bucks, the power match kits are the same for all the xitan range the top kits for my Z4 7 and 9 all have the same barcode on them. although the normal match kit that comes inside the pole should be the same as the rest of the pole Ie has a wrap on the end of the number 3?

you should have a super strong cupping kit though not a power kit so you might want to get in touch with the retailer about this

I hate this sort of thing, why cant they just send the pole packaged in nice shiny cellophane as it came from the manufacturer, regardless of the fact the top kits might be the same across the range. And how the hell do they have the nerve to send a power kit instead of a cupping kit? If its a genuine mistake, fair enough, but if they are fobbing you off then its out of order. I had a similar problem when I bough my old Trabucco pole, from a different retailer. Then you have the hassle of returning stuff. This is what puts me off mail order.

yes thats correct, the kit inside the pole with the P173613 code is a Z9 match kits. the other code is for the power match kits which are the same right through the range ( i personally use them for everything)

im pretty sure its a mver number 4 bush that goes straight into the number 2 although i cant tell you for definate as i’ve cut a bit more off the number 2s and fitted a maver number 6 bush

I have just replied to your Pm Bucks, with the same info as Adam has given you. Craig

i got my z9 today also from fishermans friend and had same thoughts as you buck,as my top kits say z3 on tubes.no need to panic though as its correct.kit inside pole is a match kit and the 8 spare top 3s are power match kits.i got the correct cupping top.did you get the cups?

anyone no the elastic rating for the match kit supplied in the pole.

The elastic rating is 14 i believe as it says 14/20 on the pole butt which i presume to be match/power kits ratings. But i have been wrong before,once.
I never got any cups with mine. ~think

i use them top kits on my 481 and believe me they are strong!!!! ive seen the shapes adam has had them bent in also!!! no worries about strength with them!

got a spare no4 delivered today for z9 and the finish is totally different to the one supplied with the pole,its a glossy black with a really narrow weave that sticks in your hands,its also 2 inch shorter,the serial numbers correct but surley this is not right.

How is craigm getting on with the z9 i have just registered . craig been watching your pole swaps as a guest

@fourcanals wrote:

How is craigm getting on with the z9 i have just registered . craig been watching your pole swaps as a guest

Good evening fourcanals and welcome to the forum. I have only really used the Z9 a few times and mainly at 6mtrs due to that being as far as i can sling the ice breaker, I have only used it once at 14.5/16m at Lindholme and have to say i really liked it even if i only had 2 bites. The pole is light, rigid, responsive and has the best finish of any pole i’ve used and as you know i’ve used a few. I’m planning an outing or 2 this weekend, probably Lindholme so hopefully it’ll get a proper test.

I need to draw on a load to catch a few.

thanks Craig the pole seems to be getting a few good reviews reading this forum I will wait for the tournament army to diss anything other than THE TOURNEY

whats the best price for this pole

The best price is from Fishermans Friend, Birmingham now i think at £1735 or Simply fishing tackle, Bolton. It was cheap at JP Tackle, Essex who were doing an introductory offer of £1625 but that has now expired i believe and unsure of their new price.

@fourcanals wrote:

thanks Craig the pole seems to be getting a few good reviews reading this forum I will wait for the tournament army to diss anything other than THE TOURNEY

Yes, what could be better than a pole that is horrible to ship and who’s sections come apart randomly.
That’ll get em going. ~clap ~clap ~clap

It’s alright knocking daiwa poles but at least there number 4’s are all the same size, theres good and bad amongst all brands.

Pigslayer I was on the verge of getting a Z9 however the fact that your spare 4th section is a different size and speck rankles with me,I’d take the spare back to the shop with the origenal from the pole and ask whats occuring? I once bought a garbo pole and the 5th and sixth replacement sections were a good 3 inches shorter than the origenals, when you purchase a spare section it should be an exact copy of the origenal not a bodge up!

lets face it with spares the z9 must run to close on £2,000 browning need to do better than this

Tourny Pro X then Fred ~think

could well be Neil, the Z9 is a great pole but browning sending out a shorter no 4 section takes the biscuit!Having suffered with browning in the past I thought that all this sort of nonsense had ceased, supposed to be a dedicated spares centre in germany spares guranteed for 10 years but screw up on the right sized pole section, I hope this is sorted and will be interested to hear what response the chap gets from the tackle shop.

possibly:- Oh yeh mt8 there all like that LOL

the no4 situation has been sorted,the browning rep was very helpfull.the pole its self is superb and finished to a high standard but the spare top kits are not.the no1s have been finished,the no2s have been finished at either end where the stickers are but glossy black inbetween and the no3s are all glossy.(by finished i mean sanded).its a shame cos the pole is quality.i am so f***** off with it all that im tempted to send the pole back.does anyone know where i would stand,with regards this.

What was the craic with the no4 them mate ?? Whats the problem with the top kits ?? is it that they aren’t the same paint finish as the rest of the pole ?? I think most poles top kits are not finished the same as the pole due to keeping the weight down to help with balance and rigidity. As you don’t actually ship the top kits back i don’t think they need the paint finish either really.

from what iv been told the top 4s on some z9s have a different finish to the rest of the pole.mine has the finish from butt to no1 but the spare 4 they sent was from the first batch,glossy black with a raised weave that sticks to your hands.the next lot of spares which will be ready back end of feb,will all have the finish on them.the top kit in the pole like the rest of it has been finished,but the spare pmks have only been sanded where the stickers are,to me for 2k this isnt good enough,either do all the top kit or leave it.

pigslayer, it’s sounds a right mismatch. Not good enough for that sort of money is it.

I’ll give you £800 for it. lol

Totally agree with pigslayer,the finish on a 2k pole should at least be consistent.

Its a joke, take photos then send the whole lot back.

Pigslayer,

After reading your posts, I have just got my Z9 out and had a very good look at it.

The PMK’s (mine) have a slightly different paint job (and this is off-course because they are made with different carbon to allow them to be PMK’s) compared to the normal top3’s. There are 2 different styles of graphics for the PMK’s the first batch didn’t have Power Match Kit written on them (just the code no.) this was changed so people could identify them quickly compared to the normal kits.

The only part of my PMK’s that have (as you said a sanded finish) is the No.2 section where the graphics have been put on, which is 5″ long and the No.1 section 2″ (don’t use the No1’s). This does not affect the pole at all. and as mentioned every little bit of weight helps (could be the reason I really don’t know).

I have also compared all my spare No.4’s and they are all the same length (unlike yours by the sound of it) and all have the same finish, which is the tight weave (including the No.4 from the pole). This tighter weave is off-course required on the No.4 to give it the strength.

You said the finish is changing on the No.4 in the next batch in Feb (I didn’t know this).

However after all this and if you are still not happy with yours (and don’t get any joy with the tackle shop, which off-course is you first point of call as the purchase contract is with them and they should be contacting browning with your concerns) E-mail Browning themselves raising your concerns at [email protected]

the browning rep is sorting it out for me and has been really good,cant fault him.i must have got a pole from the second batch,and the spare 4 from the first batch.this has been sorted.my point about the pmks is that the sanded finish is far better than the gloss finish and if they can sand part of the topkit why not it all.

I’m glad to hear its getting sorted.

Could be just be a cost issue (to obviously keep the price down for spares) as you don’t need the smooth finish on them. As you said its more of a cosmetic issue.

Bucks,

I haven’t got any of the power kits for mine (and haven’t seen them either), however the Cupping Kit is super Stiff (I actually think it’s too stiff) and contains a lot of carbon in the walls, so I would be amazed if it was the same as the power kits (they would make the pole far too top heavy if they were), sounds like a bit of a fob off from the shop to me.

Also the cupping kit is £5 cheaper in the RRP, the trade prices are also different.

Hello,

I am the marketing manager for Browning in Europe and honestly a bit surprised how much trouble is made out of small things and partly misunderstandings around our new Z9 pole. Possibly we all suffer from a too cold winter (forecast for Sunday here is highest temperatures -9 centigrades – highest, not lowest temperatures!!!) and instead of enjoying our tackle during a proper fishing session we discuss too much about it. With regards to the Z9, here come the facts:

The small first shipment of the Z9 poles plus the spares which we got with the initial shipment had matt finish from the butt to 5th section, while 4th to tip sections were glossy with the spiral around as known from glossy sections. This was not intended, but this small maker mistake was so far no problem for us as the first shipment went exclusively to testanglers. And those are just interested in performance and not any optical gimmicks. We did not have one complaint consequently.

With second shipment of the poles we changed also top four sections to matt. Now it happened that a buyer of a Z9 from second production broke a matt 4th section and got a glossy as replacement. Not ideal, we are aware. Just we don’t have many matt spares for section 3 and 4 in the moment, as the spare stock is still from first production. But we found a way to satisfy the customer. On top we are speeding the maker for more matt 4’s and 3’s and by this we will have no problems in the future.

Now, the power match 3/1 kits, also known as PMK’s: Those are the normal PMK’s which we use in all our Xitan poles and this is described in our catalogue. There is no cheating intended, I find it frustrating that this taste ever could come up. The PMK’s are perfect for the job, hardly any heavier than the standard (silver fish) match kit 3/1 inside of the poles, but miles stronger. So just perfect. As these PMK’s have a slightly different surface (micro sanded diamond surface) instead of the special matt surface treatment of the Z9 sections, there is a slight colour change from 4th Z9 section to the 3rd section of the PMK. But that’s all. Who cares? I suppose no real fishermen… (while Bob Nudd was sponsered by us, he even mixed sections from CC910 and CC990 happily though both poles were different animals…). Before somebody appears on the scene with another complaint: Also the short D, which we offer, is the standard Xitan short D and thus has the same surface like the PMK’s. So if you are offended, pls don’t buy!!!

Another word about the cupping kit: if somebody gets a power kit as a cupping kit for a pole, he should not worry too much if at all. Most cupping kits on the market are IDENTICAL with power kits 2/1, just labelled differently. In our case of the Xitan range we offer in fact a different cupping kit, a so called super strong cupping kit. This IS different from normal power kits 2/1. It is very very strong and stiff, which is good in many cases, just it increase the risk to overstress sections 4 and 5 especially when used with a top end pole and when balling in big balls. So if you ask me, I’d actually prefer for a Z9 a normal power kit 2/1 as a cupping kit, rather than our super strong cupping kit.

With regards to cups: All our Xitan poles sets (Z1-Z7) for the UK market come with cups included! Just not the Z9. Our market research revealed that most users of a pole of this class have many cups already and prefer certain styles, so further cups in the package are not really needed and often not used. If anybody interested in a Z9 wants cups as well though, pls feel free to negotiate with your dealer, he can check with his Browning rep.

There are many nice poles on the market. So pls feel free to discuss your preferences and opinions. No problem for me. Just it is SURE that the new Xitan Z9 belongs to the most nice poles available at all. And consider the price tag and compare to other rocket high price tags. I just got a phone call from Mark Sawyer (AT) yesterday and I cannot tell you how highly he spoke about the pole. He certainly will write this in f

Frerk, your English and comments are spot on.
~clap ~clap ~clap
~shh ~shh

Well said Frerk ~clap ~clap ~clap

It seems to me that people are complaining about something that has no affect on the poles actual fishability(new word ??) I know we all like them to look nice and it does on the butt sections where all the paintwork is, but surely looking down the length of a 16mtr pole who can tell if the top kit has the same finish or not. I know i’m more interested in the weight, balance, rigidity and response of the pole not if all the top kits look the same. The Z9 is one of the best poles on the market today and will sell very well, most if not all of those future sales will be made due to the quality of the product not because all the top kits have a matching sanded finish or not. I think we should all concentrate on improving our fishing so we can try catch up with the likes of Mr Ringer and Co and not putting all our efforts into looking good. Rant over.

~naughty ~naughty ~naughty

Bucks, from what Frerk is saying…you want a power top two as a cup kit top as the stiffer cup will put more stress on the lower sections (4/5/6) as there will not be a natural bend to the pole with a superstiff cupkit.

Fair play for Frerk for posting his comments. We are rather anal about our poles aren;t we. I’m the same and i think it is justified when spening £000’s. These little problems are so easy to avoid, that’s the frustration part.

J

Thanks Frerk for coming on and taking the time to write the explanation (as above).

I also echo craigm’s comments, spot on.

I have had my Z9 since the very first shipment of them and it is the best pole I have ever owned or used (and like craigm I also have had a few).

The Z9 has had some very good write-ups and user reports since its introduction.

All top of the range poles will have their knockers (just look at what happens when anyone on here starts a thread titled something like “what is the best flagship poleâ€

Quite agree Mick the only disconcerting part being that pigslayer was sent a 4th section a couple of inches shorter, ok that situation has been resolved, also it is easy to understand why anglers got concerned on the issue raised about the finish of the 4th and pwm kits as chaps wonder have they got sections from another pole or is it right for their pole, questions that needed to be answered, pointless getting a £2,000 pole and then fishing with the wrong top kits, so they obviously needed to check it out Ok the issues have been resolved, but it should have been sorted properly in the first place imo

However having said that it is the best pole for the money on the market at the mo in my opinion and I can see myself getting one of these, however I will wait a little while until all the shiny sections have been despatched through the system lol

Bucks,

I use a Power Kit from a Beryllium Carp Spec pole when cupping heavy balls like Leam mixes, big balls of G/Bait etc. It takes pressure off your no.4 and 5 sections (just like Frerk pointed out).

All other times I use the Z9 Cupping Kit (you don’t get the annoying bend in the cupping kit with these).

Fred,

Hello mate…..

Yes agree with you and as you said now resolved (hopefully).

Bucks, if you’re are worried..copy and paste Frerks comments into a word doc and store for future use, should it be needed. then when you email him, you can remind him of his comments and it will easily be resolved.

Bucks,

Thats what these forums are for after all (helping each other).

Frerk, your comments seem very arrogant as in “if you dont like it then tough sh*t “

Thats fine I suppose but surely you are trying to attract business here. I have heard the pole is awesome but when spending that kind of money you want it perfect in every way from a production point of view.

its like buying a new silver car and it being supplied with 1 black panel, yes it doesnt affect the performance, MPG, drive or anything else about the car but it looks crap and that IS important.

some people just dont read threads do they,im not knocking the pole iv just purchased,that part is spot on.the no4 was not to replace a broken section,just a spare,av only had pole two days not used it yet,the problem was dealt with swiftly.regarding the top kits,its not a cosmetic thing,its the fact that these have not been produced to the same high standard as the pole,or dosent this matter.is it ok to produce no1s that look like theyve bn sanded with an angle grinder,just because most people dont use them.watch this space in a few months time when craigm has got the new garbo the z9 will just be another pole.the pole feels as good as anything out there,and if browning sort these small issues out they will sell a lot more.

Pigslayer, I won’t be getting the Gmax1000 because as you know i got rid of the G10 as i felt it was too heavy and stiff, so i will not be buying something that is heavier and stiffer than the G10 at 13m as to make it stiffer at 16m it will end up being be quite a bit heavier. I got the Z9 as i thought as you say it is just about the best pole on the market at the moment especially at the price, i have had G10, Airity, Gis12, Aspire pro, 481 etc etc and tried The ONE, Fox Envoy Elite, Tourney Pro + pro X and the Elite 77 before i bought it and think it will take some beating for a while. You’ll see me still raving about the Z9 in 12mths as long as it doesn’t fall to bits. ~think

I was thinking about getting a Z9 but I dont want a pole off many colours .

Im not like Bob Nudd I have to buy my poles.

SO FRERK get it wright and stop your excuses~naughty

I wish the Browning boys would keep everything in context. I dont recall anybody knocking the actual pole itself or Browning for that matter. What pi**es people of is that they do not recieve what they are supposed to from the retailers. If A pole comes as a standard package, then that is what everybody should recieve, not something that has been bodged together. Perhaps Browning should have a word with the retailer and find out whats going on instead of making excuses.

Baitchef,

The knocking statement was meant as a general statement (not about the pole its self) I’m sorry if it was not written so that people understood what I meant (as you said no one has said anything bad about the pole, which is great).

As Frerk has already stated, the only difference in colour (now that the spare No.4s are being sorted) is with the PMK’s which………….

“have a slightly different surface (micro sanded diamond surface) instead of the special matt surface treatment of the Z9 sections, there is a slight colour change from 4th Z9 section to the 3rd section of the PMK”

I’ve had loads of poles with a very slight variation in colour of the power kits (compared to the normal top3’s).

I’m sure that Browning will look into the details of what happened with the Cupping Kit with the package (as many people have said it may be a retailer problem, could be a dispatch issue). They are obviously well aware that this happened now.

@craigm wrote:

I got the Z9 as i thought as you say it is just about the best pole on the market at the moment especially at the price, i have had G10, Airity, Gis12, Aspire pro, 481 etc etc and tried The ONE, Fox Envoy Elite, Tourney Pro + pro X and the Elite 77 before i bought it and think it will take some beating for a while.

If the Z9 outperforms that lot the no4 could be bright pink for all i care! its a tool to do a job and will soon get covered in slime/corn juice/groundbait.

Get a grip tarts!!!!! lol

Glebe1, hahaha

Is there a pole with flames all the way? i want one! hahaha

Totaly agree. couldnt care less about how the pole “looks” as long as it performe as it should.

If the Z9 outperforms that lot the no4 could be bright pink for all i care! its a tool to do a job and will soon get covered in slime/corn juice/groundbait.

Get a grip tarts!!!!! lol [/quote]

Well said that man.
~clap ~clap ~clap ~clap ~clap ~clap ~clap ~clap

Is the Z9 available in Rive blue?

mick your missing my point,on my pmks the no1s have been sanded,but some of the gloss spiral wrap has been left on(ok very faintly).the no2s are gloss apart from either end where the stickers are,these are sanded.the no3s are all gloss.im not bothered about topkits been of a different finish to the rest of the pole as long as there all the same.this issue is in the process of getting sorted out.browning are sending me a no4 with the correct finish and i can keep the other free of charge.this more than makes up for the no4 mistake.craigm bet u got one with the shitty finish on the top 4.lol

Pigslayer, the no4 in my pole is the same finish as the rest of the pole mate but all the other spare no4’s i got are a different finish but i got the no4’s from the Z7 as they feel stronger than the Z9 ones and are £80 cheaper. I also have a few no4’s and no5’s from the Sensas Powermatch competition range as they all fit and they look different still. All my Pmk’s look strange now anyway as i’ve had them all wrapped and made into pulla kits and all my spare light match kits look different as they are Maver and Sensas ones. The 17.5m + 19m extensions will also look totally different as they are probably going to be made to measure ones so just plane black unless i have them painted with my name on in yellow.~think ~think ~think
But as i said before, as long as it performs as it should and helps to improve my angling then who gives a toss.

any one know if browning make short no4s and half ex sections for the z9 most other top poles come with them included in the package they make the pole more versatile ~think

maye be browning,maver and sensas should make a pole together,that would be good, n save you a fortune,cartersdad,hellsbells,craigm.who is this man.

yes viper the short 4 is called a short d and is £60.

am on a roll now.lol who the f##k describes their pole as a tool,i will tell you who,TOOLS.lol

@pigslayer wrote:

am on a roll now.lol who the f##k describes their pole as a tool,i will tell you who,TOOLS.lol

Sorry i got my words totally messed up, i apologise, what i meant to say was a pole is a materialistic item which according to its value or cosmetics enhances your image on the bank thus making you feel like a real angler PMSL

that is correct PLEBE1 which is why i went for the z9 and not the airity.lol

@pigslayer wrote:

that is correct PLEBE1 which is why i went for the z9 and not the airity.lol

Your right PIGSGAYER the Airity is soooooooooo yesterday~sick ~sick lol

i like it.lol~clap ~clap ~clap

Just to be serious for a minute!! how do you guys that have the Z9 reckon it will stand up to summer carping? if its as good in the hand as everyone says this will be the deciding factor whether it sells loads or not, because the price is right.~clap

It seems to me this thread started off about mis-matched pole sections with people giving their opinions on it, but now pigslayer seems to be making it personal. I thought this was a fishing forum for help and advice not an opportunity for personal attacks. I have only been on here a short while and i may not bother again.

@pigslayer wrote:

maye be browning,maver and sensas should make a pole together,that would be good, n save you a fortune,cartersdad,hellsbells,craigm.who is this man.

What you getting clever with me for pigslayer, I haven’t called you or named you in any of my replies. You was being nice enough when bombarding me with questions about the Z9 on the other forum. In fact to be fair you probably bought the Z9 on my recommendation as you’d never even held one. All i have done is talk about the pole and wondered why people were moaning about sections being different, most of who haven’t even got one ??
Maybe you’re just bitter at having to sell your G10 for less than i sold my G995 ??

@GLEBE1 wrote:

Just to be serious for a minute!! how do you guys that have the Z9 reckon it will stand up to summer carping? if its as good in the hand as everyone says this will be the deciding factor whether it sells loads or not, because the price is right.~clap

I personally think the supplied no4 feels a bit soft for proper bagging that is why i have bought the no4’s for the Z7 as they seem stronger(but the paint finish is different). There is always the option of the short no4 but i haven’t got any of these to comment on.

Adam1 has been using his Z whatever for summer carping last year at Woodlands and a good few other venues.

Up in water and splashing his rig..i had a waggle and thought it was pretty good.

Must admit though..I will be keeping hold of my G10 for the forseeable.

no not bitter,should i be?i wasnt 100% happy with my purchase,not tackle tart,not cosmetic,not about it just been a tool.future z9 owners of got more chance of getting an even better product,because of the threads i have put on here.think its time to put this one to bed.lol

thank f**k for that

I take it it’s not available in blue, sorry to interupt this thread with inane drivel.

On reading this thread, there seems to be a lot of misundertandings about the Browning Z9 – sanded sections, cupping kits. section lengths etc. etc. In reality it’s all very simple – but has got a bit confused amid all the posting being made.

I know these poles very well and have been using them at least 3 times a week for the last year as part of Browning’s test program.

If anybody is seriously considering buying a Z9 (or Z1 – Z7) and wants more information, I’d be very happy to answer any questions you have – topkits, section, bushes, bungs, compatabilty with other makes etc etc.

Either send me a mail or give me a call on 07976 517746 (at reasonable times)- guarantee I can give you an answer!

I don’t work for a shop so I wont try and sell you one, I can’t give you prices, and I can’t answer “compliants”, but if you want angler-to-angler “technical” info on the poles I’d be happy to help.

mick, the one i was using earlier in the summer which you had a go with was the Z7, the Z9 is the newer one. have a hold next time i see you. im sure you ll be impressed!

I came second on Saturday at Farview, using my Z9 with a very similar catch. 5lb 12oz consisting of 2 small carp and lots of small roach all caught at 14.5/16m and i agree its a very nice pole.

Go gettem Frank.
As Frank says the Z9 is a fine piece of kit that can suit all types of pole fishing. Browning offer excellent service many tackle dealers don’t!

Dave (Peg 13 again Frank.)