Dobyns Kaden and St. Croix Victory both vary from the company standards

[Cgolf]

Now that I have both in my possession I was very surprised how stout the tip was on my Kaden 714C which goes against the trend of my 3 other Dobyns that have softer than expected tips. 
 

The Victory MHM I knew had a soft tip because I begged the wife to let me pick it up in a shop when they first came out. Interestingly this tip is way softer than my premier MHM which I love. 

The moral to this post is that while I figure sticking with one or two brands to have an idea what their specs are. These two rods show that rod companies may not always be consistent in house. 

It will be interesting to see which one ends up being my main spinnerbait rod, probably the Kaden, but time will tell. 

[jimmyjoe]

   I routinely advise people to call or e-mail the factory with their questions. It's not a cop-out; I've  learned many unexpected things from them, and I expect other people will, too.

   The factory knows what's changing before we do.                       jj

[NavyToad]

On YouTube, Gary Dobyns talks about the faster tip on the Kaden Series.

 

 

[Cgolf]

1 hour ago, NavyToad said:

On YouTube, Gary Dobyns talks about the faster tip on the Kaden Series.

 

 

Don’t get me wrong I will really like both rods, it just like two should switch brands based on the actions.  My theory moving forward is if I upgrade any more rods I will stick with Dobyns or St Croix because I will have a good idea what I am buying. 
 

It will be interesting to see how accurate I am casting 1/4 spins with the Kaden. The stiffer tip will definitely help me keep the big ones from wrapping me around reeds. 

[Columbia Craw]

I don’t understand. What’s not consistent?

[Cgolf]

42 minutes ago, Columbia Craw said:

I don’t understand. What’s not consistent?

Dobyns from what I have seen and heard run a little softer compared to other brands with the same rating. St. Croix definitely seem to run a bit stiffer then other brands with the same rating. 
 

The victory in the hand feels a lot like my Cabela’s Prodigy MHM which has a soft tip. Both see the tip flex quite a bit when I shake it compared to my MHM Premier where I don’t think the tip moves at all with the same shake. So imo the victory seems out of character for the St Croix lineup and runs a little soft. With how much I love that prodigy rod the victory could be a huge win for me. The Kaden is just the opposite. 
 

If it would have been a test with the brands covered up I would have said the Kaden was a St Croix and the Victory was a Dobyns. 

[Columbia Craw]

1 hour ago, cgolf said:

Dobyns from what I have seen and heard run a little softer compared to other brands with the same rating. St. Croix definitely seem to run a bit stiffer then other brands with the same rating. 
 

The victory in the hand feels a lot like my Cabela’s Prodigy MHM which has a soft tip. Both see the tip flex quite a bit when I shake it compared to my MHM Premier where I don’t think the tip moves at all with the same shake. So imo the victory seems out of character for the St Croix lineup and runs a little soft. With how much I love that prodigy rod the victory could be a huge win for me. The Kaden is just the opposite. 
 

If it would have been a test with the brands covered up I would have said the Kaden was a St Croix and the Victory was a Dobyns. 

I understand what you were getting at. You’re comparing two manufacture’s models with stated power/actions that one might think would be very similar but they’re not. Your expectations were the opposite.  I have a lot of experience with Dobyns products and how each series compares to the others and the progression of powers within the series and the consistencies are a factor why I lean toward that  company so I was scratching my head. Thanks for info!

[Aaron_H]

The Kaden is an outlier on purpose, Gary received many requests from customers for a line of rods with faster actions than Dobyns is typically known for.

[Bluebasser86]

I've commented a few times on post about the Victory rods that the rod I have does not feel as stiff as you might expect from a H/XF. Works great for what I wanted it for, but I was a little nervous ordering it without ever feeling it that it was going to be a very stout rod, but I was pleasantly surprised.