# Ebay braid



## jondogg

Hey guys,

Won my first bit of ebay fishing gear from today, 15lb fluro green braid, i think the brand was FinCrew .

Cost me 25$ including delivery for a 500 metre spool, it should arrive in a few days, i'll keep you posted...

Anybody else by chance tried out this brand of line? it looks very simular to the Pelagic braid sold on ebay .. :lol:

Cheers


----------



## Barrabundy

jondogg said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> Won my first bit of ebay fishing gear from today, 15lb fluro green braid, i think the brand was FinCrew .
> 
> Cost me 25$ including delivery for a 500 metre spool, it should arrive in a few days, i'll keep you posted...
> 
> Anybody else by chance tried out this brand of line? it looks very simular to the Pelagic braid sold on ebay .. :lol:
> 
> Cheers


So it was you bidding against me ;-) I'm just too tight! Let us know what you think of it.

....actually it was 30lb I was after. Seems the 1200m spools go for a few less $/m.


----------



## jondogg

> Seems the 1200m spools go for a few less $/m.


I was originally gonna get a big spool, but i thought it would be a waste if the quality was junk .
But for 25$ , it's worth trying to find a cheap alternative to respooling with more expensive stuff ..

Have you used the ebay braid yet ?

Cheers


----------



## Barrabundy

I was given a spool of Melaluka brand 25lb and I think it's as good as any. It's very smooth and uniformly woven unlike some cheap stuff I've seen in the shops.

Not sure on the other brands sold on flea-bay but prepared to take a punt.


----------



## jondogg

I've seen some of the melaluka stuff, but the lowest line rating that they sell is 25lb (i think )

Anyway, i'll see how this stuff goes and get back to ya .

Cheers


----------



## jondogg

The fincrew braid arrived today, I've tested it out, tied it to a tree and hung 7kgs off it (line rating 6.8kgs). I then ran some scissors up and down it, it snapped after 5 strokes with the scissor blades.  
I think it would be the goods, I still have to do a field test with it though :lol:

Most likely would buy it again though, $25 for 500m of braid its pretty cheap!

Cheers


----------



## jondogg

> Any feedback on the Fincrew braid?


Yeah i reckon its great for the money, does get a few windknots though, that might be because i'm used to my fireline though :lol: 
Doesn't seem to dig in too bad either, might be worth whacking some on a baitcaster 

Cheers, 
jondogg


----------



## FishinDan

Power Pro Braid can be bought on eBay pretty cheap, and it is absolutely brilliant line. Use it for most of my rods now.


----------



## Barrabundy

I can vouch for the Melaluka brand and it's the best braid I've used. I don't think it comes in anything less than about 20 or 30lbs though.

I just received my purchase of 500m spool of 8lb (Super PE or similar, can't remember the brand) I haven't used it yet but it seems strong enough thought it's a flattish cross section and is slightly furry. The Melaluka was perfectly round with no furry bits at all.

I'll buy cheap chinese stuff again.


----------



## kodaz

My experiences are as follows:
*
Pelagic extreme spectra braid:* Pretty ordinary stuff. It's very flat, flimsy and almost ribbon like and it has poor knot strength as it tends to cut itself when pulled tight. I don't rate this stuff at all.
*
Fincrew tournament spectra braid:* This is actually not bad for the price. It's a little flimsy but seems more tube-like and has good knot strength. It does fade pretty quickly though, but I would buy this again if I needed cheap stuff.
*
Tufline XP:* This is my 1st choice and pretty much what I use on all my serious outfits for yak fishing. You can get it cheap from the US and even some australian ebay retailers are competitive when you take shipping into account. It's strong, doesn't fade much and feels the goods when compared with the cheaper stuff in the same breaking strain.

These are just my personal experiences. Initially I ignored previous discussions on cheap ebay braid and bought the cheap stuff cause it seemed good value. I won't go as far as to rubbish it because you get what you pay for, but I certainly will stick with mid-range lines like tufline and powerpro as they suit me and I don't see the point buying the really expensive stuff when it's going to get snagged and busted off anyway over time.


----------



## Barrabundy

Thanks for that kodaz.

Just out of interest, does colour actually make a difference? I've never bothered and just buy any old colour, it fades anyway no matter what brand it is and ends up looking almost white.


----------



## kodaz

Barrabundy said:


> Thanks for that kodaz.
> 
> Just out of interest, does colour actually make a difference? I've never bothered and just buy any old colour, it fades anyway no matter what brand it is and ends up looking almost white.


Depends on the situation. I like the yellow high visibility so I can look out the back of the yak and make sure the trolled lines aren't hooked up to each other. Some lines are multi-coloured and this isn't for fashion but rather to allow you to count down to a particular depth, e.g. colour changes each 10 yards or meters so you can say drop to exactly 30 meters by counting 3 color changes. I don't bother with this but imagine it would be quite useful if you are targeting a particular species or using your sounder extensively. But you are right, they do tend to fade over time, some more than others.


----------



## jondogg

> Recently I lashed-out and bought 300yards of 14lb Fireline Crystal ($45 from a local seller) , which is great and has an amazingly high breaking strain.


I have some 14lb normal fireline, and when it fades the braid unravels on the faded bits and i could probably split it into 6 or more different lines :lol: 
Makes me wonder if the expensive stuff is actually the best, i personally love my 4lb fireline, but for 15lb or more i would definately go for the eBay stuff.

Cheers,
jondogg


----------



## shayneh2006

Anyone ever tried Stren Super Braid Line Hi-Vis Gold. I bought four 125 yrd spools from a US Ebayer in 8lb class. The cost was $26.00 US + shipping then, thought about it and got another lot at the same price. It should arrive anyday now. Without trying it first, i am not sure if it was a wise move getting two lots. It seems cheap enougth so if it is cheap and nasty, i have not lost out big time financially. For what its worth, it is a genuine made in Japan item.

So, has anyone tried this braided line. Thanks and regards, Shayne


----------



## Trax86

I bought some pelagic brand 40lb line off eBay a while ago for my shark rod and it's great never had any dramas with it I would happily but it again.


----------



## Barrabundy

Time for an update.

I've been using 8lb _"PE Super"_(I think that's what it's branded as) for a few months now. I don't use it very often as it's used for light stuff for a bit of a muck around.

On the weekend I was luring for Tarpon and lost heaps of jigheads. While tying new ones on I noticed that the end of the braid, where it is tied onto the leader, has frayed. It looks as though the line is made of one lot of fibres running lengthways with a woven layer over the top. It looks like this woven top layer has worn through exposing the inner threads. It hasn't failed on me although I've broken the leader everytime I've snagged the lure.

Just thought I'd post a follow up after using it for a while. Like I said, it hasn't failed but I think I'll need to cut that bit off in case it eventually weakens.


----------



## Jords

bought some 20lb spectra and 500m of 4lb PEX

The pex stuff was $30 for 500m and arrived in only 2 or 3 days, haven't had a chance to give it a test yet (this weekend hopefully) but looks the goods, very low diameter (supposedly)
the 20lb spectra looks a bit dodgy though, although i think i only payed $15 for 300m delivered, i don't use this strength line often so i'm sure it will suffice


----------



## ant

I'm with Barra the Melaluka brand 25lb is what I use and I've given it a workout for 2 seasons on the mackerel great stuff and cheap   
Cheers
Ant


----------



## Barrabundy

I just took delivery of my second ebay purchase of braid. It is a 500m spool of PEX 30lb and while it seems to be slightly oval, it's not flat like ribbon like the brand pictured in my above post. I've spooled it up but haven't tried it yet, it feels very smooth and doesn't have fluffy bits so fingers crossed it's ok.

Cost was $30 "buy it now" with free delivery. At this stage the Melaluka brand is the best I've seen and will buy it again next time I need some. They didn't have any in 500m spools at the time I bought the PEX otherwise I would have bought it instead.


----------



## damo83

I've just recently bought some 6lb Fincrew braid and so far so good... 500m for $21 delivered! I'm currently hunting some 15lb now...
I've had Pelagic in 10lb and 20lb on some other rods for around 12 months now and its going ok but the Fincrew seems much better, the Pelagic stuff is flat/ribbon like as mentioned previously. I've also got some 6lb Fireline which is getting quite old now, about 3-4yrs, and is very faded and starting to fray like in the photo above. Oh well lucky I've still got half a spool of 6lb Fincrew...


----------



## Jenko

Posted before but its a good braid review..... http://www.paulusjustfishing.com/4linetesting.htm


----------



## Barrabundy

Jenko said:


> Posted before but its a good braid review..... http://www.paulusjustfishing.com/4linetesting.htm


I'm looking to buy some more braid and had a look at that link. The Spiderwire performed very well in terms of rated strength v test strength! It's one that I've tried once only and always avoided since.


----------



## Bretto

Barrabundy said:


> Jenko said:
> 
> 
> 
> Posted before but its a good braid review..... http://www.paulusjustfishing.com/4linetesting.htm
> 
> 
> 
> I'm looking to buy some more braid and had a look at that link. The Spiderwire performed very well in terms of rated strength v test strength! It's one that I've tried once only and always avoided since.
Click to expand...

I've given Berkley way too many chances to impress. Every time they've failed. They release new products and like the gullible fool I am I figure, hey the price looks good, and they're bound to get it right one day. Epic fail. If it wasn't for the waxy coating on their lines it probably wouldn't be a bad product. I've tried all but the spiderwire, But there is no way I'd throw money at another spool of Berkley line.

The only Berkley product I've heard marginally good things about was the 2lb crystal fireline.

As far as ebay line purchases go: eBay Power Pro - 150yds @ $19. 50% cheaper than BCF. Pretty hard to pass up.


----------



## apnearabbit

I would never buy any no name line (braid or mono) on Ebay. It is waste money and your time on the water. The brand braid is not so expensive on US Ebay.


----------



## Guest

There is a guy on ausfish selling powerpro $24 for 300m spools.
http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/classifieds.php?do=viewitem&itemid=538
I have never tried the stuff myself. Only ever bought one lot of braid off ebay which was 1500m of 10Lb spectra in blue and still got tons of it left. but after buying some gosen pe special SW 14Lb (150m was $25) I wont be going back to the cheap stuff. I bought some fins PRT 30lb for a sustain that I got recently and not sure if I like the stuff. Just my two cents


----------



## Bretto

To me I can feel the difference between the cheap (and moderately priced) stuff vs the expensive line. I run a Loomis/Curado baitcaster jack combo identical to a mate of mine. Mine is spooled with Bionic braid. His is spooled with Varivas. When using identical lures I can feel a difference. Not that I can justify paying the price for Varivas, but still, the Varivas feels smoother to use.


----------



## swimmingfisherman

hi iv been looking at some Pex Spectra braid and was wondering whether its any good?


----------



## Artie

Ive tried the cheaper braids, and while some seem ok and give good feel etc, I found that abrasion resistance was quite low and you had to be carefull tying your knots.... as such they really arent great value. They work, just need a careful eye.

A couple of months ago I bought a 300m roll of 5kg Shimano PowerPro braid, wasnt overly costly ($35) but ticks all my boxes, limp, tough, knots well, good feedback. So far I cant fault it... Think Ill get it in my other line classes as well.


----------



## Barrabundy

swimmingfisherman said:


> hi iv been looking at some Pex Spectra braid and was wondering whether its any good?


I've bought it twice. First lot was a 500m spool and second lot just turned up last week and was a 1200m spool, both 30lb. It seems to fade pretty quick but the colour doesn't bother me at all, last spool was white anyway. Paid $61 for 1200m delivered to my PO. The first lot I got is still going strong, apart from the fading, and it seems pretty round and uniform with no noticeable fluff like some. The second spool looks the goods and have spooled one reel but only used it once.

I'm simply not prepared to pay the going rate for the name brand stuff and would just go back to mono if the cheaper stuff is ever unavailable.


----------



## Artie

After reading Barrabundys comments I ordered 2 rolls of Pex Spectra, 1 of 20lb and 1 of 4lb to try.

Bear in mind that I havent used either of these yet, first thoughts....

The 20 looks fine, perhaps a tad thicker than other braids, and the comments above seem to make me think it will be ok...

The 4 lb is not so good. Its actually woven into a flat ribbon, not a round profile. In this size its really hard to tie effectively to mono or flourocarbon leaders.

I brought this to the attention of the vendor and he kept repeating that it is actually 4 lb. I sent a message along the lines of was he aware that it was actually flat rather than round profile and he told me he didnt want to argue with a customer???? I asked him who was arguing? But it is 4 lb... yes, I know its 4 lb.... this went on a couple of times and I thanked him for his time.... to be fair he did offer to exchange it for another roll, I had to pay the postage..however 4 6 8 and 10lb are all ribbon section he informs me... Ill use it to floss with...


----------



## Barrabundy

They miss the fact that if all the rolls are the same and you don't like the one they sent you because it's flat, then you're not going to like any of the replacement ones they send you either! Obviously they don't want negative feedback and will go out of their way to make sure you don't have a valid reason to give it.

I wish they would just say "this stuff is not round" and let the buyers decided whether they want it or not.


----------



## damo83

Artie said:


> ...
> The 4 lb is not so good. Its actually woven into a flat ribbon, not a round profile. In this size its really hard to tie effectively to mono or flourocarbon leaders.
> ...


Thanks for posting this Artie, you just stopped me wasting $30. I was looking at ordering a spool of the 4lb Pex but won't now I know its the flat ribbon type.

I've found the Fincrew stuff is the better of the cheap braid but unfortunately it only goes down to 6lb.


----------



## Artie

Barrabundy said:


> They miss the fact that if all the rolls are the same and you don't like the one they sent you because it's flat, then you're not going to like any of the replacement ones they send you either! Obviously they don't want negative feedback and will go out of their way to make sure you don't have a valid reason to give it.
> 
> I wish they would just say "this stuff is not round" and let the buyers decided whether they want it or not.


agreed on all counts, Barrabundy.

And Dammo, Id spend $30 any day to save you wasting money mate...thats the sort of guy I am..(stooopid), cheers mate.


----------

