Brand Loyalty?

[Jrob78]

After much experimentation I now only buy and use Daiwa and Shimano reels.  Everything else is a bit of a mixed bag.

[Loomis13]

Well I am partial to St.Croix rods because the place I work sells a lot of them and I can get good deals on them. If I had to buy most of my rods at retail I would probably stick with St.Croix and Dobyns. Haven't used a dobyns but curiosity is killing the cat. Reels: I am slowly turning into a Lew's guy. Had a revo s gen 3 and hated it. It got replaced with a Lews. Want to try a Daiwa Tatula type R and a Curado 70 but have no reason to buy any more reels.

[kickerfish1]

I am excusively in the Shimano/Daiwa camp for casting reels. For Rods I am all over the place... customs, Loomis, Kistler, Daiwa, Fenwick, Megabass, ALX, Kistler, Dobyns, Powell, Majorcraft and Shimano.

 

How I look at it is for reels Daiwa and Shimano provide the best quality and longevity plus you know that they will hold their value. For rods there are so many quality rods out there that it is incredibly tough to pick one.

 

Unless some company wants to fork  over so much money, products, and advertising pieces, I have no reason to be 100% committed to one rod and one reel brand. The only advantage would be when change between outfits the type of cast and adjustments would be the same.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

12 minutes ago, Loomis13 said:

Well I am partial to St.Croix rods because the place I work sells a lot of them and I can get good deals on them. If I had to buy most of my rods at retail I would probably stick with St.Croix and Dobyns. Haven't used a dobyns but curiosity is killing the cat. Reels: I am slowly turning into a Lew's guy. Had a revo s gen 3 and hated it. It got replaced with a Lews. Want to try a Daiwa Tatula type R and a Curado 70 but have no reason to buy any more reels.

 

BLASPHEMY you speak 

[Loomis13]

2 minutes ago, QUAKEnSHAKE said:

 

BLASPHEMY you speak 

I only say that because I am a college student...otherwise no such blasphemy would be spoken

[Raul]

I'm loyal to ----> myself

 

[Onvacation]

I absolutely love my new Fitzgerald rod so I will be replacing some of my old rods, Reels I have nothing but Shimano spinning, although my wife has a Pflueger I do like. BC is a mix of Daiwa and Lew's.  

[blckshirt98]

I tend to buy anything with strong reviews that are on sale, but I do have a preference to brands.

 

For reels I like to stick with Shimano, but do have a few Abus and Daiwas mixed in.  No Lew's or Pflueger's though I know they both get great reviews and recommendations.

 

For rods I started out with a preference for Shimanos, but after their warranty change I became a big fan of Phenix and St. Croix.  I've got a few one-offs from other companies as well but Phenix and St. Croix.

 

If all my fishing stuff got stolen and I had to start from scratch,  I'd stick with Shimano reels, and Phenix/St Croix rods.

 

I did read a pro write somewhere that you should try to stick with one brand so you can get familiar with how to cast/adjust it since there are differences between brands.  This makes sense in the way that when you drive your car you get familiar with it where it feels like an extension of yourself and you can drive it almost with your eyes closed; and then if you have to drive say a rental car, it feels foreign when you first drive in how it accelerates/where the features are/adjusting the mirrors/etc.

[Robert Riley]

Nah, I use whatever. Jk I'm a sellout fan boy to Dobyns and Lew's. But hey, I'll admit it. I've used a couple rods here and there, SC, Loomis, Abus, Lew's, TFO, Fenwick, just like Dobyns and their stuff. For reels though, its a different story, I've had awful experiences with Quantum, low end Shimano, and Abu (funny right?), never had a single problem with a Lew's reel (that wasn't my fault). I also work in the fishing retail industry, so I see a lot more and hear from a lot of customers and that influences most of what I will say on this forum.

[EllisJuan]

95% of the time every setup on the deck is; Shimano reel, G Loomis rod, and Power Pro line.

[Junk Fisherman]

Columbia Craw said it well- brand satisfied.

 

I buy Dobyns and Daiwa since I am extremely satisfied with their products and I have confidence in ordering their products based on reviews.  I am not a gear junkie and I don't shop for rods and reels in stores.  I use Tackle Tour and forums such as this one to research and then I order most of the time without ever handling the rod or reel beforehand.  But I would buy a Shimano or Kistler rod if the need came up and they had a product that was drawing rave reviews.  One other thing- I do like having the majority of my tackle from one company rather than a hodgepodge.  I'd like to have all matching rods and reels but that is not realistic.

 

In terms of lures and lines, I have no brand loyalty.  There are certain companies that I have confidence in, Zoom, Berkley, Jackall, Yamamoto, ect... but I'll try and use anything.  

[Bluebasser86]

I have my preferences, but no brand loyalty. 

[clh121787]

For the last 10 or 11 years all I've bought is shimano reels. Some days I wish I could trade in all my shimanos for the equal diawa counter part. And see what I like

[Snipe Hunter]

Typically Shimano spinning reels. I do a lot of smallmouth fishing so I don't have nearly as many baitcast reels and they tend to be whatever feels right on a rod. As far as rods, I don't have two alike I buy what feels good. I'm not the tackle snob as I used to be.

["hamma"]

I fish,....alot, when im not disabled,...lol

 Bass, trout, pickeral, crappie, perch,....stripers, flounder, and even for saltwater bait, as in herring (when allowed), mackeral, pogies, squid, etc.

 

 I own alot of gear, some for shore fishing, and some off a boat. 

 I do have a preferrence for shimano reels, they do their jobs well, last a long time, and offer features that I believe give me some edge

 That's not to say I have "only" shimano's, as I do have a couple abu garcia rounds, diawa's. and penns

 

 As for rods? again no real 100% loyalty, but I do have mostly shimano rods, with several berkley's, a couple diawa's.

 

 The thing is this,... what fits?,.. you dont buy a wrench to screw in a screw.,.... as in tackle? lies the same criteria.

  yeah,.. snap on tools are undoubtably the best, and they offer just about anything, but are you going to buy them exclusivly? in a pinch craftsmans tools are just as good, and are much less expensive, which I have many of

 again the same goes with tackle. The "best" isnt necessary,..maybe nice to have, but not "needed",....get what you need to fit the bill is my creedo here. If what the job calls for med action slow rod,..a ugly stick, my do just fine,...but if you need to have alot of sensetivity, its my last choice. a good graphite blank and a spot for your fingers to touch the blank may be all you "need",..Be it a expensive kistler, or g-loomis,..or even a much less expensive berkley, or bass pro shops.

 The "choice" is yours,. go with what "you" like/need.,..

Bass care not of our social status, financial well being means nothing. All the fishing gear and stuff I've bought in my lifetime would amount to a crapload of money. But, a kid on a dock with a canepole, 15' of cheap mono line, and a single hook, can catch the same bass I may pitch towards.

 And then yet,..everything considered?.

  Brand loyalty in the fishing industry, is a option in some instances. But rarely possible/feasable in all,.... other than maybe shimano, or penn. Think about it,..from 2 pound test line to 300 pound test,...is there another company thats got it covered? Not that I can think of at this moment, considering im highly medicated, that may not be a long stretch, but a point to think of still

[burrows]

No brand loyalty here, I only use shimano reels but I wouldn't mind trying out Diawa reels.

    I have purchased abu rods duckett, st croix, Powell and the company that shall remain nameless but I look forward to trying dobyns  next I haven't found that one company that I will completely stick to like I have with my shimano reels.

Edited January 24, 2017 by Burros
Mistake

[Team9nine]

4 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I have my preferences, but no brand loyalty. 

 

This goes for me too. Not brand loyal, but definitely have brand preferences. ?

 

-T9

[new2BC4bass]

As others have state, no brand loyalty but I do have preferences.  Majority of reels are Daiwa although I have a lot more variation in baitcast reels because I own a lot more of them than spinning.  I'd probably be a bit more polar if I fished several times a week because then longevity and familiarity would play a bigger role.  I would have more Primmus reels if they made them in LH and more than one ratio.  Been a fantastic reel for me so far.  Love the Helios Air as well.

 

Rods are all over the place...on the lower end.  I'd have higher end rods if I could afford them.  A fellow member gave me a great deal on a Diablo Spec R and 704CB Glass.  Sweet rods.     my friend.    As for rods I do have, I like the original Tatula, Elite Tech Smallmouth, Expert, Aetos, Endurance, Rainshadow and believe it or not my Redbone and Quantum Tour Edition and Superlite.

 

Most of my lures come from Dick's when on sale so a lot are Rapala and Strike King.  I got a few of the Yo-Zuri 3DB lures and so far they have been good to me.  No favorites in plastics. 

[LBASS01]

I prefer Lews rods and reels.  I also really like the Berkley Lightnin Rods

[IndianaFinesse]

I only buy rods and reels when they're on sale, that limits my choices somewhat but I can afford much higher end stuff that way.  It's easy find stuff on sale for at least 50% off with just a little patience.  That being said I do prefer St. Croix rods, pfluegar spinning reels, and either daiwa or shimano casting reels.  

[junyer357]

I am beginning to switch to all daiwa reels for baitcasters and have been using pflueger exclusivly for spinning reels. Its more of a comfort and familiarity to me, so that no matter what rod i pick up the reel feels and casts the same. There isnt as much of a diffrence between them and im not having to remember diffrent features are. 

 

For rods im a bit more open having st croix, dobyns, and denali i use regularly. 

 

Line its powepro slick 8 for braid, suffix seige mono, seaguar floro for cranks and spinnerbaits, sunline shooter on worm amd jig for now but am switching to braid with leader when i get more comfortable and confident with a flouro leader. 

 

Lures its more open, depends on quality and price for the most part.  All my cranks do get upgraded to mustad kvd hooks, but worms i like mustad ultrapoint or gammy. 

[Scott F]

I fish smallmouth the majority of the time and my most heavily used gear is spinning. I've been using nothing but Quantum spinning reels for almost 25 years. I always like their better reels and have never had a reason to change. I'm not nearly as picky about my rods a many of the guys who post here are. I just can't feel a big difference between quality rods. A while ago, a good friend of mine got into rod building and he only charged me for the components to put them together. When he quit building rods, I switched to St Croix. In my mind, the rods are high quality, do what I need and, I spend time fishing not far from the St Croix store so I can purchase the rods often at discounts not available anywhere else. 

[WIGuide]

I'd say I'm in between brand loyal/brand satisfied. As far as rods go I've really come to like what St. Croix offers. I love the way they feel as well as their build quality and their customer service is incredible. It also helps in my case that their factory is about an hour and a half from my front door. For some that might seem like a bit of a drive, but when you live where I do and it's literally an hour drive to get ANYWHERE, 1.5 isn't bad at all. It allows me to put a hand on any rod I'm interested in and see how it feels. That's not possible for me with many other rods as tackle shops around me don't have much if any of a selection. In the past that had left me ordering blind and hoping the power and action were what I was looking for and with every company having their own standards when it comes to both it can make ordering pretty tough. Sticking with one brand has allowed me to know what I'll be getting even if I do just pick it out of a catalog.  

 

As far as other companies I'm brand satisfied by are Trokar hooks, Berkley (especially line), and Eco Pro Tungsen. I'm not opposed to trying something new and often do, but I find myself coming back to them over and over again. 

[Fishing Rhino]

What?   Not a single shout out for this?

 

[Ratherbfishing]

I'm less brand loyal than I am brand shy.  But these brands are usually geared to the low end consumer market and not for the semi-serious to serious fisherman.