flex number discrepancies

[jhesch]

for those of you who have pole manufacturing experience:

how precise can manufacturers get when making poles? are two poles that differ by .5 flex built that way on purpose or is there a certain margin of uncertainty when making poles, i.e. +/- .5? I was just playin around on some poles today that differed by .5 flex and it made me wonder if its a result of slight alterations in how they're made or just a small margin of imprecision? by they way they were both Pacer 15 ft. 175 lb. poles. one with a flex of 17.1, and the other of i believe 17.7. i guess thats .6 difference...oh well...

[Bruce Caldwell]

We have placed 4 patterns exactly the same in the oven at the same time, on the same run. And got at least two slightly varying by .2 flex.
But a .5 or .6 is a planned spread between poles.

We do not strive for the flex number we strive for size pole, model number by the amount of wraps and the size of the sail to be measured as a relative stiffness of a like pole in previous runs.

The flex system is what I call a simple way to get as accurate of a reading as you can. What affects flex numbers: Oh about 101 things will affect it
here are a few:
humidity
heat ramping
where you set the pole on the pivot points
pivot points and if they are frictionless
size of the wraps or sail
poorly rolled pole
pole that sets too long before going into the oven
bag pressure and how old the bag is
flow time
resin content at the factory
time of day you run the poles and the temperature in the factory

many many more things can alter the planned flex number you are trying to get.

But flex numbers react differently in the field too

Handgrip
take-off angle
approach speed
confidence
position of the arms at the plant
hand spread
weather (mostly affects the athlete not the pole)
if the pole hits the pit after planting
So many variables what is one to do in a sport that always ends in a miss??

[tim hutzley]

So if all the tape comes off a pole it is actually ligher than is says it is?

[Bruce Caldwell]

So if all the tape comes off a pole it is actually ligher than is says it is?

Same stiffness but a much lighter pole that is why we limit the amount of tape placed on our poles.


However your latest poles you got are so light the tape off them would not make a differrence SMILE what was it 3.30 lbs weight for 460 poles???/

[tim hutzley]

yeah. I still havent gotten to jump with them yet though. I will jump on them on the 17, and hopefully a couple times a week after that.

[jhesch]

maybe this is a dumb question but: what real purpose does tape on a pole serve? why not put just a label? it doesnt seem that the thin wrap of tape in any way affects the strength of the pole in terms of nicks or scratches, and it seems, maybe more so on carbons due to darker color, that it would be easier to spot nicks or scratches on a pole that wasn't taped.
while we're on the subject i just thought of a rather ridiculous but funny idea: why not use different colors of fiberglass for different wraps/sail? seems you could make some cool lookin poles ( ya i know, doesnt affect performance...) as well an easy way to spot scratches, scrape, etc: you could see a different color where the scratches were!

[Bruce Caldwell]

maybe this is a dumb question but: what real purpose does tape on a pole serve? why not put just a label? it doesnt seem that the thin wrap of tape in any way affects the strength of the pole in terms of nicks or scratches, and it seems, maybe more so on carbons due to darker color, that it would be easier to spot nicks or scratches on a pole that wasn't taped.
while we're on the subject i just thought of a rather ridiculous but funny idea: why not use different colors of fiberglass for different wraps/sail? seems you could make some cool lookin poles ( ya i know, doesnt affect performance...) as well an easy way to spot scratches, scrape, etc: you could see a different color where the scratches were!

It has been most manufacturers experience that adding color to the glass reduces the potential laminate, so as a result a natural glass provides the best solution. Tape covers the surface and reduces some scratching and provides a “look that is acceptable.
Colored tape well white has been the most accepted color.

[jhesch]

in response to a pole being lighter without tape:

Same stiffness but a much lighter pole that is why we limit the amount of tape placed on our poles.

so basically it would make no difference, or rather relatively little, to take off all tape from a pole for a lighter pole? seems logical to do...then i wonder how reg. poles would compare to carbons in weight without tape ( i assume little, but several questions like these arise)

[rainbowgirl28]

It really would not be enough of a difference for you to notice.

Some people (I did this in high school) put 50 layers of tape and who knows what else on the end of their pole to protect it from hitting the back of the box. If you took all of that off, you might feel a difference in the carry weight.

[dubjones]

Why would anyone put 50? layers of tape on a pole when BellAthletics makes "pole protectors" for like 2bucks? They work better, in the long run cost less, and you can keep one for all your poles nearly FOREVER. 2 bucks, you only need one, not one per pole, and it could save the bottom 8" of your favorite stick. Bell Athletics has em' (EB's invention) Gill sells em', MFs got em'.
The thin white tape on most poles is lightly protective, but as far as I go, mostly marketing. Who would buy a blank stick?