I’m living in China, so I took advantage of no duties and three day shipping from Ebisu-san. Just for grins, I thought I’d check out the Kurenai H30R. Man, what a wand - Now I REALLY want the HM30R
But the H30 is a pretty fast action rod. If memory serves, it has more backbone than the 10’ 3 weight Greys (that rod is 6500 miles away) I currently use for Euro-nymphing. Giving it test wiggles while comparing it to other tenkara and keiryu-like rods tells me it’s no noodle. I’ll be back in NorCal soon, testing it out in a little creek that’s definitely tight for a 12 footer, to see how it works.
Anyone else ever try the Kurenai H series rods? I can’t find much information on them online.
For that matter, is there any resources on just what the H rating’s mean? I see Suntech offers HM-2H rods, and I can find rods from H-6H on TaoBao. I do know that the higher the H value, the stiffer the rod. I’m just wondering if it’s purely subjective, or if there are objective criteria?
FWIW - I have a 3.6m 4H rod used for competitive Tilapia fishing. The size, shape and stiffness of the first two sections are quite reminiscent of a pool cue. I’ve seen anglers lofting 1 kilo fish out of the water with similar rods. I have no idea what I’ll use it for back in the USA. Heaven knows what a 6H rod would be used for…
The first year I carried the Suntech Kurenai rods I had both the H and the HM series. Once while fishing with a friend who caught a bass of about 12" on the H33 I decided I didn’t like the bend profile in the late stage of landing a nice fish, when the rod is tipped back and the bend is the most extreme. It looked like too much of the bend was concentrated in one section, which I thought would increase breakage over time. Following that I stopped carrying the H series.
I have never asked, but I have assumed the H is Hard, and the HM is Hard Medium. I have a Suntech Kaname 2H and had a Field Master Honryu 2H, which I assumed were Hard Hard, or extra hard, but they were such different rods from the Kurenai or from each other that there was no way to compare them to get a sense of whether they were extra hard (relative to what?). Neither of them had a tight bend profile like the H33 did.
Suntech has a 3H rod, which was designed for fishing the deep pools at the base of waterfalls with heavy split shot. That would suggest that it is a stiff rod, but I have never bought one so I don’t know for sure.
I was late to the game and unable to find a new Suntech Kurenai GM HM30R as they were unavailable and no longer on the market . However, I purchased on Janbox.com Japanese market a Suntech Kurenai GM H30R . I wanted the closest thing to a Kurenai HM30R available. Both Kurenai models HM30R and H30R share the same dimensions in Total Length = 2.9 Meters / 9’7", Total weight = 0.9 ounces, and Closed Length = 23.5". HOWEVER THIS IS WHERE THE SIMILARITIES END!!! In contrast to each other, the HM30R has a CCS =7.5 pennies whereas the H30R has a CCS= 14.5 pennies. Resulting in rod actions of significant difference. The HM30R has a SLOW Full Flex Rod Action and the H30R has an opposing FAST Tip Flex Rod Action. Enclosed is a photo of the Kurenai H30R mounted on a wall (during a CCS measurement I conducted) note the Visual Characteristics of the H30R “TIP FLEX” . FINALLY ON A CURIOUS NOTE: The HM30R developed a “cult” following due to its very popular status in the U.S.A ; whereas the H30R is obscure and very rare , hard to find in the U.S.A. On the other hand the Kurenai H30R has found much more popularity where it was produced in Japan. Suntech assigned HM & H designations to the GM Kurenai models : H= designates HARD ACTION; Whereas HM= designates HARD MEDIUM action.
