Funny you should ask...
I haven't tried every plastic out there, but have tried most of the major ones, and got feedback and samples on the rest. We settled on MF because when you factor in usability, waste, time, quality of baits, etc., it set itself apart. The only other major factor was cost. MF is a little more expensive, but with shipping factored in it's only pennies a bait difference. While that would be significant if one was making hundreds of thousands of baits, usability more than compensates (in my opinion) for the pennies.
With that said, there is a really good chance you are not looking at MF plastic. We have been working with a polymer company for the last couple months to create a "super plastic". It's not really a super plastic, as all of them basically have the same raw ingredients (PVC, Plasticizer, Resign, Heat Stabilizer), but there are differing levels of quality and compounds in those ingredients. I can explain all of these in more detail if you are interested, I found it very interesting as I've learned a lot about the different raw materials and how one impacts the other.
Why not just carry MF? We will continue to carry MF, but wanted to see if something better was also possible.
With all that said, we created a set of requirements and sent them to a leading polymer company (outside the fishing industry). We wanted a fresh perspective, not just a variation of an existing formula. We've been testing different formulas with our samples and you may very well have one. We are really close to finalizing the formula. The main qualities it excels in are as follows:
1) It was designed from day 1 for the microwave (a hot plate or presto pot is easy on plastic - the micro is the tough test)
2) It is the clearest plastic I have seen period
3) It is really shinny
4) It re-melts really well
5) It smokes and smells less than most, and no worst than the best (smell is somewhat objective but it passed my wife's test)
6) It's soft but durable
7) The baits are not oily from the get go
It has great UV properties (left samples sit outside for a couple weeks and they still look good)
9) It has very good heat stability
10) It's de-aired very few if any bubbles in the miro
11) It doesn't hard pack and hasn't settled at all in over a month (no shaking - not fun plus it introduces bubbles). My guess is if it sat for a year it would just need to be stirred as I would imagine it would separate some??? But I know it would not (can not) hard pack.
So what's not good about it? Why doesn't everyone make plastic like this?
It uses premium raw ingredients, so it's more expensive than LC, Calhouns, etc. It is more on par cost wise with MF. I'm okay with this as I believe that the cost difference is offset by waste and time not wasted fighting with my plastic.
Is it going to be the best choice for everyone, absolutely not. But it will provide a premium alternative for people with limited time that want to focus on creating baits, not messing with their plastic. It will also appeal to those who want to make a premium bait or where clarity is really important.
So what's next? We are still testing different levels of Heat Stabilizer. Basically, we are trying to get the maximum balance of stability without impacting the clarity of the bait. We are down to just a couple samples and then we will broaden the test before we introduce it on the site.
That's really all the details I have at the moment unless you want to know some of the technical stuff. I hope to launch it by early June, but testing can always impact that. We won't release it unless we have 100% confidence that it will meet or exceed expectations.
We will be offering it in a little different way to minimize cost. I will go into more detail on that once we get a little closer to putting it on the site. Our target price is to fit between the major brands people currently use. Once the formulation is finalized we will know exactly what that is.
Let me know if you have any additional questions.
Thanks,
Jason
