Century Eliminator T700 + Graphene (Review).

Since the release of the Eliminator T800 & T900 surf casting rods 18 months ago things have been busy up at Century HQ in the North East of England. The rods were so popular that demand was far outstripping production in the months after release which is a good problem to have. Their carbon fibre has been sent into space most notably on the GSAT 6 Satelite and they have been working with more than one F1 team building the chassis of some of the world’s fastest cars. Both industries carry exacting high standards and them choosing Century is a real testament to the quality of their manufacturing and how far it has come since their inception some 40 years ago. The rods are no longer a secret worldwide either, the demand from the USA alone for sea rods is snowballing and with some of the most famous anglers there using Century blanks.

For a year now Century has been working with one of the UK’s certified producers of Graphene. For those of you that haven’t heard of Graphene, I have included some links below relating to it. It is 200 times harder than steel, harder than diamonds, it’s the world’s first 2-dimensional material and it’s incredibly flexible. The material was developed in the UK by the University of Manchester and this hexagonal lattice will be in everything in 10 years time and Century has moved promptly on it.
http://www.graphene.manchester.ac.uk/discover/video-gallery/what-is-graphene/how-strong-is-graphene/
During this period of development, they have chosen to put this new wonder material in the Eliminator GT1000 (unreleased) popping rod and the power of this light rod in the south Atlantic catching sharks was unparalleled, coping with big fish from the shore and boat. They also put it in the Graphene Stealth carp fishing rod which has proved a real hit being released at the tail end of 2016. The third rod with this material is the Century Eliminator T700 which was released at Christmas 2016.

*T700 pictured (right)

Having used the popping rod and seeing it’s power I was extremely excited to have a cast and to go fishing with the new T700. The rod is 15ft long, with a through action in the cast and it is designed for clean to mixed beaches targeting fish at range. The rod is the lightest of the Eliminator line, it will cast up to 6oz (175g) & bait and put it a long way. It is easier to cast than any other rod in the range and really gives a lot of sport to the angler while fighting fish. It has a stiffer S2 glass tip than the T800 which still retains all of the fantastic bite detection. It also has new anti-twist technology and all of the usual features a Century has like the Japanese shrink wrap, metal bands and Fuji anti-tangle TKWAG guides, EVA collars, and Century have switched back to a Fuji reel seat. The rod is suitable for fixed spool and multiplier, it has been tested rigorously with both setups. The rod is rated for an off the ground cast or aerialized but, it was not released as a full pendulum casting rod and it will suit those guys who aren’t perhaps getting the best out of some of the more powerful rods in the range. It is a real pleasure to use and cast, yet it still has enough to handle some real challenges.

The rod will be perfect for range fishing for plaice, rays, smoothies and it certainly won’t let you down with a big fish either. I was curious while testing it as to just how much stress this Graphene rod could be put through, I baited up for a common skate and waited. I pushed the blank to its very limits during the fight, it survived and landed an 180lb fish from a rocky ledge in Scotland.
*I would advise anyone against trying this with a T700 as I am pretty sure Century wouldn’t cover your warranty as this is not the rod’s intended purpose.
I’ll be getting a second one so I can fish a pair on my local South Coast beaches ????
Youtube T700 Casting Video

Chris Kennedy

Full Scotland Blog:
https://evocativeangling.rocks/2017/02/26/no-half-measures-42-hours-of-storm-doris-scotland-skate-centuryfishing/?iframe=true&theme_preview=true