AJ.AJ.AJ.

They just refunded me the money for the rod and sent me a shipping label to send it back.

Awesome!

Got an email today from D.T. saying they are having an end of season sale.

BLXSG681MLXS , after tax and shipping it was 206, my tatula after tax and shipping was 190 so it seemed like for the extra 16 bucks why not. I dont know what the rules are here about saying the names of retailers, the initals are D.T. Got an email today from them about an end of season sale and they had it marked down from 400 to 206. Tax free and free shipping. Yeah you called it. The 6'8 ML/F. I read somewhere on the forums that someone said they didn't think it was as good as it should be at the 400 price point. But being their top end line behind the Steez i'm assuming it's definitely worth 200.

O.k. well forget about this thread. I just saw a Daiwa BLX on sale for half price and it only cost me $16.50 more than the Tatula rod I had ordered.

Well I never said I only picked those rods just for their color, of course I considered "lenght/power/action, etc..."

SOLVED! just saw a BLX for just $16.50 more than the Tatula rod i had ordered and snagged it. Needed a new $150-$200ish rod to go with my new Stradic FL. I wanted one that was silver/gray to match the reel so I could look awesome while getting skunked. Purchased a Tatula Elite that hasn't arrived yet. Today I got an email from an online retailer who is having a %20 off sale. Daiwa is excluded from the sale but TFO was not. Saw they had a really snazzy looking rod on sale that seems very comparable and has a better warranty. Was hoping you guys could tell me what you think, the TFO rod seems to be new and I can't find any good reviews online except for the ones from TFO and "affiliated" people. It's tempting with the 20ish dollar difference and the better warranty but I know nothing about TFO bass rods and can't find much online. Any input would be appreciated thanks! Daiwa Tatula Elite Signature Series Bass Rod ($180) TAEL701MLFS - Cod Myer Finesse Rod 7' ML/F 1/16-3/8 SVF™ Nanoplus Super Volume Fiber blanks X45® BIAS graphite fiber construction Fuji® Alconite guides Fuji® reel seat Limited 5 Year Warranty Temple Fork Outfitters Tactical Elite Bass Rod ($200 / Sale $160) TLE DSS 6103-1 - 6'10 ML/F 1/16-3/8 intermediate modulus carbon fiber material Pac Bay Titanium Minima SV guides down-locking graphite feel-through skeletal reel seats with black anodized hoods custom Winn® split grips TFO’s no-fault lifetime warranty.

Yeah i just got that Exceler LT about a month ago on Discount Tackle for $64 total after tax and shipping. Much less expensive reel. Just doesn't have the fit and finish and feel of the Stratic. Your watch analogy was spot on.

It's definitely smoother and has lower inertia. Supposedly the Vanford with the MGL will be better at low inertia than the Stradic FL. The Stradic FL feels much smoother and more solidly built for sure than the Exceler, also the exceler nob has a little play in it which bothers me but the Stradic FL has none. It just feels all around like a much more premium reel, as it should considering the price difference.

I received my Stradic FL yesterday but had decided to instead get the Vanford after listening to you guys on this thread. I just went ahead and took the box off my porch and put it directly into the trunk of my car without even opening it. Today I figured just out of curiosity I would open the box up and see how it felt before I returned it. Wow what a nice reel. I ended up ordering the 3000 because I wanted the higher retrieve (37in). All of my fishing in this town is from the bank on reservoirs and lakes that have very limited spots to cast from if you dont have a boat. I end up doing a lot of standing in the same one or two spots and cast my plastics out as far as I can up and down the banks to reach spots where there might be bass and that also means a lot of reeling plastics back long distances all day. The weight (7.9oz) to me feels super light so that's not an issue. Oddly enough I held the 8oz Stradic FL in one hand and the 6.5 Exceler LT 1000 in the other (both by the reel foot) and i swear that Stradic absolutely feels lighter than the Exceler. The only reason i can think of is that the Exceler is in a more compact package where the larger Stradic has the weight better distributed. In fact when I took the Stradic out of the box I thought they sent me the wrong size because I could immediately tell it felt lighter than my Exceler, first thing I looked at was what size was printed on the reel. So anyways yeah, that reel feels so smooth and lighter than I thought it was going to feel that I'm just going to keep it since i already have it, not to mention that I think it's a stunning reel. I already had ordered a silver Daiwa Tatula Elite Signature Series Bass Rod (Cody Meyer finesse) that I tried to cancel this morning to instead get the black and red Shimano Zodias for the Vanford I was going to order, but the Daiwa rod had already shipped so atleast now that's one less return to deal with if I keep the Stradic. Long story short (I know too late for that now!) the Stradic FL is beautiful and feels super smooth and lighter than I thought it would. I couldn't be happier with it!

Thanks for the input. Nice name btw!?

Thanks, sounds like the Vanford is better. Think i'll be returning the stradic FL when it shows up, although i'm going to take it out of the box and look at it when it gets here so who knows i may not want to part ways with it once i have it in my hands.

Awesome, thanks guys i already purchased the Stradic FL (it's out for delivery right now) but i can just send it back and pick up the Vanford instead. I'll take the FL out of the box when it gets here to look at it but for i think about 20 dollars more the Vanford sounds like a better deal.

Thank you, it's confusing to me. I checked both models on the Shimano website and it has the Vanford listed as having the MGL rotor but not the Stradic FL. Does this make the Vanford cast better or just feel smoother?

Excellent thank you. So if i'm reading this correctly it's mostly a difference in material qualities where the Vanford is using lighter more expensive materials? But as far as performance goes they will be about the same because they have very similar working parts?