01: WHAT ARE KAIZEN RODS
The Korda Kaizen rods came about as a result of Danny Fairbrass’ desire to create fishing rods that exactly met the attributes, features and functions that he feels are necessary to create the perfect tool for carp fishing.
Danny was no stranger to designing fishing rods, having previously worked on them with another company to develop a range that had his name on them, and met some of his requirements.
But just like the name Kaizen – which in Japanese means continuous improvement – Danny wanted to go further and design carp fishing rods from scratch, choosing his own materials, actions, and the way they look, with complete control over every aspect.
This led to four years of extensive testing and development to get the rods just right, and to produce what he saw as the perfect carp rod, which performs just as an angler would want it to, whilst also looking the part as well.
The success, or indeed failure, of any carp rod hinges on the mandrel – this is what the resin impregnated carbon cloth is rolled around before being cured and exposed to heat, which sets the resin and hardens the material to form a hollow tube, which is the rod blank.
The type of mandrel used, and specifically the taper of it, is what determines all of the attributes of any rod, in terms of action and performance, so we designed our own mandrel from scratch to get it just right, and to give us the starting point we needed to get the rest of the rods exactly how we wanted them.
Of course, you also need to use the right materials as well and the grade and type of carbon is important, but without first getting the action just right, that is largely immaterial – using a very expensive carbon to build a rod that has the wrong action to start with won’t suddenly fix that problem. For a more detailed explanation of the action of the Kaizen rods, and why we opted to make them like this, you can read more at Kaizen rod action explained.
That is very much highlighted within the Korda Kaizen ranges where both the flagship Kaizen Platinum and more affordable Kaizen Green rods actually share many of the same attributes, in terms of how they feel when playing fish and casting, and the level of performance they provide.
So, for Danny - and Korda as a whole, as many different people worked on and tested these rods – the success of Kaizen was pivotal on achieving something that would make everyone’s fishing easier and more efficient and enjoyable whilst they were using any of these rods.
Once we had got that just right and the rods felt perfect for both casting and playing fish, it was then a case of making them look the part as well – given that in carp fishing, anglers spend an awful lot of time sat looking at their rods.
We also wanted to offer something that would appeal to any carp angler, and because no one rod is perfect in every situation, we produced a range of different lengths and test curves to cover any venue you might want to fish, or personal preferences, so you can pick whichever model is just right for you, but knowing that it will also always have that optimal action.
The initial rod range that we launched was the flagship Kaizen Platinum, which was built using a high grade carbon and top end rod building components, and it proved to be popular, but also came with a high price tag, which reflected the materials used.
Danny wanted to bring this level of carp rod performance to the masses and make it available to anyone, so the Kaizen Green was developed as a more affordable alternative that still offered most of the performance you would expect from a Platinum, but at a price that anybody could afford.
The response since the launch of the Kaizen Green has been staggering, with anglers across Europe – and even further afield – eager to get hold of a set, and even some of the sponsored Team Korda anglers choose to use them instead of the flagship Platinum, as they do everything that they want from a carp rod.
For clear breakdown of the differences between the two rod ranges, see our full guide for Kaizen Platinum vs Kaizen Green.
The best way to choose the right rod is to handle it in person. Use our store locator to find your local Korda stockist.