Why Are The Roman Made Mother Swimbaits So Expensive?

[CPBassFishing]

Why the heck are those roman made mother swimbaits $385?!!!! I mean I get that they are high quality but that just a LITTLE BIT overkill, don't you think? You can get a triple trout or huddleston for waaaaaayyyy less.

[BenBassmaster]

I wonder too why they are SO expensive it's bad enough some are $30-$50. But $385 I'd be afraid to cast that one in to a pond, river, lake, (etc).

[cadman]

I can tell you why they are so expensive. Because you know that someone maybe several people will have to have it and they will pay. It's no different than why are the Steez reels and rods so expensive. Let's face it you can catch bass on a $100 rod and reel combo, if you know what you are doing. So if the market will bear it someone will buy it just because they have to have it, not that it will make them a better fisherman.. Just my crazy explanation.

[CPBassFishing]

I can tell you why they are so expensive. Because you know that someone maybe several people will have to have it and they will pay. It's no different than why are the Steez reels and rods so expensive. Let's face it you can catch bass on a $100 rod and reel combo, if you know what you are doing. So if the market will bear it someone will buy it just because they have to have it, not that it will make them a better fisherman.. Just my crazy explanation.

I see what you mean. I guess its a bit like any other hobby that way.

[WRB]

Hand made 3:16 lures have a waiting list and cost over $300! The original wooden Huddleston trout have been sold for over $1,000 and sold for $60 when they first hit the market.

Tom

[Raul]

Because they are hand made one at at a time by a skilled carver living in one of the highest paying and most expensive countries in the world: Japan. Also, japanese take pride out of everything they make, value the art it takes to make hand made things and are willing to pay the price, for you is just a lure for them it´s a work of art, those guys spend years as apprentices perfecting their craft before they can get the title of master.

[Bankbeater]

Because IMO there is always someone out there that will buy one just to say they have one in their tackle bag.

[NorcalBassin]

A Kia will get you home, but wouldn't it be a lot more fun driving a Ferrari GTO if money wasn't an issue?

[dumfish]

Greed; In the old days it was about what something is worth. In other words, giving the costumer their moneys worth. Now adays its about what are you willing to pay for it. We need to all stand together and not get ripped off. You know , let them know whos the boss. The money is in our pockets right, and they want it. Seems fairly simple to me.

[Naoca]

How much do you want for 12 hours of work? It take a very skilled craftsman 12 hours each to make them. That is probaly less than you make per hour. The Mother is the only one that is 400, the others are what most will use is 100-120 . That are true works of art that fish very realistic. Go to their web site and watch the video. They are all tuned to perfection. When it says 2 feet per second, it means it. Can't say enough.

[Logan S]

Greed; In the old days it was about what something is worth. In other words, giving the costumer their moneys worth. Now adays its about what are you willing to pay for it. We need to all stand together and not get ripped off. You know , let them know whos the boss. The money is in our pockets right, and they want it. Seems fairly simple to me.

I'm confused...Are they forcing you to buy it?  They think their product warrants the high price and based on fact they are still in business they are right.  

 

Don't buy one...I wouldn't either.  The Megabass baits are about as much as I'm willing to spend so these are waaaaaay over my head.  Some people think I'm crazy to spend $25 on a Vision 110, but to me they are worth it...Craftsmanship is taken to another level on many of the Japanese baits.  I imagine whoever is buying these ultra expensive swimbaits feel similar.   

 

A true world record chaser on one of the California lakes or on Biwa might think it's worth it though.  That type of fishing is drastically different from what most guys like me do.  

[Smallmouth Hunter]

They are hand made and top notch. You can't just whip up a high quality swim bait like that in your garage. Takes time and talent.

[CarolinaBoy4Life]

The amount of time and quality put into the bait is 2nd to none. The Japanese bait makers are not only concerned with performance but also the art work and skill it takes to make those style baits. Would I personally purchase one? No a Hudd is fine with me. But those boy's out in California chasing a WR will do whatever it takes to achieve that.

[gulfcaptain]

Because they are hand made one at at a time by a skilled carver living in one of the highest paying and most expensive countries in the world: Japan. Also, japanese take pride out of everything they make, value the art it takes to make hand made things and are willing to pay the price, for you is just a lure for them it´s a work of art, those guys spend years as apprentices perfecting their craft before they can get the title of master.

Think Raul and the others that have the same sort of reply have it right.  You are paying for an imported handcrafted swimbait that they make one at a time and they are works of art as well as fine tuned lures.  As for greed, sorry, I don't see greed in the price.  I see pride, commitment, and quality that they stand behind and continue to make them one at a time.  The few that choose to fish them CHOOSE to.  Nobody forced them to purchase that bait.  If it wasn't in demand then TW or whomever would discontinue carrying them.  

[OK Bass Hunter]

Because people buy them at those prices. There's a subsection of fishermen who want the exclusivity of saying they can afford the best and in the marketplace price can be a determiner of quality. That's not always the case but it usually is.

[Raul]

Holy cow, there´s something creepy going on here, this thread resucitated a year and a half later.

 

Lazarus, rise !

[Logan S]

Holy cow, there´s something creepy going on here, this thread resucitated a year and a half later.

 

Lazarus, rise !

Ha! You are probably the first one to notice

 

I didn't notice it haha

[bmlum415]

They aren't expensive just because people will buy them. They are expensive because they take 12+ hours to produce each one by hand. They are tuned to perfection as well.

[smalljaw67]

Raul gave the best answer, Japan has a high cost of living and therefore labor is expensive, the same with the U.S. so anything that is labor intensive to make will be expensive. The other deal is the art, there aren't many people who can make one of these by hand that looks as good and will swim as well and that means there isn't a huge supply so if you want one you will pay.  G.Loomis and St. Croix are American made rods and are very good but you wonder why they cost so much, the reason is the amount of labor it takes to make one and the people working there are paid well. If you love having a one of a kind, hand made lure with the utmost attention paid to detail, then $400 is a small price to pay and it puts you in a club of people who own them. Most here have reels that cost more than $75 and rods that cost more than $50, that makes us a minority in the angling world, you wouldn't know it but the next time you see someone sitting on the bank fishing or sitting in an old jon boat, take a look at the tackle, more often than not you are going to see a South Bend or Shakespear rod and possibly a old Mitchell or Shakespear reel. Go to a flea market and take a look at the kinds of tackle people sell that were in their house, you very seldom find anything that was more than $20 when it was new. So as we are the minority who pays more than $100 for rods and reels, so too are the people who pay $400 for a lure, it just depends on the level you're at and if you have enough disposable income, in fact I bet that if most had an income that allowed you to spend that much without hurting your finances, you would all have one.

[ChrisAW]

This is why.

[rippin-lips]

I'm going to compare it to something I'm familiar with and that's the tattoo industry. You can purchase a mass produced machine from a well known company for around $300-400 or you can purchase a machine that is hand built and personally tuned by a well known builder for $400-$1,500 depending on how fancy you go with engraving and materials. Most of them are signed and numbered plus the wait can be up to a year. You are paying for the persons experience,skill, and expertise in their field. The same goes for the tattoo artist them self. There are artists out there that have a 2yr wait and charge $600 + for a 3hr tattoo and a lot more for a full days session. You are paying for there skill. That's the bottom line.

[OK Bass Hunter]

Well spoken, in a day where everything is mass produced, hand crafted costs more. I've been looking at a knife for about a year that costs $500. I could pay a lot less for one somewhere else. Craftsmanship does stand for something. After seeing how the swimbait is made, it's worth the money.

[hatrix]

I am not sure anyone else said but it caught or maybe it tied the world record LMB. As everyone else stated though it is hand made and takes time to make. You get what you pay for though.

[ChrisAW]

I am not sure anyone else said but it caught or maybe it tied the world record LMB. As everyone else stated though it is hand made and takes time to make. You get what you pay for though.

Actually I believe that guy caught the tying fish used live bait.

[Raul]

Kurita caught the new WR with a live bluegill. However, he´s the one recomending Roman Made swimbaits, actually they are not THAT expensive, the really expensive is the Mother, that one is big bucks !