Trakker Boilie Pult

How well is it built?

The frame is plastic, and it's built to be strong while staying light, with a soft-touch handle moulded to the hand. At 25 x 18cm, it's a manageable size that should slip into a bait bag or a rucksack pocket without much fuss.

The enclosed rotators are the clever bit. Because the rotating parts sit inside the frame, there's nothing exposed to catch the elastic or pick up grit, and that should help them keep turning freely over time.

The pouch is welded and pressed, with eyelets at the elastic attachment points, which should stop it tearing where the strain is highest.

Why not higher than 8.0? It's a solid, well-designed pult, but it doesn't have the extra hardware of the Korda Katapult, with its ball-bearing swivels and welded rings. To be fair, it's still a well-made bit of kit, and 8.0 is a fair reflection of that.

Accuracy & Range

A small, deep pouch is what you want for boilies. At 5.5cm across and 6.5cm deep, it should cradle a few baits securely and release them together, so they land in a group rather than a spray. That depth should also stop boilies rolling out as you draw back.

The tangle-free rotators help with consistency too. If the elastic stays untwisted, the pouch should release square each time, and that makes it easier to hit the same spot pull after pull when you're building up a bed of bait.

How far will it go? That comes down to your bait size, load and technique as much as the pult, and no catapult groups boilies at range without practice. Next to the ESP Boiliepult, it lacks the cone pouch, but the deep pouch and rotators should still keep boilies together well.

For accurate, grouped boilie work, I think 8.5 is fair.

Ease of Use

The soft-touch handle is ergonomic, so it should feel comfortable and secure even when you're baiting up for a while, and the finish should give a decent hold when your hands are wet. That matters on a long session, as a hard, slippery handle gets tiring quickly.

Because the elastic rotators are enclosed, there's less faffing between pulls. You load the pouch, draw and release, and the elastic should sit straight for the next one, which keeps a steady rhythm going.

That's a real help when you're putting a lot of boilies over a spot, where stopping to untangle the elastic every few pulls soon gets frustrating.

The pouch has a finger loop at its base, and the pult is light enough to hold for a good while without your arm tiring. It's simple, comfortable and quick to use, and for me the 8.5 is fair.

Is it good value for money?

Is it good value? It costs slightly more than the ESP Boiliepult and a few pounds more than the Gardner UltraPult, but it's still a modest outlay for a pult that should stay tangle-free and last.

The welded, eyeletted pouch and enclosed rotators are the kind of details that keep a catapult in use for longer.

Next to the Gardner UltraPult, it has the soft-touch handle and the enclosed rotator system, while the UltraPult gives you a choice of pouch sizes for less. Against the Korda Katapult, it's a little cheaper but has simpler fittings.

If tangles drive you mad, though, the small extra over the UltraPult is easy to justify.

Overall, I'd recommend the Trakker Boilie Pult to carp anglers who mainly fire boilies and want a comfortable pult that stays free of tangles. If you mostly feed particles, a wider pouch like the ESP Particlepult's suits that job better.