There are a handful of companies that produce agate stripping guides and reel seats for high end rods.   Most companies rely on in-house craftsmanship where the quality and difference lies in the details.    After having tried all of the major brands of reel seats and agate guides and half a dozen small scale producers I can say with a high degree of confidence that the smaller the company the higher the quality regardless of price.  Over the years I have come to rely upon the quality and helpful spirit of the good folks of Golden Witch Technologies.  They produce some of the finest reel seats and agate guides I have ever had the pleasure of working with and they also offer a wide range of  rod building tools and components.  The qualitative difference in Golden Witch's products lie in the detail and for the review that follows I will highlight a few of the differences.


Golden Witch offers agate stripping guides in nine colors in size ranging from 8-14mm.  There are a few differnces that really set GW agate guides apart.  First, the bezels are made from solid nickle silver the bezel also features a unique design that keeps the agate protected and in the frame.  The agates are set tight and I have never had a GW agate rotate or loosen over time.   The selection of agate is really impressive.  If you want a speckled agate or banded they have both.  You can even order low frame guides and kits if you want to try your hand at soldering your own.


The feet on the agate guides are prepped and ready to wrap right out of the box.  Even when using the finest silk available I had no problem making the transition from blank to guide.  The feet have a classic shape and look great with both transparent and color preserved wraps. 


GW also produces top of the line slide band reel seats.  The quality of both the hardware and wood inserts is found in the details.   The hardware is some of the lightest I have ever used.  For a while I was working with a west coast manufacturer but their reel seat hardware were so heavy I was having a hard time balancing rods.  GW hardware is made from 12% nickle silver and is machined to extremely tight tolerances.  The weight difference alone between GW hardware and other manufacturers is stunning.


In addition to balancing a rod the hardware features a tapered cap and ring.  What translates into is a slide band reel seat that grip the reel foot so there is no need to worry about your reel working itself loose while on the water.  GW will also blue the hardware for a charge.  The bluing (as pictured on the dark seat above) is perfect!  It matches the blued stripping guide for a consistent look.


The variety of wood inserts (twenty-one in all) is the best that I know of and the woods selected again reflect the attention to detail and quality that is the hallmark of Golden Witch products. 


In addition to outstanding agate stripping guides and reel seats, Golden Witch also stocks an impressive assortment of rod building tools and components ranging from: silk, snake guides, jewelry grade hardware, hook tenders, winding checks, ferrules, finishes, splitters, alcohol lamps, wrapping tools, burnishers and more. 


In Sum: Without hesitation I fully recommend both the agate striping guides and reel seats by Golden Witch.  The quality is second to none and the attention to detail really sets this company apart!  You can find a complete list of Golden Witch products here: Golden Witch Online Store. 

Disclosure- GW provided the featured products free of charge for me to review. I was not compensated in any other way for this blog post.