Anyone use VMC line tie rings with the teardrop shape?  What is the advantage of these VMC line tie split rings over regular round ones, besides range of motion for the bait?

When you set the hook, there is less of a chance that your line will slide up on the split ring.  This can result in a weaker hookset.

@RMax thanks for the reply.  Can you explain a little further what you mean by your line "sliding up" on the ring?  Seems like mainly for moving baits, so not sure how much it matters for hookset?

Say your line is at a 45 degree angle from the your rod tip, (imagining a line parallel with the water surface). Your bait also has an imaginary parallel line, at 45 degrees up.  When you set the hook, mainly on baits that aren't constantly moving, your yank your rod tip up.  Sometimes, instead of the whole bait moving up, your knot slides up a bit on the split ring, and you lose a little bit of power that good have gotten your hook/hooks deeper into the bass's jaw.  I am fairly picky about it, especially on jigs, so, in regards to jigs, I only buy horizontal line tie.  This also makes it easier for me to turn them into chatterbaits, if I have a spare blade.  With the horizontal line tie, you give the line no room to slide around and get better hooksets.

A few other things to note: I believe the circular rings are stronger but the non- overlapping sections can cause little abrasions in the line, which can cause it to snap.  The oval/teardrop shaped rings help avoid this at the cost of strength.

The point of oval/tear drop split ring is to prevent the line/knot from getting caught in the open section (where the split ring opens up). When your line is there, there is a chance that it can snap due to it rubbing against the wires. with oval/tear drop split ring, this is prevented. 

10 hours ago, bigturtle said:

The point of oval/tear drop split ring is to prevent the line/knot from getting caught in the open section (where the split ring opens up). When your line is there, there is a chance that it can snap due to it rubbing against the wires. with oval/tear drop split ring, this is prevented. 

Bingo.  I always try to tie my knots on the opposite side from where the split ring opens.  with oval or tear drop split rings you don't have to worry about it.

 

A-Jay