Savvy Micro vs Powell Max vs Recon

[whartko]

Im looking for some new rods in the 150-200 dollar range. these are the three rods ive been looking at the most. whats everyones opinion on them? or what other rod(s) would you sugest? thanks

[TTaylor]

I own 2 out of the 3 you have mentioned. I do not own a Savvy Micro but I do own a regular Savvy. Out of the 3, hands down, the Recon is the best rod in my opinion. The Recon has guides that are close to a micro. They are made for the Phenix Recon rods. The balance, sensitivity, backbone and overall looks of the Recon in my opinion are better than the Savvy and Powell. Dobyns and Powell make very good rods. Until the Recons came out, I was fishing more of my Dobyns than my other rods and I own St.Croix, Dobyns, Powell and Kistler rods. Most of them are in the higher end of rods and for ME, the Recons match the higher end rods in all areas. I love the split grip and the EVA handles on the Recons. The trigger on the casting rods is different than other brands. I wasn't sure how it would work at first, but I like it better than the standard triggers on all makes of rods.

In my opinion, the Recons are a mid $250 rod but they are priced under $190. I have sold a lot of my rods now and have switched to Recons because I like them so much.

Let me know what types, ie: Casting,Spinning M, MH, Hvy, etc, you are looking for and I'll give you my honest opinion of how they fish compared to the other brands

[robchik04]

I recently fished a recon 723 spinning vs. an endurance 712. I think both are great rods! The recon was light, sensitive and a joy to fish. The endurance felt more crisp, and sensitive as well. The actions are quite different. All recons are fast action rods, where the Dobyns and Powell are extra fast. Best thing, go to your local retailer and check them out. Couldn't go wrong with any of those three.

[JLP]

For the money I think Powell rods are a real good chioce. I like mine

[larrymccausland]

Great Question! I have owned and considered the Dobyns Savvy to be the best rod for this price point...that is until the Phenix Recon was released. I havent used the Savvy Micro but have alot of experience using the Duckett Micros. In my opinion, there is not enough of an advantage to make a fuss over the micro guides. If you use any type of leader the micros are definitely out of the question. I have been using my Recon 796 since they were released and have recently caught and released my personal best LMB 9.5lbs here in NC(Nov.26th)which is amazing for this time of year and had absolutely no problem winching the ole girl in. I have no problem saying this is the most versatile rod I have ever used. Ive used jigs, Carolina rigs, wakebaits, swimbaits, topwater lures, punched grass, skipped docks, Fished deep, shallow and everything in between. Its a beautifully built rod with performance to back it up. This is the first rod Ive owned with EVA foam and really like it much better than cork which the Savvy and Max use. I like it so much that I have sold and traded off all of my Ducketts and Dobyns and have decided to re-arm with all Recons...Im that sold on these rods. Its one of those purchases that when you get home and strap a reel to it, crank on your line and head out onto the water, I promise you will think to yourself, " Dang Im glad I bought this rod!"

[StevieD]

All nice rods, but let me put it to you this way. With all the competition out there right now for companies jockeying for position in the rod market, when Phenix rolled out the Recons to the dealers in September, the game changed for me. When I found these I said to myself I FINALLY have found a line of rods that can work for me personally. I have freed up some nice dollars on EBay with rods I simply don't need any more, as they have been replaced by Recons. Now, while I haven't fished the Savvy Micros or the Powell Max rods, I have felt them at dealers, so I can’t offer a true apples to apples on the water comparison. What I can tell you, is that I have 5 Recons right now with several a few more on the way, so IMO, Recon is the best bang for the buck, because not only do they perform like a $200-$250 rod, but aesthetically they look the part and their components are top notch quality for ANY rod, let alone a rod in this price range. As for the components, they are using components that traditionally have not been on a rod in the mid $150 class. They truly don't perform like a production rod, the guides have stainless steel frames to them with SIC inserts, the rods come with a lifetime warranty, the EVA handles feel more dense and solid to me than other EVA handles I have fished, they have Fuji reel seats and you get a bonus rod sleeve that has the model number on it. Get all that from St Croix or Loomis and you are spending north of $300! You won’t turn back, trust me!

[whartko]

thanks for the quick replies and great information everyone! ive been doing research on rods for weeks trying to get the right ones for the right prices. to be more specific im looking for casting rods not spinning rods. looking to get a few different rods as well to get a little more technique specific. i like to fish a lot of soft plastics (mostly wacky), 1.5 square bills, red eye shads, and spinnerbaits. any other suggestions?

[Str8upirish]

I have two of the Recons a 744 which I throw my Senkos and Yum Dinger on and the 796 which I plan on Flippin and punching with next year. I have used it to throw a wake bait this winter for striper. It controls a striper without a problem. I'm planning on getting a 714 or 715 to throw my Chatterbaits on next. They are light weights with a lot of back bone. I've used my brothers Savvy and dont particular like the way it sits in my hand. He uses my my Phenix's and now is switching over to them too.

[bassohol]

To give a look at the other side of the Phenix Recon spectrum, I haven't been overly impressed with them. They are most certainly very nice looking rods with a level of features and refinement that you don't expect from a rod at its price point, but they aren't the best performing rods for the money in my opinion. I believe that they are still benefiting a lot from the hype train. The belief was put out there that they were going to be a revolutionary rod that would absolutely blow everything else that is similarly priced out of the water. I just haven't found that to be the case.

Now, I'm not taking anything away from the Recon, as it is a very nice rod and probably the most refined of those you listed, but I think there are better options out there in your price range. The first thing that comes to my mind is the new Shimano Crucial. It is made with higher modulus graphite and is much more sensitive in my hands than a Recon, Savvy, or Powell. If I was about to spend $150-$200 on a new rod right now, the Crucial would be at the top of my list.

[whartko]

Thanks for the response. i was just about to ask if the shimano crucial could be thrown in to the mix when i saw this post. anyone else have any input or other rod suggestions?

[StevieD]

A while back there was a real good thread on this forum about getting caught up in IM ratings and what I could understand, there is no true industry standard on how IM ratings are marketed. What can be validated is that while the higher the modulus rating, the stiffer the fiber is, which equates to lighter weights, translates vibration more efficiently, but you give up considerable durability. You can buy the highest modulus graphite rod on the market, but it would be considerably brittle and so expensive. I have always taken caution when companies tout how high their graphite rates, because it is how the rod is put together that truly reflects performance in my opinion. You could have a company build a rod using the highest graphite in the world, but because it would be so brittle and expensive, they need to add a bunch of resin and glass scrim fibers to drive their cost down and make sure the durability is high enough to endure the rigors of fishing. Now the next company on the block could actually use lower modulus graphite, but by using high quality materials, a lower mix of resin and scrim fibers and manufacture it better, it would actually be a better overall performing rod. I am not sure if we’d ever know the true processes of the manufacturing from rod companies as much of that can be proprietary and I certainly don't know how the Crucials are made, but this general rule of thumb has always worked for me in finding quality priced rods with quality craftsmanship and components.

[bassohol]

While there is no set range for IM ratings, there are certain guidelines that are normally followed. For example, IM10 is 54+ ton graphite. Now, your guess is as good as mine when it comes to whether a rod that claims to be IM10 is 54 ton or something more like 65 ton. But those numbers do speak to the quality of graphite used.

As far as brittleness goes, higher end graphite does have a higher specific stiffness than lower end graphite, but that is what makes a rod more sensitive. That's also where a lifetime warranty comes in handy. As far as price vs. graphite quality and construction goes, it definitely isn't as expensive as it used to be. Now, aircraft quality graphite composite can be had as cheap as $25/lb. When you take into account the actual weight of graphite used in a fishing rod, there really isn't a lot of cost in that aspect. So, I wouldn't expect the construction to be shoddy. But, as mentioned, you never really know how they're made.

[godshippy]

So I started off fishing Shimano Clarus rods, moved to Powell Max rods, moved to Shimano Cumara rods, and then changed everything over to Dobyns rods.

I do own a couple Savvy rods, but not the micro series. I think the Savvy rods are pretty decent and a good bang for the buck, but it's a little lacking in the aesthetics department IMO. Only reason I went with the Savvy rods is because I got a killer deal on them, and it keeps all my within one brand...which I'm super picky about.

I did have a chance to stop by Walton's Pond and take a look at the new Recons as well as the Zombie rods. I thought that the Zombie rods looked SICK, but they felt really heavy. They balanced out really well in hand, but just the shear weight of the rod is noticeable.

The Recon rods definitely look really cool, and I really like the reel handle and the short trigger feels really comfortable. The details are very good; the only complaint that I have is that there is a silver ring/cap kinda thing about an inch above the reel seat that sticks out. On the heavier powered rods it's smooth and there isn't a problem, but on the lighter powered sticks I noticed that this piece is too large for the blank diameter and sticks out a bit unevenly. Other than that the rods look great and I'm very impressed. My first impression with the Ultra MBX rods was very negative. I saw that the cork was very poorly shaped and glued together and was very unimpressed. After reading the TT review on the X-10 crankbait rod I went to a retailer to go buy one, but stopped in my tracks as every rod on their rack had the composite cork poorly attached and coming apart. So I gotta say that these new Recon rods totally change the game and my opinion on their products.

So basically...to get back onto the topic of which rod to go with...If you planned on getting a Powell Max then I'd say try to find the same rod in the Savvy line. If you're looking at the Dobyns Savvy then I would take a look at the Phenix Recon and find a similar rod.

I really don't know too much about the new Shimano Crucial rods, but I have seen a couple reports of the handle falling apart. However...if the Crucial uses the same blank as the Cumara, and there really isn't a problem with the handle then it seems like a pretty killer deal. The Cumara is more sensitive than the Powell Max and Dobyns Savvy. I don't know how it's going to compare to the Recon.

Dang, sorry for being so long winded!!!

[TBassMaster]

I have a Savvy and ive held a recon. Savvy feels balanced, tough, light and sensitive. The recon feels like ur holding $500 in ur hand. it is sensitive, light, nice design, tough, and balanced. IMO each rod is kinda the same. But i think for the value, the phenix is more worth it.

[NYBASSIN]

I have a Savvy and ive held a recon. Savvy feels balanced, tough, light and sensitive. The recon feels like ur holding $500 in ur hand. it is sensitive, light, nice design, tough, and balanced. IMO each rod is kinda the same. But i think for the value, the phenix is more worth it.

I have two recons 714 and 764. While I do agree that they feel and fish well above there price range $500 is a little crazy. If i were you I would get the recon but dont be dissapointed when it doesnt feel like a nrx.