07: PLATINUM CARBON AND MATERIALS EXPLAINED
Whilst the type of mandrel used to make the blank, and specifically the way it tapers, plays a big part in determining the action and attributes of a rod, that alone isn’t enough and the type of carbon fibre material used in its construction is very important as well.
You can design the perfect mandrel, and whilst that is the starting point that you need, if you then use the wrong type or an inferior grade of carbon, that will significantly negatively impact upon how the finished rod behaves, or in some cases even how long it will last before its performance starts to deteriorate or it just breaks.
The right carbon and resin is essential once you've designed a mandrel
Even if you get select the right grade/type of carbon that will give you all of the attributes that you are looking for, those carbon strands are bound together using resin, once heat is applied, and it is that which forms the finished hardened hollow carbon fibre tube, which is the rod blank. Using the wrong amount of resin significantly impacts upon how the rod performs.
When it comes to carbon fibre, different types and grades most certainly are not all equal and will produce differing properties in the finished rod. Lower modulus carbons are very durable, but nothing special when it comes to weight or power, whereas at the other extreme, if you go for too high a modulus, it will be incredibly lightweight, stiff and responsive, but also much more fragile, so some sort of balance is needed, but using the highest modulus of carbon that is practical.
ZERO90 carbon was the perfect choice for the Kaizen Platinum range
We specifically selected ZERO90 carbon for the Kaizen Platinum rods, which is a very high grade, super tensile Japanese material, that has all the properties that make it ideal for a high end fishing rod.
The name ZERO90 comes from the way that the carbon fibres are positioned during the manufacturing process, where they are layered at 0 degree and 90 degree angles, and means that when they are compressed they will deform less than other configurations will do.
This ensures that as much power as possible is transferred through them – ultimately to your lead – whilst at the same time minimising torsional stiffness, which is incredibly important for a fishing rod as that basically means the mount that the rod will twist when loaded during a cast, and in turn that dictates how accurately the rod can be cast. No matter how good you are at casting, if a rod has low torsional stiffness it will be much harder to be accurate. You can learn more about how we achieved this fine balance in the Casting distance vs casting control section.
Fast recovery wastes less energy and increases accuracy
This Zero90 carbon also allows for very fast tip recovery, which basically means how quickly the rod will snap back straight during the cast once you release the loading on it, and makes the rod feel a lot more crisp as well as providing much more efficient power transfer – if the rod tip continues to bounce for ages after you’ve released the lead, then that indicates that a lot of energy (power) is being wasted and is going into the bouncing action, rather than being transferred to the lead.
Fish playing is an essential part of carp fishing
A fishing rod is about far more than just casting though, as ultimately it is a tool for playing fish on, and so the way that power is transferred and the bend of the rod are very important in that context as well, if fighting a carp on it is going to be an enjoyable experience, where you feel you can totally rely on the Kaizen Platinum to do its job, giving you either extra power or more cushioning, as and when needed. To find out more about the playing action of these rods and how they behave under pressure, you should read the Playing fish on Platinum rods section.
This type of carbon is very lightweight, and because of the properties that it has means that only two layers of it are needed to produce the Kaizen Platinum rods, making for a lightweight and relatively thin blank, which moves through the air more easily and therefore helps to generate greater tip speed.
A light rod makes it easier to cast further and to do so repeatedly
The would be little point in using a top end carbon like ZERO90 and then adding so much resin to it that not only did it make the rod heavy but also negatively impacted on the properties that particular carbon was chosen for in the first place. It is a fine balance though, as if you don’t use enough resin it effects the structural integrity of the rod and makes it likely to break easily when loaded – either casting or even just playing a fish. But eventually we got that just right to produce a very lightweight rod, but one that is also able to withstand everything that it is going to encounter during normal use on the bank, whilst fully utilising all of the properties that this expensive carbon offers.
It is good to know exactly how the Platinum rods and why these materials have been carefully chosen, as well as what they do, but the best way to choose the right rod for you is to go and handle it in person by using our store locator to find your nearest Korda stockist.