Are 24 ton graphite rods good?

[JamoDamo]

Hey raiders yet another thread asking about all there is to do with fishing,

In my entire fishing career i've never owned but I have used graphite rods. I've used composite and fibreglass up until now and I have now gotten a graphite rod for lure fishing. I noticed on my abu garcia redmax that below the first runner there was a icon saying that the rod was "24 ton graphite" and I got curious, I've looked it up but still I am unsure about what it means, also I have noticed compared to my mates salty fighter that it does not cast a 1/8th or 1/12th as far as his does I am pretty sure it would be the stiffness of the blank right? Anyways thanks again guys keen to hear some responses!

Cheers, JamoDamo

[wazatherfisherman]

Hi Jamo the higher the tonnage is, the stiffer the graphite is and this enables vibrations to be transmitted readily through your rod. As the tonnage increases the rods get more sensitive, however that also can make them more brittle. The better quality brands use higher tonnage combined with quality resins to maintain structural integrity. The stiffness and the taper of the rod are what contributes to casting distance. Correct matching of lure/sinker weight to the rod's nominated weight range is also important in regards to distance, but the "build" or purpose of the rod needs to match (at least roughly) what you are doing with it. Finer line/braid also helps with distance. 

Stiffer rods without a "bendy" or flexible area won't cast as far as whippy/softer rods

[anthman]

So much goes into producing the overall handle and feel of rod than just the amount of graphite in a rod (as Waza mentions above). Also, wait till you try to compare xT vs xHM vs others - really hard to compare purely on number alone.

Would be helpful to go into your local tackle store and pick up a range of same length, same weight class 100% graphite rods and feel the difference. Try 30T rods and Daiwa rods with "HVF" as well. 

Also, when comparing casting distance, don't forget to check other factors - braid diameter? Amount of leader?(though more just about passing through eyelets or not) etc...