Drennan Acolyte Pro Tele Whip

How well is it built?

The blank is high modulus carbon, and it's built to be strong and durable rather than just as light as possible. Even so, it should sit easily in the hand for a long session, which matters on a whip you'll be lifting and swinging hundreds of times before you pack up.

The tip is a spliced solid flick tip, so the solid carbon is joined into the blank rather than simply pushed into the end, and it carries a secure knotted Dacron connector for tying on your rig.

Everything closes down into three telescopic sections, which keeps the joints to a minimum and leaves fewer places for things to work loose.

So, does it really earn a 9.0 for build? I think it does. On paper it's a step above the Preston Innovations Response Whip and the Guru Aventus Zero 600 Tele Whip, and a spliced tip is a lovely touch on a whip at this level.

Performance & Handling

A forward action means the whip bends mostly through its top part, so the strike should be quick and the tip should settle fast between swings.

That's what you want when you're catching small roach and bleak at speed, because every second you save on each fish adds up over a few hours.

The soft top is there to absorb the runs of a fish and protect light hooklengths, while the lower section has the power to lift and swing fish to hand.

It's stiff and forgiving enough to swing a better roach safely, and when a skimmer or a decent perch is too big to swing, you can net it instead of bullying it in.

The 8.0 reflects its scope rather than any weakness. At 3m it's a short-range tool with one tip, so you can't switch to a heavier or lighter tip as you can on the Guru Aventus Zero 600 Tele Whip. For close-in work, though, it's built to do its job very well.

Ease of Use

This is where the Acolyte Pro Tele really earns its score. It's fully telescopic, so you pull the sections out, tie your rig to the connector and you're fishing.

There's no elastic to set up, no bushes to trim and no tips to choose between, which suits anyone who wants to get going quickly on a canal or a drain.

The knotted Dacron connector pushes the rig away from the whip, and that should help stop the line wrapping around the tip between swings. It's a small detail, but tangles are what slow you down most when you're speed fishing, so anything that keeps the rig clear is worth having.

Three telescopic sections make it easy to carry and store, and the light weight means it's comfortable to hold out for long spells. For me, it's about as straightforward as a whip gets, and the 9.0 is well deserved.

Is it good value for money?

How does the price stack up? It costs a fair bit more than the Preston Innovations Response Whip, the Guru Aventus Zero 600 Tele Whip and the Daiwa Connoisseur Pro Speed Whip, so it isn't the cheapest way into whip fishing.

What you're paying for is the high modulus carbon, the spliced tip and a build that should last for years.

If you only pick up a whip now and again, the Daiwa Ninja Tele Whip does the basics for far less money. To be fair, though, a 3m whip this light and well made is something you'd keep in the holdall for a long time rather than replace after a season.

Overall, I'd recommend the Acolyte Pro Tele Whip to anglers who catch roach, perch, dace and bleak at close range on canals, drains, rivers and small stillwaters, and who want a quality whip they can set up and start fishing with in seconds.