Garbolino G Max Match M3 Pole
“Mention the letter M and figure 3 in the same sentence and my heart starts racing,” says Alex Bones...
Imagine my delight when I received a call from the manufacturer asking if I wanted to test the 2012 M3! I thought: “£2,476.94 including a full pack of extras… that must be a misquote!” Nevertheless I let it slide, and awaited delivery. Expecting a BMW technician to arrive at the Match Fishing offices in a black saloon M3 featuring double twin exhausts, full leather, optional extras, 3.9 second 0 to 60mph time, a quarter-mile time of 12.4 seconds, and a bonnet hump more aggressive than David Haye on fight night, you can only imagine my confusion when a call from our office receptionist came through to announce the delivery some days later! “Strange,” I thought, “I didn’t see it turn up, nor did I hear the distinctive burble of the 414bhp V8 engine!”
Presented with a slim box with the letters ‘Garbolino’ and ‘G-Max Match M3’ on it I knew I’d misread the situation and indeed this was my M3 for testing… only it was the company’s latest pole, not BMW’s iconic car that had been despatched for my thrashing. It seems I’d got my wires crossed – embarrassing!
I cancelled the Silverstone track booking and made arrangements for a more suitable test base –Tunnel Barn Farm Fishery, at Shrewley in Warwickshire, where I set up on Canal Pool Peg 13, in the corner.
One of the most impressive features is the ‘slap-friendly’ finish, which proves just how ‘on the ball’ this company is. Garbolino has actually built the pole sections to slow down the delaminating process, ultimately leading to a longer life for your pole. Like all of the other models in this range the finish is brilliant and glides through your hands – particularly useful when you’re fishing with a Kinder-style pot at long lengths!
There’s a pretty comprehensive spares package included (see the list at the end of this review) which, most interestingly, includes top kits featuring different-bore tip sections. This is to reduce the amount of cutting back (wasted) carbon, therefore allowing you to fish at the pole’s stated 16 metres.
The Lite Combo kits fit straight onto the No4 section. Additionally the Match Lite (rated to a 12 elastic) and Power Lite (rated to a 20 elastic) top kits are supplied at 2.9 metres and are 20 per cent lighter than previous top kits supplied with the pole that this one supersedes! All of this results in a lighter and more responsive pole without sacrificing strength.
At the risk of sounding sycophantic Garbolino is constantly pushing the boundaries with pole design. Even if developments are only small they all add up to produce a fantastic end result. The company once again demonstrates this by supplying bushes with this pole package, each of which features varying inner bore diameters! A tiny improvement, but one that means you can have your kits all at the same length, no matter what the elastic, without running the risk of smaller elastics disappearing up inside an oversized bush!
As you would expect, my test drive with the M3 was faultless, helping me to enjoy a fantastic short session at TBF, amassing a small haul of F1s, barbel and carp.
I’d be more than happy to use this as my day-to-day pole, even though I currently use one that commands a far higher RRP! I can’t say there’s anything about it that I don’t like and it’ll cope with whatever you throw at it whether you’re a canal, river or stillwater fanatic. Plus, if you shop around, you should be able to pick this full package up for a shade over £1,700!
Imagine my delight when I received a call from the manufacturer asking if I wanted to test the 2012 M3! I thought: “£2,476.94 including a full pack of extras… that must be a misquote!” Nevertheless I let it slide, and awaited delivery. Expecting a BMW technician to arrive at the Match Fishing offices in a black saloon M3 featuring double twin exhausts, full leather, optional extras, 3.9 second 0 to 60mph time, a quarter-mile time of 12.4 seconds, and a bonnet hump more aggressive than David Haye on fight night, you can only imagine my confusion when a call from our office receptionist came through to announce the delivery some days later! “Strange,” I thought, “I didn’t see it turn up, nor did I hear the distinctive burble of the 414bhp V8 engine!”
Presented with a slim box with the letters ‘Garbolino’ and ‘G-Max Match M3’ on it I knew I’d misread the situation and indeed this was my M3 for testing… only it was the company’s latest pole, not BMW’s iconic car that had been despatched for my thrashing. It seems I’d got my wires crossed – embarrassing!
I cancelled the Silverstone track booking and made arrangements for a more suitable test base –Tunnel Barn Farm Fishery, at Shrewley in Warwickshire, where I set up on Canal Pool Peg 13, in the corner.
One of the most impressive features is the ‘slap-friendly’ finish, which proves just how ‘on the ball’ this company is. Garbolino has actually built the pole sections to slow down the delaminating process, ultimately leading to a longer life for your pole. Like all of the other models in this range the finish is brilliant and glides through your hands – particularly useful when you’re fishing with a Kinder-style pot at long lengths!
There’s a pretty comprehensive spares package included (see the list at the end of this review) which, most interestingly, includes top kits featuring different-bore tip sections. This is to reduce the amount of cutting back (wasted) carbon, therefore allowing you to fish at the pole’s stated 16 metres.
The Lite Combo kits fit straight onto the No4 section. Additionally the Match Lite (rated to a 12 elastic) and Power Lite (rated to a 20 elastic) top kits are supplied at 2.9 metres and are 20 per cent lighter than previous top kits supplied with the pole that this one supersedes! All of this results in a lighter and more responsive pole without sacrificing strength.
At the risk of sounding sycophantic Garbolino is constantly pushing the boundaries with pole design. Even if developments are only small they all add up to produce a fantastic end result. The company once again demonstrates this by supplying bushes with this pole package, each of which features varying inner bore diameters! A tiny improvement, but one that means you can have your kits all at the same length, no matter what the elastic, without running the risk of smaller elastics disappearing up inside an oversized bush!
As you would expect, my test drive with the M3 was faultless, helping me to enjoy a fantastic short session at TBF, amassing a small haul of F1s, barbel and carp.
I’d be more than happy to use this as my day-to-day pole, even though I currently use one that commands a far higher RRP! I can’t say there’s anything about it that I don’t like and it’ll cope with whatever you throw at it whether you’re a canal, river or stillwater fanatic. Plus, if you shop around, you should be able to pick this full package up for a shade over £1,700!
| Garbolino G-Max Match M3 Pole RRP: £2,476.94 G-Max Match M3 16m Pole; 1 x 4.4m Match Lite Kits; 2 x 2.9m Match Lite Kits; 2 x 2.9m Power Lite Kits; 1 x 2.9m Power Puller Slot Kit; 1 x Extendable Potting Kit & Pots; 1 x Short No4 Section; Garbolino Holdall www.garbolinouk.co.uk |
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