The Silverlite poles are very stiff and are lighter than “power” type poles. They have been designed mainly for silverfish fishing – but this includes bigger fish like bream and tench so the are certainly not weak poles. Provided that they are setup with the correct elastics, and treated reasonably, experienced anglers will be able to use the safely for catching F1’s and typical match sized carp.

Browning have been producing top-quality poles for more than 30 years and many of our designs have become “classics” with a deserved reputation for strength and quality. Unlike many makers, we still use this knowledge and experience to design our own poles – all are engineered to our specification so that they meet the needs of the modern angler – and can cope with the growing catches, and size of fish, now commonly caught on the pole!

Our Z12 re-wrote the pole “rule book” by finally eliminating most of the irritating problems associated with buying and using a pole – such as the need to cut back and bush topkits, and repair joints that quickly wear out . These advances now appear on all Xitan poles, and are increasingly being copied by other makers. What Browning designs – other copy!

Our Xitans are designed to be truly multi-purpose poles and are suitable for everything from modern commercial carp fishing to catching the smallest fish on canals. Our SLK topkit range has pre-bushed tip sizes to cover the full range of elastic sizes. There are also 2 Xitan poles in the range designed specifically for extra “heavy duty” fishing.

All of our pole designs are fully tested “on the bank” in real-life conditions before release; it is not in our interest – or yours – to sell a pole that feels nice in the showroom, but then disappoints, or proves weak, when it’s actually used “over water” on a windy day!

Our pole models have a product “life” of 3 to 5 years – with spare parts being available well beyond this. We use common mandrels for all of our mid to high priced poles so customers always have an easy upgrade/replacement path to a newer pole and can if required use their old topkits and sections. Browning poles hold their value well on the second-hand market, a good indicator of their long-life and durability.

We use an advanced Nano-fibre impregnated carbon material for all Xitans. This has allowed us to make stiff and strong poles that are still amongst the lightest on the market.

There is always a fine balance to be made between a poles weight versus it strength and stiffness. However, with the Xitans we have come down slightly on the side of strength and durability as being the priority. However, no pole is unbreakable! – but we feel that we have the strength / weight balance correct for just about every anglers’ needs.

The Z14-1, Z12 & Z10 “Advance” and “Revolution” poles have butt sections that are slightly longer than norma1 at 2 meters. These poles have been specifically engineered this way so we can produce a true 16m pole without the need for a mini-extension.

On a conventional short section pole, the only way to reach a true 16m is to use a mini-extension, or long topkits (which are difficult to fish with) and/or longer middle sections (which makes a pole less stiff and prone to breakage).

By lengthening the butt sections, Browning has been able to produce a true-length 16m pole that still uses short (2.6m) topkits, and middle sections that are the optimal length for stiffness and strength.   The long butt sections also add rigidity. The long sections can be difficult if you have a small car! But this design is the only correct way of making a true 16m pole and anglers who want the best will live with the long pole bag !

Theses poles are the longest on the market and are nearly 17m with the supplied Pole Protector fitted. They pack away into the 14.5 section, with the 16m section stored separately and the packages are supplied in a specially designed longer 12 tube holdall.

The Xitan “Power” range of poles – the Z8 down to the Combat – have conventional length butt sections at 1.75m. These poles are still a true 16m length with Pole Protector fitted – and remember the Xitan topkits are pre-bushed and ready-to-use so no length is lost by cutting tip sections back.

Theses poles also pack away into the 14.5 section, with the 16m section stored separately.

The Xitan poles include a wide range of features designed to make them easy to use, long lasting, strong, and durable. These include: pre-bushed “ready-to-use” topkits; visibly over-wrapped joints that resist wear and stiffen the joint areas; visibly strengthened grip areas on the middle sections; visibly strengthened “elbow areas” at the ends of the butt sections. All poles have a diamond sanded surface finish so they slide through the hands easily; a minimum of paint has been used to eliminate “sticky” areas caused by glossy graphics; they have section alignment marks and “Precision Point” markers on the butt for accurate cupping. The poles are also supplied with our unique Pole Protector sections and ready-to-use cupping kits. More information about some of these features is included below and there are pictures on the website.

A Browning Xitan is “ready to fish” in minutes – just add elastic and you’re ready to go!

SLK stands for “Single Length Kit” – because they are exactly that! All are the same length, pre-bushed and “ready-to-use” – so no more sawing bits off expensive carbon sections! There’s a range of kits to cover different types of fishing. There are 4 diameters of tip with PTFE bushes fitted to cover everything from a No.2 solid elastic to the thickest hollow. Some kits have also side puller bushes pre-fitted. For anglers who prefer to fit their own bushes, all the non-puller “B” sections have a reinforced drilling band.

There are also a purpose designed SLK cupping kits – again exactly the same length as the topkits for 100% accurate feeding. They are pre-fitted with a screw attachment and a set of 3 Browning cups are supplied in the packages, so again they’re “ready-to-use”.

The standard “SLK”s are designed for up to 14 solid/ 2.3mm hollow elastics. In addition there are “SLKP” (power) kits available for those needing to fish with heavier elastics, together with a 3m long “SLKL” kit for anglers that need 6 meter long “top 4” kit for fishing rivers or deep venues.

For 2015 we also have a 2m long, 1 piece, “SLKS” short” topkit available. These stiffen the pole even further and are ideal for fishing shallow.

Note: The “long section” Xitan Advance and Revolution poles, when fitted with this “short” topkit together with the supplied 16m Pole Protector section, are still 16m long!

The number of kits included in each Xitan package is set out on the website page about each pole. The topkits are easily available and reasonably priced so if needed you can add to your package.

When you order a Z14-1, 12, 10 or 8 you can specify exactly which size/type combination of kits you want, so you can tailor your package to suit the fishing you do.

The other Xitan poles have a fixed set of kits supplied which have been carefully selected to suit the pole and typical buyer.

Pole Protectors are exactly that! – They are in effect .75 or 1m long reversible butt sections. Theses are not crude and over-heavy like normal mini-extensions. They have built-in fixed skid-bungs. They protect the expensive pole sections from all sorts of damage (particularly useful when fishing short and holding the weaker middle sections). They also give useful extra length options when fishing to features like islands or to a far bank – you can fish without too much butt section “sticking out” behind! At least one Pole Protector is supplied in each Xitan package, however some packages include up to 4 Protectors, so a Protector to fit nearly every section.

There are Pole Protectors available to fit the 5^th, 6^th, 7^th (11m) 8^th (13m) 9^th (14.5) and 10^th (16m) sections.

Remember, fitting the 16m pole protector makes the Z12 & Z10 nearly 17m as standard – the longest poles on the market!

The new Z14-1 Advance is supplied with our new and revolutionary ergonomic, square profile, Protectors. These significantly reduce “elbow pain” when fishing at long lengths as the arm is lying along a flat surface. These, and the other Protector sections, can be bought separately.

All Xitan poles are supplied in a purpose made pole holdall. However, the larger and more expensive pole packages come in a top quality Xitan holdall big enough to carry the pole, plenty of topkits, with spare space for a few rods etc. All poles are also supplied in top-quality shatterproof tubes for complete protection. Each SLK topkit is supplied in a re-usable tube that is big enough to store 2 x elasticated kits – so no more searching for kits in a big tube!

All Xitan poles are section (joint size) compatible with each other for the topkit and next 4 sections (up to the 9.5m section) – including older Xitan poles like the Z9. However, the bigger sections (11, 13, 14.5 & 16m) are different between the long section (Z14-1, Z12 Z10) Advance/Revolution poles and the Power (Z8 down) range poles.

All of the various types of SLK topkits fit all poles and are fully interchangeable with our older PMK kits.  All of the available power and short C sections also fit all poles. Every section of the Xitan Extreme Margin pole interchanges with every other Xitan pole in the range – a useful feature for owners.

All Browning topkits have a now common 22mm joint size, which is now similar to some other makes of poles.

Browning prides itself on its spares service and we always do our very best to meet our customers’ needs. We keep large stocks of spares to keep you fishing. We aim to keep spare for up to 5 years after a pole has been discontinued. As most of our poles are built around a common mandrel, substitute sections for older poles can often be found.

Browning is a brand of Zebco, one of the world’s largest tackle supply companies, so we will still be here well beyond the life of your pole! If you do encounter any problems getting spares or extra sections you can contact us directly on Poles@zebco-europe.com.