Whiting Herbert Miner Pro Grade Saddle

[Dcap240]

Hey everyone. Brand new to tying and I have a question about a whiting Herbert miner Pro grade saddle. What is Pro grade? I would imagine it is below bronze but I couldn't find much about it. Only the Olympic rating system. Is it worth getting? It is half price for $27 only 2 left. It's claiming sizes 12-18 with a few bigger and smaller and that is perfect range for what I want to tie. It looks like it has a few colors in it to. Mostly a silvery gray color (dun?) but with some browns and even a little lighter stuff also(cream?) I really don't want to jump into buying capes yet and I make a lot of abortions so I don't want to waste expensive good quality stuff yet. But I also don't want to buy a complete piece of junk. Should I go with something else to start? I see Metz has a variety pack or I found a website that has whiting 100s that he will mix and match sizes and colors for $22.50 with shipping. What would you do if you had to pick one? Thanks ahead.

 

[shortrod]

I don't have any experience with Whiting Herbert miner Pro grade. I would think that the Pro grade is a cosmetically lower grade. It sounds like you get a price break because the hackles are not a uniform color.

I am going to recommend that you buy the saddle. With the Whiting 100's you pay a steep premium, which is fine if you have more money than time, or need to have the feather labeled with the hook size.

I bought high grade whiting saddles long ago and am still tying with them.

 

[tctrout]

Hackle is such a tough call; if you plan on staying in fly tying, I always suggest buying high quality materials. I prefer Clearwater Hackle and Collins Hackle; both are excellent companies with owners that know what they are doing. They are always a great value for the money you spend; for instance, all Clearwater saddles also come with a shlappen (which is basically a very buggy piece of marabou, great for so many patterns). I would check out these companies first by calling or emailing them, and possibly developing a relationship with them so you can build your collection of hackle in the future.

Good luck!

TC

 

[Dcap240]

So I went ahead and bought it. After inspecting it, it looks good to me. I would say it is barely below the bronze grade. No webiness from what I can see. I think it was just like short rod said it was just because the color is not totally uniform but quality of feather is still there, stiff barbs, wraps on hook easily without breaking, etc. It is something quality for me to gain some experience with and that is all I needed for now. For $27.50 I'm happy.