Performance vs preference

[scummer]

When it comes to $150 to $200 rods is there really a difference in quality...performance..and best for the money? Or does it come down to just personal preference? Loomis...StCroix...Dobyns..Fenwick...Lamiglass...BPS...Shimano to name a few, all worthy rods, but is there a best all around? Is hand made in the good old USA better than foreign made? This is an all encompassing question and therefore maybe there is no answer. Hope not!!! This is all in regards to an all around spinning rod.

[jbsoonerfan]

When I decided to buy me Steez it all came down to preference. I could have got an equal rod or better rod performance wise for equal or lesser money. But I wanted to mount my Steez reel on a Steez rod.

[Grey Wolf]

Like anything else its a personel preferance based on what you are looking for in a rod . There a many quality rods from differant companies. Some times it just comes down to who has the best warrenty on their equipment.

If I were to spend over 300.00 for a rod , it would be a rod built to my specs. by a professional rod builder.

[flechero]

I say preference for the most part because in the majority of like priced rods, the bulk of the differences are not performance altering.  For example, warranties, a humped cork grip vs straight cork, a fuji vs. batson reel seat, uplocking vs. downlocking spinning seats, etc.  many of those are love/hate things but not actually better or worse.  

And yes, there are exceptions to every rule.

[SteveF]

Bass Brat,

I don't understand your thinking, not that you are wrong by any means, but I have 14 Legend Elite Croix's and one of the reasons I bought these highly sensitive yet brittle (comes with sensitivity) rods is because there warranty is second to no one.

I just don't see having a custom rod builder build me a rod based of a St. Croix SCV blank (same as above) with the same components and probably charge me the same or more for the rod and have a 1 year warranty, heck most rod companies warranty a $100 rod for that long.

Again no disrespect to the very good rod builders on this board as there rods are some fine pieces of art, but just not for me but then again I guess I haven't dreamt up a rod that wasn't available in a product Elite or Tournament bass series, and the ones I did I haven't found a rod builder that can build it either ... so again ... warranty for me with extreme high components and quality in a production rod.

Take care,

Steve

[BadKarma42]

Perhaps a person's perceived performance is impacted by their preference.

[Grey Wolf]

OK , we agree to disagree. The rods you have are considered some of the best rods in the world but they are still mass produced and yes a quality rod builder can build a better rod. Something you don't understand is that personel solitude effort that goes into a quality built rod.

A good rod builder is a craftsman.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[SteveF]

Bass Brat,

I'm not disagreeing with you at all, and I see your point for sure as far as just to have a quality custom rod, but is it really "better" in terms of performance?  Again, it leads us back to the original post, I'm more of a performance guy, however I'm worse than my wife when it comes to something looking good though.

Some rod builders are true craftsman's if you will, but is the end result more sensitive or using better components when you compare apples to apples, I just believe there isn't in the performance part of things.

Again, I've tried the custom route with some very specific applications that I wanted a rod to do, and the few builders I've asked about it can not even "create" the rod that I wanted ... was it those "craftsman"?  I don't know, but to me a true rod builder should be able to produce anything for a specific amount of money and I haven't found that person yet.

Steve

[senile1]

There is probably a difference in the quality of some of these rods but there are very few of us who know every one of these differences.  In order to do so, one would have to try every brand in the $150 - 200 class of rods for a period of time to give each one a proper evaluation.  We may personally know the differences among 3 or 4 brands at most.  The rest of our information comes from others.  For the majority then, preference, based on the information we acquire, trumps performance.

[roadwarrior]

Hmm...

It seems to me that companies who have developed a reputation for quality and performance over a period of decades have the edge. Rather than individual "preference" they have built a brand name by impressing thousand of anglers for many years. In the broad scheme of things, that leads me to believe that "long-term performance" trumps preference.

8-)

[Grey Wolf]

Bass Brat,

I'm not disagreeing with you at all, and I see your point for sure as far as just to have a quality custom rod, but is it really "better" in terms of performance? Again, it leads us back to the original post, I'm more of a performance guy, however I'm worse than my wife when it comes to something looking good though.

Some rod builders are true craftsman's if you will, but is the end result more sensitive or using better components when you compare apples to apples, I just believe there isn't in the performance part of things.

Again, I've tried the custom route with some very specific applications that I wanted a rod to do, and the few builders I've asked about it can not even "create" the rod that I wanted ... was it those "craftsman"? I don't know, but to me a true rod builder should be able to produce anything for a specific amount of money and I haven't found that person yet.

Steve

As I said earlier "we agree to disagree". Nothing you say or nothing I say are going to make either of us change our minds. I respect your belief as you should respect mine. Enjoy your fishing this year and I hope you catch your PB this year.

[Shadcranker]

I'd say personal preference mostly.

It's a tough call with established companies with great reputations vs. innovative newer companies that might be hungrier and put a new spin on something.

In the rod game, I personally like the split handle, no foregrip designs that are out there now. You can certainly see the influence of Kistler, Powell, Dobyns, and now e21 in the market, as Quantum, Shimano, Diawa, St. Croix and others are rushing new sleeker and lighter designs to the market.

Kudos to these newer companies for making the entire industry more innovative. Competition is a wonderful thing.

So to me, it comes back to personal preference. I personally like the newer type design features and at the $170 price point, the Powell is a perfect fit for me (not to mention an over the counter no questions aksed warranty at the shop where I bought them). Consider it all, see and feel the rods personally, and see what looks / feels best to you. But, also look at the reputation of the company and their warranty.

In the $150-$200 price range, you have lost of good options, so it's hard to go wrong. IMHO, once you go below the Shimano Crucial at around $130, the quality options really go down quickly. I fish a lot, so I need a lot of rods and above average quality.

[senile1]

Hmm...

It seems to me that companies who have developed a reputation for quality and performance over a period of decades have the edge. Rather than individual "preference" they have built a brand name by impressing thousand of anglers for many years. In the broad scheme of things, that leads me to believe that "long-term performance" trumps preference.

8-)

I believe what you are describing is preference based on past performance, not proven long-term performance superiority over other newer products.  Many of us love St Croix and G.Loomis rods because they have been mainstays for years.  Due to this fact, we won't even try a Dobyns, a Powell, an Airrus, etc. because we have closed our minds to something different.  Now that's not to say that these rods are better than the older manufacturers' rods .  . . . it's just that many of us haven't really made a fair comparison due to our bias for our tried and true rods, or what we have been told is a tried and true rod by more experienced anglers.  Preference, based on biased information from other anglers who have never tried every rod, trumps performance.  I still believe St Croix and G.Loomis are some of the best rods made.  I just believe that a large group of people who buy them do so based on someone else's preference.  

[Lucky Craft Man]

Hmm...

It seems to me that companies who have developed a reputation for quality and performance over a period of decades have the edge. Rather than individual "preference" they have built a brand name by impressing thousand of anglers for many years. In the broad scheme of things, that leads me to believe that "long-term performance" trumps preference.

8-)

I believe what you are describing is preference based on past performance, not proven long-term performance superiority over other newer products. Many of us love St Croix and G.Loomis rods because they have been mainstays for years. Due to this fact, we won't even try a Dobyns, a Powell, an Airrus, etc. because we have closed our minds to something different. Now that's not to say that these rods are better than the older manufacturers' rods . . . . it's just that many of us haven't really made a fair comparison due to our bias for our tried and true rods, or what we have been told is a tried and true rod by more experienced anglers. Preference, based on biased information from other anglers who have never tried every rod, trumps performance. I still believe St Croix and G.Loomis are some of the best rods made. I just believe that a large group of people who buy them do so based on someone else's preference.

Good point. I bought my first G Loomis based off of what others were saying and after my expereice with it, I now have 15 more. I don't really think it is important whether a rod can outperform another. I think where the performance difference comes in is in the confidence of the angler. I feel more confident with my G Loomis and it has helped my end result. If someone feels confident with a shakespeare ugly stick, then I bet that they could probably outfish a die-hard G Loomis loyalist who was forced to use a Kistler rod (assuming both anglers are experienced anglers). Confidence is the most important aspect of fishing in my opinion. Without it, it won't make a bit of difference if you are fishing with a $1000 rod.

[scummer]

All excellent points! Thank you all for taking the time to respond. After review I decided on a St. Croix avid 6'6 with a Shimano symetre. Decision was primarily based on warranty. Again thank you all.

[roadwarrior]

All excellent points! Thank you all for taking the time to respond. After review I decided on a St. Croix avid 6'6 with a Shimano symetre. Decision was primarily based on warranty. Again thank you all.

Hmm...

Me thinks you're going to like that combination!

8-)

[senile1]

All excellent points! Thank you all for taking the time to respond. After review I decided on a St. Croix avid 6'6 with a Shimano symetre. Decision was primarily based on warranty. Again thank you all.

Hmm...

Me thinks you're going to like that combination!

8-)

I agree . . . . solid quality and decent price for that combo.