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| Event Article: 2008 ICAST Show - Las Vegas, NV |
Enthusiasts Beware There's a New Player In Town: Introducing Damiki
| Date: |
7/19/08 |
| Location: |
Las Vegas, NV |
| Admission: |
Buyers & Press Only |
| Reviewer: |
Team TackleTour |
Introduction: ICAST is all about giving manufacturers the opportunity to showcase new products for the coming year in an effort to generate sales to retail stores so they can, in turn, present these new products to anxious consumers. Every now and then a new company shows up with their take on a rod, reel, or lure. Very rarely does a company debut with a complete catalog of product to showcase at this event. Even more rare is such a company debuting with an entire arsenal worthy of consideration by the TackleTour Enthusiast Crowd. Hold on to your credit cards, bank accounts, and spare change because we are about to take an ICAST 2008 tour with the newest JDM-esque company to come ashore on the North American Tackle Market - Introducing Korean owned Damiki!
Damiki comes to North America with an impressive arsenal of product to wet the appetite of Enthusiasts everywhere
At every turn of the Damiki booth, our eyes widened in amazement of the product that was being offered by this new to North America company, but once our eyes focused in, there was no question what we wanted to look at first - their fishing rods!
At the top of Cal's list are Damiki's Angel Blade bass rods
What true Enthusiast can resist a purple fishing rod?
On display at ICAST were 3 official lines for US introduction including the top end Angel Blade, the mid-range Dark Angel, and their introductory line, the Angel EX. Not shown at ICAST but expected to be available soon are two more lines, the Angel Salty Black which consists of one rod for saltwater enthusiasts, and Angel Pink, a single 6'3" two-piece extra-ultra light stick for $100. Of course, we could hardly contain Cal as he headed straight for the Angel Blade line.
Both Damiki Angel Blade casting rods feature a beautifully detailed split rear grip...
Angel Blade: Damiki's top end rod lineup consists of 7 rods of which only two are casting rods. They feature your typical top end components (Fuji Ti SiC guides) and will retail from $289 to $359. The blanks for these rods are built with criss crossing graphite fiber and are finished to an attractive purple hue. The casting rods come with a high density eva grip while the spinning rods will feature a high grade cork.
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Damiki Angel Blade Casting Rod Specifications
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Model (MSRP)
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Length
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Wt (g)
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Power
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Action
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Line Rating (lbs)
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Lure Rating (oz)
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| C691MH ($359) |
6'9"
|
180
|
MH
|
Fast
|
10-20
|
3/8-1
|
| C691H ($359) |
6'9"
|
180
|
H
|
Fast
|
12-20
|
3/8-1
|
... Fuji Ti framed, SiC insert guides...
... and their patent pending hook keeper.
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Damiki Angel Blade Spinning Rod Specifications
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Model (MSRP)
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Length
|
Wt (g)
|
Power
|
Action
|
Line Rating (lbs)
|
Lure Rating (oz)
|
| S661M ($289) |
6'6"
|
120
|
M
|
Fast
|
6-14
|
1/4-5/8
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| S661MH ($289) |
6'6"
|
135
|
MH
|
Fast
|
12-20
|
1/4-1
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| S661ML ($289) |
6'6"
|
127
|
ML
|
Fast
|
6-10
|
1/8-3/8
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| S701M ($309) |
7'0"
|
140
|
M
|
Fast
|
8-17
|
1/4-5/8
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| S701MH ($309) |
7'0"
|
145
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MH
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Fast
|
8-17
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1/4-1
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In hand on the showroom floor, these rods feel very light, well balanced and most of all, sensitive. They are a worthy entry to the Enthusiast space and come with a limited 3 year warranty that features a replacement cost of 50% of retail.
The casting rods feature high density EVA grips while the spinning rods feature what Damiki terms Luxury Cork Grips.
A look at the clean lines of the Angel Blade casting rod
Of course, obligatory badge on the Angel Blade's butt cap
Dark Angel: For the tournament minded Enthusiast, Damiki also offers a mid-range line called Dark Angel. This is their most robust rod lineup consisting of 10 casting and 11 spinning rods. They are built with Fuji Alconite guides with all but two rods in the entire lineup retailing for under $180!
The Dark Angel line is targeted at tournament anglers.
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Damiki Dark Angel Casting Rod Specifications
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Model (MSRP)
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Length
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Wt (g)
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Power
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Action
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Line Rating (lbs)
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Lure Rating (oz)
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| C631M ($159) |
6'3"
|
114
|
M
|
X-Fast
|
8-17
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1/4-5/8
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| C631MH ($159) |
6'3"
|
119
|
MH
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X-Fast
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12-20
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1/4-1
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| C661M ($169) |
6'6"
|
115
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M
|
X-Fast
|
8-17
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1/4-5/8
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| C661MH ($169) |
6'6"
|
121
|
MH
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X-Fast
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12-20
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1/4-1
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| C661H ($169) |
6'6"
|
123
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H
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X-Fast
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12-25
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3/8-1 1/4
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| C701M ($179) |
7'0"
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125
|
M
|
X-Fast
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8-17
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1/4-3/4
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| C701MH ($179) |
7'0"
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134
|
MH
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X-Fast
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12-20
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1/4-3/4
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| C701H ($179) |
7'0"
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132
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H
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X-Fast
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12-25
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1/8-1 1/2
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| C761M-CR ($189) |
7'6"
|
162
|
M
|
Regular
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8-20
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3/8-1
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| C801XH-SW ($209) |
8'0"
|
210
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XH
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X-Fast
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20-40
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2-10
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The Damiki patent pending hook keeper is also a very effective drop shot weight keeper
The Dark Angels' rear grip detailing is equally clean and impressive
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Damiki Dark Angel Spinning Rod Specifications
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Model (MSRP)
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Length
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Wt (g)
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Power
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Action
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Line Rating (lbs)
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Lure Rating (oz)
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| S631L ($159) |
6'3"
|
104
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L
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X-Fast
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6-10
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1/16-5/16
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| S631ML ($159) |
6'3"
|
110
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ML
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X-Fast
|
6-12
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1/8-1/2
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| S631M ($159) |
6'3"
|
115
|
M
|
X-Fast
|
8-17
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1/4-5/8
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| S631MH ($159) |
6'6"
|
117
|
MH
|
X-Fast
|
12-20
|
1/4-1
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| S661ML ($169) |
6'6"
|
119
|
ML
|
X-Fast
|
6-12
|
3/8-1/2
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| S661M ($169) |
6'6"
|
120
|
M
|
X-Fast
|
8-17
|
1/4-5/8
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| S661MH ($169) |
6'6"
|
122
|
MH
|
X-Fast
|
12-20
|
1/4-1
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| S701M ($179) |
7'0"
|
125
|
M
|
X-Fast
|
8-17
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1/4-5/8
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| S701ML ($179) |
7'0"
|
123
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ML
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X-Fast
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6-12
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1/8-3/8
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| S662UL (TBD) |
6'6" 2pc
|
102
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UL
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X-Fast
|
2-6
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1/32-1/8
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| JS702H ($139) |
7' 2pc
|
215
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H
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Fast
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20-49
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30-150g
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Just a very small, barely noticeable foregrip to cap off the Dark Angel's casting rod grip assembly.
The rods in this lineup also felt light and crisp in hand which makes their price point all the more unbelievable. The replacement warranty cost on this line, and all the other rods in the Damiki lineup is $50. It is only the Angel Blade line that cannot be replaced for this low fee due to high production costs.
A look at the Dark Angel Spinning Rod's grip assembly
Angel EX: How many times have you read in our discussion forum the desire for some quality two piece sticks? Perhaps the folks at Damiki have been paying attention. The Angel EX series features six rods (2 casting, 4 spinning) all of which are two piece sticks that arrive in their own custom rod sock.
Guess the price of this premium offering from Damiki?
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Damiki Angel EX Casting Rod Specifications (all 2pc)
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Model (MSRP)
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Length
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Wt (g)
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Power
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Action
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Line Rating (lbs)
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Lure Rating (oz)
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| C662M ($80) |
6'6"
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120
|
M
|
X-Fast
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8-17
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1/4-3/4
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| C662H ($80) |
6'6"
|
123
|
MH
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X-Fast
|
12-20
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1/4-1
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It is their 2-piece, value rod offering featuring SiC guides for only $80.
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Damiki Angel EX Spinning Rod Specifications (all 2pc)
|
|
Model (MSRP)
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Length
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Wt (g)
|
Power
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Action
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Line Rating (lbs)
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Lure Rating (oz)
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| S662UL ($80) |
6'6"
|
98
|
UL
|
X-Fast
|
2-6
|
1/32-1/8
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| S662L ($80) |
6'6"
|
104
|
L
|
X-Fast
|
4-8
|
1/16-3/8
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| S662ML ($80) |
6'6"
|
106
|
ML
|
X-Fast
|
6-12
|
1/8-1/2
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| S662MH ($80) |
6'6"
|
115
|
MH
|
X-Fast
|
12-20
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1/4-1
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Damiki's lineup of peacock bass casting rods.
Yes, we said casting rods - triggerless casting rods!
Retail for each rod in this lineup is a whopping $80 and they tell us these sticks are wrapped with SiC guides. Simply unheard of for rods in this price range!
Could this be the prototype bass rod configuration?
But those are not all the rods we saw in the Damiki booth. They have a line of peacock bass rods featuring stunning details. Damiki is considering adaptation of these sticks for a full line of black bass rods as well. There is no estimated cost or timetable for this new project, but take a look at the details on the existing line of rods.
We're actually uncertain, but the detailing of this stick is equally exquisite.
Damiki introduces premium baits as
well
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