I quickly warmed up to the look of the NRX 873C CRR.

Impressions: When first seeing these rods online awhile back, I immediately noticed the light blue wraps and thought “why?”  While some guys loved the new look, I was not one of them.  This negative feeling quickly subsided when I finally handled one in person.  The wraps actually look quite nice, and make an interesting contrast against the dark grey blank.  This is not a look everyone will like, but I quickly warmed up to it and it's definitely instantly recognizable from afar!

The cork is of extremely high quality.  A reel with blue accents really completes the overall look!

The reel seat is a skeletonized design, which exposes a large section of the blank to increase feel.  The split cork grip and reel seat is quite comfortable, and a small foregrip allows you a place to rest a finger or two if needed.  Durability issues arose with the original foregrip design, so NRX casting rods now feature a large composite cork area at the top of the foregrip for added strength.   Composite cork rings are also used on the ends of the handle sections to prevent chipping.

The skeletonized reel seat design reduces material but retains comfort.

The first 3 guides on the are Fuji Titanium framed SIC guides, followed by 8 small black ion-coated nickel titanium Recoil guides.  A titanium framed SIC guide tip top finishes off the blank.

One of the 3 Fuji Titanium framed SIC guides.

In a nutshell, G. Loomis utilized this guide system to increase sensitivity and help the overall balance.  This is a slick setup that looks really cool as well!

The tip top guide and Recoil guides of the NRX 873C CRR.

NRX rods do something many people couldn't imagine, and that is to improve upon the legendary GLX graphite.  NRX rods feature an ultra high density carbon that is infused with Nano Silica resin systems.  This makes the blank lighter, more sensitive, and 20% more durable than GLX. The rod is indeed light, and feels nicely balanced in hand.

Upon closer inspection, the cosmetics were not perfect.....

Two quick issues I noticed upon closely inspecting my NRX 873C CRR.  As Zander noted in his past review of the NRX drop shot rod, some of the blue thread wraps aren't very clean.  In addition, I also found a small drop of dried epoxy on the composite cork butt of the rod.  While both issues don't affect performance, an ultra high end rod such as this should be absolutely perfect.

G.Loomis NRX 873C CRR: 10.25" Rear Handle : 3 ti SiC + 8 Recoil +Ti/SiC Tip top : Made in USA : Fast Taper : Medium Heavy Power : 1/4-3/4 oz: 12-17 lb : MSRP $50

Lab Tests:  When the NRX 873C CRR was put to test on our RoD WRACK, the difference between it and the baseline MBR783C GLX 2000 rod became apparent.  While the 2 rods start out with similar tips, the power of the NRX quickly kicks in and shows throughout the mid section.

At 4.2 ounces, the NRX is a very lightweight rod for it's size.  Judging by the chart below, the rod appears like it would feel tip heavy, with the balancing torque and balancing point being substantially greater than the baseline GLX.  As someone who is paranoid about tip heaviness, the NRX actually feels great in hand with or without a reel attached.  This is likely helped out by the very low overall weight of the rod.

Field Tests:  The NRX 873C CRR saw Largemouth Bass action in several different South Florida lakes.  As a different kind of test, it even accompanied me once to an Everglades canal to chase small Tarpon.  While primarily designed for bottom contact fishing, I utilized various other baits from frogs to paddle tail swimbaits to help get a feel for the rod's versatility.  Monofilament was used only a few times, with 20lb braid seeing the majority of the action.

Though no truly big Bass were caught, this rod landed many Bass!

Next Section: Time to cast the NRX rod