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Iam interested in using a longer pole. What are the things I should try to do when I plant it? from 14'6" 155# CarbonFX (blew through it) to a 15' 160# Pacer Carbon or 15'6" 155# Pacer Carbon? Also, If a pole has a crack it the top 3 inches, like it was crushed by something, is it still possible to use the pole?

First off, you want to make sure you're really getting tall at the plant and pushing up through the pole. If you want to move from a 14'6" to a 15' you should grip at the same place on the 15' as on the 14'6" and get comfortable with it there and then start moving your grip up a little when you're getting good pole rotation with it. Lastly, it isn't a good idea to use a pole thats cracked anywhere even at the top. The crack could just get bigger and eventually break.

As long as the crack is above your top hand (and does not extend too far down the pole) you should be fine.

The rule of thumb is up 6" down 5lbs...........so from your 14'6" 155 the next bigger pole (holding relatively the same dist from the bottom of the pole) is a 15'0 150. If you go to the 15 160 you are going up 3 to 4 poles bigger than the one you have. If you jump your grip 6" (which is normally a NO NO) it will make it a little esier. DO NOT jump your grip up that much just to make the pole work, you WILL come up short and over bend the pole if you are not ready for that step.

What 15' pole should have a 19.5 flex at 14'6 length? I have 3 CarbonFX poles. Last summer I bought a 14'6 160 (20.3). I have a 14'6 155# (20.4). The 20.4 feels much stiffer than the 20.3 and the 14'6" 165# i have is (18.4). Much too stiff for right now, maybe not in a week or 2. I need to find out what 15' pole would have a flex of 19.5 or so at 14'6 length. If any one has any idea, plese reply.

Well it sounds like you got screwed when you bought the 14 6 160 if its a 20.3 and the 155 is a 20.4. There is virtually no difference between the poles even though the weight is 5 pounds different. They determine the weight rating of a pole by which series the flex number falls into. Example: they put a 155 label on a 14'6" pole if the flex number falls imbetween 21.5-20.4 and they put a 160 label if it falls imbetween a 20.3 and 19.2. You have two different weight rated poles but they're virtually identical because the 155 is as stiff as a 155 comes and the 160 is as soft as a 160 comes. This is why you should always buy a pole by the flex number, not the weight. If you call your local pacer dealer (which you can probably find on their website) you can request a specific flex number pole. Also, it is usually best to order poles in a series b/c they make sure that the flex rating difference is different between each pole. But a 19.5 would probably be a stiff 160.

I bought the 160 at a diffrent time before i bought the other 2. What 15' pole would be about as stiff as a 19.5 14'6"? I have plenty of 15' poles

PV junkie already kind addressed your Question already Like he stated A 15"150 would be similar to your 14'6' 155 at the same hand grip. And you are asking for a pole stiffer than the 14'6" 155 well that would approximatly be a 15' 155 matching grip as the 14'6" 155.

I planted a 15' 155# spirit today, It felt a little soft, but i never completed a full jump. It seems like it will take more than one practice to effectively use a 15' pole. I don't think it will be long though. I'll just have to see how it goes. I saw the video, I wasnt getting a good jump off the ground i guess and not much penetration.

If the pole felt soft and you were not penetrating move your hand down 3" this will speed up the pole rotation and make the pole a little stiffer, until you get used to the 15' poles.

ROBERT...........Your startin to catch on to all of this. EXCEPT, a 14'6 155 is equal to a 15' 145 at the same grip (this is a rough est). The next bigger pole would be the 15' 150 with the same grip ht from the bottom of the pole (not the top). The other prob that this young man has is that in many pole lengths spirit and pacer do not mark the same wt on the pole. What I mean by this is they both may be 20.4 flex and spirit would mark it as 145 and pacer would mark it 150. The flex # is identical but the wt is a little different. They ARE relativly the same pole...........they are NOT 5# different (relative stiffness). So check the flex # on that spirit.

Hope that was clear as mud

PVJunkie wrote:

The rule of thumb is up 6" down 5lbs...........so from your 14'6" 155 the next bigger pole (holding relatively the same dist from the bottom of the pole) is a 15'0 150.

PVJunkie, I always have used that rule 6" down is approx 5# increase. Perhaps incorrectly because I'm confused. Now if I hold down 6" on a 15' 150 would not, according to that rule, make that pole approx. a 155 at that hand grip? which would be the same as a 14'6" 155# not the next stiffer pole?

I always held to the rule of thumb that 1' equaled 10lbs whereas the 15' equivalent to a 14' 160 was a 15' 150 at the same grip. This would mean that the 14'6 equivalent to those 2 would be a 14'6 155.

After reading through the PVSCB materials though, I recall a chart saying that 1' is actually 20lbs different with the same grip height. That seems a bit much.

That's why I don't bother with weights anymore and just flex all of my own poles at the same grip heights