Always used a fish tape, now I'm on the glow rod crew

I spent 8 years pulling cable through commercial drop ceilings with a steel fish tape. Last month I had a job in an old office building in Columbus where the conduit took three 90 degree bends before the box. I fought that tape for 45 minutes and got nowhere. My apprentice handed me a 1/4 inch fiberglass glow rod set and I ran it through in one shot. The stiffness and the glow tips made it way easier to see where it was going in the dark plenum. Now I use the rods for any run over 30 feet with tight bends. Anyone else made the switch and gone back to steel for certain jobs?

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james_ross29d ago

Did you try the rods on a really long straight run yet? That's the one spot where I still grab the steel tape, because the rods can bow and bind in a straight pipe once you push past 40 feet or so. Keep both on the truck and match the tool to the run, that's the trick.

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