Washington Fly Fishing Forum banner

Sheer Thread... what the ???

1K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  Tom House 
#1 ·
So I have a couple of spools of Sheer thread. It's 14/0 and the color I was looking for.

Now, my bobbins are Stonfo Disc Drag so a shaft goes through the spool of thread and the disc wheel attaches to the shaft on the opposite side of the spool. I thought it was a bit weird that considerably more of the shaft showed past the disc wheel when I installed the Sheer spool. At first, I thought there was something wrong with the bobbin.

Then I realized that the spool for the Sheer thread is much more narrow than a typical spool of tying thread. You don't get nearly as much thread on a spool of Sheer as you do the other threads!

That's crazy. Sure enough, I can't tie nearly the same number of flies using the Sheer thread as I do using the same diameter thread of a different make.

So that tears it. I'm switching completely over to Veevus. Hareline continues to add additional colors to their product line of Veevus and they are available from 6/0 to 16/0 so I see no downside to dedicating my purchases to Veevus thread. Sheer is a good, strong thread but the reduced amount of thread per spool is not acceptable for me.

If you're using the traditional spring arm style of bobbin, chances are, you don't even realize that the Sheer spools are smaller.

Just a FYI.
 
See less See more
#4 ·
Norm, the spool fits on the bobbin... that's not the problem. I just didn't know that the width of the Sheer thread spools is not as wide as the other brands. So if you buy Sheer thread, you will not end up with the same amount of thread as a different brand in the same size.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Gordon Griffiths SHEER has been a favorite thread of mine for many years. Yes, the spools are small.
There really is no standard spool size nor standard diameter spool hole. VEEVUS, UNI, SHEER etc. - all different. I use EKICH bobbins sometimes, and I have to change O rings on the bobbin shaft to accommodate the different size spools. It sure would be nice if the different thread manufacturers would come up with a standard. Yeah, maybe. SHEER has been around a lot longer than VEEVUS and UNI. I doubt if they would change.
Jack
Adhesive Paint Font Wood Rectangle
 
#6 · (Edited)
So I have a couple of spools of Sheer thread. It's 14/0 and the color I was looking for.

Now, my bobbins are Stonfo Disc Drag so a shaft goes through the spool of thread and the disc wheel attaches to the shaft on the opposite side of the spool. I thought it was a bit weird that considerably more of the shaft showed past the disc wheel when I installed the Sheer spool. At first, I thought there was something wrong with the bobbin.

Then I realized that the spool for the Sheer thread is much more narrow than a typical spool of tying thread. You don't get nearly as much thread on a spool of Sheer as you do the other threads!

That's crazy. Sure enough, I can't tie nearly the same number of flies using the Sheer thread as I do using the same diameter thread of a different make.

So that tears it. I'm switching completely over to Veevus. Hareline continues to add additional colors to their product line of Veevus and they are available from 6/0 to 16/0 so I see no downside to dedicating my purchases to Veevus thread. Sheer is a good, strong thread but the reduced amount of thread per spool is not acceptable for me.

If you're using the traditional spring arm style of bobbin, chances are, you don't even realize that the Sheer spools are smaller.

Just a FYI.
I'm looking at my VEEVUS, UNI, and SHEER spools and I see that the VEEVUS and SHEER both have the same amount of thread; 100m.
The Uni spools have more thread; 182m.
Jack
 
#7 ·
Other than the Thompson tying thread spools that are tiny, I foolishly thought all tying thread spools were the same size -- like sewing thread.

Lesson learned. However, I'd need to actually measure the Veevus and Sheer thread length to believe they are the same. I went through the 14/0 Sheer thread a hell of a lot quicker than I did the 14/0 Veevus.
 
#9 ·
I'm mildly surprised Veevus is catching on so well among tyers. I saw it at a friendly local fly shop, and as any good tyer, I'm always very willing to be divested of a few of my hard earned dollars in the pursuit of the Next Big Thing, so I grabbed a few spools.

After tying a few flies with those spools, I was thoroughly unimpressed with it's handling, bulk, break strength, and resistance to abrasion. It's been reduced to tying up a bunch of basic stuff like buggers and nymphs, and I'm hoping to use it up sooner rather than later, so I can fill those spots on the thread rack again with the Uni and Sheer threads that do the job better (for me).

I'm glad it's working out so well for others, but again, I'm mildly surprised that something I've tried and written off as a "junk product" nearly a year ago is so popular with others.

For my use, for small flies, Sheer is the way to go, no question. It's worth it (to me) to get slightly less thread as long as it's the best thread for the task (if that is indeed the case...keep in mind that, in addition to spool height, there's also arbor diameter, outer diameter of a full spool, and the actual thickness of the thread to consider).
 
#10 ·
I strictly use Veevus now unless spinning deer hair. 8/0 for Steelhead flies, 12/0 for nymphs and such, and 16/0 for the small dries. Excellent strength and diameter. It does fray a bit when nicked by the hook, but not many threads hold up well to that. I just got the 8/0 and it was a dream to tie with. Uni isnt a bad product, but Veevus works better for me. I've had bad spools from Danville and havent bought any more.
 
#11 ·
I haven't tried Veevus yet but one of my primary concerns with any tying thread is how well it flattens.

I'd like to hear from a few tiers who have been using Veevus for a while and who share that concern.

TC
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top