Hey Guys,
Just caught this thread or I would have responded much earlier. Sorry for the delay. Been buried taking care of my portion of the ICAST writeup both on the main site and on Instagram. If you follow Zander on IG, I think he posted a photo or two from our introduction to the Alpha Brake. I do not believe we posted one on the TackleTour IG. It's all a blur.
Anyway, yes, we had the pleasure of meeting Patrik and checking out the prototype, learning about the technology. Understanding this was a rough prototype, a couple of things:
- Though they had on hand, a model of the brake allowing you to kind of see how it worked, I was frustrated at not being able to see how it was actually integrated into the reel. I know the brake arm, obviously goes on the spool, but I was unclear as to whether the inductor/housing around which the brake acted was on the spool or the sideplate and how thick that piece was.
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- Both Zander and I cast the reel but because it was a rough prototype, all we could really do was make an easy swing with the combo and kind of lob the bait out onto the water. It worked, but there's a lot of noise and knocking during the cast.
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- The reel itself was in the New Product Showcase listed with an MSRP of $400 which made matters a little confusing because Patrik told us they were at the show to try and partner up with a major manufacturer and implement the braking system on one of their reels, not market and manufacture their own. Understanding there is now real category at ICAST for emerging technologies, this was probably their way to show case the tech and generate interest ... trouble is, you couldn't open the reel to check out the Alpha Brakes, so all we got to see was a new, prototype stage reel set up against the likes of Curado DC, Tatula 100, Abu Garcia Rocket.... in other words, it was very easy to overlook the reel and the underlying technology in this setting.
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- Back on the water, once you completed your cast and began your retrieve, the brake still moves around and actually knocks against the housing with each rotation of the handle.
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So... the way I see it, this reel was a sort of proof of concept opportunity for Svivlo. It was not consumer or even media ready. There are several levels of refinement that must take place before it's ready for prime time so they're kind of caught in a chicken and egg scenario. How do you garner attention from a manufacturer as a partner, without a working prototype, but how do you get a really good, working prototype without partnering with a major manufacturer?
As a member of the media, and a writer that approaches every new piece of tackle with a critical eye, I can appreciate the effort that went into the design and development of this prototype, but it just wasn't ready to be put into our hands. In fact, one manufacturer, who shall remain anonymous, brought the subject up with us and asked us our opinion. We shared pretty much what I just laid out above.
Hopefully there are refinements in store, but if i want a reel that I can easily cast without using my thumb, for now, I'm going to stick with a Curado DC set at #4.
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