Up Close Rive R16 Pole Range
Joe Carass joins Rive’s Amer Jawad on the bank to take a look at the new R16 range.
Rive has offered something of a sleeper hit in the pole market for a few years now – the R16 Professional is an incredible pole that probably hasn’t had the attention it deserves in the UK.
Anglers across Europe have realised what a special piece of kit it is, but for some reason in the UK it’s stayed under the radar. However, those who have seen them and got their hands on one realise what a great pole the R16 Professional is.
Improved For 2018
The R16 Professional has been around for a few years now, but it has had a fresh facelift for 2018. The finish on the pole has improved, the pole has been strengthened (despite being very strong anyway), and other subtle changes have occurred to make the pole even better than it already was.
Long!
Pole length limits are extremely strict in Europe so when a company sells a 13m pole, it needs to be 13 metres! Not 12 metres with a dolly butt, or 13 metres but you then need to remove the No1, losing 40 centimetres.
The R16 is bang on at this length, although in fact at 16 metres it is longer than 16 and I have to say it caught me out a little. On my test day we fished over to an island that I would have said was 16 metres away, certainly I would expect to be fishing on my 16m section, anyway, but with the R16 we could reach the island without the 16m section at all.
It’s refreshing and almost unusual actually. It’s funny because the pole feels really long when actually it is the length it is supposed to be… imagine that!
It’s a seriously stiff pole too. For sure it isn’t the lightest but it’s one of the stiffest poles that I have felt, and the fact that it is so long makes it even more impressive.
Packages
The R16 Pro is available in three package options, a 13m Pro option, a 16m Pro and a 13m Carp pack. All three options are VERY generous and poles come with copious amounts of spare carbon to really get you up and running with the R16.
A nice touch is the top kits and cupping kit, which are all exactly the same length. The cupping kit comes supplied with the thread already glued and pinned internally to create a very stiff kit, while the Match kits give you a 3.5mm bore and the Power kits a 4.5mm bore. They also have a reinforced section ready for the pullers to be fitted.
Range Extension!
I have seen first-hand while shooting features with Amer Jawad and Simon Willsmore just how good the R16 Professional is, so when I got the call from Amer to say the range now has three more poles I was keen to see what they have to offer.
First up we have the R16 Competition. This is still very much a top-end pole, but at £2,000? It sits below the aforementioned Professional but has the same attributes in terms of length and excellent packages. It is also produced on the same mandrel.
I was staggered by how good this pole feels, to be honest. For sure at 16 metres the Professional is stiffer, but up until then it was hard to tell them apart. The R16 Competition is a hell of a pole! It’s a bit more robust but is incredibly stiff and well balanced.
Moving through the range and we have the R16 Match Angler. Again on the R16 mandrel, the Match Angler offers unbelievable performance for its price and in fact was my pick of the bunch. The Match Angler’s price means it sits among some tough competition, so this needs to be good to gain a foothold in a really tough sector of the market.
It’s fair to say that this is a real standout pole. Yes the Professional and Competition are wonderful poles, but for me the Match Angler is incredible. I have used poles with a value way over two grand for as long as I can remember now, but I would be more than happy to use the Match Angler.
Of course at 16 metres this pole isn’t as good as the Professional, but it still retains that all-important length and is more than useable.
The final pole in the range is the R16 Safety 8. This is not actually a full pole, and you get a super-strong No5, 6, 7 and 8. This is purely a pole to have in the holdall as a backup in case you have a problem mid match. It’s a cheap way to have some spare sections in your bag. In fact some crafty retailers are selling them as part of the package when buying an R16 Professional.
Conclusion
I have always been a fan of the R16 Professional. I called the original model my product of the show a few years ago when it was launched at the Tackle & Guns Show. It has been improved further and offers superb performance.
But I was blown away by how good the Competition and Match Angler models are. There are simply no negatives, from what I can see.
One concern for customers is perhaps getting spare sections for poles. Well, that is a fair apprehension, but fortunately all Rive spares will now be serviced from the UK so that worry can be put to rest.
Verdict
A stunning range of poles that are true length without the need for dolly butts!
R16 Match Angler 16m Pack SSP £1,487
16m pole
3 x Power kits (2.7m)
2 x Match kits (2.7m)
1 x cupping kit (2.7m)
3 x mini extensions
1 x 12-tube holdall plus tubes
R16 Match Angler 13m Continental Pack SSP £1,470
13m pole
3 x Match kits (5.7m)
1 x cupping kit (5.7m)
3 x mini extensions
1 x 12-tube holdall plus tubes
R16 Match Angler 13m Carp Pack SSP: £973
13m pole
3 x Power kits (2.7m)
1 x cupping kit (2.7m)
3 x mini extensions
1 x 12-tube holdall plus tubes
R16 Competition 16m Pack SSP: £2,115
16m pole
4 x Power kits (2.7m)
3 x Match kits (2.7m)
2 x Match kits (4.14m)
1 x cupping kit (2.7m)
3 x mini extensions
1 x 12-tube rod holdall plus tubes
R16 Competition 13m Continental Pack SSP: £1,947
13m pole
3 x Match kits (5.7m)
1 x cupping kit (5.7m)
3 x mini extensions
1 x 12-tube rod holdall plus tubes
R16 Competition 13m Carp Pack SSP: £1,283
13m pole
3 x Power kits (2.7m)
1 x cupping kit (2.7m)
3 x mini extensions
1 x 12-tube rod holdall plus tubes
R16 Professional 16m Full Pack SSP: £3,185
16m pole
4 x Power kits (2.7m)
3 x Match kits (2.7m)
2 x Match kits (4.14m)
3 x mini extensions
1 x cupping kit (2.7m)
1 x 12-tube rod holdall plus tubes
R16 Professional 13m Continental Pack SSP: £2,653
13m pole
3 x Match kits (5.7m)
4 x No1 sections
1 x cupping kit (5.7m)
3 x mini extensions
1 x 12-tube rod holdall plus tubes
R16 Professional 13m Carp Pack SSP: £1,769
13m pole
3 x Power kits (2.7m)
1 x cupping kit (2.7m)
3 x mini extensions.
1 x 12-tube rod holdall plus tubes
R16 Safety Pole (sections 5/6/7 and 8) SSP: £502
F1 Shallow Kit (2.7m) SSP: £95
Website: www.rive-fishing.com
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