Wednesday, March 24, 2010

A Pleasant Surprise


"Nothing Ventured...Nothing Gained!" That is kinda been my M.O. for some time. I can honestly say I have never got anything in life by sitting back and waiting for it to fall into my lap. So having lived by this code it wasn't out of character when I approached Bill Shearer of Kingpin fame for an opportunity to field trial one of the New Kingpin reels. Bill is a stand up guy and was quick to offer up a reel for our up coming MI trip. I must say the folks at Kingpin reels should consider themselves very fortunate. Bill goes out of his way to represent their product and is a true ambassador for Kingpin Reels. I am not a bling bling kind of guy and was hoping for something with a classic look. I was pleasantly surprised when Bill shipped me the Imperial Prototype. I had only previously seen a picture of this reel from a distance and must say out of the box it is a very nice looking reel.
Very classic lines and attractive details. The handles are brilliant and compliment the bronze anodizing along with the polished stainless accents. The engraving is to the point and far removed from the flashy Kinpin monikers I've witnessed on other models. The ABEC 5 do their job well and is proven in the killer start up. For those that obsess over clickers there is no worry here. The location is brilliant and the mechanism is rock solid. All tolerances are very tight. The overall weight is relatively light. My out of the box general first impression is that this reel is a winner. It looks like no other Kingpin reel and that is a good thing IMHO. First it offers an alternative to those already die hard Kinpin fans and secondly it attracts those like myself that prefer cleaner simpler lines and styling to the Kingpin lineup. I can't wait to rig it up and put some miles on her. Stay tuned for the post fish report. The MI trip cannot come soon enough!!!

11 comments:

Bill Shearer said...

Make sure you give the reel a good workout.
I know the Michigan fish will hold up their end, and I'm sure the reel will stand up to it.
Thanks for the kind words,
Bill

Harv said...

Very nice reel......

I sure wish I could come on that MI trip and give her a try myself!!!

Oh well, I finally shook all the cobwebs off today - felt great to get out again.

HArv

lambton said...

Buy yourself some new balls freak!
12 days and counting to the Trip!

Whooo Haaa Haaaa Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Bill Shearer said...

Norland
I can get a ball-bustin' deal on a KP for you, as well!lol

lambton said...

Nice,

Bill Shearer comes through with his first public Norland slam! I like it! :0) Another historic day for the blog. LOL!

Trotsky said...

OO/////////////////D
To the both of you.

Greg said...

What no purple reel? Erie Outfitters had the same reel at the shop. It's a nice reel for the price.

Sorry to hear that Norland's sacs are sore......

lambton said...

Oh yes...the purple reel errrr,.."The Barney Reel". I almost forgot about that! LOL!
Nice to flush you out Greg. Hope things are in full swing for ya over there. Yes the Imperial reel is very nice for it's intended market. Can't wait to test her out on the big water. Hoping to persuade Adam from Paine Falls Centrepin Reels for one to test as well. Fingers Crossed!!!!
One thing...For the record, I don't care if Norlands Nutt Sac falls off! Nor do I think does he!
LOL!!!!

Trotsky said...

You guys crave my bag.....
I hope the boys get to healing better than this or those Michigan hooksets are going to be bitter sweet...
:o/

lambton said...

Christ....I can hear it now! Lost another because of my coat hanger nut surgery!!!!

JDA said...

"I can honestly say I have never got anything in life by sitting back and waiting for it to fall into my lap"

+1 except for Gnorlands mouth. Argh!