amsteel ,dyneema or spectra

[stonecold]

hi, would you guys know where i can get any of this in the UK,or even anywhere in the US that would take paypal please without charging a fortune for postage ,what is the best amsteel ,dyneema or spectra

[warbonnetguy]

not sure about paypal and cheap shipping, but spectra is just "name brand" dyneema, kinda like dacron is name brand polyester. amsteel is a line of ropes made by samson. it is made of dyneema. there are different grades of dyneema though. seems like the higher the number the higher the strength to weight ratio and the more expensive. there was a lower grade amsteel. sk60 i think. that may be what their lash-it and zing it are made from. the "amsteel blue" is sk75 i think, which is about the strongest 3mm dyneema out there or close. good stuff.

[Spock]

Try Annapolis Performance Sailing and other sailboat suppliers - and try looking around locally at sail shops. Almost everyone carries some Spectra/Dyneema line. About the name, Dyneema and Spectra are copyrighted names for ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, sometimes called by the obsolete name olefin - which simply means an oil derived material. It's just polyester, but not just any polyester. The molecules are huge and therefore heavy, therefore very long, therefore very strong.