I have three different rods from Tenkara Times and I like all three of them. I own the Try 390, Try 360 and the NEXT 360. Oleg Stryapunin has designed his rods to be light weight and well balanced at relatively little monetary cost. In all, they are a great value.
Not too long ago, Oleg decided to introduce a shorter version of his Try rod, the Try 330. I recently borrowed Anthony Naples personal Try 330 to test it out (thank you Anthony!). Since I have previously reviewed the Try 360 and 390 I'll not be too verbose in describing the 330. Here is what I found.
The Try 330 comes in the same plastic rod tube and with the same rod sock as my other Tenkara Times rods. These are very adequate for what is needed, without being too much of an over statement.
The Try 330 is the very similar in appearance to its larger siblings, the 360 and 390. Its cork handle is the same in shape and cork quality. The finish of the rod blank is dark non-glare graphite with the lower sections having a purple accent on their tip-ward portion. I have stated in the past that I didn't like the purple accent, but Tenkara Times has toned down the intensity enough that now the accent is quite nice. It is not as visually obtrusive as it was on the first Tenkara Times rods.
The tip plug and butt caps are the same as the other Try rods, so I will not go into detail on these. Also, the collapsed length, 58 cm, is the same.
What is different is the rod weight and length. Without its tip plug the rod weighs 58.9 g. Fully extended, the rod I examined was 308 cm. Its Common Cents System rating is 14 pennies. This gives it a Rod Flex Index of 4.5 -- that puts it just barely below the softer end of the 6:4 range.
I don't know what to say about its length. The Try 330 is not a 330 cm rod. I have stated before, when reviewing other rods, that a variation of +/- 5 cm can be tolerated but over that I think the rod should be relabeled, so that buyers can know exactly what they are purchasing. So with that in mind, I'd relabel the Try 330 as the Try 310. I don't think that the 310 cm length is a problem, rather, I think it makes this rod an even more attractive short-game tenkara rod. But it should be relabeled to more closely reflect the real length of the rod.
The action of this rod is amazing! I really like the longer Try rods but this rod is just plain sweet! It has a very nice full flex bend profile that balances absolutely perfectly in your hand. I don't know how to say it other than this rod seemingly casts itself! So smooth, so effortless! I don't detect any tip oscillation or overshoot. That's not a miracle; after all it's a short rod. But it does portend great design and materials.
I cast the Try 330 with a 10 foot #3 fluorocarbon level line and a Fujino Soft Tenkara 3.3 tapered nylon line, each having 2.5 feet of 6X tippet attached. Both of these lines load this rod perfectly. The lines were laid down with perfect precision and with such a delicate presentation that it instantly brought a smile to my face. This rod is such fun to use!
Conclusion: I really like this rod! I'm not sure what else I could say about the Try 330. If you are in the market for a non-zooming tenkara rod for tight creeks and streams, then I'd recommend you check out this rod. You can buy one from Three Rivers Tenkara or The Tenkara Times. I really want to buy one, but I have to decide what rod to sell first -- I'm getting so many rods!!
Not too long ago, Oleg decided to introduce a shorter version of his Try rod, the Try 330. I recently borrowed Anthony Naples personal Try 330 to test it out (thank you Anthony!). Since I have previously reviewed the Try 360 and 390 I'll not be too verbose in describing the 330. Here is what I found.
The Try 330 comes in the same plastic rod tube and with the same rod sock as my other Tenkara Times rods. These are very adequate for what is needed, without being too much of an over statement.
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| This is the Try 360, but the 330 look the same. |
The Try 330 is the very similar in appearance to its larger siblings, the 360 and 390. Its cork handle is the same in shape and cork quality. The finish of the rod blank is dark non-glare graphite with the lower sections having a purple accent on their tip-ward portion. I have stated in the past that I didn't like the purple accent, but Tenkara Times has toned down the intensity enough that now the accent is quite nice. It is not as visually obtrusive as it was on the first Tenkara Times rods.
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| from Three Rivers Tenkara |
The tip plug and butt caps are the same as the other Try rods, so I will not go into detail on these. Also, the collapsed length, 58 cm, is the same.
What is different is the rod weight and length. Without its tip plug the rod weighs 58.9 g. Fully extended, the rod I examined was 308 cm. Its Common Cents System rating is 14 pennies. This gives it a Rod Flex Index of 4.5 -- that puts it just barely below the softer end of the 6:4 range.
 |
| Rod Flex Index comparison chart (I put it on the 330 line given its advertised name, but it really is a 310 cm rod. The RFI calculation reflects this as well). |
I don't know what to say about its length. The Try 330 is not a 330 cm rod. I have stated before, when reviewing other rods, that a variation of +/- 5 cm can be tolerated but over that I think the rod should be relabeled, so that buyers can know exactly what they are purchasing. So with that in mind, I'd relabel the Try 330 as the Try 310. I don't think that the 310 cm length is a problem, rather, I think it makes this rod an even more attractive short-game tenkara rod. But it should be relabeled to more closely reflect the real length of the rod.
The action of this rod is amazing! I really like the longer Try rods but this rod is just plain sweet! It has a very nice full flex bend profile that balances absolutely perfectly in your hand. I don't know how to say it other than this rod seemingly casts itself! So smooth, so effortless! I don't detect any tip oscillation or overshoot. That's not a miracle; after all it's a short rod. But it does portend great design and materials.
I cast the Try 330 with a 10 foot #3 fluorocarbon level line and a Fujino Soft Tenkara 3.3 tapered nylon line, each having 2.5 feet of 6X tippet attached. Both of these lines load this rod perfectly. The lines were laid down with perfect precision and with such a delicate presentation that it instantly brought a smile to my face. This rod is such fun to use!
Conclusion: I really like this rod! I'm not sure what else I could say about the Try 330. If you are in the market for a non-zooming tenkara rod for tight creeks and streams, then I'd recommend you check out this rod. You can buy one from Three Rivers Tenkara or The Tenkara Times. I really want to buy one, but I have to decide what rod to sell first -- I'm getting so many rods!!
Tom, mine is exactly 308 cm long and i bought it knowing that since Anthony has warned me of that rod characteristic.
ReplyDeleteTo me there is no point buying rods with just 30 cm (1ft) diference in lenght between each other.
But 50 cm makes it more noticeable in lenght and function.
Good point!
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