# ldx vs the afaw



## mapleman (Jul 9, 2007)

is there a big diff. between these two rods for fishing and distance on a field 2-5 oz class i,m trying to decide which rod to choose for the less amount of $$ thank you


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## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

The LDX and the AFAW Surf are both great casting rods. The performance difference on the field is slight, with a small edge going to the AFAW. They are also both very good fishing rods. The AFAW has higher grade components and has a tip with exceptional bite detection. It (AFAW Surf) has become one of my favorite fishing rods of all time.

Is the difference in performance and components worth the difference in cost??

That is purely up to the individual. You will not go wrong with either.

Tommy


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## toejam (Jan 28, 2005)

I am seeing more and more reports of the LDX breaking will in use. One or two times you think maybe its the user's fault, but as the reports increase maybe the rod's fault?


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## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

My personal opinion on it is this...LDX doesn't even deserve to be in the same DISCUSSION as the AFAW. BTW I have used and owned both. Tommy sells LDX so he has to be nice...I don't. I think they are complete junk. Again,just an opinion from personal experience.


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## The Crew (Jul 8, 2007)

*Wooaaaaa...*

Barty - Junk??? Why??? 12/1, I was going to order an LDX and Slosh 30. So what do you think would be better for the slosh in the same price range? (Up to $200).



barty b said:


> My personal opinion on it is this...LDX doesn't even deserve to be in the same DISCUSSION as the AFAW. BTW I have used and owned both. Tommy sells LDX so he has to be nice...I don't. I think they are complete junk. Again,just an opinion from personal experience.


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## HellRhaY (Jul 6, 2007)

i think they are both nice. i dont own the aFAW YET, but i have held one. afaw has a softer tip and as tommy said- it has a good bite detection. they said the ldx have mediocre components, but they are fuji reel seat and fuji hard alloy guides, i own 9 ldx, sold some and kept 3. I've read a lot of breakage on the LDX, but I WILL ALWAYS BUY an LDX comapred to any other rod. 
*WHY?* 
Because Nick is a stand up Guy, I've had a broken LDX, I called Nick and he told me to send the LDX to him, I received it a couple of days later with a refund for the shipping ($22.00) i spent to send to him.

Give me another Rod company that refunds you of the shipping and i'll be their customer for life. Even if the rod is no longer under warranty. He gave me a new one.

the problem with AFAW rod is you can't find the factory rods because they sell as hotcakes. If you're going to get the blanks, you are going to pay someone to wrap it- what if it breaks? you are going to pay again to have it rewrap!!

NICK MEYER from BreakawayUSA is a standup guy, i've talked to him with a "bunch" of problems and he always- "ALWAYS" took care of me. That right there makes the difference for me.


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## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

Well, I am the current owner of an LDX, and past owner of an HDX, and I gotta say that they are NOT worth the $200 price. Seats and guides ARE NOT Fuji, at least on every one I ever owned or saw. Craftsmanship is crappy at best, and the HDX ownership was an overall bad experience, due to send backs, and breakage. 

The ONLY reason I own the LDX is because me and Surf Fish bought a guy out of his surf fishing gear, at a CRAZY low price, and I figure that I have about $60 in the LDX. Not worth a penny more, and I expect it to break every time I aim for the horizon with a 4 oz. Until it does, it throws nice, though.

So Ed, you want a nice rod for a 30 Daiwa? 

Ocean Master 12' 3-6 oz. CAN NOT be beat, and it's only $100.00. 

Skip the LDX/HDX...Unless you want a disappointment. Breakaway, as a name, should be ashamed.


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## toejam (Jan 28, 2005)

HellRhaY said:


> i think they are both nice. i dont own the aFAW YET, but i have held one. afaw has a softer tip and as tommy said- it has a good bite detection. they said the ldx have mediocre components, but they are fuji reel seat and fuji hard alloy guides, i own 9 ldx, sold some and kept 3. I've read a lot of breakage on the LDX, but I WILL ALWAYS BUY an LDX comapred to any other rod.
> *WHY?*
> Because Nick is a stand up Guy, I've had a broken LDX, I called Nick and he told me to send the LDX to him, I received it a couple of days later with a refund for the shipping ($22.00) i spent to send to him.
> 
> ...


I think Nick got suckered but when a Stand up Guy has a product that has a flaw in its design,, they will recall it from the market and either discontinue the product or have it redesigned. LDX was created in a storm of it being a cheaply make rod and seems that all the writing on the wall is coming true!


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## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

toejam said:


> LDX was created in a storm of it being a cheaply make rod and seems that all the writing on the wall is coming true!


Exactly..It was designed to fill a niche market of rods (light heavers and heavers) which are generally higher end. It was designed to be a cheap competitor in this market. Well It's cheap allright,Cheap blank,cheap guides,cheap reelseat...Hey, I'm just relaying what I have seen personally and heard from users.



> _*Hellrhay sez...*_ NICK MEYER from BreakawayUSA is a standup guy, i've talked to him with a "bunch" of problems and he always- "ALWAYS" took care of me. That right there makes the difference for me.


 Nothing at all against Nick Meyer AT ALL, Never dealt with him but have not heard anything negative...But thats great Hellrhay,If you wanna spend your time,with Nick solving a "bunch" of problems getting a cheap rod replaced over and over and over...go ahead. I would rather spend the $$ once on a quality rod and forget it.

I have had the same OM 3-6oz rod and fished the hell out of it for going on 6 years, I just now had to replace the grip and went ahead and replaced the reel seat while I was at it. It did not NEED it but I just did it anyway. IMO You cant beat these rods for the money..Ultimate affordable quality.


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## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

HellRhaY said:


> the problem with AFAW rod is you can't find the factory rods because they sell as hotcakes.


Ever wonder why??




> [If you're going to get the blanks, you are going to pay someone to wrap it- what if it breaks? you are going to pay again to have it rewrap!!


You can get a factory rod in about 3-4 weeks, It's not going to break under normal use.

Guys have blown up Fusions,RS's.Infernos,Zziplex's and Conno's It's going to happen eventually here and there. But the frequency of broken rods with the HDX/LDX line is just too high.


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## sand.trout (Oct 31, 2006)

Dam this post really burns my @ss......
I've been saying the hdx/ldx are garbage from the start. And every one just said I was high.
If your gonna get a rod for a diawa 30 try the OM cp, or even the new Saltiga Surf. I havent had on in my hands yet but i was told that its the same blank as the bullistic but two pc grey and not as expensive.


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## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

Hey sand trout..You still got that custom HDX for sale??? 
I was going to buy it but was "persueded" against it upon further review.


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## sand.trout (Oct 31, 2006)

I'm gonna keep it and fish it till it breaks then strip it down a save my seat and guides.


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

*My Opinion*

I currently own the LDX (spinning), HDX ( conventional), and have a AFAW being shipped to me as we speak. 

I love my HDX! is it build to the same level as my OM CP, Hell no! But I think for a distance (starter) surf pole you can't beat it for the price. There is no way I'm going to get the distance with me OM that I get with me HDX. For 6-8 & bait you can't beat the HDX for under $200. The OM will throw 8-12& bait well but I don't think the blank was designed for distance.

I purchased my LDX from RDT for 99.99, and at the price I'm very happy. for 4-5oz and bait it rocks.. OR a 3oz stingsliver WOW!!! but, you can't expect to spend 99-200 bucks for a rod and get the quality of a Ballistic, or custom rod. You are looking at two great mid level rods... When you're ready for the best you need to spend 400-600 bucks..

I'm not a power caster by any means.. But , if you're breaking rod after rod I would wonder if your delivery needs to be smoother.


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## The Crew (Jul 8, 2007)

kmw21230 said:


> When you're ready for the best you need to spend 400-600 bucks..


You must be out of your mind! lol 
This is still "recreational" fishing.
Not trying to win a mega-buck tournament nor doing this for a living. $150 regularly for a rod sure. $300 special occasions. $400-$600 only if my name was BIll Gates. 

Thanks for the advice RR, Barty. You had already convinced me of the quality of the OM for a Shark Rod.


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## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

BigEdD said:


> You must be out of your mind! lol  $400-$600 only if my name was BIll Gates.


Heh...Thats what I used to say 
It's like crack...you WILL figure out a way to afford it once your a ho.


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## Newsjeff (Jul 22, 2004)

kmw21230 said:


> There is no way I'm going to get the distance with me OM that I get with me HDX. For 6-8 & bait you can't beat the HDX for under $200. The OM will throw 8-12& bait well but I don't think the blank was designed for distance.


I agree. I've had the chance to throw both the OM and the HDX side-by-side on grass. I get much better distance with the HDX.

The HDX will even hang with my customs when it comes to distance.

I was supposed to buy Sand.trout's HDX this week. I know the guides and seat suck on the stock rod. 

But are people actually breakin' them?


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## HellRhaY (Jul 6, 2007)

Newsjeff said:


> But are people actually breakin' them?


latest report on the breakage was during Todd's (high plains drifter) trip to mexico with a bucnh of SOL guys. Eddie (Airnuts) said the LDx broke ona pendulum cast with less than 4 ounces of lure. 4 LDX's broke duing their trip.

for the price, nothing compares to the diatnace the LDX and HDx can offer.


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## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

Guys,

I owned and fished the HDX and LDX before I ever sold a fishing rod on the retail market. Speaking from my _personal_ experience I stand behind my first post. I'm sure there are broken rods out there but I haven't personally seen one, and I've sold quite a few.

The HDX/LDX DO NOT have fuji components. Never have. I hope no one is selling them as advertised as such.

The AFAW lineup of rods are top quality throughout the range. In my opinion they offer zziplex and century type performance at 2/3 the cost.

There will soon be a new addition to the stable. I just received a demo shipment of the new "6nbait" AFAW rods. Mid price point (140.00 - 200.00) aimed at the 4-8 oz market with rods at 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 feet. Non fuji hardware but are supposed to offer top notch performance at a great price.

I'm testing this week... 

Tommy


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## chinookhead (Dec 13, 2004)

that's great news about the 6'n bait rods....can't wait...b/c currently non of their rods are really ideal for that except for the match rod which is too long for my taste and also too expensive for me.


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## Sea2aeS (Jan 7, 2005)

I like how the AFAW has that reverse ferrule design.... Seems like a well thought out blank designwise... 

afaw appears to be a better built blank from reinforced ferrule, to reverse ferrule design for integrity, to finish.... 

ill let you know how it casts soon:beer:


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## chinookhead (Dec 13, 2004)

*Weight of AFAW vs. LDX?*

Does anyone know the weights of these two rods factory built?


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## Mark G (Nov 15, 2004)

Save your bucks, if ya want the real deal get a 
Zziplex profile.

13' 3-5 oz casting machine.


Oh yeah- $700.00 + overseas shipping + duty tax



Yeah I bit the bullet and am glad I did- but I can tell you this, my LDX is still going strong after several years, and dollar for dollar is still a good bargain- despite the components issue. HMM, maybe I just got lucky and got a good one, but I'll hit it hard with up to 5 oz and ain't had any problems yet.


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## Mark G (Nov 15, 2004)

chinookhead said:


> Does anyone know the weights of these two rods factory built?


Tommy can prolly provide the specifics, but I have tossed both and am willing to bet there awfully close to the same weight, keeping in mind the factory built version of the LDX includes a reel seat (adds a few grams), while the AFAW does not.


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## CaptJack (Sep 10, 2007)

I own three Breakaways...2 LDX and one HDX. I cast 4-5 oz. + bait with them all the time and have never once thought I might break either rod doing that. I don't know where you learned your casting technique, but it might pay for you to learn how to cast properly, if you are afraid of breaking an LDX.

For example of proper casting technique, I easily cast a 5 oz. sputnik with a large whiting head for bait over 250' with my HDX and 525 Mag. If your casting technique is poor, you might damage any rod throwing that kind of weight.

I agree that the Breakaway rods are not the "prettiest" of rods. I don't care, as they are fishing machines. One other thing that I've read and heard about that I don't quiet understand. Who made Fujii guides the gold standard in guides? I personally think they are waaaay overrated. I've had more Fujii guides fail than any other brand. The guides on the Breakaways are of unknown manufacturer. I really like them, as they have given me zero problems over the last year of hard surf fishing use.

Yep, I'll stick with my LDX and HDX rods and then buy some more when they break (probably next trip).

CaptJack


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## fingersandclaws (Oct 17, 2005)

Interesting thread. Didn't know about the breakage issues with the LDXs. I own 2 of em' (spinning) and I also own 2 HDXs (both getting the lowrider treatment). I've never had my paws on a true "custom" so I wouldn't know, but my Breakaways catch enough fish and get the bait out to where it needs to be. I guess that's all we're lookin' for in the end.


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## HuskyMD (May 19, 2000)

Ain't looking for nothing "in the end". Stuff only comes out of my "end".

I don't have either of the rods in question. I stayed away from the Breakaway because of quality issues I heard about. I stay away from the AFAW because of price. I do fish a OM lite (3-6) and like it. I'm interested in the 6 and bait by AFAW...

Tommy, please post your results after you test the 6 and bait rod.


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## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

Here ya go Husky. It was just a few threads down....

AFAW 13' 6nbait field test 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was able to spend a couple of hours field testing the 13' 6nbait rod yesterday. I REALLY like this rod. It is powerful, easy to cast and performs on par with rods costing over twice as much. 


Results;

Hatteras Cast with 6 oz tourney sinker - 635'
Hatteras Cast with 8 oz pyramid sinker - 539'
Pendulum cast - 150 gram (only one cast) - 695'

The wind played a little havoc with the audio but you can hear it pretty well I think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo_2nGKhutw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7pRhI3LVho

The 6nbait is comes in 9', 10', 11', 12' and 13'. The 9-12' rods come with reel seats and the 13' comes with stainless steel coasters. Rods come fully built, blanks not available.

I think these rods are going to be a hit!!

Tommy


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