep and like to be able to stick the rod in a holder and have the line feed out smoothly from my eggbeaters.  The cheap stuff feels like micro rope and doesn't come off smoothly

Suffix is one brand I've used, can't remember others but like to get different colours

Cheers

Rod

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Check out sealion braid on ebay....

I had a feel and seen this in action over the weekend and i was rather impressed.

I get to play around and suss out braids with my job and it matches up with some of the known braids out there.

Yes it doesn't have the casting coating but its super thin and it holds and ties knots well while casting a treat.

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Bulk spooled braid from a 'reputable' local tackle store can be good value especially given they should load it properly and with a suitable mono backing. the added bonus here is they should be able to to 'topshot' 100m or so oton a mono backing, making it even cheaper.

 

I've bulk spooled from quite a few 'reputable' tackleshops and found it to be pretty crap. Get heaps of casting knots, etc.

 

Cheap braid doesn't seem to last for me more than a year or two because of breakoffs and casting knots depleting the spool.

 

Power Pro has been good. Best braid I have and which I'm loving is Power Pro Bite Motion. Slick, thin, cast like a dream and almost never get a casting knot with it. On the exact same outfit with a spare spool I'm running a bulk spooled recommendation from a 'reputable' tackleshop which I get non-stop grief with. When I get the change I'm scrapping it and changing it to something new.

 

Want to give Finn's 40G a go as that looks nice. Other than that I've heard Ok things about 'Kast King' which you would have to get online but looks fairly affordable. Only downside is that they only do 'heavier' line classes starting at 10lb upward, so not for your finesse bream outfits. Gets very affordable though for their heavy bulk spools if you are doing jigging or game fishing. $80US for a 1000m of 8-carrier 80lb with free shipping. Haven't tried it myself but seen some positive reviews from guys out in the US on youtube, including some charter guides. http://www.kastking.com

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Sunline Super PE is my braid of choice, have it in both 6lb on my spin gear and 30lb on my Cod setup.

 

Feels amazing, is super thin (relative to others I've used) and casts great (although have had issues when using leader line like vanish.....no issues with Sunline FC leader though)

 

 

Also like Fins windtamer (although I hate other fins braid) and Bite Motion braid

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After reading Banga's post I ordered a 2 spools of Sea Lion 50lb, 1 orange and 1 multi coloured

Looks pretty good, tightly wrapped, I haven't got access to my more expensive stuff to compare,  but it feels pretty smooth

Looking forward to giving it a try, if I don't like it can be used on the 'guest' rods  :)

Cheers

Rod

Let me know how it goes mate. Be interesting to see other peoples opinions on it.

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Will do

2 main tests it needs to pass for me

1.  feeds out smoothly from an egg beater while the rod is in a holder (to 120ft+) 

2.  Can withstand the forces involved when it gets fouled on the bottom, I stick the rod over the side straight down wind as tight as possible then hold the spool and pull rediculously hard at times.  Extremely rare I get busted off, when I do its the trace and not at a knot

This is why I use 50lb, sinkers get expensive when 10oz is minimum

Cheers

Rod

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G'day

A preliminary comparison of the Sea Lion braid to 2 high quality and price line ie $60 for 300m

The dearer lines are much smoother

The dearer lines are much thinner, 0.29 and 0.31mm compared to 0.49 for the Seal Lion,  which is 60% ish thicker than the average of the other 2

Tthe extra thickness is a real draw back in the passage, I might try it on one rod but don't think it's for me

Cheers

Rod

PS For measuring thickness I used an inexpensive pair of digital calipers.  Dragged the line through until there was enough pressure to hold the line if I let go

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I guess the OP's requirements need to be put into perspective as well at what he/she actually means when they say "what braid to put on it with out spending a lot of money". A "lot of money means different things to different people.

 

If you've never used braid before, even the cheaper braids will likely be a better than your average mono.  If this is the case then perhaps start out with a cheap spool from ebay first to see if you like it.  Whether you decide you like fishing with braid or not, at least you've only invested a small amount, and can upgrade to better quality stuff  immediately or down the track if you so desire.  By starting off with some average braid to begin with, you'll also understand and appreciate the difference between good and bad braid.

 

I started out using cheap ebay braid and had no issues with it, but still caught plenty of fish and wondered why I hadn't used it sooner.  It wasn't till I fished with others that were using high end braid that I realised there was a significant difference in thickness, feel and performance between cheap stuff and the top shelf stuff.

 

The high end, high quality stuff is good, but you'll pay for it.  Be aware though also that just because you're spending good money on a braid it doesn't always guarantee it's good either.  I've purchased before what I would consider middle of the road, brand name braid (not the cheapest, nor most expensive).  It looked thin and felt great at the shop, but when I put it on a reel and tried to tie a knot with it the line snapped at the knot every single time.  l've also had reels spooled at tackle shops from bulk reels that have been great, and other times the braid has been crap.  It's really hit and miss and it's only through trial and error that you'll find out what works and what doesn't unfortunately.   

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Hi just bought a new 4000 size sienna and was wondering what braid to put on it with out spending a lot of money any advice would be much appreciated

 

Cheap reels deserve cheap braid.. Sealion is good for the money I've used it before as well. At least it breaks at its rating so you can be confident about that.

 

You wouldn't put Sealion on your Saltigas and Stellas hey. So it's all relative  :)

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G'day 
I've decided not to bother with the Sea Lion braid and have done a return request.  

When it's advertised as 0.33mm and comes in at 0.49+ I don't think that's good enough.  It looks ok and I expect is strong but just doesn't suit my fishing.  

By comparison another cheap braid I've had for a while DFS brand 50lb was labelled 0.37mm and came in at 0.36

The DFS feels better also  

Cheers

Rod

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G'day 

I've decided not to bother with the Sea Lion braid and have done a return request.  

When it's advertised as 0.33mm and comes in at 0.49+ I don't think that's good enough.  It looks ok and I expect is strong but just doesn't suit my fishing.  

By comparison another cheap braid I've had for a while DFS brand 50lb was labelled 0.37mm and came in at 0.36

The DFS feels better also  

Cheers

Rod

 

Fair call!

 

Paulus has tested a 50lb Sealion at 0.517mm dia, pretty close to your measurements.

http://www.paulusjustfishing.com/4linetesting.htm

 

Either way 50+% greater dia than advertised is clearly unacceptable.

 

Just a note, if I've never heard of it before (and even if i have) I like to check if Paulus has tested it!

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I'm a fan of the tufline xp braid...

I get mine from ebay...shimreels is the seller, based in Singapore. Prices are in $US but I got a 30lb 600yd spool for just over $50 delivered. They have small and bulk spools and variety of colours.

I"m sure the braid is great Scotty and a great price. But on a personal level, and just from my experience, i would NEVER deal with Shimreels  ever again, the slowest postage and most offensive, aggressive ,horrible people/person  on the planet.

I ordered a lure from them ,and after a month of not recieving it ,queried about it and from then on things got nasty,they are dead set horrible,the worst online buying experience ever ,couldnt stress enough how bad they get.

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I'm a fan of the tufline xp braid...

I get mine from ebay...shimreels is the seller, based in Singapore. Prices are in $US but I got a 30lb 600yd spool for just over $50 delivered. They have small and bulk spools and variety of colours.

Me too I've been using tufline for over 10 years it's very good.

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I'm a fan of the tufline xp braid...

I get mine from ebay...shimreels is the seller, based in Singapore. Prices are in $US but I got a 30lb 600yd spool for just over $50 delivered. They have small and bulk spools and variety of colours.

I"m sure the braid is great Scotty and a great price. But on a personal level, and just from my experience, i would NEVER deal with Shimreels  ever again, the slowest postage and most offensive, aggressive ,horrible people/person  on the planet.

I ordered a lure from them ,and after a month of not recieving it ,queried about it and from then on things got nasty,they are dead set horrible,the worst online buying experience ever ,couldnt stress enough how bad they get.

 

 

Sorry to hear that Cal, I've bought several times from them and all have been great experiences with no dramas, maybe I've just been lucky?

 

Hope you filed a paypal claim to get your $$$ back.

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