Gr8_Outdoorsman Posted March 29, 2019 Report Share Posted March 29, 2019 Hi guys, first post here and just venturing into the realm of pouring/injecting soft plastics. This forum has been a wealth of useful information. With that being said, there seems to be considerable variation in the quality of the molds from the various manufacturers (I.e. cast aluminum, cnc created, ceramic, etc...). I’ve orderd a few AI molds already and can’t wait for them to arrive, but I’d like to find a few more high quality molds to order (9”+ worms, craw of some sort, frog). If you guys were to rank the various mold manufacturers from 1-3, with 1 being the highest quality, what would your thoughts be on what’s currently available? Thank You! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apdriver Posted March 29, 2019 Report Share Posted March 29, 2019 I wouldn’t care to rank them as the quality is there if you like the design. Basstackle, Baitjunkys, Bobs, AI, Enforcer. They all make a quality product. I think it’s the design that’s special and you won’t like all of their products. Pick and choose what you think is the best designs and buy with confidence. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driftwood Posted March 29, 2019 Report Share Posted March 29, 2019 I've never tried to make my own molds so I can't comment on that but I do have CNC molds from just about all the supplier's and the quality is 2nd to none. Pick your favorite lure and order away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canga~ Posted March 30, 2019 Report Share Posted March 30, 2019 agreed with the above, i think all of the american (and canadian) mold makers are very high quality. i have molds from angling ai, basstackle, bts, and doit (both cnc and ES) and they are all good molds. find a design you like and buy with confidence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Young Posted March 31, 2019 Report Share Posted March 31, 2019 On 3/29/2019 at 12:06 PM, Apdriver said: I wouldn’t care to rank them as the quality is there if you like the design. Basstackle, Baitjunkys, Bobs, AI, Enforcer. They all make a quality product. I think it’s the design that’s special and you won’t like all of their products. Pick and choose what you think is the best designs and buy with confidence. x 100. I have molds from basstackle, angling ai , enforcer, delmart, do -it, jacobs baits & others & thats why i bought them was because i liked the design of the individual lure that i would be getting from that particular mold. They all make top notch molds for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gr8_Outdoorsman Posted March 31, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2019 Thank you guys for the replies. Being new to things, there’s a ton of options out there and I didn’t want to spend $200 on a mold only to be disappointed that the baits don’t turn out the same as the pictures on their website indicated. Specifically, there are a few Do-It molds that that are appealing, but I was concerned that the casting process in which they are made would cause the baits to have a less desirable appearance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apdriver Posted March 31, 2019 Report Share Posted March 31, 2019 Do it’s Essential Series will have a textured finish. The CNC molds will be smoother finished baits but the molds are more expensive because it takes longer to make them and uses an expensive mill to create. That said, once the Essential baits hit the water, I doubt the fish can tell. On another subject altogether, there is a way to smooth out the finish of the essential molds. Can probably find it using the search function. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gr8_Outdoorsman Posted March 31, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2019 Thanks for that. I did see a video where a guy painted them with a high temp paint and got a better result. My thought was that by the time you bought the paint and spent the time to coat the mold, the cost savings really wasn’t there vs a cnc mold. Is there any molds (brand or types) that you guys would recommend staying away from? It sounds like you all have great experiences with the main name brands. 19 minutes ago, Apdriver said: Do it’s Essential Series will have a textured finish. The CNC molds will be smoother finished baits but the molds are more expensive because it takes longer to make them and uses an expensive mill to create. That said, once the Essential baits hit the water, I doubt the fish can tell. On another subject altogether, there is a way to smooth out the finish of the essential molds. Can probably find it using the search function. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apdriver Posted March 31, 2019 Report Share Posted March 31, 2019 You have a PM GR8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gr8_Outdoorsman Posted March 31, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2019 Thank you all for the feedback. I feel like you answered what I was looking for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallyc14 Posted April 1, 2019 Report Share Posted April 1, 2019 On 3/31/2019 at 9:36 AM, Gr8_Outdoorsman said: Thank you guys for the replies. Being new to things, there’s a ton of options out there and I didn’t want to spend $200 on a mold only to be disappointed that the baits don’t turn out the same as the pictures on their website indicated. Specifically, there are a few Do-It molds that that are appealing, but I was concerned that the casting process in which they are made would cause the baits to have a less desirable appearance. Best practice is to ask for bait samples, it will keep you from buying a bunch of molds you don’t use . 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishermanbt Posted April 1, 2019 Report Share Posted April 1, 2019 Seeking out samples is some great advice either from the mold company directly, or reaching out to members that might have the mold. A few dollars for shipping and a few days will save you money and buyer’s remorse. This way you can see how the bait looks in hand, how the appendages behave, and so forth. You probably won’t get the colors you want but I would at least ask if it were possible to get a mix of light or dark colors. As for your concerns with the sand cast molds, I have a few and they pour just as good as CNC in my opinion. Yes they produce a mat finish on the bait but I don’t see fish being turned off because of it. Easily changed with a can of height temp paint and masking tape 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gr8_Outdoorsman Posted April 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2019 1 hour ago, wallyc14 said: Best practice is to ask for bait samples, it will keep you from buying a bunch of molds you don’t use . Great idea.... I didn’t realize that was an option. Thank You 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryanmc Posted April 2, 2019 Report Share Posted April 2, 2019 1 hour ago, Gr8_Outdoorsman said: Great idea.... I didn’t realize that was an option. Thank You Some mold makers will do that, some won't. Looking at the various websites you will see that some designs are much more refined than others.... 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elf Posted April 18, 2019 Report Share Posted April 18, 2019 On 3/31/2019 at 8:36 AM, Gr8_Outdoorsman said: Is there any molds (brand or types) that you guys would recommend staying away from? Do-It. They have some really nice designs but their molds have consistency issues. Couple of examples, their Senko molds, it's hit or miss on whether or not you'll have denting issues. Some folks say they never see dents (I don't believe them) and others have all sorts of issues with it. I had all 3 sizes and while the 4" shot the best, the 6" was terrible. One night I only got 4/12 good baits in 3 shots and I was doing the shots according to how a Do-It rep said to do them. I traded away my Do-It Senko molds and the guy that got them opened up the gates with a file and now they shoot fine. Their Ned rig bait, one guy said he had 8 of those molds and while 7 of them shot perfectly every single time the 8th was junk and couldn't get good baits out of it. I had one just like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted April 18, 2019 Report Share Posted April 18, 2019 I've found that holding pressure on my injector for a 10 count cuts way down on dents. I think it's because dents are caused by the plastic cooling and shrinking faster than hot plastic can be drawn down through the gate to fill the shrinking areas. The pressure keeps the hot plastic coming. I have several top pour hand pour molds that never have shrinking, and I'm guessing it's because they have larger gates to allow the hand pouring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
