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Ready
for Battle, a First Look on the Water with Phenix's M1 Series
(continued)
  Ranging
from $174.99 to $184.99 dollars on the casting rods (10-15 dollars more for the
swimbait models), these sticks are quite aggressively priced, maybe even too
aggressively priced. Targeting the mainstream to entry-premium space these rods
are priced almost at parity with the Recon Series ($169-$189) so cannibalization
may be a concern. But nobody can complain that Phenix doesn’t give their
customers plenty of options. So just who should consider one of these new rods?
Time to find out.
| MX-69ML |
6'9" |
6-12 |
1 |
Fast |
1/4 - 5/8 |
SIC |
Phenix
custom reel seat, cork and EVA |
$168 |
| MX-72ML |
7'2" |
6-12 |
1 |
Fast |
1/4 - 5/8 |
SIC |
Phenix
custom reel seat, cork and EVA |
$170 |
| MX-72MH |
7'2" |
8-17 |
1 |
Fast |
1/2 - 3/4 |
SIC |
Phenix
custom reel seat, cork and EVA |
$175 |
| MX-72H |
7'2" |
10-25 |
1 |
Extra Fast |
1/2 - 1 1/4 |
SIC |
Phenix
custom reel seat, cork and EVA |
$178 |
| MX-78MH |
7'8" |
8-17 |
1 |
Fast |
1/2 - 3/4 |
SIC |
Phenix
custom reel seat, cork and EVA |
$180 |
| MX-78H |
7'8" |
10-25 |
1 |
Extra Fast |
1/2 - 2 |
SIC |
Phenix
custom reel seat, cork and EVA |
$185 |
While we are in
process of a complete review of these rods we wanted to see what the entire line
felt like in comparison to not only the Recon Series but other rods at the price
point, and to better understand the applications where this rod series really
makes sense. Vince Borges, Prostaffer for Phenix, was happy to showcase the
entire line to us on the water, and we met him and two more of his prostaffers
out at Clear Lake for some winter fishing. Time to bust out that spreader rig
and tie on those spoons!
The
spinning rods make use of as little material as possible when it comes to the
seat and EVA grips
Sometimes Clear
Lake can be a tough lake to fish in the winter, and while you can absolutely
catch quality fish this time of year, you have to not only work harder to find
them but also brave the elements long enough to catch the fish. When we met
Vince at Clear Lake we had the feeling we were in for a long tough day as the
fog was thick, so thick that visibility was no more than 20 feet. This moisture
coupled with near freezing temperatures made for a very slow morning where we
basically crept around on the trolling motor.
Vince lands a fish with the M1 casting rods using a R2S S-Waver
Since the
fishing was so slow it did give us plenty of time to check out the new rods and
cast a range of baits, just to see how they felt on the new sticks. We were also
were able to drag jigs and get a better feel for the rod’s overall sensitivity.
It was clear that Phenix was trying to go for weight balance on a lot of the
rods and while the standard casting and spinning models all featured split grip
designs the swimbait sticks all feature long rear handles with full grips and
additional inserts near the enlarged butt cap.
| MX-S69L spinning |
6'9" |
4-10 |
1 |
Fast |
1/8 - 3/8 |
SIC |
Phenix custom reel
seat, cork and EVA |
$168 |
| MX-S72L spinning |
7'2" |
4-10 |
1 |
Fast |
1/8 - 3/8 |
SIC |
Phenix custom reel
seat, cork and EVA |
$170 |
| MX-S72M spinning |
7'2" |
6-12 |
1 |
Extra Fast |
1/8 - 3/4 |
SIC |
Phenix custom reel
seat, cork and EVA |
$175 |
| MX-S78M spinning |
8'0" |
6-12 |
1 |
Extra Fast |
1/8 - 3/4 |
SIC |
Phenix custom reel
seat, cork and EVA |
$178 |
The ergonomics
of the rods are quite good and the sculpted EVA is dense and comfortable to hold
(even on cold wet days like we were dealing with) and the transition between the
black and brown colors is seamless. I actually quite like the brown EVA inserts
as they give the rod a unique differentiated look. On the other hand I have
never been a fan of soft touch reel seats as they do not tend to wear well over
time, and I am also typically turned off by faux carbon finishes.
Soft touch reel seat finishes are not my cup of tea but on the M1 the finish is
tastefully done to match the brown EVA highlight
That said, the
implementation on the M1 is tastefully done, though a straight unfinished seat
would still be my personal preference. The actual seat designs vary depending on the
rods and the M1 swimbait sticks shave away more of the seat material to expose the
blank, while the casting rods provide a more complete grip for palming and the
spinning rods go for as little material as possible.
A
closer look at the blank under the sun reveals the carbon fibers
Next
Section:
Balancing
Sensitivity and Power
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