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CB Rod Wars Part 1:
Mixing it up with Phenix’s X10
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Date: |
1/1/09 |
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Tackle Type: |
Rods |
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Manufacturer: |
Phenix |
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Reviewer: |
Zander |
Total Score: 8.25 + EDITORS CHOICE!
Introduction:
Phenix
has reinvented itself as a company and their new rods boast new materials and
styling that effectively modernize the brand. Our first official review from
this manufacturer is the X10, which is also the first entry into our Crankbait
Rod Wars. We take a look at this “hybrid” crankbait stick to see just what
Phenix brings to the table.
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Phenix Rods X-10
Specifications
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| Material |
Graphite,
Carbon
Fiber,
Fiberglass
Tip (Toray
Materials) |
| Length |
7'-0" |
| Length from Back of Reel Seat to Base |
9.5" |
| Line Wt. |
8 - 20lb |
| Lure Wt. |
1/4 - 1oz |
| Pieces |
1 |
| Guides |
9 Guides + Tip Top (Fuji Alconite) |
| Power Rating |
Medium |
| Taper |
Fast |
| Rod Weight |
4.2 oz |
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Manufacturing
Country |
China |
| MSRP |
$189.00 |
Phenix
is back, and brings a
completely new design and
implementation to their rod
lineup
Impressions: So what makes a rod a good crankbait stick? A good crankbait
rod needs to be relatively soft and feature a moderate flex action so that when
fish hit fast running lures the bait will not rip out of the fish’s mouth before
it is solidly hooked. This soft forgiving action also must be forgiving enough
so that when fish dive and surge the smaller treble hooks will not rip free.
The Phenix
X-10 is the first rod in the company's new lineup to be reviewed, and is also
the first crankbait rod to kickoff our 2009 CB Rod Wars
It is
because of these attributes
that for years fiberglass
was the preeminent choice
for this application. The
only problem was that these
rods would often feel sloppy
as they lacked sensitivity
and also weighed
significantly more than
graphite. With new advances
in materials and clever
hybrid designs crankbaits
rods are now becoming
lighter, better casting, and
even more forgiving.
We
paired the rod up with a number of reels and crankbait types in the field test
The
Phenix X10 is a great example of hybrid design and is constructed out of a
combination of high modulus graphite with a fiberglass tip. The rod makes use of
Toray materials in its construction and the reel seat and guides are all
courtesy of Fuji. With a line rating of 8-20 one would expect that this rod can
handle a wide range of baits, and to further the point the rod has a lure rating
of ¼ all the way to 1oz..
The Phenix
X-10 paired well with the new Curado
Overall
the rod has a nice understated look and feel, not a lot of bling here, just a
straightforward rod designed for a singular application. When I first held the
rod I couldn’t even tell there was any glass in the stick, in fact it felt as
light and balanced as some graphite rods. Even when whipping the rod around in
the air the X10 feels very crisp, it was only after pressing downwards on the
tip where that unmistakable forgiving glass-like curve revealed itself.
The
Phenix X-10 features a traditional Fuji Reel seat
Lab Tests:
Before hitting the
water we put the rod
to the test in our
lab. Testing
crankbait rods in
the lab is quite
unlike traditional
rods as the soft tip
makes it look like
we are overstressing
every single rod in
our tests. Though we
grimaced while
looking at the rods
curled over in the
lab these rods are
designed soft with
purpose.
When the Phenix X-10 was
put on the RoD WRACK we took note of the rod's deflection characteristics in comparison to other similarly powered sticks,
this list of rods include previously reviewed sticks as well as other members of our 2009 Crankbait Rod Wars.
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Lab Results for Phenix Rods X-10 |
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Model |
Avg RoD (2-32 oz) |
Taper |
Measured Weight |
Balance Point |
Balancing Torque (ftlbs) |
| Phenix X-10 |
2.42 |
Fast |
4.2 oz |
8" |
.190 |
| Loomis CBR783 |
2.76 |
M-Fast |
3.8 oz |
5.5" |
-- |
| MB Hien Type-S |
2.33 |
Fast |
4.5 oz |
6" |
-- |
| Daiwa STZ701MRBA-FL |
2.4 |
M-Fast |
4.2 oz |
8.5" |
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| Kistler MgCBCGGM66 |
2.4 |
M-Fast |
4.8 oz |
8.5" |
.211 |
| Falcon CCB-5-174DR |
2.25 |
M-Fast |
4.7 oz |
5.5" |
.118 |
Rate of Deflection (RoD):
What we found is the X-10, despite it's rather generous lure rating, is more of a medium powered cranker falling inline with rods such as the G.Loomis CBR783 and Megabass Hien Type-S. Several other rods in our Crankbait Rod Wars fall into this same power range so we have the beginnings of our lightweight division with this first review.
Fig. 1 : This RoD Deflection Chart shows the deflection characteristics of our Phenix X-10 versus several similar sticks.
Other Stats: In our "Other Stats" department, we note that the X-10 comes in at a very respectable weight at just over four ounces. The rod's balancing torque of .190 ft lbs seems right in line with two of the other three rods for which we have this statistic and in hand, the X-10
when
compared
to
the
Falcon
CCB-5-174DR
we
are
also
testing
in
the
CB
Rod
Wars
is
definitely
more
forgiving
in
action
but
in
terms
of
balance
the
Falcon
rod
does
seem
easier
to
balance
out
with
a
wider
range
of
reels.
Next Section: Time to see what the X10 does
on the water
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