TRILENE BIG GAME vs Clear Leader: which is safer?

BERKLEY TRILENE BIG GAME is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Our pick

BERKLEY TRILENE BIG GAME

Berkley

TRILENE BIG GAME

PFAS grade

Excellent 85/100

Overall grade

Good 63/100

Verdict

Buy with care

Hazard flags

⚑ 2

Material

monofilament nylon fishing line

Confidence

72%

LikelyUV degradation and embrittlement

PossibleMicroplastic release during use

Maxima Clear Leader

Maxima

Clear Leader

PFAS grade

Excellent 85/100

Overall grade

Poor 49/100

Verdict

Buy with care

Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

Monofilament fluorocarbon fishing leader line

Confidence

35%

LikelyPFAS in fluorocarbon polymer composition

PossibleEnvironmental persistence and bioaccumulation (end-of-life)

PossibleMicroplastic shedding from line degradation

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag UV degradation and embrittlement and Microplastic release during use on the Berkley and not on the Maxima.
  • We flag PFAS in fluorocarbon polymer composition, Environmental persistence and bioaccumulation (end-of-life), Microplastic shedding from line degradation and Lack of chemical disclosure and third-party verification on the Maxima and not on the Berkley.
  • The Berkley is monofilament nylon fishing line where the Maxima is Monofilament fluorocarbon fishing leader line, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • These two are level, close enough that price and fit should decide it rather than our grade.
  • We are less certain about the Maxima grade, at 35% confidence against 72%, because it discloses less.

Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

More fishing line: see the full ranking