What is Glass and Carbon? Glass is fiberglass, and there are two types of fiberglass fabric in this industry to make fly rods. E-Glass and S-Glass. E-Glass is an older generation glass and stands for Electric Glass and was used as an insulator. S- Glass or HS High Strength glass was made as a structural glass mostly used in Aerospace. E-glass fibers have relatively low elastic moduli when compared to other reinforcements. In addition, E-glass fibers are susceptible to creep and creep (stress) rupture. HS-glass is stiffer and stronger than E-glass, and has better resistance to fatigue and creep.
Why did we choose S-Glass? Well the technical reason has many facets.... but the simple answer is; it's really fun to catch fish on glass, and it's extremely therapeutic to cast these rods.
1.) S-Glass is a superior material and much harder to acquire as a manufacturer and also much more expensive than E-Glass. In order to make S-Glass blanks, you have to be committed to really make them. I wanted to offer something to our customers that was functionally unique and also a competitive advantage as a rod builder. Which leads to reason #2.
2.) S-Glass has a higher modulus and is stronger which means I can make a glass rod that is lighter than e-glass and may even compete with Carbon Fiber on its weight when you consider short rods. Our 6'6" 2 weight 4 piece blank is less than an ounce in physical weight. This actually is slightly lighter than our 6'6" 2-3 Carbon Rod that is sanded and painted. Also, the S-Glass performance allows for a faster tip recovery speed than E-Glass does. This means the rod is crisper and more accurate than the same rod made of E-Glass. However, Carbon still has its place in regards to taper and Flex. Our S-Glass rods are a true parabolic bend, and our Carbon Beaver Meadow is a mid medium flex. It's all about the feel and the feeling you get when casting and catching a fish that is the reason I made this new rod out of S-Glass. The smoothness of casting, the light feel in the hand, the slower and more bend feel of glass without the wobble of E-Glass is why I wanted to have this rod for you. The Beaver Meadow S-Glass has a tip recovery speed that makes casting it easy and not lumpy like some E-Glass rods on the market, and the smoother open loop makes the fly fall to the water with the delicacy of a spider web floating in the air. The lower modulus of the rod also is perfect for light tippet protection. Don't be fooled thought... the 8 foot 5 weight and 7'6" 4 weight can be used for bigger fish catching situations, and bass and other species. This rod is made to be an enjoyable casting and catching experience.
Shown below are actual outlines from the flex board of the 6 and a half foot Beaver Meadow Carbon in Green and the 6 and a half foot Beaver Meadow S-Glass. These were done with a 2 oz tip weight on them. You can see the Parabolic bend in the S-Glass and under inspection there is actually flex all the way to the cork handle.
Although S-Glass is sometimes referred to as Fast Glass, we made our rods to still have a medium soft smooth feel. There are already companies out there doing a great job designing FAST GLASS. We wanted the perfect Glass rod for Small and Medium Size Fly Fishing. Don't be fooled thought... the 8 foot 5 weight and 7'6" 4 weight can be used for bigger fish catching situations, and bass and other species. This rod is made to be an enjoyable casting and catching experience.
Questions? Just call or email me.
Sincerely: JP Ross