Westin W2 Tele Spin Rod

How well is it built?

The 24/30 tonne High Performance Carbon blank is the same material as the Westin W2 Finesse T&C Travel, and it's a good balance of lightness and toughness.

The lightest model weighs 113g and the heaviest model weighs 163g, which is very light for a rod with nine, ten or eleven sections.

The fittings are a step up from most telescopics. Seaguide SXOHLSG guides are a quality choice, the VSS reel seat holds the reel securely, and the Seaguide Dhook keeper gives you somewhere to park the lure when you're on the move.

The handle is premium AAA grade cork, which is a nicer material than the foam you'll find on most cheaper teles.

To be fair, it's not quite at the level of the Daiwa Saltist Travel, with its Fuji hardware and HVF, X45 and 3DX blank. Even so, there's nothing cheap in the parts list, and I think an 8.5 is fair.

How well does it cast and feel?

A fast, responsive action is exactly what you want on a lure rod, as it gives you a crisp tip for accurate casts and lets you feel a lure working. On a telescopic blank with this many sections, the 24/30 tonne carbon is what stops it feeling soft.

The spread of ratings is the real strength.

The 3-15g model is a light rod for small spinners, jigheads and soft lures for perch and trout, the 5-25g and 7-30g models are all-rounders for perch, zander and chub, and the 20-50g model steps up to bigger shads and spinnerbaits for pike, with a wire trace of course.

Why not higher? Nine to eleven sections is a lot of joints, and while the carbon helps, a multi-piece blank should feel a bit closer to a two-piece. For a telescopic lure rod, I still think 8.5 is a fair score.

How does it perform when playing fish?

With nine to eleven sections, you might expect the Tele Spin to struggle once a fish is on, but the fast action and quality carbon should keep it steady. A fast action puts most of the bend near the tip, and the stronger lower sections give you the power to turn a fish.

On the lighter models, perch, trout and chub should be good fun, and the 20-50g rod has the backbone for jack pike and zander on bigger lures. It's still a light rod, though, so it isn't one for big pike on heavy jerkbaits, and a wire trace is a must for any pike.

The cork handle gives you a secure hold, and the rod is light enough to keep a bend in it through a long fight. Overall, I think an 8.5 is fair for a telescopic rod that should handle most lure-caught fish well.

Is it good value for money?

Value is the lowest score, as this is one of the dearer telescopic lure rods around. You're paying for the 24/30 tonne blank, Seaguide fittings, AAA cork and a rod case, and while all of that is good quality, it's a lot to spend on a telescopic rod.

Next to the Korum Opportunist XTND, it's a lure rod rather than a coarse rod, and against the Westin W2 Finesse T&C Travel you're trading a four-piece blank for a telescopic one with far more choice of length and casting weight.

Is it worth it? I'd recommend the W2 Tele Spin to lure anglers who want a light, well-made rod that goes everywhere, whether that's a holiday, a remote water or a rod kept in the car for spontaneous sessions.

If budget matters more than finish, a cheaper telescopic will do the basics.