New Levante vs

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rollyourboat
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New Levante vs

Post by rollyourboat » Wed Apr 17, 2019 9:50 pm

I know that they are technique specific but how do the new levante stack up against the zodias, avid, tatula, and other rods in that price range? More specifically sensitivity? I've heard good things about them but nothing more than they are better than the previous model nothing that compares to other rods. Thanks in advance!

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bronzefly
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Re: New Levante vs

Post by bronzefly » Thu Apr 18, 2019 3:52 am

I was not a fan of the first generation Levante rods but I am a fan of the current generation Levante rods. The improvement is significant! In my experience, the 2019 Levante rods are easily in the upper echelon of sensitivity at that $200 price point. In my hands, they are clearly more sensitive than Zodias or E6X rods, and compare favorably to some of the well under $200 Tatula rods. The feedback we've gotten from customers has been extremely positive in terms of the overall performance and sensitivity. Quite a few guys have already ordered additional rods!
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Cristo
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Re: New Levante vs

Post by Cristo » Fri Apr 19, 2019 2:28 pm

Such tantalizing feedback Mr. GW 8-)

M Perry
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Re: New Levante vs

Post by M Perry » Sun Apr 21, 2019 2:25 pm

As a MB guy I have access to most any of the MB rods I want...right now in my boat there are 10-12 new gen Levantes. Just have enjoyed using them so much lately that I have not put any other lineups in my boat. The Perfect Pitch and Diablo are money.

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Re: New Levante vs

Post by hokiehi » Thu May 02, 2019 12:53 pm

I have the Braillist coming in tomorrow so I'll be able to compare it to a Dobyns Sierra 733. Does anyone have a list of how much rods in the new Levante series weigh?

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Re: New Levante vs

Post by hokiehi » Fri May 03, 2019 1:19 pm

Based on my super scientific balancing system of a chair crossbeam, the SA733 balances about 3.5" closer to the reel seat than the Braillist.
The SA733's balance point with a MetMGL is almost immediately in front of the end of the reel (about 0.5") whereas the balance point for the Braillist is about 1.75" in front of the end of the reel. I think a heavier reel would serve to balance out the combo better, because the Braillist is noticeably tip heavy in my hands. I already have a set of brass gears to drop into the Met once the aluminum gear goes out, but that won't be for a while.
I'm getting a weight of 0.26 lb or 4.15 oz for both rods, but I don't have the most accurate scale in the world.

If someone could tell me how to upload images directly from my laptop, I will include pictures. I'm getting error messages saying my files are too large to attach even though I've made them as small as possible.

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Re: New Levante vs

Post by poisonokie » Fri May 03, 2019 3:29 pm

hokiehi wrote:
Fri May 03, 2019 1:19 pm
Based on my super scientific balancing system of a chair crossbeam, the SA733 balances about 3.5" closer to the reel seat than the Braillist.
The SA733's balance point with a MetMGL is almost immediately in front of the end of the reel (about 0.5") whereas the balance point for the Braillist is about 1.75" in front of the end of the reel. I think a heavier reel would serve to balance out the combo better, because the Braillist is noticeably tip heavy in my hands. I already have a set of brass gears to drop into the Met once the aluminum gear goes out, but that won't be for a while.
I'm getting a weight of 0.26 lb or 4.15 oz for both rods, but I don't have the most accurate scale in the world.

If someone could tell me how to upload images directly from my laptop, I will include pictures. I'm getting error messages saying my files are too large to attach even though I've made them as small as possible.
Try using postimages.org It's still working for me to post pictures in forums, but for some reason I can't get it to work for my avatar like it used to before they updated the site.

As far as using a reel to balance a rod, it usually doesn't have much effect. The more tip heavy a rod is, the more effect it will have, but if it's tip heavy to begin with it's pretty much going to stay that way.
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Re: New Levante vs

Post by hokiehi » Fri May 03, 2019 4:42 pm

Image
Here's the balance comparison between the two rods.

Image
Balancing the SA733 with a Met.

Image
Balancing the Braillist with the same Met.

Update: I took the Braillist/Met combo out to a pond by my house to test the sensitivity and it seemed to be about the same as the SA733, though the pond bottom was a toss-up between grass and muck so I can't be the too sure. On the water, the tip-heaviness of the combo wasn't as pronounced as it was when I was at home, but definitely still noticeable. The set up simply launched a 3/16 oz t-rigged vilebug and I can only imagine how well it will cast baits that properly load it up. Conditions were in favor of moving baits so while I got a few casts in with the Levante, I switched to the other combo I brought just so I could catch a bass. I broke off the one bite I had on the t-rig, but it was because the knot failed the second I put pressure on the line.

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Re: New Levante vs

Post by poisonokie » Sat May 04, 2019 7:55 pm

If you want your pictures to be bigger/higher res, copy the "hotlink for forums" link.

That Braillist appears hopeless as far as balance goes and that's a shame.
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hokiehi
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Re: New Levante vs

Post by hokiehi » Sat May 04, 2019 11:13 pm

Rod balancing kits do exist, so i could make the butt of the rod just a little bit fatter in exchange for better balance.

poisonokie
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Re: New Levante vs

Post by poisonokie » Sun May 05, 2019 6:59 am

Too bad they don't incorporate something like this in bass rods...

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 3639537261
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LowRange
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Re: New Levante vs

Post by LowRange » Sun May 05, 2019 12:30 pm

poisonokie wrote:
Sun May 05, 2019 6:59 am
Too bad they don't incorporate something like this in bass rods...

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 3639537261

I had a BPS rod that had something like that. It was some sort of Rick Clunn crankbait stick. The buttcap screwed into the butt of the rod and came with different brass rings you could insert over the threads when screwing in the butt cap to balance out the rod. If I remember correctly it would balance out the rod but you could feel the weight at the end of the rod fighting you when twitching the rod.

I wrote it off as a gimmick and decided to buy rods that are balanced out where I want then from the factory. It's only on rod where I twitch the tip slot do I get worked up about it. My frog rod is an old Orochi XX Perfect Pitch that is significantly heavier than my Hyuga 72H but better balanced and easier to walk the frog with all day. The PP has a lot of weight in the handle grip area but it appears to be well distributed throughout the full cork handle. It doesn't feel like the mass is all bunched up at the end it something.
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poisonokie
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Re: New Levante vs

Post by poisonokie » Sun May 05, 2019 12:39 pm

LowRange wrote:
Sun May 05, 2019 12:30 pm
poisonokie wrote:
Sun May 05, 2019 6:59 am
Too bad they don't incorporate something like this in bass rods...

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 3639537261

I had a BPS rod that had something like that. It was some sort of Rick Clunn crankbait stick. The buttcap screwed into the butt of the rod and came with different brass rings you could insert over the threads when screwing in the butt cap to balance out the rod. If I remember correctly it would balance out the rod but you could feel the weight at the end of the rod fighting you when twitching the rod.

I wrote it off as a gimmick and decided to buy rods that are balanced out where I want then from the factory. It only on rod where Ibtwitch the tip slot do I get worked up about it. My frog rod is an old Orochi XX Perfect Pitch that is significantly heavier than my Hyuga 72H but better balanced and easier to walk the frog with all day. The PP has a lot of weight in the handle grip area but it appears to be well distributed throughout the full cork handle. It doesn't feel like the mass is all bunched up at the end it something.
That's partly why I'm all about these MS-X's. They're all perfectly balanced, but not at the expense of weight. They're all light to very light compared to other rods. I'm waiting on the 7' frog rod to arrive. I'm thinking it may have the best chance out of all of them of being tip heavy, but I'm not expecting it will be.
This is the way.

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