After seeing a few posts and posting myself about the feeling that Greys rods are relatively soft for their rating, I thought I'd get some 12' 1.75lb rods together side by side. I've got a Prodigy, Fox Kevlex and Korum Neoteric Twin Tip out of hibernation to do a can of pop in a poly bag test. All are fitted with the same type of reel with the same (mono) line.
The Greys is undoubtedly the softest and bounciest rod of the three. It's the only one whose action bends noticeably into the butt section. It seems to just keep on bending but gets progressively firmer as it does so. Very much what I'd consider a through action.
The Fox comes next, definitely firmer than the Prodigy and far less give into the butt section, though there is some.
Finally, stiffest of the lot is the Korum. Little evidence of bend into the butt yet doesn't feel bad for that. Perhaps the reason for the butt seeming to be the stiffest of the three is because its alternative tip is heavier. The tips for the other two rods are all the same rating or lighter.
It may be worth noting that the Greys has the shortest handle of the three, the Korum the longest. However, the reel sits slightly further forward on the Fox.
This has reinforced my initial thoughts that the Greys are relatively soft for their rating. That through action might also explain why I'm less comfortable chucking big lumps of lead on bigger (or flooded) rivers. Some folks used to other rods will likely think that they are sloppy. It also explains why I often use 1.75 where others think you only need 1.5 or 2.0 when everyone else thinks 1.75 will do. I like the Greys, that through action makes it fun to play fish on. However, I generally use them on small/medium rivers in summer conditions where I'd expect to encounter fish averaging around the seven to eight pound mark. In flood conditions I'd be more inclined to take the Korum, probably fitted with its heavy tip, to the same venues. As yet I'm not sure what I'll be doing with the Kevlex. It was bought because it was there, it looked pretty and was a reasonable price.
Quite looking forward to giving it a bash though.
P.S. While I'm being sad as hell on a Saturday night, and noticing the odd post mentioning weight, I thought I may as well get the kitchen scales out. The Fox was the lightest at 230g (about 8oz), closely followed by the Greys at 235g (8 1/2oz). The heavyweight of the three was the Korum at 260g (9 1/4oz).
