A great rod made greater?

I purchased an original Oni rod back before they became commercially available. I wrote about that rod here. I really like my Oni rod and have fished it on several occasions. But just recently I purchased another. The main reason for this is I had heard from Chris Stewart that the new Oni rods are not the same as the original and that he liked the newer version better. I just had to see for myself.

Both rods are the Type I version, although my original wasn't called a Type I when I bought it. The designations of Type I, II, and III came along after these rods became commercially available.

They look quite similar, but there are some distinct differences. First, although the handles are the same length the foam is of a different type, having a more course surface texture on the newer version. Second, the shape of the newer handle is more camel shaped whereas the original rod was almost cylindrical. Third, the butt caps are different. My original has a larger plastic cap while the newer rod has a smaller metal one.

Original Oni rod, left. 

Original Oni rod, left.

Original Oni rod handle texture

New Oni rod handle texture

There are also some changes to the rod designation panel. On my original Oni there is only Masami Sakakibara's hanko that defines the rod, while on the newer rod there is not only the hanko (smaller and darker) but also some lettering.

Original Oni rod, left.

The weave pattern of the handle segment has some slight changes as well, but the rest of the segments are exactly the same and interchangeable between the two rods. This gives the two rods the exact same action. The winding checks are similar, but the new rod has a purple one which is slightly more convex in shape.

The largest difference is that the newer Oni Type I rod is much lighter than the original. The Original weighed 101 g, while the new one weighs 86 g (without tip plugs). The rotational moment is similar for both but slightly better for the new Oni rod. The original is 5.15 and the new is 4.96. Remember, these numbers are for a 4 meter rod. Both are fantastic!

Original Oni rod weight, without tip plug

New Oni rod weight, without tip plug

In my book I'd say that the new Oni rod, Type I is improved over the original. With it's lower weight and even better rotational moment, as well as keeping its original soft action, it really is a wonderful 4 meter tenkara rod.