Jeff's Verdict
I have been using Sufix Herculine for years now and it has proved to be hardy, reliable and I liked the colour, a kind of bright moss green. It had occurred to me, though, if it ever could be improved upon and lo and behold, I believe this is it.
It was the 50lbs I have been testing, which is equal to a 12-15lbs mono in diameter depending on brand, and at that strength you should be able to pull a snagged lure out of most situations. It certainly poses no problems for casting either, the line is (as they say) nice and round and feels to have a slight coating, or rather, more of a sealant over it. Because of that last point, it doesn't appear to let in any water and yet it still sinks fairly well if slowly, a problem with almost all braids.
I have noticed some fading of the original colour, this is difficult to measure without a technician using a spectrometer, but just a guess, maybe 35-40%. Sounds dramatic, but it's not as bad as one popular American line that leaks perhaps 70% of its colour and people still swear by it. Even with that amount of fading 'Performance' still looks good and is still about the same colour as a strand of streamer weed in summer.
As you will also see from my picture, I have just been using it on an Abu Ambassadeur multiplier. I have not had any, neither did I expect any, twisting or wind knots. I am happy to say that it has behaved superbly in my book and for the price, providing you load it as I do, you will get 3 - 4 loadings for less than a tenner a time - and you can always reverse it and use the other end.
Excellent material, but how about a nice deep red one please, Sufix?
Score 9/10
Kevin's Verdict
I've only managed to use this line on one trip so far, but if first impressions count for anything then it gets the nod from me. As Jeff says, line diameter is comparable to 12lb mono, which means it's still manageable but with the added bonus of much higher breaking strain to give you confidence when chucking out big lures or fishing in snags.
Line lay was good on the fixed spool I was using, and apart from one tangle right at the start (might have been a loose coil I missed when spooling the line on) the line performed faultlessly all day, casting a wide variety of lures 60-70 yards with ease. Only thing missing during the test was a fish, but I'm sure the Sufix would have handled that without any drama.
I have to agree with Jeff on a solid 9/10 rating
Rating: 9/10 |
