PE Braid - 4 vs. 8

[Sea Draggin]

I am learning about braid this week. I never knew that the 5 color PE 100% dyneema comes in 4 strand and 8 strand.

I would assume the 8 strand is better. I am told its rounder, smoother, etc. etc.

I just wonder if there is any advantage to 4 strand, and if there isn't why are they still making it, other than cost maybe?

[paul708]

The OTI PE Braid is 8 strand
very soft
comes in 60 -80 and 120#
colorcoded marked every 25 feet
yes, the more strands the better

here is what the spool looks like



the whole OTI package is available..assist hooks, PE line. pre rigged jigs with owner parts and the production rods are sweet, poppers also

i am sure some of the guys will chime in about the OTI line

[Sea Draggin]

I thought the For Sale section was in a different forum? Every one of your posts seems to read like a OTI sale ad and its getting stale.

[marlinmatt]

i have to agree the OTI jigging line is phenominal thus far for me. i havent dealt with any of the 4 strand pe lines but ide also have to go the same route as you and say the 8 strand PE is going to be your stronger line, and like paul said its a soft but very strong line, not one problem yet.

[paul708]

i have to agree the OTI jigging line is phenominal thus far for me. i havent dealt with any of the 4 strand pe lines but ide also have to go the same route as you and say the 8 strand PE is going to be your stronger line, and like paul said its a soft but very strong line, not one problem yet.

thats the first thing guys notice is the softness
i really havent seen the 4 strand either
i have tried the YJK and a few others
also used power pro other "braids" before switching to JIGGING line

[paul708]

I thought the For Sale section was in a different forum? Every one of your posts seems to read like a OTI sale ad and its getting stale.

HERE IS SOME PE LINE INFO.....JUST INFO


Braided lines of Dyneema and Spectra are all basically the same, Poly-Ethylene based filament lines. It floats because it has 0.97 weight ratio, when water has 1.0 weight ratio. The line is braided with a lot of very thin fibers and it tend to have more body than a single fiber. This is the reason braided lines floats. There are too many braided lines in market, and we should study before we use them.

Most differences of available PE braid lines come from the way of braids, coatings and dying.

Way of braids: 3strands, 4strads, 8 strands, 16 strands

PowerPro, Spiderwire, Fireline and most PE braid line are braided with 4 strands. Each strand is composed of a number of (about 50?) very thin fibers. Braided lines with 4 strands are in the shape of square, but with thin lines it looks round.
There are a few PE braid lines braided with 8 or 16 thinner strands for more smoothness. Those are mostly for offshore jigging for +200-400 feet, rated at more than 40lb-test, and expensive. Those lines tend to have more body, but for jigging, it is not a significant disadvantage. Smoothness is very important because line has always high tension in jigging. I'm spooling 40lb of 8-strand to my jigging reel.
Ripcord lines are braided with 3 strands, and it is flat. It receives more wind than 4-strand line. When lines are twisted, the 3-strand line shows more roughness.
　

From left, 8-strand, 4-strand, 3-strand
From left, Zenaq-Jigger Trust 40lb, PowerPro 10lb, Ripcord Si 15lb



Coatings: Hard coat, thin coat, non-coat

Most braided line are coated with some kind of abrasion protector because PE lines has much less abrasion resistance than monofilament lines. One of the hardest coating is put on Barkley's Fireline and Spiderwire fusion. Fireline looks like one fiber, but it is braided with 4 strands and then coated with plastic. PowerPro has relatively hard coating, applied to each strand, and you may easily identify the braids of the line. Ripcord Si has thin silicone coating, and it is as soft as non-coated PE line. Ripcord and Spiderwire doesn't have any coating on its surface.

Coating will give the line harder and thinner body. It is good to handle the line in the way of monofilament. The thinner body also receives less affection by wind. But, harder line has more friction with guides in casting, and leads to less casting distance. Though PE material itself doesn't have memory, the hard coating has memory. Softer, less-coated lines require special care in handling to prevent tangles, but cast farther.

Considering the extent of added abrasion protection by coatings and the disadvantage of them, I prefer to use thin-coat line because it casts much farther, and retrieve much smoother. By using mono-leader, I can achieve the abrasion resistance, and don't much need it for main line. Currently, some nylon lines have 20times abrasion resistance to normal mono, and coated braided line may have only the similar resistance of normal nylon line.

Dying: colored or white

It is said that when PE braid lines are died, it gets weaker. However, metered line, colored in different 5 colors by every 20 meter is very useful to know how deep you fish without line counter.

Recommendation

[ChrisW_]

I am learning about braid this week. I never knew that the 5 color PE 100% dyneema comes in 4 strand and 8 strand.

I would assume the 8 strand is better. I am told its rounder, smoother, etc. etc.

I just wonder if there is any advantage to 4 strand, and if there isn't why are they still making it, other than cost maybe?

4 strand - more correctly- 4 carrier braid is a much cheaper line than an 8 carrier of similar strenght. Lower price means that 4 carrier braids remain a popular low cost option.

8 carrier braids of the same strenght must use much finer filaments in each carrier in order for the test strenght to be the same. Very light and fine braids actually cost much more than heavier 50lb, 80lb braids.

[Sea Draggin]

Thanks guys I have a much better understanding of it now.

[gman]

8 strand is the only way to go IMHO

[gman]

I thought the For Sale section was in a different forum? Every one of your posts seems to read like a OTI sale ad and its getting stale.

I don't use there poppers a lot but they make good line and production rods, I swear by the line it and Its on all of my reels. I used to use Zenaq, YKG but I switched and never looked back so far. Its made at the same factory as all the other major brands but alittle less expensive and in US feet not meters.