Daiwa

WHAT IS MAGNUM TAPER?

The Magnum Taper Profile is the holy grail of rod actions. Imagine a crisp, lightweight blank that can effortlessly and accurately propel a lead to extreme range while still being a genuine joy to play fish on. It seems like a paradox, but we can assure you that Daiwa achieves exactly that with its Magnum Taper rods. There’s no wonder that the resulting rods became so widely used by some of the best in the game.

The Magnum Taper profile has been around for some time now and Daiwa is of the wise opinion that, if something isn’t broke, don’t fix it! It’s built on a very special mandrel specific to Daiwa; it requires very high quality materials and results in a very special blank. While the blank isn’t necessarily thin, Daiwa achieves an ultra-thin walled blank, which is featherweight compared to almost everything else on the market. The blank quickly tapers toward the tip, providing a powerful blank with a crisp and responsive tip that snaps straight unlike anything else.

The Magnum Taper Profile is reserved only for Daiwa’s top-end rods which are specifically built right here in the UK. Now, when we say built in the UK, we don’t just mean assembled, no, the entire carbon blank itself is produced in the UK factory. The result is that Daiwa can create impeccable rods, with a quality that is hard to match.

BASIA
FROM £600

The very best of the best – Basia is a name reserved only for Daiwa’s flagship models and the Basia rods are no different; whether that comes down to technologies, materials, weight and ultimately the price point, these are without doubt a rod that makes a statement!

The Basia X45X are the newest rods featuring Daiwa’s Magnum Taper Profile, but the first thing to notice in comparison with the other rods is that it’s been achieved with a much thinner blank than the Infinity and Longbow rods have traditionally been. The ground and polished blank has a natural shimmer, which we think looks particularly stunning.

The X45X Full Shield means that the 45-degree bi-directional structure is applied through the entire length of the rod for ultimate resistance to torque and maximised energy conversion in the cast. ‘V joint Alpha’ technology eliminates any potential flat spots around the joint section of the rod, improving the smooth action of the rod. Finally, High Volume Fibre (HVF) Nanoplus technology reduces the content of weighty resin within the blank, while microscopic fibres bind into the carbon to maintaining even greater strength and as a result the rods are even lighter too!

The X45X comes fitted with the very latest TDG guides and anti-frap tip, to maintain that crisp and responsive feel. Down the blank, the Basia X45X is fitted with a gunmetal grey ALPS ARD reel seat, machined from ultra-high grade corrosion resistant 61XX aluminium. This locks the reel in place securely, ensuring absolutely no wobble. The rod is then finished with a super slim Japanese shrink-wrapped handle and very minimalistic decals.

The Basia X45X rods are available as 12ft and 13ft lengths, in either 3.25lb or 3.75lb Test Curves. Separate 4.5lb Spod and 4.25lb Marker rods are also available.

Also in the Basia range is the slightly older, but equally astounding Basia AGS, featuring the ultra-light Air Guide System, which results in what is quite possibly the lightest carp rods on the market! If you thought the Basia X45X rods were lightweight, these shave roughly another 60g off what is already an eye-wateringly light rod… just make sure not to trap the tips of these in the door of your Lamborghini when you head off to the lake.

INFINITY
FROM £445

The next tier down in price point, but by no means any lesser quality are the awesome Infinity rods. The Infinity brand name simply oozes quality and has stood the test of time; they’ve been the rods of choice for many of the best anglers out there and the Infinity X45 are the latest generation of the Infinity family.

Use of the Magnum Taper mandrel allows these rods to be constructed with a super-thin wall for a crisp, yet powerful blank, which although isn’t thin by any means, is mega lightweight! The blank features X45 technology through the butt of the rod, to ensure torque resistance where it matters the most and V-Joint Alpha for a smooth action without any flat spots. HVF keeps the weight down, while maintaining great strength in the rod, ensuring you can push these rods to the limit without fear of damaging them.

This lightweight and responsive feel to the rod is further accentuated with the use of lightweight materials such as the TDG guides, including an anti-frap tip. The blanks themselves have a matte black finish with minimalistic infinity branding, and this is then reflected in the choice black ALPS ARD reel seat. Like the Basia, the Infinity rods feature a slim Japanese Shrink wrapped handle, though the slightly thicker blank of the Infinity does make a noticeable difference in the hand.

Like the Basia rods, the Infinity X45 rods are available as 12ft and 13ft lengths, in either 3.25lb or 3.75lb Test Curves. Separate 4.5lb Spod and 4.25lb Marker rods are also available.

LONGBOW
FROM £310

The latest and most affordable rod range to be inducted into the Magnum Taper family, the Longbow X45 M represents an awesome rod at the price point, which is once again still produced right here in the UK. Brand new for 2023, this latest generation Longbow combines what made the original Longbows such a hit, with the very latest materials and design technology to bring to the market a true all-purpose carp rod.

The blank itself is now built using the renowned Magnum Taper profile, plus X45, HVF and V-Joint Alpha technologies. The resulting rod has much improved casting properties. The Seaguide TDG guides are lighter than traditional ceramics and then down at the handle, the Longbows feature a Seaguide ‘DPS’ style reel seat. A short break in the thicker shrink wrapped handle gives these rods a unique look.

The Longbow X45 M rods are available in 12ft 3lb, 3.5lb, 4lb and 13ft 3.5lb and 4lb – perfect for everything from intimate lakes to chucking super-long range on big pits. There is also a combined spod/marker rod in the range too.