Daiwa Tatula Fishing Rod TAT721HFB Product Review

Rod Review

Daiwa Completes Their Suite with the Tatula Casting Rods!

Date:	1/8/14
Tackle Type:	Rod
Manufacturer:	Daiwa
Reviewer:	Cal

Total Score: 8.33 - BEST VALUE AWARD!

Introduction: Earlier this year, Daiwa finally gave consumers what they'd been seeking from the company for countless years - a worthy low profile baitcasting reel in the hotly contested $150 price range. By all accounts, the Tatula has been a resounding success although sales have stalled a little bit with consumers anticipating the Type R version just making its way to store shelves as this article is being written. Is the Type R worth the $50 upgrade? That's the subject of another article. What we're here to look at today is the original Tatula's partner. Who could that partner be you ask? It's a fishing rod of course! Introducing our first look at the Tatula series of casting rods, the TAT721HFB (7'2" Heavy).

Daiwa Tatula TAT721HFB Specifications
Material	Proprietary SVF Graphite w/ X45 Bias Construction
Length	7'2"
Line Wt.	12-25lb
Lure Wt.	3/8-1 oz
Pieces	One
Guides	8 + Tip (Fuji Alconite)
Rear Handle Length	10"
Power Rating	Heavy
Taper	Fast
Rod Weight	4 ounces
Origin	Made in China
MSRP	$149.99

Quality/Construction: Fishing rods with countries of origin other than the US or Japan have really come a long way in recent years with regards to fit and finish. This is upgrade in workmanship has been led by the likes of Shimano, Daiwa and other manufacturers hove made the investment to own and operate facilities dedicated to the production of their own products. Daiwa has done just that with their facility in Thailand (at least that's the story we hear) and now it appears they've made the leap to China as well. This is where the Tatula rods are being built.

Quality Ratings for Daiwa Tatula TAT721HFB
Finish (1-5)	Grip (1-5)	Epoxy (1-5)	Blank (1-2)	Guides (1-2)	Total	Possible	Rating (= Tot/Pos * 10)
5	5	5	1	2	18	19	9.47

Our TAT721HFB has a clear, glossy finish over an unsanded blank. The finish is very thin as you can still feel the ridges resulting from the cellophane wrap over the blank material used to hold the graphite together while it bakes in the oven.

Introducing Daiwa's 7'2" heavy powered Tatula casting rod.

The grip is made of EVA foam and is split in the rear with no visible gaps at each material threshold. There's no foregrip on this rod but a machined locking nut for the reel seat. Epoxy around the guide and accent wraps is perfect, but the blank of our TAT721 had an every so slight bend to the left at approximately nine inches from the tip. Otherwise, the guides appear to be in good alignment along the blank.

Lab Results for Daiwa Tatula TAT721HFB
Model	Avg RoD (2-48 oz)	Taper	Measured Weight (oz)	Balance Point (inches)	Balancing Torque (ftlbs)
Daiwa Tatula TAT721HFB	1.42	Fast	4	9	0.19
MBR844C GLX	1.48	Fast	4.7	7.5	--

The TAT721HFB features a split rear grip design.

Performance: The Tatula TAT721 charted out in the lab similar in power to our Creature Feature baseline rod, the G.Loomis MBR844C GLX meaning that even though there's really no industry standard, this stick is basically what we'd expect from a heavy powered rod.

The rear portion of the rod's grip is contoured for easy gripping.

Casting: Matched with a Daiwa Exceler for testing duties, the TAT721 demonstrated very good casting performance. The tip loads very predictably and can comfortably handle baits within its recommended lure rating. It's really fun pitching half ounce jigs with this stick.

The section where you'll spend most of your time holding the rod is a typical JDM thin diameter.

Sensitivity: Daiwa's SVF Bias blanks have always performed well overall in my hands, but if there's one area of complaint I've had with the Steez rods in particular, it's that they're not sensitive enough for their price point. I've not felt that way about the Zillion rods.

Those who prefer an exposed blank reel seat should enjoy the access provided by the Tatula's custom reel seat.

The Tatula sticks are priced even more attractively than that of the Zillions, but with their unsanded blanks, they remind me of the Steez rods. In fact, other than the balance of the rod and the components with which it is built including the reel seat and handle, I might be hard pressed to distinguish the blank on this Tatula rod from that of a non-Compile-X Steez - especially in the area of sensitivity.

The TAT72HFB doesn't come with a foregrip but it does have a custom designed lock ring as shown here.

That's either bad news for the Steez rods or great news for the Tatula or both, but I was more than happy with what I could feel dragging a jig along the bottom of Clear Lake with this rod.

Fig 1 : Notice how closely the TAT721HFB aligns with our baseline heavy powered rod, the MBR844C GLX. This is great news for those looking for a stick that behaves like a traditional heavy powered rod.

Power: Weighing in at a mere four ounces for a stick rated at heavy power, it's easy to take for granted the backbone this rod possesses. The TAT721HFB rated out on our RoD WRACK as a stick similar in power to the MBR844C GLX - another deceivingly powerful stick - and it fishes to this power out on the water as well. There's more than enough backbone in this rod to set the hook and control your catch to the boat through a mix of cover situations.

Performance Ratings for Daiwa Tatula TAT721HFB
Pitch (1-5)	Cast (1-5)	Sensitivity (1-5)	Hook Set (1-5)	Control (1-5)	Total	Possible	Rating (= Tot/Pos * 10)
4	4	4	5	5	22	25	8.8

Features: Daiwa spared little expense filling up the features checklist on their Tatula casting rods. In addition to a split rear grip made of EVA foam, this rod benefits from the following features:

You can get a sense of the Tatula's unsanded blank on the left side of this photo.

Next Section: A "Bias" Blank