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It's Another Landing Net Handle.....

Bob Gill

Bob Gill

Administrator
Staff member
For anyone wanting a robust, carbon and by appearances a well designed landing net handle that extends from 5' to 10' and has a collar lock (knurled metal) have a look at the new Gardner Specialist. Early days but at last appears like a decent bit of kit - especially for difficult banks - claimed to weigh about 440g (mine was 500g) and 25mm in diameter. Around £35.
Only time will tell regarding the long term aspects but well worth a look.

Cheers
Bob
 
Hi men ,

Might be better than my Gardner spoon net , which lasted for 2 shortish sessions before the screw fell out of the spreader block :mad::mad::mad:. The arm was popping out all day , Im an engineer , so will repair/ improve it at work , feild testing on the bank again !!!!.

Hatter
 
Mark Anderson said:
Hi men ,

Might be better than my Gardner spoon net , which lasted for 2 shortish sessions before the screw fell out of the spreader block :mad::mad::mad:. The arm was popping out all day , Im an engineer , so will repair/ improve it at work , feild testing on the bank again !!!!.

Hatter
Click to expand...
Same thing happened to mine Mark, I superglued a screw in & it's been fine since.I'm no engineer but a builder & the usual lump hammer didn't seem to work;) The nets been fine besides that..
 
do you think it will be better than the drennan super specialist? looks similar, i had the drennan one, did the job but the locking mechanism kept jamming and it eventually broke at the joint bringing in a pike. had it for a few years though.
 
I have had one of these poles for about 6 months now.

The collar lock is a bit 'iffy', and I notice that the inside pole is able to do a 360 even when locked down real tight. Only slightly annoying and I just put up with it.

6 out of 10 from me.
 
So, what do you guys reckon to be the sturdiest extendable landing net pole out their. my experiences of the drennan is far from perfect.
 
I mentioned this on here about 6 months ago when I saw them in the tackle shop as they look good but they got absolutely slated by many on here as not good.
Has anyone been using one for long to give some more feedback.
 
Conoflex yes - strong, heavy(ish), less than brilliant locking mechanism.
Collecting dust in the garage.

Now use a Drennan SS which to date I have had no problems with.

regards
Richard
 
If you are going for the Conoflex then go for the HD version. Glass fibre, robust and on the heavy side. As Richard says the locking mechanism can be iffy. Despite all this, it's still my favourite and longest surviving handle of around 8 years plus, but I've modded mine.
I've tried several other makes and they have all had their problems - either snapping or jamming.
Only time will tell on the Gardner as I intend to use it quite a bit. Initial impressions are good, but the only test is to use it in anger, exposed to silt, grit and all those other things that can effectively mess smooth operation up.
Cheers
Bob
 
I've got the drennan super spec, in second season and lock mechanism sticks, needs regular cleaning to free up. It has good length/strength but not worth the price.
 
I originally liked the look of the Gardner one until I had a play with it in the shop. When fully locked I was able to extend it, it might have been a dodgy one but not too good a show for me to consider it.
If you can live with an 8ft handle then this is worth a go I have the old 10ft version which is now discontinued awesome.
 
Like Clive says, simply the most robust handle you will ever use !
Not perfect, prone to jamming and needs a bit of TLC to get the maximum use-ability out of it, but once sorted :- Bulletproof !
Article on mods here :-https://barbel.co.uk/articlefr.htm
 
Powerstretch for me too, even though it's heavy (especially with a 30" net on!) and needs frequent cleaning. Just wish I'd got a 10' one when they were available!
 
Sounds like none of them are perfect, so just ordered another drennan ss. not perfect like i said, but it did last me a few years and i am on the abusive side to my kit. last one was second hand when i got it so hopefully this one will be slightly better.
 
Another vote for the Powerstretch in 10'. Drennan Super Specialist is good too, but I feel more confident in strength of Powerstretch when it comes to the crunch.
 
I find my Powerstretch just too heavy. In a difficult swim with a bit of floodwater on, with the weight of a decent sized net, it becomes unwieldy and difficult to control. It's also heavy to cart around when roving and the handle's too wide to carry with bank sticks and rods in the same hand. Plus I find it's always hard work extending it ... especially one-handed with a fish on, in the dark!

I've now bought a Drennan Super Specialist and I'm loving it so far (not jammed yet). Lightweight, thin handle, easy to extend, great for roving. Big smile. Each to his own though.
 
I to prefer the drennan ss. I had the locking mechanism stick but like all landing net handles you have to keep them clean or clean them after and wash the grit away trouble free.

The one I have now is on a having a new least of life !

The plastic locking nut inside had worn on the out-side so I could not fully lock it or undo it as it had worn beyond its outer limit to grip the inside of the handle if you get my drift.. This was solved by cutting a small length of float rubber to just go over the metal point, not the thread which opens the locking nut to grip. By doing this it gives that bit more expansion to grip the inside again.
 
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