Joe Carass reports on a product from Frenzee that he had written off as a gimmick.

I have to be honest and say that when I first saw anglers using roller-type puller kits, I thought they were a bit of a gimmick. After all, I have used side pullers for a long time now and have never really had any major problems with them, so have never seen the need to change. A few months ago, though, I was out with Frenzee’s Andy Neal and he showed me the Eeze Glyde system in action. I was so impressed that I went home and ordered them that night.

“Why bother?” I hear you ask. Well firstly, I have on occasion had elastics sticking to the inside walls of my top kits. I see this a lot, actually, and think it is to do with the top kits of poles being slightly longer these days. In truth it was doing my head in because I couldn’t get even my favourite elastics to run properly. Andy mentioned he had suffered similar problems, but since fitting these rollers, the problem had been eradicated.

It had to be worth a try and I can honestly say the problem has been solved. Why does it stop this? Well, a standard side puller bush definitely flattens the elastic and for some reason this flattened area seems to become a nightmare for sticking. The Eeze Glyde solves that problem as the elastic remains round when it exits the side wall of the pole. This reason alone is enough for me to fit them in all of my top kits.

I also think the way the elastic goes around the wheel serves to centralise the elastic in the pole. It may only be by a few millimetres, but it certainly helps and that is enough for me.

Another key benefit of this system (and any roller bush for that matter) is that it will extend the life of your elastics. Remember when Hydro first appeared and it would last two or even three years in the pole? Well, it is no coincidence that was before puller devices were invented and I think the wear and tear significantly damages elastics and dramatically shortens their lifespan. We put elastic under far more stress than ever these days and standard puller setups do nothing to help that.

With this system, the exit of the elastic and the puller procedure on the whole is so smooth that no damage can occur. Now this may not mean your elastics will last 12 to 24 months like days of yore, but it will certainly improve on the current situation and that can only be a good thing.

These bushes are quality too. Frenzee is an expert in plastics moulding, so this doesn’t surprise me. They are produced from pure PTFE and you only have to handle one to see how smooth and slippery they are. The wheel rotates on a tiny stainless spindle that I am assured has been tested to withstand even the heaviest loads (way over and above what a pole elastic can exert).

Many poles these days already come with this type of slotted puller kit, albeit without the wheel. If the tops do have this slot then changing them for the Eeze Glyde could not be simpler. Simply pop the old one out and click the new one into place.

My top kits, however, had standard side pullers where I had fitted a standard PTFE bush. It wasn’t a problem to fit these, though, and I just used a small round file and carefully elongated the hole to fit. It is quite a big hole so it is a must to fit these on to some kind of reinforced area. I have seen a few top kits go recently that haven’t got a reinforcement and for me it just isn’t worth the risk.

I can’t really recommend the Eeze Glyde enough and, rather than view them as a gimmick, I now see them as an integral part of my setup.

RRP: £7.99