• Building upon our Zero Gravity’s exclusive thermoplastic resin technology, which is stronger and lighter than the epoxy resins used to make traditional fly rods, the designers found an exciting new scrim in the space satellite industry.
• This unidirectional graphite scrim with a thermoplastic binder gives us the same strength in our rods, but uses much less material. We reduced the weight on our new Heliosblanks by 25% less than our already lightweight Zero Gravity blanks. Then the rod team designed, from scratch, new reel seats that would keep the 25% weight reduction throughout the entire rod.
• Our new technology goes far beyond making the Helios just the world's lightest fly rod. It let us create the all-new Precision Power Taper, a straight, steep taper that gives a superior, smoother transition of power all down the rod from tip to butt. This gives you a fly rod that loads quickly, is fast, crisp, and light, and has a supremely-balanced feel right down close at the butt. You can actually feel the line load the rod and feel your entire casting stroke, so you control your cast far better than with any other fly rod to generate the best casts of your life.
• All that and a gorgeous translucent-olive finish, a woven-graphite reel seat, and REC Recoil guides that resist breakage complete the new Helios, which comes in a handsome woven-graphite rod tube.

• Our exclusive resins are set at a high cure temperature, and completely encase the graphite fibers used as the main source of power, distance, and accuracy in a fly rod. In contrast to the standard epoxy resins found in all other fly rods, thermoplastics make a fly rod stronger, tougher, and more accurate.
• We add just the right amount of boron into the butt section of a rod it produces a reserve power, because boron compresses less under stress. This power takes over in your longest casts or when playing big fish with maximum stress on the fly rod. Plus, our new Strategic Positioning System, developed specifically for Zero Gravity fly rods, allows us to place the boron fibers in precisely the right spot and in just the right amount for each individual fly rod taper.
• Fiberglass is used in most all other graphite fly fishing rods. Graphite and resins by themselves don’t offer enough strength to withstand normal fishing conditions. So, a supportive layer of fiberglass is attached to the graphite fibers before they’re wrapped around a steel mandrel to form the taper. It’s worked well for 30 years, but it adds weight to a rod. Our Zero G fly rods use the latest in scrim technology: Unidirectional graphite scrim, which is lighter, stronger, and more dependable than fiberglass scrim. Because this material, part of our Strategic Positioning System, is so strong we only need to use a fraction of the graphite, as compared to the fiberglass used in other fly rods. The result is a much thinner fly rod yet even stronger fly rod.
• Some other fly fishing rod manufacturers claim to use graphite scrim in their rods, but many use a mat of graphite fibers, which doesn’t offer the strength and superior fiber alignment (and thus better fly rod “tracking”) you get by using unidirectional graphite scrim.

• The ultimate payoff of compound taper technology. Along any given section of the fly rod, three essential variables are manipulated by the fly rod designer - taper, wall thickness, and graphite modulus - to achieve perfect balance in hand, or swing weight. In addition, the designer can dictate exactly where the fly rod’s power zones will reside - towards the butt in fly rods that are meant to lift big game fish, or distributed more evenly in small stream, delicate fly fishing rods.
• The use of ultra-high modulus graphite, made possible by employing thermoplastic-enriched, thermo-set resins in the graphite matrix, results in a fly rod that is 20% lighter, 20% tougher, and 20% stronger than any Orvis fly fishing rod to date.
• Guide configuration is scientifically studied to determine optimal placement of stripping and snake guides for each fly rod in the series. In the past, guides were placed along the fly rod blank based on a uniform template
• Independent lab analysis of guide materials and design used to achieve a minimal coefficient of friction. In addition to placement, the gauge of and coating on all T3 guides assures minimal loss of line energy for optimal fly casting distance.

• High-modulus graphite is applied over a mandrel that incorporates many changing angles, rather than just one steady taper from butt to tip. The resulting compound taper results in a fly fishing rod that strategically uses less material in key locations. The fly fishing rod designer can vary the wall thickness and overall diameter in an infinite number of ways, precisely controlling action and weight.
• A major factory upgrade includes the addition of laser gauging equipment and precision grinding machines. With a tolerance of 1/1000 of an inch, the fit at the ferrule is perfect resulting in a seamless transmission of power from butt to tip.

• A vibration dampening system gleaned from the U.S. Navy’s Trident Submarine Program, MVR technology enables the Trident fly fishing rod to cast smoothly by eliminating vibrations, allowing the fly line to move efficiently through the guides. With minimal interference from the fly rod, the the fly line can be directed more accurately.
• Two finish coats, one finish and another UV-blocking, eliminating progressive damage from UV rays.
• Integrated ferrule system provides smooth, consistent, uninterrupted transfer of power across the ferrules and eliminates a key breakage point.
• Titanium Nitride guides cut the coefficient of friction substantially, enhancing distance and accuracy.

1993
PM 10

• Advancements in the graphite matrix allows the PM(Power Matrix)10 to achieve a 30% increase in fly rod toughness over HLS rods despite being and average of 10% thinner and lighter.
• Precision sanding machinery ensures that, when sanding epoxy resin lines off to achieve a smooth blank, the integrity of surface graphite fibers is not compromised.
• Two coats of finish are applied ensuring a durable finish.