Why Are Megabass Products So Expensive?

[RyneB]

As the title reads. Why are the rods in upwards of a $1,000? Are they that much better than a St croix, or Loomis? I can understand good components and blank, but a $1,000 rod seems crazy to me. And there reels are crazy expensive too. What can they possibly due to them to make them sell for that kind of coin?

[retiredbosn]

IMO because they can get it. Just like anything else there is a market for the product. Their market is what the fishing world calls the enthusiasts. Personally I would not buy a Loomis just to much money spent on an item that in the long run is disposable, but other ppl get satisfaction out of having what they consider the best. Every activity has brands that cater to different market niches, take Sporting Clays for example, you can be proficient using a pump shotgun, many ppl shoot auto loading shotguns Benellis, Berrettas, etc. You can hit the course with what ever shotgun u like, in that hobby a custom Fabbri is what many consider top gun, at $50 grand a gun, not many are seen. But others use a custom Purdey starting cost around $100 grand, minimum of two trips to England to be measured and about 18 month wait. How are they still in business? Because ppl are willing to pay, are these the best guns made?? Depends who u ask. Its the same with fishing, or golf, or cars, clothes the list goes on.

[Bassn Blvd]

^^^^^ Pretty well said ^^^^^

[00 mod]

IMO because they can get it. Just like anything else there is a market for the product. Their market is what the fishing world calls the enthusiasts. Personally I would not buy a Loomis just to much money spent on an item that in the long run is disposable, but other ppl get satisfaction out of having what they consider the best. Every activity has brands that cater to different market niches, take Sporting Clays for example, you can be proficient using a pump shotgun, many ppl shoot auto loading shotguns Benellis, Berrettas, etc. You can hit the course with what ever shotgun u like, in that hobby a custom Fabbri is what many consider top gun, at $50 grand a gun, not many are seen. But others use a custom Purdey starting cost around $100 grand, minimum of two trips to England to be measured and about 18 month wait. How are they still in business? Because ppl are willing to pay, are these the best guns made?? Depends who u ask. Its the same with fishing, or golf, or cars, clothes the list goes on.

Not always about price either. I traded down from a Kreighoff to a Blaser in 2010 and haven't looked back.

Jeff

[Jim_M]

As the title reads. Why are the rods in upwards of a $1,000? they might be worth it, maybe not. Are they that much better than a St croix, or Loomis? very seriously doubt it I can understand good components and blank, but a $1,000 rod seems crazy to me. Your are probably right And there reels are crazy expensive too. What can they possibly due to them to make them sell for that kind of coin? They put Megabass labels on their gear? There is a sucker born every minute....

[iabass8]

As stated before, jdm rods are enthusiasts rods. The reason for their high pricing is basically the components and attention to detail. The bulk of the price is craftsmanship. If you ever see them in person they really are works of art and any fishing enthusiast appreciates how they are built. Its basically like personalising a new car. The rods are a thing of beauty but are no where in the real of a necessity to fish. Do they fish "better" tthan a loomis or st. Croix? Premiere on up to legend tournament/imx. Yes. Elites/xtremes/glx/nrx, not really. Some will argue they do which may be true might not. I fish xtremes/nrxs and now dobyns dx and ive held 2 megabass rods and fished with one for a short amount of time and i could not see a 300-600 difference in it performance wise. They sure sre nice to look at though.

[kickerfish1]

Megabass is like the Aston Martin of the fishing world. Their products are priced at a higher price point for several reasons. The first is limited production of such rods and reels with few channels of distribution. Second is their founder Mr. ITO has put his personal touch on the various rods and reels and baits... whether it be hand carved handle designs or tuning or bling added to what are essentially Daiwa reels. Before he started Megabass Mr. ItO was an engineer, hence his creativity and ingenuity in all aspects of the Megabass brand. Their components are top notch and the rods and reels pride themselves in both looks and versatility. I believe it is this vary reason why their hard baits have maintained such a high price tag as well. No one needs Megabsss equipment to be an elite angler in the same way no one needs a Bentley or Aston Martin.

[dam0007]

For the wealthy weekend warrior status quo? Lol

[Dwight Hottle]

Megabass is like the Aston Martin of the fishing world. Their products are priced at a higher price point for several reasons. The first is limited production of such rods and reels with few channels of distribution. Second is their founder Mr. ITO has put his personal touch on the various rods and reels and baits... whether it be hand carved handle designs or tuning or bling added to what are essentially Daiwa reels. Before he started Megabass Mr. ItO was an engineer, hence his creativity and ingenuity in all aspects of the Megabass brand. Their components are top notch and the rods and reels pride themselves in both looks and versatility. I believe it is this vary reason why their hard baits have maintained such a high price tag as well. No one needs Megabsss equipment to be an elite angler in the same way no one needs a Bentley or Aston Martin.

X2 plus the declining US dollar versus the yen exchange rate.

[Raul]

Megabass is like the Aston Martin of the fishing world. Their products are priced at a higher price point for several reasons. The first is limited production of such rods and reels with few channels of distribution. Second is their founder Mr. ITO has put his personal touch on the various rods and reels and baits... whether it be hand carved handle designs or tuning or bling added to what are essentially Daiwa reels. Before he started Megabass Mr. ItO was an engineer, hence his creativity and ingenuity in all aspects of the Megabass brand. Their components are top notch and the rods and reels pride themselves in both looks and versatility. I believe it is this vary reason why their hard baits have maintained such a high price tag as well. No one needs Megabsss equipment to be an elite angler in the same way no one needs a Bentley or Aston Martin.

That and they aren´t made for us ordinary mortals, Megabass manufactures for the Japanese high end market of anglers who want to fish with the best of the best they can find and afford. I understand the mentality, my father had it, his thing was not fishing, his thing was being well dressed, designer clothes ? ha ! those weren´t good enough for his taste, bespoke suits, shirts and even shoes was what he wore on a daily basis ..... I still wonder what he felt knowing his son was a redneck. I´ve got three suits and hardly wear one once a year, which I also can´t stand wearing because I´m allergic to wool.

You "need" Megabass rods, reel & lures to be a succesful angler ? ----> No, you don´t

[upnorthbassin]

Value is subjective. Look what people paid/pay for beanie babies. When you have a limited number of an item, it costs a lot, and you can only get it from limited sources, it makes some people want it even more and they're willing to pay for it too. If I had extra money (that's a funny thought isn't it?) I wouldn't mind trying out some of their stuff. Why not?

[Brian Needham]

that spinnerbait looks awesome!!!!

I will admit, I would like to get my hands on one.

[alexczarn]

Their lures are expensive too, at least in Australia...

[OK Bass Hunter]

Because that's what the market will bear.

[J Francho]

Because that's what the market will bear.

But, why then are Ugly Stiks and Zebco's so inexpensive? Surely it isn't market related? There must be a difference in materials, construction, craftsmanship, and fit and finish.

[Triggerjocky]

I know this is a super old post, but I like the Megabass stuff.  Their rods are incredible, and because of price, the I slides and whatnot aren't fished as often, so you are throwing a bait most fish haven't seen.  Is it for everyone?  No.  But I don't go to the bar and "party" anymore either.  So what's the difference between throwing a $60 bait, or buying a round of drinks at a bar?  I can at least catch a fish that won't give me something in return...lol.   BTW, the prices have dropped, you can get a Destroyer series for under $600 shipped, so it's much like the NRX line in that regard.  To each their own, as long as your family is doing well, do what makes you happy!

[bulldog1935]

It's the home market that sets the price - similar for Breaden and NorieS.  

They don't have to leave Japan to sell.  

[WRB]

Bass fishing has a very wide range of anglers from folks that spending $20 is a budget stretch to those with unlimited budgets. It’s really a blue collar sport makes up the majority of anglers.

Know one needs high end tackle to catch bass that are willing to strike a 50 cent lure just as fast as a $500 lure, makes our sport special and appealing to anglers coast to coast from all walks of life, young and old.

Tom

 

[TOXIC]

Simple, at that price point, it’s not about fishing, it’s about you.  

[evo2s197]

I have fished myriads of rods, from cheap Bass Pro branded rods, to Uber expensive JDM rods, the Megabass Arms series that I assume the OP was talking about is probably the most Underwhelming of all the high end rods I've fished.

 

The most eye opening has been the most current Daiwa Racing Design series the difference between them and the much hyped NRX/NRX+ is night and day and it's not even close, take a NRX and drag a bottom contact bait using straight braid, that's how the Racing Designs feel just using straight flourocarbon.

 

There are 1000 dollar rods that are worth every penny if you're expecting ultimate sensitivity, and build quality.

 

The $1000+ Megabass Arms series are primarily fancy wall decorations IMO.

[FishTank]

Love Megabass stuff. Not because of how well their products catch fish but it's their attention to detail that draws me to it, hence the price.   And that is why I approach my Megabass purchases with a little bit of caution.   It may look fantastic but it could potentially be more eye catching than fish catching.   On the other hand, they have some products that are no brainers like the Vision 110 but I don't need 100 different colors and a ton of different versions of a $25 bait.  

[CrankFate]

They are not as better as the price is too high. There is no way you’re making a better graphite stick and ceramic or metal rings wrapped in thread with epoxy for $1,000 than you can make for $250-350. You can use gold threads and sapphire crystal guide inserts on palladium. It’s going to cost more and look cool, but still only work as much better as a solid gold toilet will when compared to white ceramic. Because that’s where your moneys going with that.

[evo2s197]

18 minutes ago, CrankFate said:

There is no way you’re making a better graphite stick and ceramic or metal rings wrapped in thread with epoxy for $1,000 than you can make for $250-350

That's a incorrect statement, unless you have fished some of the rods that are at the top of the food chain, and have custom rods built with the best materials available on a consumer level your opinion holds no validity, you have to fish them to understand the stark contrast between the best available and a mid teir $250-300 custom rod, or a off the shelf readily available stick.

[S Hovanec]

Why are Sage rods so much??  The few I built, the blank itself was $450. Are they worth it? Who knows, but the fly guys pay insane amounts of money for their gear.  They're worse than musky guys!

[Dens228]

I love my MegaBass rods.   But I use the OrochiXX so I'm using the $300 rod, not their top end. 

Are they better than my $220 St Croix rods?  Yes they are, especially for presentations that need sensitivity like jigs. 

 

I always laugh when I read the threads in these posts............every other hobby I'm involved in people love the high end stuff and aspire to have the latest and greatest.  

This is the only sport where I constantly see those with lower end gear ridicule the higher prices stuff and those that have the higher priced stuff being asked to justify it.   

The first time I ever fished, back in the 60's my dad handed me a cane pole with several feet of braided line, a hook and a nightcrawler.   Can I still catch fish with that?  Of course! Do I want to? No.

Can I be more successful with what I have now?  Without a doubt.  Plus the truth of the matter is I only have to justify the cost of my purchase to myself, not strangers on the internet........lol