FOX Black Label Dinky Halo Bobbins

How well is it built?

For a small bobbin, there's a lot going on inside. Each body is injection moulded in an opaque colour with the LED set inside it, and the removable indented cap lets you line the clip and Fox logos up the way you want them.

The ball clips are black and adjustable, so the head sits neatly on the line.

The connection is the part that sets it apart from a standard bobbin. Instead of a ball chain, it hangs on a 6in black braided wire that links to the hockey stick with a bayonet fitting, and the hockey stick carries the 2.5mm jack plug.

A braided wire should be tidy and flexible, and the bayonet means the bobbin comes off the hockey stick without unscrewing anything.

To be fair, any bobbin with an LED and a jack has more parts to look after than a plain head, and that's worth bearing in mind if you're hard on your kit. It's neatly made, though, and I think the 8.5 is fair.

Sensitivity & Visibility

How does a light-up bobbin change things? At 8g, the Dinky is a fairly light head, so it should show lifts and drop-backs clearly at short to medium range without putting too much tension on the line.

That's the same job any decent bobbin does, but the light adds a second layer to it.

A bite makes the body light up, so you're not relying on spotting a small isotope moving a few centimetres in the dark.

If you run Fox Micron alarms, the night-light glow is a handy way of finding the rods after dark without the bobbins being fully lit all night, which keeps the swim nice and low-key.

The opaque coloured body stands out well by day too, and it comes in red, orange, green, blue, purple, white and black, so you can match each rod to its alarm. For me, the 8.5 fits, as it's a light, responsive bobbin that's very easy to read after dark.

Ease of Use

Why does it score a little lower for ease of use? It's down to the connection. The bobbin plugs into the alarm through a 2.5mm jack on the hockey stick, so you'll need alarms with a 2.5mm socket for the LED to work, and it's worth checking yours before you buy a set.

Once it's connected, it's simple enough. The hockey stick goes beneath the alarm, the braided wire hangs from it and the line goes into the adjustable ball clip, and the bayonet fitting means the bobbin and its wire can come off the hockey stick for packing away.

The removable cap makes lining up the clip easy, so it sits straight on the line.

To be fair, there's a bit more to think about than with a plain bobbin, and the jack is one more connection to look after. That's why it's 8.0 rather than higher, though I think it's still very easy to live with once it's set up.

Is it good value for money?

So, is it worth paying more for a light-up bobbin? It sits towards the dearer end of the bobbin market, as you're paying for the LED and the jack connection on top of the head, wire and hockey stick.

If you fish a lot of nights, I think the extra is justified, because a lit body is much easier to read than an isotope on its own.

Next to the Fox Black Label Dumpy Bobbin, it's a lighter head that lights up on a bite, while the Dumpy is the heavier, isotope-based bobbin for long range. The Gardner Stainless Bug Indicator is the more traditional choice, with a metal body for tight lines at distance.

I'd recommend the Dinky Halo Bobbins to carp anglers who do a lot of night fishing at short to medium range, who already use alarms with a 2.5mm socket and want an indicator that's easy to read in the dark. If you fish mostly by day, a plain bobbin is the cheaper way to go.