Putting 10-pound Braid to the Test and The Best Pound-for-Pound 10-pound Braid Winner
We recently came across an article by Sam Hudson at SportFishingMag.com. In the article Sam puts 4 different 10-lb test braids to the test. He was careful to create a break in the line, not his knot, in order to measure the line breakpoint. All four braid products had a much higher breakpoint than 10 pounds with a pretty clear correlation between diameter and breakpoint.
Comparing the Results with a Strength to Diameter Ratio of 10-pound Braid
There’s no real science behind this analysis but, assuming there’s an advantage to a thin diameter (lower visibility, casting further, and faster sink in situation where you want to drop in the water column faster), you’d want the best strength for the thinnest diameter. When comparing the strength to diameter ratio of these tested lines, the highest ratio of strength to diameter would mean you end up with the thinnest line for your breakpoint. Based on Sam’s results, you’ll always give up a little strength for a smaller diameter but not all 10-pound braids are created equal.
We employed a simple strength to diameter ratio to determine the best line performance in this test. The ratio is calculated as follows (a higher number is better):
Average Breakpoint / diameter in mm = strength to diameter ratio
The Berkley X9 line performed extremely well for the thinnest diameter. With the thinnest 10-lb braid diameter at only .12 mm in this test group, the Berkley line would experience the least amount of resistance in the water and will allow the line to sink faster than its peers in this test. The Berkely X9 scores a 160 strength to diameter ratio (19.3lb average/0.12=~160).
The Suffix ProMix 10-lb braid had the highest break strength average and the same diameter as the Seaguar TactX. Both had an approximate strength to diameter ratio at 125 with the Suffix slightly outperforming Seaguar on strength alone. If you’re looking for a little water resistance in a thicker braid you can opt for one of the .20 mm braids and get the strongest braid in this group test.
Pound-for-Pound best 10-pound test braid winner: Power Pro Super 8 Slick V2
The Power Pro Super 8 Slick received the highest ratio at 193. This thin diameter (just .03 more than the thinnest line tested, the Berkley X9) nearly outperformed the strongest of the tested 10-lb braid competitors. To get the same breakpoint as the Suffix ProMix you’d be looking at a nearly .05 increase in line diameter.
When to Use Braid Versus Mono and Flouro
We’ve built an article talking about the pros and cons of using braid, fluorocarbon, and monofilament line types. Read more about choosing the right line.
The benefits of braid include a lack of stretch, it’s virtually invisible in the water, it retains no memory, and is by far the strongest. We recommend a 10-pound braid with a fluorocarbon leader to provide some light stretch with the invisibility and durability benefits of braid. The strength to diameter ratio might be a good way to objectively measure the best line when selecting a 10-pound braid.
Should we test more 10-lb braid brands using this same methodology?
We assume the benefits of a thinner diameter braid include the following:
- Less viability in the water column (harder to see)
- Casts further
- Thinner braid has less resistance in the water and will sink faster which has advantages with specific techniques like jerkbating, pitching swim jigs, and spybaiting.
Read the original article by Sam Hudson on Sport Fishing Magazine.
