I think the TP was the benchmark for poles and they are still selling loads of them,i think other companies have caught up.

I cant see any advancement for a few years to come to be honest.

‘caught up’ and overtaken I’d say.

I’ve only been fishing for tens years and i think it’s come on massively since when i started, they’ve got lighter, stiffer and more balanced.

i havent been fishing for ten years, but have a £1500 preston pole . had a go on a mates tourney pro x, and could not believe the differance a grand makes. its unbelievably lighter, balanced etcetc

Had a spectron power, sold it, got a super G10, sold that, got another spectron power?

For mid-range poles and bottom line poles there have been massive improvements in quality and value for money.

Some of the poles you can pick up between £400-800 are superb and would have given many of the top of the range poles of yesterday a good run for their money.

The top of the range market has seem manufacturers get wiser.

Fox and Shimano poles have always had superb easy ship finishes and now Daiwa have introduced a revamped easy slide finish to the TP to address the issues highlighted by many users and in time they may also be able to address the issue of sections coming apart, (candlewax helps).

Maver poles have become stronger with superb spares packages and now many manufacturers are having to follow suit to remain competitive.

As for technology relating to improved strength, weight and rididity, unless new resins, weaves or materials are introduced I don’t think that there will be any vast improvements.

The way to corner the market if you can’t improve the product is to improve the service and if one manufacturer is brave enough to introduce a lifetime or 5yr guarantee against breakages as they do on many fly rods it will take some beating.

I certainly wouldn’t mind paying for a service like that especially if they could guarantee delivery within 7 days.

Defo i had a lerc 8001 a few years ago and this was the pole to have cost £2500 about 10 year ago, and was paper thin nowadays you can get a pole thats as stiff twice as strong more spares for half that money.

The spectron comp was light years ahead of anything else when it came out. I remember going along the pole alley in bobco trying all the top end poles and when I picked up the speccy it was in a different class. I think that was the last major leap forward in pole technology, and while others have caught up, even improved, it certainly hasn’t been left behind.

I think in answer to the OP question 10 years then yes , the last 5 years definatley not.

Me I would not bother changing my G10 unless something came along that was as ground breaking as the Torny Pro or the Speccy Comp , they were light years ahead of anything that was out back then.

It’s a bit like where rods were about 15 years ago when the Normark 2000’s and Carbotechs came out ,not a lot if anything has improved since .

I think the next big step for poles will have to wait until a very new material arrives, its been taken as far as it can go in my opinion.