I must say I am not entirely convinced or happy with everything Dave Chilton has to say there. Not that Chilts will be overly bothered by my opinions
....but there you go.
My first thought about him jumping to the defence of his braids as a hook length was "Well...he would, wouldn't he", him being the owner of the company that, in his words, 'Produces the worlds largest range of specialist braided hook lengths'
But, beyond that, Dave's main argument in favour of braid and his multi strand products is that, contrary to many claims by detractors, it is actually safer than mono as a hook length. Apparently, this is because in it's raw form, it flattens out under pressure, thereby increasing its surface area at the point where it is in contact with the fishes mouth.....unlike mono, which cannot do that because it is a single strand.
He then goes on to say this....
" It is a well known fact that Snake-bite is the biggest selling carp hooklength on sale throughout Europe.
It is also fact that because of its coating it is also the kindest of all hooklengths on sale. We really do care about our sport, its not all about money. Our now famous Snake-skin, which was the forerunner to Snake-bite, is not a braid (braids are woven), but a multi-filament hooklength with an added plastic coating. Following its launch it was hailed by many leading writers as the safest hooklength on sale.
All of our coated lines, including our new Super Mantis are totally safe because of the cushioning effect of the plastic coating.
Now....forgive me for being cynical here, but if Dave's braids and multi strand materials are 'safer than mono because of their ability to flatten out on contact, and thereby spread the load'.....how come coating them in a plastic sheath, which effectively changes them into a single strand material much like mono...makes them safer
Either his braids and multi strands are safer than mono because of their ability to spread, as he claims....or they are safer once coated in a 'cushioning' plastic sheath, which he is also claiming. He really can't have it both ways
I could go on, but you get my drift...in my opinion, it is a defensive sales pitch which doesn't stand up to rational scrutiny in several areas. You can't blame the fella, and I have used braided hook links and mainline myself, and have no problem with them. I just don't think he did himself any favours by presenting this rather flawed article in defence of his products. Then again, I tend to have a very 'individual' way of looking at things, so maybe it's just me being me
Cheers, Dave.