Dennis, have you used the 100# Power Pro? If so does Windtamer have less drag? Where do you get the 100#, all I can seem to find is 80#. I fly my profile on 85# but I don't trust it yet for my real planes.
Ken
Hi Ken
Gonna be "drifting" my own thread, but here's a long answer to your short question!
I started using PP original 100# when I first tried Spectra on a then 72 oz SV11 ARF. It worked very well, clearly better than SS cables in my estimation. I started there because that is what the Combat guys were using. I accumulated several other lines including PP Slick 8, PP Maxcuatro, Suffix 821, SpiderWire, & FINS XS (8 strand). Among those brands I had a mix of 15#, 20# 40# 45#, 50# 65# 80# & 100#!!! All that I tried worked well, but I at first decided to cut back my lunacy and concentrate on the Maxcuatro. I got some 50# & 80#, then started hearing that people were getting "gamed" especially through eBay with counterfeit material.
Could be I'm fatalistic about it, but on a 100# line I am doing the stretch at 50# per line, meaning that my lines are actually tested at 100# per set before I put them on the airplane. That is what got me over the hump on whther to "trust" the Spectra in place of SS Cable! I contend that the
Looking for alternatives i settled on the FINS brands (finsfishing.com), because it is American made, and available direct from the factory in KY. That took a lot of the guesswork out of authenticity of product. FINS also offers a plethora of product! By going factory direct you can of course get EVERY size they make, not just the ones that a retail shop can afford to stock. You asked about 100# test, they have that, and Windtamer line is also available in 150# & 200# - can you say "Spectra Leadouts?" In one of your other posts you said something about your spectra lines "blowing in the wind" - the Windtamer product is also coated with something that gives it a little more body - the claim for fishermen is that Windtamer is less prone to nesting into wind knots or tangling around the tip of a fishing rod.
Anther thing I noticed is that when going one size up or down the diameter of the line only changes by .001 or so. If I was flying a speed model that would matter more, but I think there are limited paybacks to obsessing over that on a stunt plane. The enemy is stretch, not line drag!
I have used up the 80# Maxcuatro I had, still have some 50# Maxcuatro on hand but when it is gone I will not replace it. I also will not be using so many different sizes. In round numbers I will be back to essentially 3-4 sizes for most everything:
FINS 40G 45# (.009") for just about everything up to 40 oz (ie, we used to use .008" to .012" SS cables here)
FINS SPIN5 65# (.014") for 40oz-60oz (where we used to use .015" SS cables)
FINS Windtamer 100# (.017") for anything over 60oz (.018" SS cable apps)
BTW, I used to buy my welded rings for the Spectra line ends from Tackle Direct but they are slow to resupply. Last night I ordered a new batch direct from the factory at SPRO.com