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Posts: 306
| Since I bugged this forum for help in selecting a new muskie rod to replace my Shimano Compre 8' rod, and I ended up ordering a TI 9' MH Split-Grip Telescoping, I thought I'd give back my results of a side-by-side comparison with the old and new Shimano Compre rods during my annual week trip to Canada.
Bottom line, TI rod wins... hands down. Read further if you want to know my detailed thoughts.
TI 9' MH rod:
Excellent balance and light.
Love the 18" handle for casts and figure 8s (was a little nervous about this at first). I cast right handed, and have both left and right reels, so I may switch hands after casts and before figure 8s. Did this with ease, even with the longer handle.
Hooked and handled 3 fish between 39" and 45" on figure 8s last week without a hitch.
Bigger corks didn't really make a difference for me, but didn't hurt anything.
No issues with the telescoping attachment. Easily pulls out and stayed put through a whole week of heavy use (retracting it each night).
Older Shimano Compre 8' H rod
Not a bad rod, but still feels a bit tip-heavy compared to TI rod - even though it's shorter.
TI rod casts a bit farther and more accurate.
TI rod produced little/no fatigue when casting all day long.
Compre rod wore me out a bit last year, and it felt a bit heavier when I pulled it back for a cast.
Newer Shimano Compre 8'6" XH rod
I handled one of these in Cabelas in Minn on the way to Eagle Lake.
Tip felt WAY to heavy compared to the TI rod
I couldn't separate the 2 pieces without fear of breaking them, even though the store had it together with the guides down. lol
Newer Shimano Compre 7'6" XH rod
I bought and used one of these for jerks. First one, the reel seat wouldn't tighten down. Second one developed a creaking sound near the reel after a day or two
The exposed blank is nice for someone like me that palms a reel for jerkbaits.
Felt decent, but I'm concerned about the build quality. And, I did start to miss the extra 4 inches in the TI handle when doing figure 8s!
So, thanks to all that helped easy my fear of blindly ordering a new musky rod online (since I can't get too many of them in Missouri). And thanks James (I'm sure you'll stumble on this thread) for making an excellent product at a reasonable price. Many have already praised the rods, but one more can't hurt! Odds are good that I'll have an XH before my next trip! | |
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Posts: 4053
Location: Land of the Musky | Thanks for the nice plug! More than that, good to hear you had a great trip. Lets see some pictures if you have any. LOL you had to about drove by my house on the way up and back. Stop by next time. Always happy to have visitors if I am around the house. Thanks again,
James
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Posts: 339
Location: Denmark | Just tried the 2pc XXH TI rod the other day, that we can now buy (Franglais Fishing) in Europe. A real cannon, catapulting a pounder far beyond normality. Great rod!, and well done. | |
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Posts: 4053
Location: Land of the Musky | Thanks Killerbug! Nice to finally have a rod I can get to Franglais without breaking the shipping bank  Nice compact rod for 4.5' travel and storage but you still get the 9' and only about 0.5oz more in weight with the spigot joint design.
James
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Posts: 114
Location: Kingston, Ontario | Can 2nd the comparison of Compre vs TI...have the TI 1 piece in MH, XH and XXH all 8'6" and they are hands down winners vs Compre 8' MH. Much more sensitive and light. | |
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TI vs Shimano Compre rods. The winner is...