Thom Shafer on the K-Tek KlassicPro KP16 Microphone Fish pole

I took delivery of my new K-Tek KlassicPro KP16 fish pole several weeks ago now. My goal has been to really put it through its paces before commenting on its performance and after a blistering run of work (in full disclosure its also why I waited) I feel comfortable in discussing it now.

My first impression was of the diameter of the pole. When you pick it up you can’t help but feel the girth fill your hand followed quickly by the immediate impression of quality, stability and strength. The collars and sections are incredibly smooth and glide perfectly as the rear port section is free to rotate (or not if you prefer) as to not wind the cable from your mixer around your pole.

At full extension (16ft) the pole is feeling great with minimal bend inspiring confidence that it will handle fast paced heavy eng work. I once had a pole, not K-Tek, that snapped with a Sennheiser MKH70 on the end of it almost hitting a seal at Sea World in the head as it dropped in front of his face.

OK, here is some most awesome news… There is no soldering involved to change out the internal cable. The system is designed to be able to remove both ends via an allen head (same size as the Lectrosonics, Inc. blue transmitter clips) making it truly user friendly in the field to swap out an internal cable quickly if need be.

In closing, I’ve handed this pole to several mixers and each and every one of them have marveled at the quality of the collars and the feel of the sections gliding as they were extended and retracted. I for one love this new K-Tek KlassicPro line of poles and will likely buy a few more in different lengths!

Thom Shafer
@TelevisionSound.Thom.Shafer
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