Thinking Anglers SBX Sinking Braided Mainline 40lb

Strength & Abrasion

Thinking Anglers built SBX for strength on demanding venues. The tightly woven, round construction gives it high abrasion resistance, which is what you want over gravel or around snags.

The 25lb has an uncrushed diameter of 0.40mm and the 40lb is 0.48mm. Brands measure braid diameter in different ways, so I wouldn't compare those figures directly with another braid's, but either strain gives you a big margin for pulling fish out of weed.

I'd go 25lb for open water and 40lb where there's heavy weed or snags.

What all that strength doesn't change is the lack of stretch, which puts more load on your knots and hookholds, so I'd tie knots I trust and test them. Overall, I think it's about as tough as a carp mainline needs to be, and I'd trust it on hard, weedy venues.

Casting & Handling

So, what about handling? On paper, it looks good. The round profile and smooth feel are the key points, and the construction is made for easier casting with fewer wind knots, which is the thing I'd worry about most with any braid.

Zero stretch means every movement of the lead comes straight back up the line, so you get a clear feel of the bottom and obvious drop-backs.

It also means you need a shock leader if you're casting a heavy lead hard, plus a mono or fluoro leader at the rig end, so there's more setting up than with plain mono.

The 600m spool's removable markers at 200m, 300m and 400m make loading two or three reels a lot less of a faff, and that's a small touch I like.

Overall, I think it should be a pleasant braid to cast and live with, although the leader set-up makes it more work than a mono like the Shimano Technium.

Presentation

How does a braid present? Better than you might think, as long as it sinks, and SBX uses a fast-sinking blend of fibres, so it settles quickly onto the lake bed rather than sitting up in the water. The round, tightly woven profile should help it lie neatly once it's down.

The colour is clever as well. Black sectioning is overlaid onto a green base, giving a broken camo pattern that Thinking Anglers designed to blend in across all kinds of freshwater. From the photos, the braid on the spool has that mottled green and black look.

To be fair, it's still braid, so it won't vanish the way the Korda Kontour fluoro does, and you'll want a fluoro or sinking mono leader between the braid and the rig.

Overall, it's about as discreet as a braided mainline gets, and the camo finish gives it the edge over a plain green braid.

Is it good value for money?

So, does it earn its price? Braid costs more per metre than mono, and SBX isn't a budget braid, but the 600m spool takes some of the sting out of that, because the markers let you split one spool across two or three reels.

You're paying for strength, a fast sink and a smart camo finish, and I think that's fair value for a braid you'd put on for weedy, demanding venues.

Do remember the extra cost of leader material, though, and that zero stretch needs a forgiving rod and a gentle touch near the net, or hooks can pull.

Overall, I'd recommend SBX to anglers fishing weedy or demanding venues at range who want strength and direct contact, and who are happy setting up leaders.

If your water bans braid, or you fish close in over clean ground, a sinking mono like the Gardner GT-HD is the simpler choice.