X5 Braid Line vs Excel Fluorocarbon Fishing Line: which is safer?
Berkley X5 Braid Line is the clear pick. Bass Pro Shops Excel Fluorocarbon Fishing Line carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.
Our pick
Berkley
X5 Braid Line
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleMicroplastic shedding from fiber degradation
ReportedUV degradation and embrittlement
PossibleMold and bacterial colonization
Bass Pro Shops
Excel Fluorocarbon Fishing Line
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
LikelyPFAS polymer content
PossibleMicroplastic fragmentation
PossibleWater leachate during use
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Microplastic shedding from fiber degradation, UV degradation and embrittlement, Mold and bacterial colonization and Surfactant or processing residues in braiding lubricants on the Berkley and not on the Bass Pro Shops.
- We flag PFAS polymer content, Microplastic fragmentation and Water leachate during use on the Bass Pro Shops and not on the Berkley.
- The Berkley is braided polyethylene fishing line where the Bass Pro Shops is Fluorocarbon polymer fishing line, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 55 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Berkley is the one to buy.
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 tackle & gear: see the full ranking