Designo leben and vantage

[Polkfish1]

Designo Leben Slang, model: Hood. 7'3"; suggested lure weight range 1/4-2.5 oz. Of the leben slang family, I think this model has the lowest weight range (I think). So, it's not intended for the compact car-sized baits.

I've been getting to know this leben slang hood the most, which came in last of my Designo exploration group. It is noticeably well balanced and after holding it, the balance was so inspiring that I gravitated to it first. It's one of those rods that just floats on the air. It has a long handle so it can be tucked under the arm for leverage and it's spiral wrapped to the left. The rod is a slingshot throughout it's weight range with a wide sweet spot somewhere between 0.8-1.5 oz. The rod has an awesomely sensitive tip and it is every bit as sensitive as a conquest 904 or EG grand cobra, which are two rods I've fished it with. The taper starts out kind of regular but then morphs into fast, but you need some weight on to reach that stage and so far I've only hooked into one large enough to really get into backbone. Backbone it has plenty and I suspect it would make a fine punch rod, but I will not subject it to that type of punishment. No luck on it yet with a swimbait, but this rod also makes an awesome jig rod, which has allowed me to catch some fish with it. It's a versatile rod. I can meet or exceed my casting limits with it and I can just imagine how I would own the surf with it during my annual summer beach fishing trip with the family.

[Aquaftm45]

Designo Leben Slang, model: Hood. 7'3"; suggested lure weight range 1/4-2.5 oz. Of the leben slang family, I think this model has the lowest weight range (I think). So, it's not intended for the compact car-sized baits.

I've been getting to know this leben slang hood the most, which came in last of my Designo exploration group. It is noticeably well balanced and after holding it, the balance was so inspiring that I gravitated to it first. It's one of those rods that just floats on the air. It has a long handle so it can be tucked under the arm for leverage and it's spiral wrapped to the left. The rod is a slingshot throughout it's weight range with a wide sweet spot somewhere between 0.8-1.5 oz. The rod has an awesomely sensitive tip and it is every bit as sensitive as a conquest 904 or EG grand cobra, which are two rods I've fished it with. The taper starts out kind of regular but then morphs into fast, but you need some weight on to reach that stage and so far I've only hooked into one large enough to really get into backbone. Backbone it has plenty and I suspect it would make a fine punch rod, but I will not subject it to that type of punishment. No luck on it yet with a swimbait, but this rod also makes an awesome jig rod, which has allowed me to catch some fish with it. It's a versatile rod. I can meet or exceed my casting limits with it and I can just imagine how I would own the surf with it during my annual summer beach fishing trip with the family.

Thanks for getting this thread back on track Polk! Been waiting on some insight into the Slang. Sounds like an amazing rod. Hmm...A Designo for surf fishing huh? Never saw that coming. I'll have my very own special Leban here shortly to wax poetic about.

[RISE]

Congrats! Beautiful additions, Polkfish. I know you paid a pretty penny for the Vantage. The level 6 blanks (DG6, DV6, etc.) are very, very nice indeed. Just wait until you try level 7..... Despite a horrific event, recently... I have a few more coming myself. They are addicting.

[RISE]

I got the Leben Torque Tune DLT-C71H + R2 and the DL-C71MH + RST2S rods. Will have to post pictures later. Yes by far the most comfortable gripping rods ive ever held. And with a TDZ it feels like it was all perfectly fitted to my hands! They are understated as you said but the attention to detail is unmatched, in hand they look spectacular. And you will soon find they fish even better than they look! The sensitivity, way they load to cast, load under a fish, everything about them fishing amazingly well. The heavy rod is really nuts, its perfectly balanced and feels light and nimble in hand like a high end medium powered rod but can handle up to 2 or 3 oz without breaking a sweat. I am probably not the best to evaluate as I haven't fished other true top end rods like Steez Racing Designs, Ultimas, Luxxe, or very many Evergreen Kaleidos. But across the board they seem to be clear grade above my lineup of mostly Megabass Destroyers from various lines.

Does anyone know about the Leben Slang line of rods? Some of the longer rods in that series are tempting to me if they are similar to the Torque Tune rods.

I’ll have something to report in the future. I didn’t quite stop with these two. I have the slang “Hood” arriving next week.

Well played Polk. Still on the hunt for an A+ Designo Racing DLR-C611ML/MHRST2S Tuned by KAMIYA or the Black Bespoke Edition, (which sold out all 16 models in less than a week!)
Anyone know how the Leggera stacks up on the Designo ladder?

I have a Leggera....DL7- C611HRS4 Performance...that is now a two piece. Since breaking the rod, I‘ve spoken with Yuki Kamiya via a “middle man/friend” that speaks fluent Japanese, about the the rod. According to Yuki...It wasn’t built to be a durable stick. In his words...“it’s built like a F1 car”, hence “racing design”....So, from what he’s said...not a rod built with durability in mind...
Long story short, brand new rod...fished it a couple of times, absolutely loved it. I caught several fish on it. Nothing over 4 lbs. Last fish I caught (3.5lbs), I set the hook, no weird noises, but something felt “off” with the power as I was actually having a hard time getting that fish up. I finally landed the fish, released it, checked my line, and went to make another cast. That’s when the rod snapped all the way down at the handle, where the blank meets the reels seat/fore nut. 900.00+ rod....gone just like that. Yes it could’ve been a flaw in the blank, but still a strange place for a rod to snap. I am currently working on getting it replaced, as Yuki has offered to do so...We shall see what transpires.

Note: This happened a couple of weeks ago, after I had already purchased 3 more Designos. (2) 10th Anniversary, Level 7 blank builds. A DLR-C67MLRST-3S Ltd. and the DLT-C611H + R4S Ltd. along with the all cork version of the DLT- C74H ＋ R2S-B (DG6). These would’ve brought the count to 7 Designos, including two other Torque Tunes and The Vantage 71 Semi Order, had the Leggera not failed.

[domthewon]

I have a Leggera....DL7- C611HRS4 Performance...that is now a two piece. Since breaking the rod, I‘ve spoken with Yuki Kamiya about the design of the rod. According to him...It wasn’t built to be durable. In his words...it’s built like a F1 car. Light, accurate, hence “racing design”....So, from what he’s said...not a rod built with durability in mind...
Long story short, brand new rod...fished it a couple of times, absolutely loved it. I caught several fish on it. Nothing over 4 lbs. Last fish I caught (3.5lbs) I set the hook, and something felt “wrong” with the power as I was having a hard time getting that fish up. I finally landed the fish, released it, checked my line, and made another cast. That’s when the rod snapped all the way at the handle, just above the fore but. 900.00+ rod....gone. I am currently working on getting it replaced, as Yuki has offered to do so, but it’s been an uphill battle to say the least, and some of the conversation has made little sense in that he’s stated it wasn’t designed to handle the “stronger fish of the United States”?....I can say I haven’t heard that before, but it just might be something that’s been lost in translation.
I may just have to write it off as a loss depending on what transpires. We shall see. Note: This happened a couple of weeks ago after I had already bought 3 more Designos...

Wow! That just sucks! I hope there is just a loss in translation. I understand the concept of the Leggera’s, but where it snapped is crazy, and disappointing especially at that price point. Its cool you were able to get a hold of Yuki. I’m a big fan of his rods also, and I hope he is able to make it right for you. There are some giant bass in Japan also so that isn’t a reasonable excuse.. I got outbidden on one those same models a while back by a few hundred dollars which disappointed me, but also impressed me. It really made me want one even more, but after your story I think I will hold off on my hunt for one for a while. Good luck.

[RISE]

I have a Leggera....DL7- C611HRS4 Performance...that is now a two piece. Since breaking the rod, I‘ve spoken with Yuki Kamiya about the design of the rod. According to him...It wasn’t built to be durable. In his words...it’s built like a F1 car. Light, accurate, hence “racing design”....So, from what he’s said...not a rod built with durability in mind...
Long story short, brand new rod...fished it a couple of times, absolutely loved it. I caught several fish on it. Nothing over 4 lbs. Last fish I caught (3.5lbs) I set the hook, and something felt “wrong” with the power as I was having a hard time getting that fish up. I finally landed the fish, released it, checked my line, and made another cast. That’s when the rod snapped all the way at the handle, just above the fore but. 900.00+ rod....gone. I am currently working on getting it replaced, as Yuki has offered to do so, but it’s been an uphill battle to say the least, and some of the conversation has made little sense in that he’s stated it wasn’t designed to handle the “stronger fish of the United States”?....I can say I haven’t heard that before, but it just might be something that’s been lost in translation.
I may just have to write it off as a loss depending on what transpires. We shall see. Note: This happened a couple of weeks ago after I had already bought 3 more Designos...

Wow! That just sucks! I hope there is just a loss in translation. I understand the concept of the Leggera’s, but where it snapped is crazy, and disappointing especially at that price point. Its cool you were able to get a hold of Yuki. I’m a big fan of his rods also, and I hope he is able to make it right for you. There are some giant bass in Japan also so that isn’t a reasonable excuse.. I got outbidden on one those same models a while back by a few hundred dollars which disappointed me, but also impressed me. It really made me want one even more, but after your story I think I will hold off on my hunt for one for a while. Good luck.

Definitely discouraging and the statement about the power of the fish here in the states left me scratching my head. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.

[Polkfish1]

This one came today while fishing my Vantage DV6-C611HRS3. Only the second time out with it; expecting 1-2 pounders on shore this time of year. The rain brought the big girls out. Super delicate bite on a berkely general. This fish grew 3X after hookset as I thought it was a dink for the initial 10-15 sec. The rod handled it beautifully and I even swung the fish up onto the dock during a super low water time of the year out of excitement. Too bad I didn't check back to this thread before I did that. In any case, the rod handled it and remains good as new...for now. I'll be a bit more careful. And yes...I'm wearing a 13 fishing cap while messing around with an obscure (around my parts) Japanese rod.

[domthewon]

This one came today while fishing my Vantage DV6-C611HRS3. Only the second time out with it; expecting 1-2 pounders on shore this time of year. The rain brought the big girls out. Super delicate bite on a berkely general. This fish grew 3X after hookset as I thought it was a dink for the initial 10-15 sec. The rod handled it beautifully and I even swung the fish up onto the dock during a super low water time of the year out of excitement. Too bad I didn't check back to this thread before I did that. In any case, the rod handled it and remains good as new...for now. I'll be a bit more careful. And yes...I'm wearing a 13 fishing cap while messing around with an obscure (around my parts) Japanese rod.

Thats the best... getting a good fish on a new rod. Especially when you think it's a dink. Glad to see you breaking in the new rods. I love the grey eva on the Slang. I really wanted one with that handle for a while, but kept coming across the cork versions when I was in the market. The Vantage sounds great also. I can't wait for them to update their website so we can finally figure out the true hierarchy of the Designo rods.

[Aquaftm45]

I'm now in the drivers seat of an F1, but it only turns left...

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[Aquaftm45]

I've been looking for one of these ML/MH limited release Designo's for going on a year, didn't think I would ever find the spiral version. Big thanks to Dom, and Polk.

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[Polkfish1]

I've been looking for one of these ML/MH limited release Designo's for going on a year, didn't think I would ever find the spiral version. Big thanks to Dom, and Polk.
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Dayum. That’s a hot combo.

[Aquaftm45]

In alot of ways, these rods are just on another level. In case you were wondering, it's a one piece..for now anyway...haha

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[Aquaftm45]

So back to the left turn. I know very little about spiral rods, I thought spiral rods ended with the tip pointing down. This one ends with the tip at 90 degrees to the left. Not sure what the theory is behind that or if it is common in the spiral world. I did spend a half hour at the pond casting around with a variety of lures. Backhand, side arm, skipping, and and pitching, all felt amazing. Overhead seemed a little funky, but I rarely cast overhead unless I am swinging for the fences. I was able to catch a couple 2 pounders, one on a mini chatter, one on a jika do live beaver. I felt like Michael Schumacher...
Someone give me your thoughts on the 90 degree spiral.

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[poot04]

I've been looking for one of these ML/MH limited release Designo's for going on a year, didn't think I would ever find the spiral version. Big thanks to Dom, and Polk.
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Just by looking at the engine, it looks like it turns right!

[poot04]

Haha. Didn’t realize it was spiral wrapped left. Makes sense. Now I feel stupid