6 May 2014

Review - Maver Grim Reaper SX (13m pole) £299

I've had my old Shimano Technium XT 12.5m pole for around 8 years and whilst it was in good condition, It was heavy and started getting a bit of a handful at 11m Plus.
I decided the time was right for an upgrade but as unsual financial constraints and limited fishing opportunities meant I couldnt justify a large amount.
I wanted a 13m pole but not an out and out 'carp cruncher' as I still enjoy fishing for silvers. So weight and stiffness would also be a factor.
I'd considered offerings from Daiwa, Preston, Garbolino and MAP. But the MAP 101 seemed favourite from everything I'd read on the 'net.
I went to my local tackle shop Fishing Republic in Sunderland and was pointed in the direction of the Maver Grim Reaper, a pole I hadnt even considered due to its 'lump hauling' reputation.
However on comparing the full length pole to some of the others on my list and even some more expensive poles (such as the Browning Z All Round and the MAP 201), I kept coming back to the Reaper. I even looked at the 14.5m Maver Retribution which was a lot more than my defined price range and even with the butt section off it just didnt feel as "right" as the Reaper.
So the decision was made and the Reaper was bought. I also liked the 3 supplied easy-glide side puller power tops which came along with a match top 3 and cupping kit. I decided to also buy an extra match kit at the same time to bring the pole up to 5 kits.
Chris and Tony in the tackle shop offered to elasticate the pole for me, something im very capable of doing but they did a very professional job and although the tops are pre-bushed, this saved me quite some effort as I just chose the elastic I wanted and they did the rest. FOC. They also recommended dacron connectors which are so much tidier and less tangle-prone than the stonfos I`ve always used in the past.

Power Kits with side pullers

Since then I've used the pole on 2 trips.  First at The Angel Of The North Lakes where an unseasonly cold,  foggy day turned the carp off but I had some nice silvers up to 2lb at 11m and closer. The 2nd trip was to the Oaks and this gave the pole a much better workout, hitting F1 bites, silvers and carp to just under 7lbs from the margins.
The pole did everything id asked of it and feels strong but responsive and well-balanced. The cupping kit is very stiff and overall I couldnt be happier with the whole package.
Obviously there are much better poles out there, but for £300 I think you'd struggle to find anything to compete.The spares aren't the cheapest around, but nor are they the most expensive either and fishing at full length all day would be a bit of a chore but which pole Isn't without a section off ? if you need to fish at 13m a lot then try a bump/spray bar and 2 well set up pole rollers.

If you're looking for a good budget pole  for catching a bit of everything on commercials i dont think you'd be disappointed with this one.


Update... 9th May 2014

After reading a post on Maggotdrowning re: actual pole length, i measured the pole with the supplied power tops fitted. Without the mini extension the Reaper measured 11.6m and 12.4 with the extension fitted. How this compares to other manufacturers I dont know. However comparing the pole with the extension fitted in the shop against some of the other poles without extensions may have been totally different. I still like the pole, just feel a bit mislead.


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