[dropcap]F[/dropcap]ollowing G. Loomis’ lead, Rajeff Sports has recently joined the party of one piece rods. Lightweight and powerful, one piece rods offer a pure and crisp uninterrupted flex through the casting stroke. We recently had a chance to check out Tim Rajeff’s 9-weight Echo Prime rod which like the Loomis rods measures in at 8-feet, 10-inches long. It is a fast action rod designed for accurate and powerful casts. The Prime rods (available in line weights 8-12) are priced at $450. Loomis’ comparable rods (CrossCurrent Pro-1) range in price from $450-$505.
The 9 weight, 8-foot, 10-inch Echo Prime we tested had a tight and crisp fast action. Tim’s Echo 3 (9-weight) is perhaps a tad bit slower than the Prime. The control element of the new one piece is remarkable and was immediately noticeable. Also instantly noticed was the lightness of the Prime rods in the hand (20% lighter than comparable 4 piece rod).
The day we pitched was moderately windy for Florida – 15MPH, and we tied on, purposely, heavy flies. We had no trouble delivering in a wind coming from multiple directions. This is a fun rod to cast. The flex of the blank feels distinctly GLXian and it is hard to imagine that comes by chance. It is well known that Tim’s brother, Steve, is the chief rod designer over at G. Loomis and the classicGLX has long been touted as one of the purest flexing fast action rods by its legions of loyal fans.
Finish on the Prime is of the highest quality. The rods look great and are just a slightly different shade from the Echo 3 rods.
One piece rods are less likely to break than 4 piece rods as most of those break at or near the ferrule. In the case that the rods does meet it demise in a car window or on a high-sticked fish, the warranty replacememnt cost for the Echo Prime one-piece (a broken rod requires replacement of the entire rod, not just a section of a rod) is $150, which seems fair enough.
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Email: info@rajeffsports.com
Phone: (360) 694-2900
Fax us like a boss: (360) 694-1950
Address:
Rajeff Sports LLC:
7500 NE 16th Ave., Suite 1C,
Vancouver, WA 98665
Website: Rajeff Sports
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