Just plain slick, the new XMG 50 Bass Rod from
Lamiglas (continued)
Ergonomics
cont'd: The foam butt at the end of the rod is comfortable when casting, and
the soft tough reel seat feels good when palming reels. Unfortunately we did
encounter some problems with the reel seat’s long term durability. After a few
days of use we noticed that some of the rubberized coating was starting to come
off the seat. This raised an immediate red flag about the longevity of the seat.
Upside down
Now after two months of
use the reel seat remains in reasonably good condition, though it is obvious
that some of the coating has indeed come off, especially on the trigger. Though
this certainly isn’t good, we found that this was purely cosmetic, and the seat
continued to function well.
Pitching and skipping plastics under docks was easy with this rod
Price & Applications:
Carbon fiber always reminds me of race cars, the carbon weave found on hoods of
cars, spoilers, and interior trimmings. True carbon fiber weaves showcase
interwoven fibers, usually beneath a protective coating.
Zander pulls a fish out from under the docks
Consumers that don’t know
much about carbon fiber sometimes get fooled by plastic which is painted with a
faux fiber pattern. We have seen this faux pattern used to “dress up” fishing
rod components ranging from reel seats to reels themselves.
A
close-up of the Fuji Alconite guide
Rest assured that the XMG
50 uses the real thing, and because the carbon weave is not sanded you can
actually feel the fiber strips.
The
main blank is not covered in gloss
With such exotic materials we
expected the rod to retail for at least 299.99, as this is still priced below
the premium offerings of many rod manufacturers, including Loomis. We were
pleasantly surprised that Lamiglas decided to price the rod aggressively at only
264.00. This is a very reasonable price for such a high quality rod, and really
elevates the value of the overall package.
The
rod features a traditional style hook hanger on the left side
Next Section: The final score...
