Slip-Eze Floats
Slip-Eze floats are packaged with the promise that they can be placed on and off your line easier and faster than any other slip float. I found that claim to be far from the truth. Not because of the theory or design of the product, but because of sub-par manufacturing.
The Slip-Eze slip floats are designed so that they can be placed on your line without needing to actually cut the line. The float has an open slot for the line. A slotted tube at both ends then secures the line. The slotted tube traps the line, and slides into the float with the open side placed opposite to the slot on the float. The float is then free slide up and down the line. Slip-Eze uses and adjustable bobber stop that is small flat piece of plastic with four small holes in it. The bobber stop is placed on the line by threading the line through the four holes. The bobber stop slides easily on the line, and never allows the float to slide by.
My first experience with the Slip-Eze slip floats was during the winter Coho run. I fully intended to take advantage of the fact that the floats can be removed without cutting the line, as I usually switch back and forth between lures and floats.
My problems began as soon as I opened the package, as I found two of the bobber stops to be defective. Although the holes were spaced evenly, they were aligned so that two were placed inside the bobber stop, and two partial holes were on the outside of the bobber stop.
Once I got a bobber stop in place, I tried unsuccessfully to place the line through the open slot of one of the floats. This took several minutes to do, as the slot was not spread open far enough for the line. Only after I used a thin screwdriver to pry the slot open, was I able to get the float on my line.
Unfortunately, I had to go through the same process for each of the floats I had purchased. There were several times were I missed hits on my other lines because I was taking too much time setting up a second. Switching from a lure to a float also took longer than it should have. There were several other times when I missed out on a hot run of coho because I couldn't make the switch fast enough.
So while the floats worked well once they were in place, they did not live up to the claim of being easy to add or remove them from the line. Even though I continued to use the floats that I had initially bought, I did so knowing that I would have to make sure that I rigged the rods the night before, and that I had other rods on hand for using lures.
The concept of the Slip-Eze slip floats is a great idea, but I wouldn't buy another package until I was sure that flaws in the manufacturing process were corrected.
Because the inconsistency in the manufacturing process, I give Slip-Eze Floats 1 out of 4 possible stars.