JB Solid 130 vs. Varivas Avani GT Max PE10

[Peter Olesen]

Hi Guys

Yet another "versus post" 

Has anyone tried both lines? How do they compare regarding:
1) Diameter
2) Casting distance
3) Overall strength
4) Resistance against shock load

I have been satisfied with the JB Solid 130 during my last two trips but what could I gain spending a lot more dollars on the Varivas?

Thanks in advance,
Peter

[Jonas Holmsgard]

Hej Peter,

I have thought about the same question when preparing for my trip to Oman. I thought the Varivas was thinner though. How much JB solid 130 do you get on a 18000/DF 6500?

/Jonas

[Peter Olesen]

Hi Jonas

I have JB Solid 130 on a 20000 spool. I haven't measured but I THINK around 250 meters on that spool.

[Saltywater Tackle]

Hi Peter,
I had the chance to use both lines for the past 4 years,
per comparison and in my opinion the JB is by far one of the best line i had ever used for GT fishing.
my spool have a 130lb JB and i had not changed that line for the past 4 years, so far i landed many big fishes with locked drag and that is the only line that never broke on me.
the distance is not likely to be achieved to a solid PE line but i try to use it with 160g lures and heavier.
the 130JB is my go line when it comes to GT fishing.
  Tight lines
    Sami

[Jonas Holmsgard]

Hi Sami,

Are you using the solid or hollow JB? I might have misunderstood your comparasion to "solid PE" when talking casting distance. Another question - are you too using a 20000 spool for the JB and do you have any idea about capacity?

/Jonas

[Sean Costello]

Hey Peter, on my last trip i ran 100lb JB solid and varivas pe 8 smp, i felt the 100jb fell in between pe 8 and pe 10 in terms of diameter, going by this i would say that 130lb JB would be more comparitable with pe 12 in diameter. The only difference in terms of performance i feel is that the varivas casts fractionally better than the JB. JB solid is brilliant line and i probably wont be using anything else in the future when you consider the price difference between the 2 brands.

[Mark Harris]

You would have thought JB would publish the diameters of their lines somewhere.  Anyone ever seen this information?

[Mark Harris]

That's great info tony.

For this comparison, Varivas GT Avani Max PE10 is 130lb (you cannot use PE x 10 to get poundage for these lines). Therefore Varivas PE10 = JB solid 130 lb and the JB is a bit thicker.

If the comparison was Varivas PE8, then it needs to JB solid 100lb as the equivalent which is also thicker.

[Jay Burgess]

That's great info tony.

Therefore Varivas PE10 = JB solid 130 lb and the JB is a bit thicker.

I would have probably said that differently... I think it's more practical to compare lines by diamieter so I would have said Varivas PE10 = JB solid 100lb (PE10) and the JB is a bit weaker (for the same diameter).

Edit: Sorry Mark, just noticed the original comparison in the thread title was between Varivas PE10 and JB 130 

[Mark Harris]

However for PE8 V's 80lb JB. They both test at 100lb. JB is thinner

Also I haven't heard of any shock load issues with the JB like some PE lines.

Inevitably, that depends on the nature of the test. I would prefer to use the manufacturer's stated poundage (for reputable manufacturers like these two at least). On that basis, for JB Solid 80lb the Varivas Avani GT Max equivalent is PE7. 

Line thicknesses are very important to me when GT fishing - the lighter the better relative to the shock load and straight line breaking capabilities.

I do by the way, really like JB solid... just not quite as much as I like GT Max. If you take price into account though, choosing JB makes a lot of sense.

And as you say, unlike certain other big profile Spectra lines, it does not have a rep of exploding under shock.

[Mark Harris]

So JB say their 80lb line = 100 lbs test? 

That is very confusing.

If they thought their 80lb line was really 100 lb line, they would surely not bother making a thicker 100lb line?

[Sami Ghandour]

Hi Sami,
Are you using the solid or hollow JB? I might have misunderstood your comparasion to "solid PE" when talking casting distance. Another question - are you too using a 20000 spool for the JB and do you have any idea about capacity?
/Jonas

Hi Jonas,
I am using the hollow JB, the hollow line won't achieve the same casting distance as a Japanese solid PE line because it is basically flat, allowing resistance to cut through the air while casting and that is the reason i use the heavier lures when casting with the JB hollow line.
i have the line on my 2002 Stella SW10000 model with a 20000 spool and i have approximately close to 270 or 280 meter.

[Jonas Holmsgard]

Hi Sami,

Thanks for your answer, that makes sense. What are your thoughts on solid vs. hollow - besides the obvious benifits of "no knot"? Also do you know the difference in diameter between solid and hollow, or is the hollow basically too "flat" to talk about diameter? Sorry if these questions sound stupid, but I have only used JB once - the solid version in 50 lbs on a much lighter reel. Living in Sweden makes it hard to actually see this stuff before buying it...

/Jonas

[Peter Olesen]

Thanks for the replies!

Tony: from where did you get the diameters of the jb lines?

Jonas: I have both jb hollow and solid in 130 lbs. Of the spool, the solid actually seems a bit more flat but the diameters looks like they are close to even. But I'm sure the hollow will flatten more out during use. The tag end of the hollow is very flat compared to the tag end of the solid. I have not fished the hollow.

By the way, the jb solid can also be spliced (at least in 100 and 130 lbs). The 130 lbs is fairly easy to splice while the 100 lbs requires a bit more patience!

Can anyone compare casting distance first hand between jb solid 130 and varivas pe10?

[Jamie Moir]

If they thought their 80lb line was really 100 lb line, they would surely not bother making a thicker 100lb line?

It is so much worse than that. Their white 16 carrier 80lb hollow has an ABS 114-140lb, but the white 100lb 12 carrier has an ABS of around 112lb-117lb.

WTF?