Favorite Totem 842MH 8’4’’ 12-36g lure rod review - £159.99 (SO close to the £269.99 Favorite Black Swan 8'5'' 10-36g)
If you can live with the fact that the fixtures and fittings are not of the same Fuji-type quality than you might find on a more expensive lure rod, then with this Favorite Totem 842MH 8’4’’ 12-36g we have got a lure rod with an action and “fishability” that is well above the rod’s price. To be honest it’s almost a joke how good this thing is. The new Favorite Totem range is designed to be very close to their equivalent Favorite Black Swan rods in regards to the actions and how they fish, so let’s see what happens with this one……..
In many respects I think that the incredible Favorite Black Swan 852MH 8'5'' 10-36g lure rod possesses essentially the ideal action for an 8’5’’ long lure rod rated to cast up to 36g (check out my review of the rod here). Fast but without being ridiculous, steely, light, responsive, and easy to cast well. As I said above, these new Favorite Totem rods are designed to get as close to the actions of the Black Swan rods as possible, but for a lot less money. Is this possible? For a start let’s call this new Favorite Totem 842MH 8’4’’ 12-36g lure rod the Totem, and here is some info from the Favorite website and catalogue:
“The blanks are produced using carbon fiber of different modularity, bringing them close to the characteristics of the top models. The core is Toray T1100G prepreg, which is 30% stronger than other prepregs of the same modularity.
Totem is equipped with ZrO2 slim guides with thin zirconium oxide inserts
The EVA handle is assembled on the basis of a graphite arbor and, in combination with a carbon fiber reel seat, it reduces the weight and increases the sensitivity of the rod
The blanks are produced using carbon fiber of different modularity, bringing them close to the characteristics of the top models
Toray T1100G prepreg, which is 30% stronger than other prepregs of the same modularity”
I linked to my review of the Favorite Black Swan 852MH 8'5'' 10-36g above, mainly because that review also tells you what you need to know about this Totem and how it fishes. Pick up this considerably cheaper Totem and if you know the equivalent Black Swan it’s like a case of deja vu. From the first cast with this Totem I was pretty gobsmacked at how similar it feels. For sure it’s a smidgen heavier - a ridiculous 103g for the Black Swan versus a still pretty miserly 121g for this Totem - but put a light spinning reel on the Totem and when I’m fishing with it there isn’t a single thing about it which makes me feel like I’m using a “budget” lure rod. Soft plastics fished shallow or deeper, topwaters, various hard lures, you can absolutely full-blood the 35g Seeker without any hassle, this Torem is simply outstanding and I am at a bit of a loss at how Favorite have achieved this for the money.
Okay, so when I am chopping and changing between the two rods side by side and deliberately fishing the same lures on both rods, the Black Swan feels 100% like one complete lure rod when it bends in the cast and recovers. Everything just flows so smoothly that your lure is flying out there almost before you realise. I can’t quite explain what I am feeling, but it’s apparent to me when I cast the two rods one after the other. This Totem feels great in the cast as well, but I can just about feel the butt kicking into the mid-section as I come around in the cast. Not quite as seamlessly connected might be a way to describe it, but we’re splitting hairs here purely because I have gone with a comparison type review. When I am twitching something like the Gravity Stick Pintail or OSP DoLive Stick around, there’s an undeniable, slightly increased feeling of “sharpness/tension/responsiveness” through the whole Black Swan. Same with topwater lures. This “sharp and very responsive” feeling is very much there with the Totem I might add, but it’s undeniably amplified on the Black Swan.
But we are talking such marginal differences that firstly I wonder if most anglers would even pick up on them, and secondly I could well be imagining a bit more than is actually going on. It’s absolutely bloody incredible what Favorite has done with this Totem rod. Yet again I am reminded about just how good fishing tackle can be these days for some very sensible money. There isn’t much point in me banging on here for much longer when this Totem rod is so close to the equivalent Black Swan and you can save me repeating myself by reading the Black Swan review. A game changer for sure, and I love the fact that for a penny under £160 here in the UK, a lure angler can buy a lure rod which is giving them the full experience of the high-end for a lot less money…………...
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