Best Kevlar reel 17g?

[2ndServe]

Ashaway, Forten, Ag, any other brand?

[rich s]

I liked Ashaway the best when I used Kevlar.... it had a braded outer wrap that had a little bit of a texture to it....

however.... being that kevlar is so stiff, i would imagine that they would all be pretty similar driving me to price as a discriminator...

[Mighty Matteo]

Not all kevlar's are equal. Definitely stick with Ashaway. it is the softest. the stuff that prince puts in problend is like 3 times as stiff. Don't settle for what's the cheapest. If you want to avoid arm pain while reaking the benefits of kevlar, then buy ashaway.

[2ndServe]

I've been using ashaway. Though it loses a lot of tension for me, then levels out. How are the other brands in terms of tension?

[rich s]

The stiffness of Kevlars range from the 500's up to the 900's....

The 2012 String selector shows Forten toward the lower end of the stiffness range (500's) and Prince Problend being the stiffest (900's)..... Ashaway is just below Prince(700's).....

with that said, when you consider that Multi's and Syn Guts are in the 100's to 200's and Nat'l gut is in the 80-100 range.... all Kevlars are extremely stiff...... to choose one because it is "softer" than the others is like saying the frying pan is cooler than the fire.....

Whatever you hybrid it with and what tension you string it at is going to have more affect on the feel/playability than the Kevlar brand itself...

again .... for me... price is going to be the discriminator because I don't think you're going to feel that much difference between brands with a material that is that stiff....

[rich s]

Originally Posted by 2ndServe

I've been using ashaway. Though it loses a lot of tension for me, then levels out. How are the other brands in terms of tension?

Ashway seems to lose the most tension of the lot.....

Company String Material Gauge Stiffness (lbs/in.) Tension loss (lbs)
Pacific Powercraft 18 Kevlar / Nylon 1.10 508 14.67
Forten New Age 18 Kevlar / Nylon 1.13 511 18.43
Forten Aramid Composite 18 Kevlar / Nylon 1.11 516 15.04
Forten Ultra Thin Blend 18 Kevlar 1.12 545 15.12
Forten Thin Blend 18/17 (Main) Kevlar 1.15 557 14.33
Head FXP Blend 17 (Main) Kevlar 1.24 574 15.73
Forten Aramid Composite 17 Kevlar / Nylon 1.17 597 11.27
Forten Aramid Gear 16L Kevlar 1.42 610 10.43
Silent Partner Gutsy Aramid 17 Kevlar 1.15 623 11.38
Forten Aramid Gear 15 Kevlar 1.45 627 11.84
Golden Set Dura Match (Main) Kevlar 1.14 634 17.33
Alpha Tourna Blend 18 (Main) Kevlar 1.18 634 21.03
Gamma TNT2 Fusion Plus 19 (Main) Kevlar 1.23 640 17.33
Alpha Tourna Blend 17 (Main) Kevlar 1.24 647 20.64
Alpha Tourna Blend 15 (Main) Kevlar 1.39 662 20.37
Ashaway Kevlar 18 Kevlar 1.08 671 27.21
Gamma TNT2 Fusion Plus 16 (Main) Kevlar 1.28 674 16.36
Gamma Infinity 15L (Main) Kevlar 1.35 729 17.90
Gamma Infinity 16 (Main) Kevlar 1.30 736 17.90
Ashaway Kevlar 17 Kevlar 1.22 757 28.37
Ashaway Kevlar 16 Kevlar 1.29 764 26.68
Prince Problend w/Duraflex 16 (Main) Kevlar 1.30 981 15.88

[Lips]

tension loss for kevlar is meaningless...stays playable till it breaks...actually plays better after a week or so..personally, string ashaway at 42 lbs which btw in response to the op is far and away best kevlar reel to get

[purple-n-gold]

add another vote for ashaway

[2ndServe]

has anyone tried the Ashaway Kevlar+ strings vs Ashaway Kevlar.