"Maximum performance with a raw new look."

It's been a little while since our last update but we've been got some great new developments to share with you today. Welcome to a first look at our newly evolved Kickstarter offering: Hyperlite RLX Founder's Edition with Unsanded Blanks.

Founder's Edition? Say again?

So to explain a little more, we always envisaged celebrating the first ever D-Flex production rods with something unique. We were previously simply going with Limited Edition, but having given it more consideration (we're now in the very final details stage), we thought that Founder's Edition is a better and more distinctive representation. Especially with the new unsanded blanks look!

It just makes these rods that little bit extra special, and gives our Kickstarter backers something that is completely and forever unique. After the Kickstarter production run, there will never be any more Hyperlite RLX Founder's Edition rods ever made!

Why Unsanded Blanks?

We've been consulting with both our manufacturer (who makes rods for some of the world's biggest brands), and with some very experienced rod makers. And besides us having a soft-spot for the natural unsanded look, we've learnt that unsanded blanks may actually offer better performance.

"It gives our Kickstarter backers something that is completely and forever unique."

The sanding process can be quite imprecise and inconsistent from one blank to the next, and when dealing with miniscule (microns thick) carbon fibers this is potentially significant for end performance. There's plenty of debate about this among rod makers, but we want to take any possible opportunity to maximize performance and consistency for the first D-Flex rods ever made. Our foundational principle as a team is science-driven performance, so this comes above all else!

Ready For Launch? 🚀

We're delighted to have pretty much everything ready to go and we're at the final stage of standard project review and approval by Kickstarter. As soon as we get the green light, we'll be going live!

A few more details about the Kickstarter project. With Early Bird Specials, each rod will be priced at £359 (excluding any taxes & shipping). There will only be a limited number of Early Bird Specials available so make sure to get in fast! Regular Kickstarter pricing will be £399 (ex. taxes & shipping).

In addition to the completely unique D-Flex performance benefits, we're working to provide the best quality componentry we can - with the highest quality Flor grade cork handles, hard-chrome plated snake guides and an ultralight reel seat (possibly a completely custom design - more on that next time). Along with IM8 nanotech carbon fiber (again more on that in future). The rods will be fast-action in the cast and medium-fast playing fish.

As for delivery times, as you might know Kickstarter pledges are essentially backing an early/prototype product. The capital raised is used to fund the production manufacturing so shipping times can commonly be a few months. In our case, general demand for fishing rods has also increased significantly during the pandemic, and factories have been affected by lockdowns etc.

So manufacturers at present are all dealing with significant backlogs! Actual delivery time could be a while. We're hopeful it wouldn't be beyond 6 months (and we'll keep you updated throughout the whole process). But we're conservatively saying October 2021 for delivery. It will be worth the wait!

So that's everything for now, and we'd love to know what you think of the new Founder's Edition. Maximum performance with a raw new-look. We hope you love it as much as we do. Leave a comment on our Facebook page and let us know what you think! 👍

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