Best Three Brands of PVA Mesh for Carp Fishing
For many carp anglers, especially in North America, it can take a while to discover PVA Mesh for Carp Fishing and its many benefits. From preventing your rig from tangling, protecting your hook while casting and providing an added bonus pile of bait to attract fish to your hook bait, I am never on the bank without it.
It took me quite a while to find the perfect Brand of PVA Mesh. At first, I thought they were all the same; I mean, PVA Mesh is PVA Mesh. I tested out pretty much every brand of PVA Mesh I could get my hands on, and I can tell you, there can be a huge difference. How much difference can there be between one brand name and another?
Does the Brand of Carp Fishing PVA Mesh Matter?
I’ve found that different brands manufacture the PVA Mesh differently. Many characteristics make certain brands better than others, such as PVA Durability, Dissolve Time, Ease of Use, Funnel / Plunger Durability, PVA Weave and Price. These are the main characteristics to look for in a decent type of PVA Mesh for Carp Fishing.
Carp Fishing PVA Mesh Characteristics
So we will give a quick explanation of what we mean by each aspect that was looked at to determine why these were the best brands that we came across:
PVA Mesh Durability
Some brands were very weak and would break when the bait was plunged into the PVA Funnel, those brands were removed from the list straight away as they were a nightmare to work with and quickly made a mess.
PVA Mesh Ease of Use
From plunging, tieing and casting we used each brand of PVA Mesh in the same fashion. Some were a dream to use and others were downright messy.
Type of PVA Mesh Weave
Some brands had a tight weave and others a large weave. A smaller/tighter weave is optimal for PVA Mesh as it can hold smaller particles that are in many ground baits and stick mixes.
PVA Mesh Dissolve Time
With PVA Mesh you want it to dissolve quickly but not so fast that it dissolves before it reaches the bottom of the lake. We understand that water temperatures and the amount of oils and glugs can affect the dissolve time of PVA Mesh so they were removed from the equation when testing.
PVA Mesh Funnel & Plunger Quality
Another important aspect of PVA Mesh is the quality of tools that accompany it. The plunger and Funnel can cause issues if not manufactured correctly. A small but important factor.
PVA Mesh Price
This is the last factor we took into account for our ranking of PVA Mesh, although important to many anglers, most are willing to pay the extra few dollars for a superior quality product that will reduce headaches and waste while on the bank.
So these are the main factors to look for when determining a quality product when it comes to PVA Mesh for Carp Fishing. They will be easily outlined in the tables below so you can see for yourself which are the best products by the factors you would look for in a quality product.
PVA Hydrospol
Although PVA Hydrospol wasn’t the best quality product we tested, we rank it first for its ease of use and availability. It is easy to pick up the PVA Hydrospol Bucket Set that comes complete with every bit of PVA a Carp Angler needs. Instead of going through the hassle of picking a brand and then finding and ordering each piece of PVA required, everything comes in one complete set. You order once, pay once for shipping and are done for the season.
| PVA Mesh Characteristics | Rank 1-10 |
|---|---|
| PVA Mesh Durability | 9 |
| PVA Mesh Dissolve Time | 10 |
| PVA Mesh Ease of Use | 10 |
| PVA Mesh Funnel/Plunger Durability & Quality | 10 |
| Type of PVA Mesh Weave | 9 |
| Price | 8 |
Another great feature of the PVA Hydrospol PVA Mesh is that the narrow and wide funnels of PVA fit in the same tube with a double-sided plunger that fits both perfectly. Well thought out and meticulously designed to save space while on the bank.
E-S-P PVA Mesh
The E-S-P Pva Mesh was the highest quality we tested and was a dream to use. It came second to PVA Hydrospol because it is difficult to find refills and additional PVA products in the same line-up.
| PVA Mesh Characteristics | Rank 1-10 |
|---|---|
| PVA Mesh Durability | 10 |
| PVA Mesh Dissolve Time | 8 |
| PVA Mesh Ease of Use | 10 |
| PVA Mesh Funnel/Plunger Durability & Quality | 10 |
| Type of PVA Mesh Weave | 10 |
| Price | 9 |
The E-S-P PVA Mesh was the most durable out of all the brands we tested. It had a smooth, slippery coating that was a dream to work with but did add a bit to the dissolve time once submerged. The PVA Funnel and Plunger that came with the E-S-P PVA mesh was also high quality and exceptionally durable.
The E-S-P PVA Mesh also had the tightest weave and made the least mess when packing small particle bait such as stick mix and ground bait.
Nash Webcast PVA System
The Nash Webcast PVA was my go-to brand for many years. I enjoy the smaller tube and plunger as it fits nicely inside my bag while standing upright. It ranked low in this department because the funnel is sharp around the edges and cracks quite easily. Once it breaks, the PVA mesh slides into the gap and is cut, making for quite the mess of stick mix. I’ve had to reorder the entire set many times rather than just the cheaper refills due to the fact of the funnel cracking.
| PVA Mesh Characteristics | Rank 1-10 |
|---|---|
| PVA Mesh Durability | 8 |
| PVA Mesh Dissolve Time | 10 |
| PVA Mesh Ease of Use | 9 |
| PVA Mesh Funnel/Plunger Durability & Quality | 6 |
| Type of PVA Mesh Weave | 9 |
| Price | 8 |
Overall the Nash Webcast PVA Mesh ranked highly on the crucial aspects of Durability, Dissolve Time and Ease of Use. The main reason it ranked third was the quality of the tools that accompany the mesh. There were too many instances where the mesh broke due to the sharp edges of the funnel to rank it above the others. It is a great product and comes in an excellent compact package.
Overall, all three brands of PVA Mesh listed are great to use. There are many reasons other anglers could rank them differently, but this is just a simple outline of the characteristics to help you choose a decent quality brand.
- PVA Hydrospol PVA Bucket Set.
- E-S-P PVA Mesh Kits.
- Nash Webcast PVA Mesh.
If you’re looking for more information, check out our video review of the PVA Hydrospol Bucket Set and what comes with it below:
If you’re looking to purchase any of these brands, be sure to check out our post on the Top Carp Fishing Retailers that ship to North America. These online retailers make it simple to order these products anywhere in the world.
