Fishing The Fly Scotland Forum

Hamish Young

So by very kind invitation I had the opportunity yesterday to try out not one but five pre-production models of the new  FX1 and NX1 rods that will shortly be appearing on the market from the Mackenzie DTX stable.  This is a significant jump for the brand, each of these rods has been designed by Scott Mackenzie and Paul Procter with input from the rest of the Mackenzie DTX team.  I have simply been beside myself in anticipation of these rods arriving..... so to be asked to 'pop round and try them out' was never going to be an issue  for me  :z7

I didn't have a camera to hand - and I was too busy 'playing' to take photos anyway.
First off I tried the new FX1 Saltwater rods.
They're all 9' and I tried the #9, #10 and #12wts.  Matched to a certain Predator line from the Barrio stable  :wink the #9 and #10 were sublime - those rods and that line are a marriage of very near perfection in every respect.  The rods, which are achingly good looking,  have beautifully finished blue blanks that are super responsive,  in the hand when casting you'd have a hard job not thinking they were lighter line models than they are.  They have a superior quality feel and the build and fittings look great.
The #12wt I 'hooked up' (see what I did there  :z4 ) with a Teeny TS450, this rod is by some considerable margin the most useable #12wt rod I've ever picked up and I have been fortunate to try many of those on the market. It's not too stiff and a joy to use. I think Scott got bored of watching me play with each of them - they are simply superb.
Come to think of it, you'd need to go a long way up in price point to find anything remotely as good as these FX1 Saltwater models. Pricing is yet to be fully confirmed but I believe the FX1 single hander Salt rods will be sub £700 - I suspect that there will be considerable interest in these as soon as they hit the market.

Next were two of the NX1 'freshwater' rods, a 8'6" #4wt and a 10' #4wt.  Simply put they've nailed it. The olive/green blanks are a sort of satin or matt finish bar a small area ahead of the cork, titanium colour fittings throughout . Cork is high quality and the rods.... well they did everything I asked for. The smaller of the two was happy with a GT90 #4wt and the 10' happier with an SLX #4wt.   I can't see any reason why these wont be a resounding success. They look great, they cast great and the price point is (I believe) to be over £350 but importantly sub £400.  That's a price point with a lot of competition, but that's not going to be an issue. Speaking to quite a few folk recently there's considerable interest in how these rods are going to turn out and genuinely I think a lot of brands are in for a very big shock.

There's also to be (I think) 4 all new NX1 Salmon rods, I didn't have the opportunity to cast them but the one I saw (a 14' #9wt) looked super.

It's fair to say that I know both Scott and Paul (so may appear biased), but I really do think they have worked some magic here, I anticipate they'll do incredibly well with these rods and deservedly so. Although the rods will be in Dublin this weekend coming (16/17 Feb) the best opportunity for most of us to see and try them will be at the Glasgow Angling Centre open from 1st to third of March.

H :z18

Terry Coging

Re: Mackenzie DTX NX1 and FX1 Salt rods.... tested!
« Reply #1 on: 14/02/2019 at 10:01 »
Hamish - any hint of where they are going with Graphene?

James Laraway

Re: Mackenzie DTX NX1 and FX1 Salt rods.... tested!
« Reply #2 on: 14/02/2019 at 11:05 »
if the rods are going to be betweem £350 and £400 i think this is the perfect price point so good luck to Scott and the team.

I was having a look through a sales brochure the other day and not to pick on any particular company but i saw the helios 3 price and rolled my eyes.

Not being funny but there is no way that a helios 3 should be double the price of the NX1's- plus the Orvis rods look like they have been run over by one of those white line painting machines....

Sandy Nelson

Re: Mackenzie DTX NX1 and FX1 Salt rods.... tested!
« Reply #3 on: 14/02/2019 at 11:16 »
look like they have been run over by one of those white line painting machines....

 :z4 :z4 :z4 now that made me laugh  :z18
Cheers
Sandy

Hamish Young

Re: Mackenzie DTX NX1 and FX1 Salt rods.... tested!
« Reply #4 on: 14/02/2019 at 11:54 »
Hamish - any hint of where they are going with Graphene?
Terry - In terms of things Mackenzie, Graphene is in the new range of FX1 'Salt' rods and the exisiting FX1 range of single, switch and adouble handers.
....plus the Orvis rods look like they have been run over by one of those white line painting machines....
Has to be said that's not my favourite feature of an otherwise very fine rod...  :roll

:z4 :z4 :z4 now that made me laugh  :z18
Me too  :z13

 




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