Overpriced Fishing Stuff

[mtaag3]

It would be awesome to see a pro go out with a $40 rod and a $50 reel and just slay a tournament.

Yes, I know it would never happen but be fun to see. Personally budget is not so much an issue as justification for me (but I'm new) and I do fully subscribe to the "buy once cry once" philosophy as its proven itself time and time again in other ventures.

I think the truth was spoken earlier with whatever your willing to pay is not too much.

[averagebass123]

It would be awesome to see a pro go out with a $40 rod and a $50 reel and just slay a tournament.

Yes, I know it would never happen but be fun to see. Personally budget is not so much an issue as justification for me (but I'm new) and I do fully subscribe to the "buy once cry once" philosophy as its proven itself time and time again in other ventures.

I think the truth was spoken earlier with whatever your willing to pay is not too much.

Edwin Evers uses the PQ, and around $100 rods... that about as close as it gets to what you're saying.

[tholmes]

There's no reel worth an angry wife.

 

just sayin'

 

Tom

[BradH]

Here's a good question.  If you could buy a Revo S in any gear ratio (5, 6 and 7:1) how many winches, etc. would they sell?  The parts will easily interchange.  There's lots of marketing gaming that goes into pricing.  I think the S is a great value but not so much the rest of them if you pay full retail.

[J Francho]

I think any of the sub $100 MSRP reels are not worth it, even at discounted rates. They seldom last very long, and never perform as new for any length of time.

[averagebass123]

Here's a good question.  If you could buy a Revo S in any gear ratio (5, 6 and 7:1) how many winches, etc. would they sell?  The parts will easily interchange.  There's lots of marketing gaming that goes into pricing.  I think the S is a great value but not so much the rest of them if you pay full retail.

thats a good point. I see that a lot too.

[dwtaylor]

After working in retail, I noticed that Shimano reels had the least amount of markup among Pure Fishing and Quantum reels. We never carried Ardent, Lews, or Daiwa, so I cannot speak about those. Thus I am convinced that shimano cares more about performance per dollar than those other two brands.

People would bring in older reels for me to spool up and there was a huge difference in durability between shimano and all else. The pflueger president is probably one of the most over hyped reels I have ever seen (in walleye country). I never saw one older than 5 years come in, yet I saw hundreds of old shimanos. 10 ball bearings? Who cares, bearing quality is much more important. That, amongst other things, is the reason I am switching to all shimano. Daiwa makes SOME good stuff too, but the $10 increase per year almost line wide irks me. The Zillion was an awesome value when it was about $260. Now, its just over priced for aging technology and weight.

The best value? The curado or citica and the stradic. Those reels will last a lifetime. I would challenge the sx and the old soron stx to rival the shimanos' performance at price, performance, and durability any day.

[SissySticks]

For me this is all about durability, and in a market that is increasingly interesting in performance and apparently increasingly disinterested in durability, I find myself searching ebay for older garcia and shimano reels a lot. The old 5, 6, and 7 series abu garcia spinning reels are very durable reels with their aluminum construction, despite lower bearing counts and less-smooth retrieves. I have some OLD shimanos that are still catching fish.  I'm saddened that this years Sahara no longer has an aluminum frame. I would say ANY reel, at any pricepoint, that won't last a typical recreational fisherman at least 10 years at a "close-to-new" level of performance (assuming basic maintenance) is over-priced.

[BigAL]

Not for nothing guys but were fishermen r job is to hook the fish and rod, reel, lurer makers r made to hook us n r wallet but hell its fun personally most I will spend on a reel is $100 Ive had $300 reels n I wasnt impressed maybe cause the expectation level was so high, dollar for dollar cant beat bps pq

[Capt.Bob]

any Shimano or Diawa and I would double that thought on the Diawa. They charge a premium for the naqme, Shimano use to make up for it with CS, many times they would ship small parts that had failed at no charge, those days are over and now instead of raising prices they have deceided to cheapen models and keep the price the same????? Diawa is doing this also.

[averagebass123]

I am sad that shimano stopped making the rock solid reels like the d series and bantam series... wow the things probably last forever lol!

[SoCalFisher]

I am sad that shimano stopped making the rock solid reels like the d series and bantam series... wow the things probably last forever lol!

 

Shimano reels are still great and their customer service is the best.

[Capt.Bob]

Shimano reels are still great and their customer service is the best.

You obviously haven't dealt with the customers service from some others!! I do weekly!!! Those days are over, and seem to be falling off more and more as time goes on!! This was not the case 3 years ago, but it positively is today!! I still own nothing but Shimano brand Spinning reels, and that isn't because of thier CS!! My baitcasters are no longer Shimano, they used to be though! and that is because of various reasons!!

[aavery2]

Edwin Evers uses the PQ, and around $100 rods... that about as close as it gets to what you're saying.

Edwin Evers was recently signed by Megabass.  Most would consider that a sizeable upgrade from the PQ

[EvanT123]

Interesting how a thread on overpriced reels turned into a debate about customer service. I would try to buy a product where I don't have to deal with customer service for a defect.

[The Next KVD]

I think one reel that most of us can agree on being overpriced is the W&M Skeet Reese Victory.  At $79.99 its an attractive price until you handle one.  I passed up an offer to buy one off a buddy for $20.  Told him that was $20 I could go spend on a decent reel.

[Sam]

Average, I have a wonderful friend that repairs rods and reels.

 

When I visit him he always fills me in on the changes the reel manufacturers make to their new reels. Some are good but most are not.

 

For instance, Shimano is now using a plastic gear in place of the metal one in older models.

 

The drag pads in some reels are poor and need to be replaced.

 

When you purchase a new reel always take off the side panel and look for the missing grease. You need to have every new reel serviced so it can be oiled and greased correctly.

 

So reel manufacturers are now cutting costs where ever they can as the advertise their new reels are better than ever.  If you think catching bass is fun just think about the rod and reel manufacturers advertising departments creating ads to sell their products. In many instances they create a demand by selling the sizzle and not the steak.

 

Rod and reel preferences are personal. You may like Abu and I love Shimano. It boils down to confidence in  your equipment.

 

And yes, rods and reels are priced very high. When you realize that these products are made in China, Korea, Bangledesh, India, Outer Mongolia and other places outside of the US it can give you heartburn to pay the prices asked at retail stores.

 

But that is our system and as I said, it boils down to personal preference in one specific brand.

[.RM.]

There's no reel worth an angry wife.

 

just sayin'

 

Tom

X2   

[ww2farmer]

Too each his own. Personally, I don't like Daiwa and don't feel like there is much bang for the buck with them. I gladly pay for Shimano. While they are not loaded with features that other reels have, they last and last, and last forever. Give me a reel I can fish for years with only basic maintenance, and you can keep your crap that weighs a few ounces less, has more bearings, fancy handles and a screaming idiot on tv telling you how great they are.

[aavery2]

Everything is only worth what you can get someone else to pay for it.  If you follow that logic, then nothing is overpriced.  If we as consumers truely believed as a whole that something was overpriced and did not pay for it, what option would the mfg. have other than to stop production or lower the price.  When we continue to purchase items that are "overpriced" the message sent to the mfg. is that while we may complain a little about the price, we will still get in our pockets and pay to play.

 

I always say get in where you fit in, if you feel it's not worth the money then don't buy it, but don't hate on the other guy because it is something that he enjoys, there is room for everyone.

[*Hootie]

Gee, I'm starting to get depressed....lol

Hootie

[SirSnookalot]

Too each his own. Personally, I don't like Daiwa and don't feel like there is much bang for the buck with them. I gladly pay for Shimano. While they are not loaded with features that other reels have, they last and last, and last forever. Give me a reel I can fish for years with only basic maintenance, and you can keep your crap that weighs a few ounces less, has more bearings, fancy handles and a screaming idiot on tv telling you how great they are.

Less is not always best for ones needs.  Recently I bought a new reel and opted for one 3 oz heavier than my initial thought for a reel choice.  My decision was based on the length of my rod,  I do believe it worked out well, both reels were very close in price.

[Capt.Bob]

Less is not always best for ones needs.  Recently I bought a new reel and opted for one 3 oz heavier than my initial thought for a reel choice.  My decision was based on the length of my rod,  I do believe it worked out well, both reels were very close in price.

yep, and it probably feels lighter if it balanced your setup better, even if it was 3 oz. heavier. Nothing beats balance, and a lot of these light reels make an out of balance setup feel heavier than it really is!! 

[rboat]

I think all companies have both good and bad reels in their lineup. That is how they try to appeal to every consumer. Our job is to find that breakpoint price between quality and sub-par offerings. At times this can be difficult to do. That is why forums like this can be used as a tool to help others. If we all put away our brand bashing and just tell the truth about what works well for the price and where to get those deals. We may all fish with better gear, enjoy the sport more, and send a clear message to the manufacturers about their prices.

[bass1980]

This thread has become a pile of poop. You guys can't judge a product by ebay prices. They are all over the price map and many of their prices are guys that get great discounts and are selling it for crack head price because they're just selling it out of their trunk. You have to judge it be retail price.

On the other hand a product is only worth what you're willing to pay for. Why buy a Lexus when a Toyota will do just fine getting groceries and taking you to work? Some people like things more refine and they can afford it. If we all live by the ignorant thinking then BMW's, 500k+ houses, premium suites, John Deere tractors, and anything premium are all over priced. The truth is if we all were millionaires we'd be buying some high end fishing gears that many others would say its over priced.