Fireline - true braid

[echo1]

I've been reading lots of posts that mention that Fireline isn't a true braid. whats the difference. went fishing with an experienced mate and he couldnt tell the difference.

[spaniel]

fireline is a very stiff braid but is very very reliable when it comes to knot tieing etc. the difference between other braids is some are rounder & smoother. the only line ive grown up with is fireline and hasnt let me down once, you should get your hands on some crystal it is the best line ive used aye, no tangles and super thin. i dont justify spending $60 on a spool of true braid that tangles around your guides or gives you a wind knot.

[Angry]

Modern Gelspun lines come in two basic categories,with a few that blur the lines in between.
Both are made out of bundles of Vectran or Spectra fibre. Both Vectran or Spectra share similar properties, incredibly fine and strong with next to no stretch.
A "True" braid has hundreds of the fibres woven or BRAIDED together to make the line.
The second types are called fusion lines (like fireline), where instead of weaving the strands, the fibres are layed next to each other and fused together with some heat and or chemical fusing process.
Fused lines are easier to produce than braided lines. Imagine the equipment required to braid thousands of microscopic fibres together. And the finer the line the more difficult it is.
In the early days fusion lines where very stiff, with a certain amount of short term memory. Braids were way to limp and tended to tangle and go fluffy a lot.
Over the years the two types have both improved and sort of met in the middle, combining the best properties of each. Fusions are a bit softer and easier to manage than the early stuff. And most braids now have some sort of resin or coating that stiffens them up a bit and improves knot strength.
Some lines now use a combination of fine fused strands that are then woven togrther.
Some gelspuns are better than others for different applications. Fireline used to be the stand out performer for light spin, but now others are just as good if not better. I spin with Squidgey Braid and FINS PRT all the time and have no more problems (next to none) with air knots and guide hang ups than I do with fireline,

[Shortlite]

What's Vectran? Super lines are made of Dyneema or Spectra, these are brand names for the same substance produced by different companies: gel-spun polyethylene.

True braids are braided/woven by machine with the microfibres produced. Thermofused lines have the fibres laid parallel, no twisting of weaving, and are passed through a heated orifice that fuses them (with HEAT) so that the outer fibres hold the inner fibres together. That's why Fireline fluffs so badly when it wears: all the fibres are released once the outer ones wear.

[kamikazeghost]

Fireline is not a braid as such. It's a fused line that's undergone thermo heating to have the line the way it is. Then it is coated to give the memory for good line lay.

The other gelspum lines such as PE Braid are as mentioned are woven together as microfibres to give it's tensile strength, but it is porous compared to fused lines most famously fireline which isn't porous, Thus the braided lines retain water.

The effect of this........ close to neglible.

All lines no matter what, through countless friction will fluff and obviously the fireline will fluff more so firstly due to it's processing.

It's a standout on threadline gear due to it's more "stiffer" quality and thus wind knotting, etc is less likely with them. They cast with the same outwards acceleration through the guides thus decreasing the likelihoods of entanglement.

The braided lines are softer and more limp, thus without the memory move through the guides at a quicker velocity with greater acceleration yet, it's not as uniform as fireline through the guides, thus does increase the chances of wind knots and entanglement.

Physics and dynamic maths such is, braids are more suited to baitcasters than threadline reels, however, quite a few people are starting to use them.....