Time for Another Build or Two: Point Blank Rods's PB731HXF

Total Score: 7.67 - GOOD

Introduction: Over the course of my nearly twenty years with TackleTour, to say fishing rods are of a particular interest of mine would be similar to pitching your jig into a coffee cup from thirty feet away. They fascinate me. The number of ways in which they can be assembled, and the different materials used to build the blanks represent a world of intrigue and mystery that never ceases to intrigue. The very core of a fishing rod, it's soul - that blank, is where it all begins yet it is often shrouded in a build that makes the task of extracting its character difficult. A bare blank is different. Holding a bare blank in hand and imagining the different possibilities has grown into one of my new favorite hobbies.

Holding a bare blank in hand and imagining the different possibilities has grown into one of my new favorite hobbies

Over the last couple of years, that hobby has seen me purchasing a blank here and a blank there to sample the product and assess the potential for building a set of rods to have for my boat when I go out on non-testing adventures (which, by the way, is virtually never). Really, it's simply the process of discovery that fuels me. Over the course of this search, I revisited a series of blanks that kind of, sort of, started this whole building obsession of mine. I ordered a new blank from this manufacturer for a fun build. What I discovered in the ensuing labels and tags that accompanied the blank was a detail I missed when writing up that first build in 2020. Point Blank Rods's limited sku of blanks are manufactured without the use of a scrim.

Background: Several seasons ago, North Fork Composites introduced us to a very interesting rod design, a blank rolled without a scrim. The scrim material, as Gary Loomis explained to us in 2013, helps hold the vertical running graphite fibers together when the blank is bending. Without the scrim, blanks would not stay round under tip load and eventually fail or crush in on themselves. The scrim provides what is referred to as hoop strength so a blank can bend without crushing. Historically, this paper thin, fabric-like material was often fiberglass, but in some higher end blanks it can be carbon fiber. That's what made the original G.Loomis GLX blanks so special - the use of a carbon scrim. From what I understand, with scrimless blanks, instead of that layer of fabric-like material reinforcing the linear fibers, layers of additional carbon fiber are used in a criss cross orientation. This strategy creates additional layers of structural integrity resulting in a blank with better hoop strength, resistance to ovalization, and better resistance to twisting. All factors that contribute to the power, strength, and resilience of your fishing rod.

Raw carbon fiber material (bottom) and paper thin, fabric like, fiberglass scrim (top)

What I didn't realize was, the tech or design or methodology - however you refer to it - is implemented in a variety of ways by multiple manufacturers. North Fork does it very well on their X-Ray Blanks and there are others that advertise bias construction (layering of composite materials in thirty to forty five degree angles to the centerline of the primary object). These include Daiwa's X-45 and Shimano's Spiral X which may not be identical but build using similar concepts and some may also be made without that scrim material. They don't use the term bias, but there are a variety of products from Megabass and Evergreen International that come to mind where a similar cross weave technologies have also been discussed.

Point Blank Rods is one of the few in the industry manufacturing their blanks without use of a scrim
 

Point Blank Rods has been offering blanks with their spin on this technology since 2015, but we've fished and reviewed rods as far back as 2008 built on blanks featuring bias construction. Daiwa's original TD Zillion sticks come to mind, but so do the Steez rods introduced a year or two prior to the Zillion. Shimano's collaboration with Jackall, the Poison Glorious series, and G.Loomis Conquest Series, features Spiral X. Evergreen's Temujin Balista and Kaleido Super Stallion were made with an interwoven graphite blank. Megabass's original Orochi series is described as using "DNA" graphite. If these are all similar technologies, then it appears the adage of what's old is new again applies here.

If "Bias Construction" is indeed a scrimless tech, then we've been fishing scrimless blanks for some time now

Impressions: The trouble is, without factory tours at each source, it's difficult to know what really is happening any time a new buzzword is introduced to the fishing world. The best I can do is fish the final product and share my thoughts. With that in mind, blanks are not available from Daiwa, Shimano, G.Loomis, Megabass or Evergreen International. If you want to build your own rod based off a blank rolled with the latest tech available, you only have a couple of real choices. That objective brings us back full circle.

The PB731HXF blank's weight on our scale

Nothing on the surface of the blank

The opportunity to hold another bare blank in hand and let it inspire configuration options was also just welcome therapy. The PB31HXF blank has the same crisp, lively feel in hand as the PB761XXHMF I wrapped in 2020. I went into that build with preconceived notions and pretty conservative goals of a simple build for big baits. That meant a full rear grip, standard seat, and spiral wrapped guides. For this build, my inspiration was an NRX+ MBR904C. While the PB731HXF is a little shorter, it will likely suit my intended application better than the NRX+ MBR904C. I wanted this build as light as possible, so I went with a split rear grip and seat, and then borrowed from NRX+ by installing a spiral wrapped, hybrid guide train featuring Fuji Ti/SiC stripper, transitions, and tip top, and REC black pearl Recoil runners.

Fuji's SKTS16 split seat requires minimal arbor work to fit on the PBR731HXF blank