What’s the last rod/reel you purchased that you ended up regretting?

[NavyVet1204]

A lot of flak headed my way for this one, but I bought a Lews tournament SLP at bass pro last year that is just not enjoyable. It looks decent, but feels like something I dug out of a Cracker Jack box even though it functions just fine as intended. 
 

The only rod I own that I have any discord with is the Abu vengeance rod I bought 6’9” for my shakey head set up. The reel mentioned above is what it is paired with. It’s a med/hvy fast but isn’t sensitive at all and feels like I may as well be fishing with a broom handle.

[shimanoangler]

Last rod was a Kistler Zbone Medium Powered rod.  It was stiffer than a board and seem to fish way outside of stated lure rating.  Sold almost immediately. 

 

Reel, was a Lew's Custom Pro 3000 spinning reel.  Just no comparison to the Daiwas and Shimanos I had been fishing.  

[NavyVet1204]

27 minutes ago, shimanoangler said:

Last rod was a Kistler Zbone Medium Powered rod.  It was stiffer than a board and seem to fish way outside of stated lure rating.  Sold almost immediately. 

 

Reel, was a Lew's Custom Pro 3000 spinning reel.  Just no comparison to the Daiwas and Shimanos I had been fishing.  

I’ve never owned a lews spinning reel before, but was thinking about picking up a couple of the heavy ones for cat fishing.

[optimator]

Daiwa Tatula 150. I couldn't get rid of it fast enough.

[garroyo130]

I guarantee I'm getting a response to this and I'm fairly certain from who ?

 

But the Lew's LFS was so hyped up that it was a massive disappointment. Coming from an old graphite-framed Pinnacle reel I thought that I would feel the difference ... well I did but not in a good way. The casting of the frame was rough in some areas, thumb bar just felt like it was going to fall off, and overall it just felt cheap.

[Randy Price]

Dobyn's 703C Fury.  Took it back to Scheel's and traded it for a SC Mojo Bass that I've been very happy with.

[Hook2Jaw]

13 Fate Chrome spinning rods.  The casting rods were great sticks for moving baits, but the spinning rods were absolutely dead in my hand when I needed sensitivity.  They did not deliver.

[Fishes in trees]

I wasn't real pleased when I got my Shimano Nasci home and found out that it didn't have an anti-reverse switch on it.  I don't often back reel, but I like having that option.   Not a fan of having to make a decision on how to set the drag on the reel without the option of back reeling when you feel you have to.   Other than that it is perfectly fine reel, no performance issues.

 

The only reason I bought the reel was my dealer was out of the Spirex and this reel was relatively close price wise, so he recommended it.   I didn't take it out of the box - I opened the box, just to make sure it contained a reel.   I played with the display model for a few moments.   He didn't mention ( or forgot) that the reel didn't have anti-reverse and I didn't ask.  I thought anti- reverse was a given on all reels.  Silly me.

[waymont]

Two Kistler rods. Both were bought on sale, and both had a weird taper that I couldn't hang with and too small of guides for me. I sold both after two outings with them. They seem so over priced to me.

[SloatsburgPete]

NavyVet - I'll share any flak you get over Lew's. A few years ago I bought an Abu Pro Max - great, "inexpensive" reel, I still use it. I thought I'd "upgrade" and bought a Lew's Tournament MB - about 2x the cost of the Lew's. I didn't expect 2x the reel, but the Lew's was not much of an upgrade at all, and stopped working within a year of moderate use (spindle disengaged from the handle). So I'm done with Lew's for now - will give Daiwa and Shimano a try next.

[moguy1973]

I don't have any rods I truly hate, but I bought an Abu Revo S a few years ago when they came out with the new white model of it.  It was my 2nd bait caster I ever had bought and I put it on an Abu Veritas (love that rod BTW). The Revo S never really cast right, and after about 3-4 trips it started making a really bad grinding noise, like it wasn't lubricated properly from the factory.  I replaced that reel with a Lews entry level reel (LCS) I think and it works much better.  Made me a Lews fan and have several Lews reels and rods now.

[MiceNReets]

I regret buying an evergreen combat stick.   I enjoyed using it so much that now I have 6 of them.  ??‍♂️ wallet is no longer a paper weight.  LoL

[GReb]

Only one I regret was my own fault. I bought a St Croix ML expecting it to have a little less power than their M but it was a dang noodle. I sold it and moved on just like I have many times. But I enjoy buying and selling

 

Biggest disappointment is a tie between Lews MB and Revo SX

[BrianMDTX]

I don’t remember the exact model, but it was a Zebco Quantum spinning reel with rear drag and some finger trigger gizmo. I loathed that reel. It would always snap backwards before I could close the bail and cause a lot of line issues. 
 

Funny thing is I had it for years and just threw the darned thing away a few weeks ago lol. 

[J._Bricker]

For me @NavyVet1204, it’s a Lew’s Shakey Head Special spinning rod. Action and sensitivity I’d equate to fishing with a pool cue. The epoxy on the rod guides started to crack and I emailed their customer service twice and included pictures. I even called their customer service number in the hope someone could answer my questions and got voicemail. They must be really busy because I’ve still haven’t received a reply....

[SproDD79]

Gen 2 Abu Revo Winch, I needed a lefty cranking reel and there was not much available in lefty cranking. The reel started grinding pretty quickly, and it was noisy right from the start. I sent it back to Abu and they sent me a new one that was not much better , I sold it and picked up a Lew BB1L 5:1:1 and have been very happy with it. Now, I'm using a Bantam PG for most of my cranking needs and could not be happier. As far as rods go, I picked up a Scott Martin TCS medium casting rod, as soon as I picked it up, It was tip heavy, it was described as a " 40-ton carbon, ultra sensitive blank construction" but it felt more like a heavy fiberglass rod to me, I sent it back for a Dobyns Champion 703c, it was definitely an upgrade. 

[Steelhead]

7' mh/f Fenwick HMG and a Pfleuger President 35. The combo balances perfectly but I don't like handle and disappointed with the sensitivity. Also, it doesn't cast well at all. 

[Dens228]

Bought into the DC semi-craze.  Didn't like the reel, no particular reason, just didn't like it. 

[MiceNReets]

1 hour ago, Dens228 said:

Bought into the DC semi-craze.  Didn't like the reel, no particular reason, just didn't like it. 

Same here.  I couldn’t get rid of the curado dc fast enough.   LoL. 

[kayaking_kev]

There's been a handful of rods that I didn't like, but I don't regret buying any of them because I bought them for great prices and was able to sell them for what I paid for them or more and in the end I learned from the experience. 

[jimmyjoe]

   1) Lew's Superduty 300. Maybe I just got a bad one, I don't know.

   2) Pflueger Patriarch size 35 and 40, and Supreme XT size 35. Noisy, grindy ..... stuff.

   3) Any and all spinning rods with uplocking reels seats. Don't ask why.

 

   jj

[A-Jay]

I really regret buying that first Tranx 300 ~

It was so sweet, I just had to snag a couple more !

 

?

A-Jay

[NavyVet1204]

6 hours ago, SloatsburgPete said:

NavyVet - I'll share any flak you get over Lew's. A few years ago I bought an Abu Pro Max - great, "inexpensive" reel, I still use it. I thought I'd "upgrade" and bought a Lew's Tournament MB - about 2x the cost of the Lew's. I didn't expect 2x the reel, but the Lew's was not much of an upgrade at all, and stopped working within a year of moderate use (spindle disengaged from the handle). So I'm done with Lew's for now - will give Daiwa and Shimano a try next.

I have a tatula 100 that is worth it’s weight in gold. I was kind of weary about the T level wind in it but it’s fantastic.

[Russ E]

Kast king speed demon Shakyhead  rod with a Kast king speed demon spinning reel.

Bail bearing locked up after 6 months. Once I freed the bearing, the gears stripped on a three pound wiper.

put on a new Diawa reel and 2 months later the tip broke off  of the rod fighting a fish. 

Learned my lesson on that brand.

If it was the only one, I would have thought no big deal.

I  shredded a speed demon casting reel. and 3 speed demon pro rods.

If you fish a few times a year they are ok. I fish around 200 days a year.

I drank the kool aid when everyone was pumping up Kast King.  I  was looking for a few moderate priced rods and reels to fill my arsenal. Unfortunately I learned my lesson the hard way.

Back to Diawa without looking back.

 

 

[Bankbeater]

I inherited an Abu Vendetta mh casting rod.  The only good thing I can say about it is that I didn't buy it.  It's like fishing with a light weight pool stick.