Lew's Custom Lite (HM85) vs ALX IKOS

[waymont]

3 hours ago, BigBass'n_Harrison said:

Yeah I’m just not a big fan of micro guides... if the Daiwa Kage rods had a model under 7’ that was a MH/F I would get that for sure. Really like those rods. 

The Daiwa Tatula rods don't have micro guides.  They have Fuji FazLite Tangle-Free K-guides.

[LionHeart]

22 minutes ago, waymont said:

The Daiwa Tatula rods don't have micro guides.  They have Fuji FazLite Tangle-Free K-guides.

The new version certainly does.  The inner ring diameter is about 3.5 millimeters.  Safe to call micro at that point

[waymont]

51 minutes ago, LionHeart said:

The new version certainly does.  The inner ring diameter is about 3.5 millimeters.  Safe to call micro at that point

Those tangle free guides small sizes on my tatula start at 4.5mm ring diameter. there seem to be lots in-between size guides too, these seem to fit in that size for me.  I don't know what the cut off point is for micro guide sizing but I think of micro guides as these:

[LionHeart]

24 minutes ago, waymont said:

Those tangle free guides small sizes on my tatula start at 4.5mm ring diameter. there seem to be lots in-between size guides too, these seem to fit in that size for me.  I don't know what the cut off point is for micro guide sizing but I think of micro guides as these:

Are you measuring the inner diameter? I care not about outer duameter. Not sure if the term "micro" has an official criteria, but to me, the guide in the picture would be "nano," and the smaller guides on the new Tatula should safely be considered micro.

 

But what the hay, call em what you like.

[waymont]

9 minutes ago, LionHeart said:

Are you measuring the inner diameter? I care not about outer duameter. Not sure if the term "micro" has an official criteria, but to me, the guide in the picture would be "nano," and the smaller guides on the new Tatula should safely be considered micro.

 

But what the hay, call em what you like.

Yup inside diameter. Yeah the criteria for guide size terminology seem all over the place.

[LionHeart]

7 hours ago, waymont said:

Yup inside diameter. Yeah the criteria for guide size terminology seem all over the place.

That is so strange because I measured the inner diameter of the guides on my 7'6" MH and they were 3.5 mm.  I also compared them side by side to my ALX Zolo Dragger ( size 5 guides / inner diameter of 4.5 mm) and they are visibly smaller.

 

I wonder of Diawa uses different size guides on some of the Tatula models than others.  This is interesting because 4.5 mm passes an FG knot no problem.  What model did you use for reference?

[jbrew73]

Lews and Alx have some of the best customer service that I have ever experienced in any industry.   

[waymont]

1 hour ago, LionHeart said:

That is so strange because I measured the inner diameter of the guides on my 7'6" MH and they were 3.5 mm.  I also compared them side by side to my ALX Zolo Dragger ( size 5 guides / inner diameter of 4.5 mm) and they are visibly smaller.

 

I wonder of Diawa uses different size guides on some of the Tatula models than others.  This is interesting because 4.5 mm passes an FG knot no problem.  What model did you use for reference?

I have the 6'10" MH casting. I also have a Tatula 6'6" spinning rod that has smaller guides near the tip 4mm that also pass FG knots with zero issues.

[LionHeart]

17 minutes ago, waymont said:

I have the 6'10" MH casting. I also have a Tatula 6'6" spinning rod that has smaller guides near the tip 4mm that also pass FG knots with zero issues.

So weird.  I noticed that the 7'6" has 10 guides while the models you have use 9.  Maybe due to the extra length of the 7'6" and the addition of a tenth guide, they downsized the guide size for the 7'6".

[BassKicker42]

On 3/7/2019 at 10:23 PM, GReb said:

I have an Ikos Promise and use it for frogs, buzzbaits, WPs, etc.  I originally had bottom contact baits in mind but didn't really feel it.  It's a bit tip heavy and not as sensitive as I personally wanted.  It's a solid rod though.  Really nice build quality and strong backbone.  It's perfect for what I use it for.  Never owned a Lew's but the ones I've handled felt a bit too stiff.

 

I've used several different brands and settled on Kistler and Falcon for my bottom contact lures.  Just personal preference 

I’m starting to realize that my promise 73 is a little tip heavy too and not as light as my Tatula MH or my Dobyns Fury 734. Now considering using the Fury 734 as my jig rod and the promise 73 to a chatterbait, swim jig, paddle tail rod. 

[dodgeguy]

On 3/7/2019 at 9:17 PM, BigBass'n_Harrison said:

I was considering some more expensive rods, Kistler Helium 3 for example, but I've decided I don't need to spend more than $150-$200 on a rod to get solid and sensitive one. I'm 15 and rather hard on my equipment and the cheaper I go on the rod, the more tackle I can get in general. I'm lucky enough that my dad helps me out with buying a lot of my gear, but still can't spend a ton by any means.

 

I was considering the Curado rods for a long time, but a lot of what I read said they were rather heavy and not the most sensitive. Somebody on I believe TT said that it felt like a baseball and he couldn't break it if he tried. Now I know this is exaggerating, but there are many reviews that say they are heavy. Do you have any personal experience with them? 

 

Also the reason I'm considering the IKOS and not the ZOLO is because I wanted to customize it and I can customize an IKOS for less than $200 and still be getting a really solid rod. 

If ur gonna spend $200 get a Johnny Morris Patriot rod. Can't be beat IMHO in this price point.

[new2BC4bass]

Did you buy a new rod yet?  The Villain 2.0 has been getting excellent reviews and can on occasion be found near your price.  A couple on here have mentioned they feel it is the best $200 rod you can buy.  TT gave the spinning model they tested an Editor's Choice Award and the baitcast model a Best Value Award.

[CountryboyinDC]

I have almost no experience with Lews rods.  I have a single panfish rod withbWalley something or another written on it that I bought when I got an unexpected opportunity to do some stream fishing.  I own one Ikos, a spinning 7' ML/F that says 'Shake' on it.  I use it quite a bit, but I wish I had paid the extra $55 and bought the same profile Zolo that I had tried before I bought the Ikos. The Zolo is much more sensitive, has better guides, and has a better warranty.  The Zolo line has some tapers/powers that people really seem to dig, especially the frog model.  I think they line has a model you'll like, and they're helpful if you call.  Made in USA is important to me, so ALX has been getting some of my business lately.

[5by3]

I have a few ALX Zolo rods and one IKOS soul 7 spinning rod. I use the IKOS primarily for skipping weightless senkos. Rod is plenty sensitive for my needs and is comfortable to fish. No complaints. Seems like a good bang for your buck.