Daiwa goes high end
with new Steez "SPX Mega Top" and "Saltiga G" Rods

Date: |
7/14/10 |
Location: |
Las Vegas,
NV |
Admission: |
Buyers &
Press only |
Manufacturer: |
Daiwa |
Reviewer: |
Team
TackleTour |
Introduction: Daiwa adds new high end rod offerings to their lineup this
ICAST with new Steez rods designed for ultra finesse applications and on the
other end of the spectrum the company launches Saltiga G boat rods featuring a
blend of fiberglass and graphite.

Daiwa kicked things off with a new
logo on all their products called D-Vec
Steez SPX Mega Top Rods: The Steez lineup
of rods gets two new additions this season, and rather than just simply
introducing two new rods making use of the same graphite Daiwa went back to the
drawing board to create two rods with very specific actions designed for finesse
fishing.

Meet the newest addition to the
Daiwa family, the Mega Top rod which uses a solid SPX graphite tip
These Steez new rods make us
of a solid SPX graphite tip, which is also the reason why they are called "Mega
Top," this new tip design promises greater casting accuracy and enhanced
detection of subtle bites.

Daiwa displayed the tips curled up
one after another
Unlike ordinary solid tips,
Mega Top is built with an exclusive process that distributes graphite fiber
evenly with precise resin control. The design creates a rod tip without a
noticeable spine, perfect for pinpoint casting accuracy with lightweight
lures. The flexibility is designed to allow anglers to you see the most subtle
of bites, often before you can actually feel them.

This solid tip has no spine so it
casts in every direction accurately, it is ultra sensitive and is designed for
drop shot and wacky jig
The lower half of the rod is
constructed out of Bias graphite for reduced blank twist and maximum
strength. Keeping weight to a minimum are Daiwa's Air Beam reel seat, aluminum
reel clamp nut and Air-Foam™ grips. Each rod comes with 9 guides and all are
Fuji® Titanium-framed SiCs.

A closer look at the highly
flexible Mega Top
In terms of cosmetics each rod features the
traditional clean Steez design and this version contrasts black with gold
highlights on all winding checks and the aluminum reel clamp bolt. These are the
first rods in the premium series that not only feature the "Steez" logo but the
new Daiwa logo on the blank as well.

The rod features a darker black
and gold motif
Steez SPX Mega Top Finesse Rods |
Model Number |
Power |
Taper |
Length Feet |
Pieces |
Line
Wt.(Lb. Test) |
Lure
Wt.(Ounces) |
SPX TRIGGER ROD |
STZ6101MXBA-SPX |
ML |
XF |
6'11" |
1 |
6-16 |
3/32 - 1 |
SPX SPINNING ROD |
STZ6111MLXSA-SPX |
ML |
XF |
6'11" |
1 |
3-10 |
1/64 - 1/4 |

Daiwa's Rod Product Manager Ted
Akutsu shows us the new rods
There is one casting version
as well as one new spinning rod, both are ML power and extra fast. These new SPX
Mega Top rods will retail for $474.95 each when they become available in a few
weeks.

To pair up with Daiwa's new
Saltiga reels the company introduces new Saltiga G rods
Saltiga G Rods: On the saltwater side Daiwa
has designed a new series of 23 Saltiga G rods for jigging and general purpose
boat fishing. These rods feature an exclusive construction that Daiwa calls "Glatech."
Glatech construction sandwiches unidirectional fiberglass running tip to butt
between 90 degrees of inner and outer layers of graphite.

The Saltiga G-Rods make use of
hardloy guides
This design creates a resilient blank with plenty
of backbone and lifting power to control and move even big fish. The rods are
clean looking and feature a black blank with some kevlar style wrapping at the
base of the rod and blue threading throughout.

Each rod features a different
application specific grip
Component-wise the Saltiga G rods make use of Fuji
reel seats and silicon nitride guides on the conventional rods and hardloy
guides on the spinning actions.

The blank sandwiches
unidirectional fiberglass running tip to butt between 90 degrees of inner and
outer layers of graphite
A
Padded butt cap and EVA grips are utilized on 6'and 6'6" jigging
models (Nylon gimbal on other jig rods) and
an
aluminum gimbal with rubber butt cap and triangular-shaped
Powerlift Grip are employed on the boat rods. The boat rods come with either
foam grips or Quick Grip hard grips for trolling applications. The Saltiga G Rods will match
up nicely with existing Saltiga reels as well as the new Saltiga lever drag rods
which are also being introduced this week at ICAST.
