Ikonix Centrepin

RRP £69.99

A lot of anglers are going retro or like to use a centrepin, but with the cost of a top quality centrepin being close to that of a good second hand car, a lot of anglers shy away from the joys of using a 'pin' simply because they cannot justify spending several hundreds of pounds on a piece of hand engineered equipment. We recently took receipt of a centrepin called the Ikonix from the distributors, which is priced within the general anglers budget.

The Ikonix centrepin looks like it costs a lot more than it actually does. The antique brass finish and wooden handles give the Ikonix a look a class that would not look out of place on a centrepin costing several times the actual price. The outer diameter of the spool measures in at 4.25" which fits the reel into the general purpose catergory, as it is perfect for trotting a float down a river as well as fishing for bigger fish close in on stillwaters. The 0.75" wide arbour of the spool allows for use with lines from ultra fine through to specimen class breaking strains without worrying about line bedding in.

The spool runs on 2 enclosed ball race bearings that can be removed and changed should the need come up. On spinning the spool, the Ikonix centrepin rotated smoothly and freely for 4 minutes and 17 seconds before coming to a stop gradually. For reel of this price, the running time on the spool is superb. I have owned other centrepins in a similar or slightly higher price range that have not run for that length of time.

The spool has been designed to have a skeletal look which keeps the weight of the reel down. Rather than use pins running across the spool for the line to sit on, the Ikonix has a solid round construction that will allow line to leave perfectly. The frame and the spool are both of a one piece machined design. The Ikonix centrepin weighs in at 219 grams which should balance out most float and barbel rods perfectly.

On the reverse of the body is a ratchet knob that upon turning engages or disengages the ratchet to stop the spool spinning freely. This is perfect for using with the rod on the rest and should a large fish pck up the bait and steam off, allows line to be taken without worrying about over-runs as well as giving an audible indication of a bite.

Incuded with the Ikonix centrepin is a nice little velour drawstring pouch that will give protection to the reel in transit and stop the reel being scratched or dented when not being used.

First Impressions

The Ikonix centrepin certainly exceeds its price tag on both looks and preliminary performance. If I had been handed the reel without the box or knowing the RRP, I would have said that it would sell for at least double the actual cost. I am looking forward to putting it through its paces both on rivers and stillwaters.

The Ikonix centrepin is distributed in the UK by Waterline and any shop with a Waterline account should be able to get one in for you.