Sensitivity: G.Loomis GLX has long been the benchmark in my mind for sensitivity in a bass rod blank. This new or really, remade MBR GLX blend feels on par with what I remember in the past.

The MBR842C GLX has above average sensitivity allowing you to feel a lot of what's going on at the end of the line. I did in fact test it with a drop shot rig making use of a Shimano Aldebaran reel spooled with six pound Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon and was able to have an effective day fishing with the MBR842C GLX fished in this manner.

Fig 1 : The chart above illustrates the deflection characteristics of our G.Loomis MBR842C GLX against a our legacy MBR842C GLX from a decade ago and our WTF baseline DSR820S GLX spinning rod.

Power: If there's a difference between this generation MBR842C GLX and what I like to refer to as the legacy MBR842C GLX, it's in effective power. This interpretation feels softer than the previous model. This is a good thing because the legacy MBR842C GLX was really only a half power softer than the MBR843C GLX with the real difference between those two rods being their respective tips. Their relative backbones were almost the same under load.

When I swung on that first fish, something told me this stick was different - softer, less powerful.

This new MBR842C GLX represents a clearer step down in power but by no means do you ever feel underpowered while fishing this rod. If you look at the RoD Deflection chart above, you can see how this new version has a tip almost right in line with the DSR820S GLX (hence the ability to use this rod in bait finesse techniques), yet quickly returns to the older power curve the from about twenty (20) ounces of pressure upward.

A new look custom reel seat.

Design & Ergonomics: Another area the MBR842C GLX has the old one beat is in balance. The new and old versions of this stick weigh the same at four ounces (4 oz), but the new one has a balancing point of only six and a half inches (6.5") above the midline of the reel seat to the old one's eight and half inches (8.5"). We were not calculating balancing torque numbers at the time we tabulated the old MBR842C GLX and I no longer have that stick in its original construction, so we don't have that data to compare.

SiC guides with Stainless Steel frames... ti frames have the word "titanium" imprinted on the frame.

This new MBR842C GLX has very good balance.

Price & Applications: Of course, inflation has caught up to the MBR842C GLX. I think I purchased my legacy model over ten years ago for right around $350. The new price for the MBR842C GLX is now $449.99 - one hundred dollars more. The rod itself can be used for everything from jerkbaits to drop shot rigs. It's a little more versatile than the previous model.

I was really surprised at how good the stick felt out of the package.

I took the rod to the lab and subjected it to the RoD WRACK, collected all our usual data and just waited for the opportunity to fish it. Finally that chance came and when I landed that first fish on the Vision 110 jerkbait, the rod felt great but something told me this stick was different - softer, less powerful. When I got back home from that trip, I crunched the numbers and put the chart above together. This stick WAS softer than the original. I found that tidbit interesting.

Welcome back MBR842C GLX and congrats on winning TackleTour's Ultimate Enthusiast Award!

So on our next testing trip, I switched reels and rigged the rod as a drop shot stick seeing how it would perform under those duties. I actually shined in these duties too. This is something I would have done with the old MBR782C GLX, but not the MBR842C. This is new interpretation is a different stick and you know what? It's still just as impressive as the old one in terms of versatility but even better with regards to ergonomics. The only downside to this stick is the new price, but to a true enthusiast, price is just a number. Welcome back MBR842C GLX and congrats on winning TackleTour's Ultimate Enthusiast Award!

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