Abu Garcia Villain 2 VC70-6 Casting Rod Product Review

Rod Review

Abu Garcia's Ring Leader, the Villain 2 (continued)

Features: The VC70-6 comes equipped with a dense EVA foam grip, and guides built with titanium frames and zirconium inserts. The split rear grip flows almost seamlessly through to the Fuji ACS reel seat capped with an attractive carbon sleeved locking mechanism. There's an open ended hook keeper installed just above the reel seat on the top side of the rod. Villain 2 sticks from Abu Garcia do not come with a rod sleeve.

Features Ratings for Abu Garcia Villain 2 VC70-6
Grip (1-5)	Guides (1-5)	Reel Seat (1-5)	Hook Keeper (1-5)	Rod Sleeve (1-5)	Total	Possible	Rating (= Tot/Pos * 10)
4	4	4	4	1	17	25	6.8

The butt end of the rod's split rear grip.

Design/Ergonomics: The VC70-6 is a relatively minimal build but still comes in very close to the averages in terms of weight and balance taken from the 26 rods in our 2010 The Search for One campaign. Of course, considering the rod is actually more of a traditional heavy powered stick than medium heavy, it handles really well and in either scenario it is more than comfortable to fish with all day long.

Lab Results for Abu Garcia Villain 2 VC70-6
Model	Avg RoD (2-32 oz)	Taper	Measured Weight (oz)	Balance Point (inches)	Balancing Torque (ftlbs)
Abu Garcia Villain 2 VC70-6	1.59	Fast	4.7	7	0.19
MBR783C GLX2000	1.72	Fast	4.8	5	0.11
TSFO 26 Rod Avg	1.69	--	4.92	7.65	0.19
MBR844C GLX	1.48	Fast	4.7	7.5	--

Otherwise the rod's grip is very comfortable and while it has its detractors, I happen to be a fan of the Fuji ACS reel seat. The rod's graphics, while bold are perfectly in tune with its black and silver motif, so they're not obnoxious to any degree.

Design & Ergonomics Ratings for Abu Garcia Villain 2 VC70-6
Grip (1-5)	Colors / Graphics (1-5)	Balance (1-5)	Weight (1-5)	Total	Possible	Rating (= Tot/Pos * 10)
4	4	4	4	16	20	8.0

The VC70-6 comes with an open ended hook keeper installed right above the reel seat on the top side of the rod.

Application: The VC70-6 is a good stick for a variety of applications. I came to find I liked it best while fishing Texas rigged soft plastics, jigs, unweighted Senkos, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. It's a rod that packs a pretty big punch so when you need to drive home a jig-style hook, there's no need to hesitate with this stick in your hands.

Bass Rod Application Ratings for Abu Garcia Villain 2 VC70-6
Rip/Jerk (1-5)	Steady (1-5)	Lift & Drop (1-5)	Drag (1-5)	Twitch (1-5)	Total	Possible	Rating (= Tot/Pos * 10)
3	4	5	5	4	21	25	8.4

Graphics for the rod are large, but blend in nicely with the color scheme.

Ratings:

Abu Garcia Villain 2 VC70-6 Ratings (?/10)
Construction/Quality	A clean build, but we're super picky	8.95
Performance	Pay attention to the lure and line ratings and ignore the rod's stated power	9.6
Price	Quite remarkable given the rod's performance	8
Features	Relatively standard array of features	6.8
Design (Ergonomics)	Very comfortable stick to fish	8.0
Application	Very versatile for a heavy powered rod	8.4
Total Score		8.29
Ratings Key: 1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable! For More Details of the updated rating system visit our explanation here

Pluses and Minuses:

Plus	Minus
+ Really crisp, responsive blank	- More a traditional "heavy" than "medium heavy"
+ Surprising sensitivity
+ Comfortable to fish all day long

Looking for performance value in your dollar? The Villain 2 won't steal your money.

Conclusion: Abu Garcia has done a fine job with the Villain 2 line of rods. Though the rod's stated power rating is different from what we're accustomed, the VC70-6 is relatively light, powerful, and very sensitive. Sure the guides are not name brand, but it's built in a crisp, responsive blank with performance that belies its price point. If you're looking for performance value in your dollar, run, don't walk, to check out the Villain 2 series from Abu Garcia.

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