So I am a nerd about bars and such. The dimple creates a more surface area to contact the hand vs a point. I have heard that is the purpose of the dimple. You are also correct that points would tear you up more.
At a certain point it becomes a marketing thing. Saying you have the highest tensile strength. IIRC, I read an article about power bars, and anything above 170 KPSI is considered strong enough. I think Kabuki is 250 KSI and the Rogue Ohio Power Bar is 205 KSI.
I know a bit about this. Where I went to school it (material science) is one of the “weed out” classes. The teacher that pretty much taught all the classes was a prick. He had a grading system in which incorrect answers resulted in negative points. He basically didn’t want to grade wrong answers, so if you didn’t know you were better off not answering. I kid you not people got negative scores on his exams. Also, he would write degrading things on negative exams like “try something else”. Pretty hard to recover from a -8 exam score.
Yeah, I had a algebra professor that would grade on the work and deduct a point on every line past the mistake on systems of equations. You could easily go deep into the negative on those.
She also used to pass the tests back and tell people that they were done with the class now, and to not come back anymore.
These:
Me too. I have one of their fly rods. Its a 7’6" 3wt. and it is about the most perfect rod I’ve ever used.
1 Like
These are people who are in the wrong profession. Although they would probably be unpleasant in most professions.
@mnben87 @SkyzykS I had a teacher on college who was pretty hard on students (I did well so we were cool). He was a big shot corporate exec before becoming a teacher, and never forgot to let us know about it. Eventually one of the more outspoken kids in class got tired of his gloating and belittling, so he asked him “Hey man, if you were so good at this why did all the companies you worked for fail?”. It was hilarious.
On topic - just placed an order for a new Maxim climbing rope, made MA. A little upgrade from my old New England Ropes rope, also made in MA.
1 Like
IIRC, my rope is a maxim. Did you get a dry or wet rope?
Went with a dry for this one.
I think that is what mine is too. Ropes are expensive. I need to use mine more.
1 Like
My school has quite a reputation for courses/professors like that
I’m lucky to be pursuing a “renowned” but extremely easy major that allows me to avoid all of them. In fact, I’ve found some professors/class standards easier than my joke of a hs
Back on topic: American weight plates are superior. Eliko is great, but bang for buck just isn’t there
1 Like
@mnben87 Yeah they’re pricey, but definitely get some awesome usage to dollar ratio (if you use it haha). The new one is strictly going to be a lead/multi pitch rope. My older one has plenty of life left, but I’ll use that one for hanging top ropes and stuff like that.
@anna_5588 I hear you there. It wasn’t until my junior year that my classes actually got consistently challenging.
1 Like
I am a ways off from leading ATM. Maybe easy sport lead, but traditional, no thank you. I haven’t done that for 7-8 years, and was 35 lbs lighter. My rope will probably be used for top rope set up next time.
1 Like
Ah yeah, I’m a sport guy only right now. I could plug gear on like a 5.5 maybe, cause I’m pretty confident I could just solo it haha. I wouldn’t want anyone clipping anything I’ve plugged though. Hoping to get some reps in later this year and get more comfortable with that.
In my day, I would do 5.9 traditional and 5.11 sport, and almost 5.12 top rope (was doing 5.11ds, just never finished a 5.12). Now I would be lucky to make it up a 5.10 top rope.
1 Like
I like whiskey made in the USA. Middle of the road Tennessee whiskey or Kentucky Bourbon like Jack Daniels or Four Roses, all the way up to fancy single barrel stuff.
2 Likes
They’re a good example of a great American company that had to compromise between outsourcing to get business and still keeping it’s core identity of being the best at what they do and doing it in Park Falls, Wisconsin. They get into the cheap rod market with their lower-end stuff made in Mexico, but still keep the engineering in the USA. All of the premium stuff is still in Park Falls. My dad was raised in Wisconsin and he took me to the assembly shop in my early 20’s on the way home from a fishing trip in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. It was underwhelming, as most assembly shops are.
My kid probably fishes somewhere around 10-20 hours per week outside of winter, so I’m happy to feed the hobby with good gear that will last him a lifetime. I think a casting rod will be this year’s gift. I’ll get him a fly rod from them too if he puts in the work to learn how to fly fish.
1 Like
To the contrary my man, that would be mecca for an amateur rod builder like me! 
Last year through the winter until June I was working for a company that distributes a wide variety of rod building and fly tying supplies, wholesale and retail. St. Croix is one of the better companies all the way around.
Where I was has a good mix of foreign and domestic products, but do their best to source primarily domestic, foreign only if absolutely necessary.
There are a bunch of “boutique” rod builders that just get basic blanks from a manufacturer in China, and even some fully assembled rods and tell a nice story, mix in some old timey bullshit about tradition and craftsmanship, then charge several hundred dollars for a $5.00 blank.
You should travel to Park Falls, Wisconsin. Aside from fishermen building fishing poles, you can travel further north into the wilderness, find lots of good fishing and maybe even some gals who are friendlier than average.
That’s actually a decent possibility. My buddies have been on a first name basis with the people at St. Croix for about 20 years.
The only thing that makes it a stretch at this point is the family obligations.
1 Like
The fishing in the national forest area I mentioned is really incredible, especially the trout streams. There are vast networks of waterways that can be fished. Parts of my family congregate there twice per year. Sometimes more of us, sometimes fewer of us.
They make a lot of great things in Wisconsin besides fishing poles. Fried fresh cheese curds are a national treasure, and I can still remember a Wisconsin where you could not only smoke cigarettes across every inch of the state, but also score a twelve pack of Schlitz for about four bucks.
http://schlitzbrewing.com/
Americans have long led the way in both manufacturing and distributing vices of all kinds on staggering scales. We’re in the middle of an American Renaissance in vice, as capitalism seeks to absorb the cannabis market under the mantle of legitimate commerce.
I’ve heard some great stories about the driftles region up there. The kind of hiking/fishing of legends. 
Well fed browns and brooks that have lived long enough to get big and smart enough to not fall for a poorly presented fly.
I wasn’t sure about this one, but Leatherman tools are still made in the USA in Portland, Oregon. Not ALL of their components are USA sourced, with a European corkscrew and file, a Mexican plier jaw and two small fastening components of unknown origin.
Apparently the legal threshold to call yourself Made in the USA is 70 percent domestic sourced component materials, which seems reasonable.
I’ve had my Wave for probably close to a decade, subjected it to abuse, left it in the elements and it is still just as good as the day I bought it. I also have an old-school Leatherman that I don’t use much that’s close to 40 years old now.
25 year warranty, great quality, competitive price and made in the USA, plus a sale going on right now.
Some companies, like Origin here in Maine, go out-of-their way to ensure that all of their materials are also sourced domestically to be 100 percent true made-in-the USA. I’ve never bought any of their stuff though, so I can’t speak to quality. My next gi will be from them, when we can do things like go to jiu jitsu again. They also make boots and jeans.
I’ll be sure to add it to the thread when I’ve used it. I’ve trained with lots of people in Origin Gis and the material feels great to violently grab. I can only imagine what it’s like to wear.
1 Like
