Power Poles or Talons?

[MI17Explorer]

What is your experience with either of these units? Pros/cons/etc??

[btsmbass]

I work at a marina and the power poles get installed about 20:1 over the talons. I have no preference, but if the general public are the word of success. I have been told they must be better than.

As far as pros and cons. I've been in boats with both and really I like the quietness of the power pole, other than that both seem fine.

[Jhilton]

I have the signature series power poles and love them if its any help

[JMason]

I have got the dual Signature Power Poles on my boat and really like them. I have fished the boat hard since last September (on the water about 225 days) and have never had a issue with either. From what I have seen on this boat and alot of others, Power Poles are rock solid.

[Chuck D]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by Jhilton &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">I have the signature series power poles and love them if its any help</td></tr></table>

Got the same & LOVE EM!

[NealMoulis]

BSTM you dont work at a Marina???? Id research both and see what works for your Storage and usages.....I know guys love both.....Brian, what is the Legend board boring??? Kool Aid Salesman.....ha ha ha

[munchie]

i dont think the talons will break over any in case you need to get under a low bridge or tree limb. i could be wrong .

[Chuck D]

That was my primary reason for going with the power poles but now that I have them and have used them a bit I like them better just based on how quiet they are and the design is rock solid.

I can lower them just like in the picture and idle under low bridges on lakes like High Rock or Norman and then put em back up. That's a design feature Minn Kota is going to have to address. Maybe a quick disconnect to let them be laid over to one side for such occurrences?

[MI17Explorer]

Thanks for the comments. The height is an issue with Talons as pointed out. I read warranty is less too: 2 yrs vs 5 for Pro/Sig series Power Poles. I do like the idea of fewer moving parts and electric vs hydraulic on the Talon. Also, with remote and rough water, Talon has a definite cost advantage.

I that the Power Pole remotes will "lose" their programming fairly frequently and need reprogramming (mating to the unit?). Any of you experienced that?

[Chuck D]

I don't have the remotes so can't say but have not heard that before. I have the foot switch and switch mounted on the gunnel so that I can raise/lower the poles from up front on the TM or from the seat if I pull up on a spot. Can't see me using the remotes.

[marty92xrd]

I dont know exactly how many Power Poles we sell, but its A LOT. We ordered a Talon for stock when they first came out and have yet to sell one. I have seen a couple of the remotes go bad, couldnt tell you teh reason why but Power Pole has always taken care of it. And with the free remotes now, pricing is much more competitive with the Talon.

[flippinout]

I guess I'm the only Talon owner willing to speak up. I love them. The only real drawback I see with them is they are loud but it's better than keeping your foot on the TM and trying to fish a specific dock or weed patch. Maybe there's some fuss about getting under low bridges and such but my Talons are only six inches taller than my Yammy SHO. If they don't fit, I simply don't go under the bridge. The two major benefits for me are...No fluid reserviors and easily removed. One of the reasons for getting the 4 stroke was to keep the fluid mess out of the boat. Why do I want to add this possible mess back into the boat? The ease of removal is paramount for me. I can't store my boat at the house. Even though I live on a military base and the boat/RV storage is secure, theft is possible. I also have to travel a significant distance to fish good water so spend alot of time in hotel rooms. It's a snap to take the Talons off and put them in the room overnight. Another plus I've had the advantage of seeing is the vertical deploy in tight spaces. For instance, I fish a lake that has alot of deep(20+ feet) flooded timber with the tops above the waterline. I can back the boat into the trees and deploy the Talons down into the trees and fish even in high winds. I've seen people try this with Power Poles and they push the boat away from the trees during deployment.

I'm not bashing the Power Poles. I've fished with several people that have them and they're very good as are the Talons. Each system has one or two things that it excels at over the other. One thing's for sure, both of them will hold you in place when you deploy them.

I'm off to Falcon Lake in South Texas in about a month. This is one of the lakes that I use the Talons in the trees in 20+ feet of water. I'll take pictures and post if weather conditions require me to use the Talons in this application.

[marlin]

Flippinout,

Your experience is the same as mine, except the Talons I have been around are quiet. I'm not sure why people think they are loud. I guess they aren't as quiet as the power poles which I have been around a lot too, but talking is much louder. Are you using the 8' or the 6'? I'm asking because I don't have them on my bass boat yet and I'm thinking to add them. The talons on my brothers current bay boat are lower than the engine, but they are 6' talons.

The only issue I know of on the talons is the first ones had a problem withe the height adjustment bolts coming loose. Minn Kota shipped free bolts to fix that issue and it hasn't been a problem since.

[StratosBrad]

I've got both. A talon on my 176xt and a power pole pro series on my evolution.
Both are great products. The talon is a little louder, but is also faster in deployment.
Both will do a fine job and both have great companies standing behind them.

[nikldac]

I Have had Talons since June. Have not had any issues with them. Haven't had any issues that "I" didn't cause. I can complete remove them from the boat in a less than 5 minutes, and re-install of them in less time. I have remotes on the bow and at the console. While they made be louder than a PP when deployed; I don't think the fish go on high alert over it.

They can be lowered if needed, but it would take a little more effort that the PP; but how many people actually need to lower them while moving.

No hydraulic pumps and potential of mess.

I've never owned PP. Have nothing against them.

I purchased for their quick disconnect which allows me to mount them onto my bass tracker which saved me about 3500. Call me cheap....but hey; it allowed me to add more goodies on the 721.

I'd buy them again in a blink.

[nightbasser]

Guys Ernie has a really nice set up with his! Installing the talons on power pole brackets is the only way to go IMHO

[flippinout]

Marlin, I've got the 8' Talons and I also have them on Power Pole brackets. That was the best option when I bought my 719. I curious about the new 2 piece Talon brackets though. They look more rigid than everything else and have a nice rise to them.

The only drawback to either system is the little bit of drag they have that affects holeshot and top end slightly. Hole shot seems slower and my top end is about 1 mph low with them on. This still doesn't seem to affect my Bird too much though since I seem to still blow the others away with my set up.

I have to mention that I love my Phoenix/SHO set up. I had 3 guys (600lbs) in it last week and still managed to pull 70mph out of her.