Release of our new Kraken Fly Reel - Allen Fly Fishing

[allenflyfishing]

Wanted to share the release or our new Reel to the NAFFF family.

Kraken Reel Series - Allen Fly Fishing Store

The Kraken delivers on all criteria laid out by our guides and pros who get their thrills from pursuing the biggest, fastest fish this sport has to offer. Featuring our first sealed drag system, it is ready to take on whatever situation your freshwater and saltwater situation calls for. With its incredibly lightweight design machined from aerospace grade bar stock aluminum, you'll be able to hold the arm fatigue at bay without sacrificing structural integrity. The Kraken is also our first reel to feature a V cut spool to guide your backing on evenly during your most high speed fish battles!

Thanks everyone,

 

[grassonfly]

wow cant wait to hold one. is it roughly the same drag design as the alpha? or is it a new material?

 

[ditz]

You notice that the first question was concerning the drag. I just read the ad description on my email and I went back and re-read to verify that there is no mention of the drag. The drag may not be importand on trout reels but on a reel intended for the salt the drag is very important. Just say'in

 

[evan_aff]

You notice that the first question was concerning the drag. I just read the ad description on my email and I went back and re-read to verify that there is no mention of the drag. The drag may not be importand on trout reels but on a reel intended for the salt the drag is very important. Just say'in

You would be correct, and that was an honest oversight on my part as I wrote the description on our store. This reel has a fully sealed cork drag. We tested out both cork and carbon disc in this reel, and cork won hands down. The carbon disc couldn't match its smoothness when cranked down, and it has quite a bit more stopping power. Being fully sealed off, the risk of damaging the cork from water is eliminated.

 

[grassonfly]

So it is cork. That is awesome. High quality components

 

[Hirdy]

Being fully sealed off, the risk of damaging the cork from water is eliminated.

Okay, so how do we carry out maintenance on the cork? Is it accessible to allow periodic conditioning (oiling) of the cork?

Cheers,
Graeme

 

[ditz]

kalgram....you beat me to that question.

 

[evan_aff]

Okay, so how do we carry out maintenance on the cork? Is it accessible to allow periodic conditioning (oiling) of the cork?

Cheers,
Graeme

Absolutely. It's actually quite easy to pull apart. This cork won't need that frequent of maintenance since it's not exposed to the elements, but a dab of neatsfoot oil once a season or so can only help it.

I plan to do some videos soon to show the process. I'm still moving in to my new office, so hopefully I can get to it very soon.

 

[sweetandsalt]

I like the inwardly tapered spool design; what is the spool width? What does the cork disc compress against? And in which country is this newest offering made? Thanks

 

[grassonfly]

What is the max drag strength?

 

[allenflyfishing]

I like the inwardly tapered spool design; what is the spool width? .......

The link to the reel is on the first post that will give you the spool info. The cork is pressed against a SS plate. The reel is made from our current mfg of our reels in china. Our show season starts again in Jan. Like last year, it was great to see a bunch of you and to try out our products.

The Kraken is already being put to the test only a few days after the release!
Timeline Photos | Facebook

The Kraken is a testament to our commitment to price, value, craftsmanship, and the ability to put a quality product in the hands of our customers. This is what drives us to excel.

In the next few months we will be rolling out several new products along with our Free Fly Rod Testing Program.

Thank you,


Justin

 

[Hirdy]

I plan to do some videos soon to show the process. I'm still moving in to my new office, so hopefully I can get to it very soon.

Ah, well that's good news. I look forward to seeing the videos - hopefully there will be some good close-up views of the drag washers. I was about to buy one, but I slammed the brakes on when I saw that a cork drag was specified.

Funny how the marketing world moves. I only found Allen reels because I was searching for good quality reels that use CF drags. Most of those "high end" (read "high cost") reels with fantastic machining were sticking with cork drag technology from the early 20th century (except Mako). In Allen reels, I'd found excellent value-for-money reels that used modern drags. Seems the marketing worm has turned on itself and now consumes the companies that were once in front of the game.

If I can't replace the cork with CF washers in these reels, I'll just have to keep buying the Alpha II reels while they are still for sale.

Cheers,
Graeme

 

[allenflyfishing]

Graeme, sorry if I'm not typing all that good ahead of time on my phone. I'm in the hospital with my wife in the labor and delivery room having our first child (any min now . She woul prolly kill me knowing I'm making a post.

However, I don't think what your comment about "Marketing" having us fall to it is all that true. In fact it's the opposite. Developing, prototyping, and mfg adds up to be expensive. You are correct that we are huge fans of carbon disks. However, with this new enclosed drag system and the amount of area required for the drag it preformed better with cork/Teflon. Also, it gave the reel a better feel. As we grow, it's important for us to be 100% sure a product we are producing stands up to our standards and those that use our reels.

This is the type of things that are keeping us ahead. Also, enjoying what we do for a living.

Thank you

Justin

 

[evan_aff]

If anything, marketing would have steered us in the opposite direction. I truly honestly believe cork to be the best choice for this reel. The smoothness it achieves while offering more stopping power than the carbon made me choose it from a performance standpoint, hands down.

We all have our preferences, but I truly believe we made the right call on the cork. If this is a deal breaker for anyone, let us know and we can discuss swapping the drag washer to a carbon one for your order.

 

[williamhj]

Off topic but congrats on the baby!!! Very exciting

 

[Hirdy]

New baby: Woohoo! Congratulations indeed!!!

Evan, I'll email you about getting the drag swapped over for my order.

Cheers,
Graeme

 

[brucerducer]

Probably, I will get one. It seems like an outstanding reel.

 

[ditz]

Congrats on the new family member....sometimes old tech is better than the new. Many, many times the 'new' tech is used because it is cheaper not better. I sure have no qualms with cork. It has worked well for many years and it is serviceable where many of the modern drags are not.

I just bought a new reel that I believe is excellent but I might have given this Kraken a try if I had not just purchased a new reel.

 

[evan_aff]

Congrats on the new family member....sometimes old tech is better than the new. Many, many times the 'new' tech is used because it is cheaper not better. I sure have no qualms with cork. It has worked well for many years and it is serviceable where many of the modern drags are not.

I just bought a new reel that I believe is excellent but I might have given this Kraken a try if I had not just purchased a new reel.

Very much agreed! I think revisiting "old" is always a great way to do R&D. It's why we still have click pawl reels and fiberglass rods; they're just timeless. While we don't make either of those things quite yet, they're always on the table as an option for our next development project.

I've always been a fan of cork, personally. I've owned many cork reels over my fishing career, and I always look back on them fondly. I think carbon fiber and cork both have their place; and the Kraken and its use was really the place for cork in our final assessment.

If anyone has any questions regarding the reel, you're always free to contact us. My email is evan@allenflyfishing.com

 

[sbreech]

Looks like a well built reel. BUT, I'm glad your company is open about having everything manufactured in China. So many other companies make it near impossible to find this out... whereas those that keep the mfg jobs here in the USA proudly display Made in the USA on every package, pamphlet, and item distributed. The honesty and clarity is commendable.