Hi all,
A bit of a coincidence here as I actually took my 205 into Veals and showed it to 'Acey' to get his views on it's suitability for the channel. He'd never seen one but agreed it was plenty powerful enough for anything the channel can chuck at you. Having discussed both versions of the 'Channel Special' with Steve I can confirm that they are both Century blanks. I've owned a MK2, which is based around the Tip Tornado, but has a bit more middle. One of the most user friendly rods I've ever used and perfect for up here on Holderness, but I personally find it a shade under gunned for the channel though. My mate got a MK1 second hand from Olivers in Clevedon and it is a more powerful jobbie altogether and absolutely spot on for the channel. If I remember rightly Acey reckoned it was a Century copy of the Zziplex TZ500 and wasn't at liberty to say how they got hold of the mandrels. Please don't take this as gospel though!
Cheers, P.T.