 If you mention Free Spirit to any carp angler in the know, the first thing that will come to their mind is the range of rods that the company have developed and introduced to the marketplace. The first thing that hits you immediately as soon as the rod is removed from the waterproof nylon bag that the rods are supplied in is the slimness of the blank. It has been mentioned to us before that it was impossible to build a carp rod blank that was super slim yet retain the rigidity so it is not sloppy nor lose it’s rigidity over a number of years, but Free Spirit have defied that logic and done exactly that with the E-Class. The use of very high modulus 40t carbons with a 3k weave, combined with a low resin content have enabled Free Spirit to do this.  The finish of the rod is minimal compared to others that are lacquered and blinged up to attract the eye of the angler in the shop, with only the ring whippings and the Free Spirit logo at the base of the reel seat being finished flawlessly with a high gloss lacquer. This “naked” blank finish is what Free Spirit call the “Perdurable” finish. The “Perdurable” finish means that the actual carbon itself is exposed and on display which would show any imperfections in the build stage, but the rods that we have got here have no imperfections in the carbon itself and we have carefully looked and looked at the rods to try and find one! This finish also means that a naked flame can be held against the blank (although we do not condone this at all for safety reasons!) and any visible “damage” can simply be rubbed away with a damp finger, leaving the blank exactly as it was before! Simeon has also gone on video and scratched the blank with a very sharp knife and instead of the carbon in the blank being rubbed away, the actual knife blade had deposited parts of it onto the carbon with no damage at all to the rod! The “Perdurable” finish also means that the rods simply ooze class and look like a custom built rod. The actual diameter of the blank at the top of the reel seat is a staggering 13mm!  Starting at the very bottom end of the butt section, the handle has been finished with a matt finish gun metal aluminium button that fits in perfectly with the Japanese shrink wrap hand grip that is just the perfect size for the majority of anglers’ grips when casting. This is finished to the blank with a dozen or so turns of silver whipping to blend it down perfectly. Moving up to the reel seat, Free Spirit have used a matt finish light gun metal Fuji EPS-18 reel seat that will house any big pit reel on the market comfortably and securely. The seat is finished with matching aluminium collars in the same style as the button at the end. The distance between the reel seat and the end of the blank is perfect for myself meaning that the very end of the butt sits in my armpit when holding the rod out straight against my arm (which is 52cm from base of seat to end of butt grip). One other little point worth mentioning is that the EPS-18 reel seat also has an aperture on the top of it so that an isotope can be fitted should the angler wish. The rods we were sent were the 12’ 3.25lb version with 50mm ringing (we all use large diameter spool big pit reels and find that this style of ringing gives us better casting ability and less line twist due to the less acute angle that the line runs back when reeling in) and the E-Class uses the same rings as the other rods through the ranges so no expense is spared. The rod has been rung with distance casting in mind, but carefully thought out so that the line is not pushed at acute angles when a fish is being played as some other multi-range and distance rods on the market. 5 S-Lite SiC guides plus the tip ring make up the ringing, with the following spacing used;
Reel Seat – 50mm Butt - 94cm Each ring (other than the tip) is of the double leg variety that will withstand the abuse that modern carp anglers will give them, rather than the single leg variety that can be bent or damaged a lot easier. The whippings are done using a black thread and finished off perfectly with a high gloss varnish. The rings are suitable for use with both braided or monofilament reel lines and are robust enough to deal with shock leader knots travelling at high velocity through them. Rather than use a spigot joint that can add a flat spot where the more robust piece of carbon is inserted into the butt section and secured during the building stage, the E-Class rods use an over-fit joint. Although any wear on the male section of the joint is going to be minimal to say the least with the “Perdurable” finish, should any wearing of the joint occur, the tip section is going to match up perfectly still with no wobble or need to build up the joint with carbon spray or candle wax. One other very important point to make about these (and all the rods in the Free Spirit range) is that the rings and reel seat are fixed in alignment to the spine of the blank. The spine of the blank is where the carbon cloth ends after it has been rolled on the mandrel and if the fixtures are affixed off the spine, the tip can twist when casting, causing the lead to fly out off the direction that the angler intended it to go. Some rod manufacturers claim that building to the spine does not make that much difference, but I would rather have it in my mind that every detail has been considered and to give the added confidence in the rod itself.
Given the price of the rods, the stunning looks of the rods, the superb casting potential and the sublime playing action of the blank, the E-Class really are in a class of their own. UKMA simply cannot fault them in any way whatsoever. The RRP of the E-Class range from £149.99 for the 12’ 2.5lb version through to £189.99 for the extreme range 12’ 3.75lb (50mm ringing), they are not going to break the bank, and each of the exclusive Free Spirit dealers offer deals on multiple rod purchases, making the E-Class even greater value for money. For those that would like to have their rods customised to their own specifications, Free Spirit will have one of their rod builders hand build the E-Class rods to the anglers requirements for a small additional cost. Details on this service can be obtained from any of the Free Spirit authorised dealers. Free Spirit are now offering matching Spod and Marker rods in the E-Class range, as well as a matching landing net and various stalking rods, so there is a complete setup to cover every eventuality that the modern specimen angler will come across. Conclusion UKMA would like to thank Simeon Bond and Free Spirit for allowing us to put these rods through our strenuous testing procedure for the review.
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Measurements taken from centre of guide to centre of guide.
On a recent session, UKMA took the E-Class rods out for a full on 48 hour plus session to put them through their paces on a local club water that holds a good head of mid-upper doubles with fish to just under 30lb. Once on the bank, the rods were each rigged up with a Shimano Power Aero XT 10000 reel, loaded with 20lb Nash Bullet Braid (braid was used to really show the rods playing action and also how forgiving the rod was under the tip). Different rigs were used on each rod with lead sizes ranging from 1.5oz through to 3.5oz to test the casting potential.