FFR: Airflo 2007

For those who don’t know, the biggest difference between fly lines manufactured by Airflo, a British company, and those manufactured by most U.S. companies is that Airflo lines use polyurethane rather than PVC in their fly line coatings. Polyurethane, which doesn’t require on solvents and a curing process, casts better and allows some special post-production touches, like adding fully fused integrated loops (no transition spots) to the end of lines.
The big thing for Airflo this year has been the introduction of their Ridge Technology, which is exactly what it sounds like: tiny ridges that run parallel to the line from beginning to end. I felt these ridges for the first time yesterday. You can’t feel them moving your hand down the line. You actually have to roll the line in your fingers, but they are definitely noticeable. According to Gareth Jones, Airflo’s sales director, the ridges decrease friction by reducing the surface contact of the fly lines with the guides, plus they hold water as a natural lubricant during the cast. When I asked Gareth what that meant in terms of extra distance, he said not to expect miracles, but that the Ridge lines should add “about 5% to the average caster’s distance.”