wetnet,
It's not tippet vs. mono. Both spinning line and tippet material can be made out of the same materials. The difference is in the quality, specifically the diameter tolerances. A spinning line will vary in diameter, and strength, throughout the line moreso than tippet material. And the strength of a line has to be rated by its weakest link. So tippet material does indeed typically have a better rated strength/diameter ratio. The tighter specifications also mean its more expensive to manufacture, and thats the main reason why we pay more for it. If the much longer spinning lines costed that much to manufacture, they wouldn't be affordable.
Monofilament: Abrasion resistant like nothing else, with the best knot strength as you can get, and better strength/diameter ratios than copolymers or flouro. In fly fishing circles its often referred to as nylon, an example is Maxima Chameleon. But many of your Walmart brand of spinning lines are regular mono (ex. Stren, Trilene, etc.). Its weakness is that its generally pretty stiff, although a few brands have done some funky stuff to it to make it less stiff (ex. Tectan for spinning rods and Orvis Super Strong for fly fishing).
Copolymer: It is lses stiff than mono or flouro, but its abrasion resistance and strength are a step behind mono. Most standard tippets are actually copolymers, though in fly fishing circles, because true mono is rare, copolymers are often incorrectly called mono. In spinning lines, some of your more premium lines are copolymers, like Silver Thread.
Flourocarbon: Made from a carbon resin, its very different stuff. It has the same refractive index as water, and thats its major advantage. However, it is important to note that it loses this advantage when laying ON the water, and it also is more dense and doesn't float as high, so its not a good dry fly material. It's less stiff than most mono lines, but still more stiff than a copolymer. Its knot strength and abrasion resistance are typically poor. It is becoming common in both tippet and spinning lines. For instance, Berkley Vanish is a flourocarbon line. Seaguar and Cabelas also make flouro lines for spinning gear. I think every tippet manufacturer has a flouro version.
The last category are the braided lines, or as they are termed in the spinning rod industry, "superlines." The strength/diameter ratio is very good, and they are the least stiff line out there too. By all the measurable properties, they are the best you can get. The problem is that the material needed for these often isn't clear, so despite the fine diameter they are still really visible. They are common in, for instance, bass fishing circles. Furled leaders, though, I guess are similar in theory to braided lines.
It's also hard to tell the strength/diameter ratio from the box. Especially among the cheaper lines. Remember the lines vary in diameter along their lengths, and thus vary in strength too. On the box they have to put the weakest possible strength, and the biggest possible diameter. So even if a standard mono (ex. Berkley Trilene) has better strength/diameter ratio compared to a copolymer, if its tolerances are bigger, it may still appear to be worse if you go by reading the box.
