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Event Article:
2008 ICAST Coverage |
Falcon's new Expert series of rods make use of proprietary next-gen
CrossMatch graphite
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Date: |
7/17/08 |
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Location: |
Las Vegas,
NV |
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Manufacturer: |
Falcon |
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Reviewer: |
Team
TackleTour |
Introduction:
Falcon Rods greeted us
at the show with a completely revamped Expert Series for the coming season, and
along with a new look the rods now make use of a hi-tech matrix of graphite that
is designed to make these bass rods stronger, lighter and significantly more
sensitive.
Falcon updates their Expert series
of rods with a new proprietary weave formula called CrossMatch
At the time of the company was displaying two
different variations of grips, one with premium cork and another with light
weight EVA grips. They were obtaining feedback to see which grip was better
received, and so far the EVA has a slight lead. The new Expert Series of trigger
stick casting rods includes rods for all competitive techniques including
flipping, pitching, lizard dragging, fishing heavy grass, worm 'n jigging, and
retrieving topwater, swimming and vibration lures of various weights and
characteristics. Expert spinning models are designed for a variety of fishing
styles including shakey head, Carolina rig, and drifting tubes.
Which do you prefer? Cork or EVA?
The company is making their final decision now
What makes the new Expert series so unique is the
unique CrossMatch graphite weave that extends through the rod's entire
construction. With the
CrossMatch proprietary weave of carbon fibers, each rod in the Falcon
Expert line,10 casting and 5 spinning rods, now weighs less than four ounces,
approximately 20 percent less than earlier models.
Chris Beckwith, Vice president of
Falcon shows us the new Expert rods
Originally developed for the U.S. aerospace
industry, Falcon's CrossMatch graphite configuration for Expert Series rods
maintains blank roundness, called hoop strength. This, in turn, helps prevent a
common cause of rod breakage, fiber collapse, which results when too much
pressure is applied to one spot.
A closer look at the cork split
grip
During the testing process, Falcon founder John
Beckwith took prototypes of the new Expert Series to the lake that 20-years ago
inspired the company name, Lake Falcon on the Mexico-Texas border. "I really
leaned into these rods, really stressed them, and they performed wonderfully. My
first fish weighed 6.6 and the second weighed 10.3 pound. I think that's a good
sign," he said.
The EVA grip is not final, and
Chris explained that the EVA grips will be sculpted more like the cork ones
Falcon adds in other features to the Expert Series
including Fuji ACS exposed blank reel seats, Fuji Alconite guides and split-grip
handles with high-density EVA for less weight and better casting control. When
we handled the EVA versus the cork gripped rods we also came to the consensus
that we preferred the EVA grips on this rod both from a aesthetic and ergonomic
perspective.
Looking closely at the CrossMatch
graphite you can actually see the weave
The CrossMatch material does improve overall
ergonomics of the Expert rods, as they felt lighter than the previous generation
rods. The graphics on the rod are more understated than other falcon rods, and
the company explained this was done on purpose for a clean overall look. The rod
itself doesn't need any dressing up at all as the unique matte graphite weave
pattern is all the "bling" that this rod needs.
A look at the spinning version
Overall the new Falcon Expert rods were among the
most exciting we have seen at the show, and exhibit traditional custom rod
design blended with very modern materials. The rods will be available in a few
months and will retail somewhere under 300 dollars each.
The weave extends all the way up
the blank
Pro
Angler and Pro Staffer Mike McClelland has a new rod too
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