Evergreen International Brett Hite Combat Stick RCSS-71MH Casting Rod Product Review

Rod Review

Saving the Best for Last? Evergreen International's Brett Hite Medium Powered Casting Rod (continued)

Power: When it comes to the RCSC-71M's actual power, this really is a traditional medium-powered stick. I pretty much knew this from the moment I flexed the rod's tip, but of course, we go through the paces with each piece of tackle just in case because every now and then we do get surprised.

Fig 1 : The chart above illustrates the deflection characteristics of our Evergreen International Brett Hite Combat Stick RCSC-71M.

There are no surprises with the RCSC-71M. It has a nice, soft tip followed up with a good, but not overpowering backbone making it ideal for rip baits, squarebill cranks, spinnerbaits, and some light duty Texas rigging or even slightly heavier application drop shot.

A closer look at that camo patterned EVA foam grip.

Design & Ergonomics: As mentioned earlier, the RCSC-71M feels relatively light and well balanced in hand and our lab numbers seem to back that up with a nod to the rod's overall balance contributing to how light it feels in hand.

The rod comes with an Evergreen branded Fuji ACS reel seat - which for some reason is a very polarizing reel seat, so many will rebuff component of the rod, but it doesn't bother me. I'm not big fan of the camo colored EVA grips, but it's not something that would deter me from purchasing more rods in this series.

Lab Results for Evergreen Intl BH Combat RCSC-71M
Model	Avg RoD (2-32 oz)	Taper	Measured Weight (oz)	Balance Point (inches)	Balancing Torque (ftlbs)
Evergreen Intl BH Combat RCSC-71M	2.86	Xtra-Fast	4.4	5.5	0.11
NRX 852C JWR	2.01	Xtra-Fast	3.7	8.5	0.15
MBR842C GLX	2.39	Fast	4	6.5	0.15

A hint of JDM styling at the reel seat locking mechanism.

Price & Applications: So what will this Evergreen cost you?

The one aspect about this and all the other rods in this series that I still cannot get over is the fact that they are priced at only $199. It's certainly not a price point out of line with what you are getting in a fishing rod, but just the fact that it's associated with Evergreen International is what makes me grin from ear to ear.

Sure these sticks aren't up to par with the Kaleido or even Heracles in terms of refinement and performance, but those sticks don't come with a US Warranty either and perhaps the arrival of the Brett Hite Combat series of rods is a precursor to the arrival of some of Evergreen International's JDM sticks.

The butt end of the grip is sufficiently sized for two handed casting.

Ratings:

Evergreen Intl BH Combat RCSC-71M Ratings (?/10)
Construction/Quality	A finely crafted stick	9
Performance	Another winner from this series	8.5
Price	Yup, Evergreen International for just a $1 under $200	8
Features	Solid components on a good performing blank and a quality rod sleeve to boot	8
Design (Ergonomics)	The best of the trilogy in terms of ergonomics	8
Application	A prototypical medium powered rod	8
Total Score		8.33
Ratings Key: 1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable! For More Details of the updated rating system visit our explanation here

Pluses and Minuses:

Plus	Minus
+ A nice, crisp medium powered stick	- Rod's Lure Rating is misleading
+ Nicely balanced
+ Solid, name brand components
+ Evergreen for $199!

The RCSC-71M marks the end of our trilogy with Evergreen International's Brett Hite Combat series of rods.

Conclusion: Evergreen International's RCSC-71M marks the end of our trilogy with their Brett Hite Combat Series of sticks and received the highest rating of the three we've tested. It is a very worthy candidate in our Search For One, and if you're "all-purpose" check list leans towards the medium-powered spectrum, then the RCSC-71M may be a worthy candidate in your search as well. Of course, our hope is this series from Evergreen International is the scout battalion leading to a full on tackle store invasion of their JDM product. We'll just have to wait and see.

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