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TackleTour Autopsy: Diving into
KVD's Strike King 6XD Crankbait (continued)
 Next
we tested the lure's finish and used a variety of abrasive surfaces to scrape
the finish. The 6XD did absolutely exceptional in these tests and exhibited one
of the toughest finishes we have seen to date on a crankbait. It really takes a
lot to scuff this finish and at no time does the paint flake off, instead only
bits of color is scratched off. Durability on the 6XD is just as good as it gets
and it is no wonder that in our field tests thus far these lures are holding up
well after months of use.
But try as I might the finish on
the 6XD proved to be extremely durable
Direct abrasion with the
micro-file could do little to harm this finish and the paint is baked on there
so there is no flaking whatsoever
The same excellent durability was exhibited when
we cut the lure apart, this was one hard nut to crack and overall thickness on
the lure's body is slightly above average. Once inside we were greeted with four
beads, the two larger ones were locked in their individual chambers and are
designed to provide weighting and balance.
The primary incision. This lure's
plastic is so thick it was actually a challenge to cut through it
The two smaller beads are also made of metal and
roam freely around the entire cavity of the lure, these beads generate the
lure's high pitched rattle in the water.
Cracked open we find two large
beads for weight and a large open cavity
Interestingly these two smaller beads are ported
which not only reduce their weight slightly so they more easily bounce around
the lure's interior but also cause them to generate a slightly different sound
than the beads found in other lures. We found this to be the single most
interesting design component in the 6XD.
Interestingly the two small beads
used for the generation of noise are ported all the way through
The split ring holders are
sandwiched between thick plastic during the molding process
Though simple in design the 6XD is
well built and surprisingly durable for such an affordable lure
The lures rings are sandwiched deep within the
plastic mold and can take a lot of torque and are very unlikely to fail in the
field. Overall the 6XD proved to be a simple yet well constructed lure with some
interesting design elements that surprised us including the ported internal
beads. The simple design makes it easy for Strike King to control quality and
consistency in these lures. The Strike King 6XD's thick plastic casing and
extremely robust paint finish make it among the most durable deep diving
crankbaits we have seen in the lab to date, stay tuned for the actual field
tests to see just how well these attributes translate into real world
performance.
Looking for the Strike King 6XD Crankbait? Try
Tackle Warehouse
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