Fenwick HMG & Berkley Series One

[pabassin]

I have the oppertunity to get great deals on fishing equipment this year (50% off) from a friend who owns a bait shop. The deal includes fenwick, berkley, Abu Garcia, etc. Last year i bought 6 Revos and Berkely series one rods to go with them among other tackle. THis year i want to buy additional equipment. If you were to choose between the Berkley series one rod & Fenwick HMG, which would you go with? Has anyone used the Series One? I really like them, but I wonder if the fenwick would be better. He reccommended the Series one for the money.

[freakyfish]

I just asked that on another forum about the Fenwick hmg.I had alot of reviews on it breaking.

[Micro]

I've been fishing Fenwicks for some time now. I really like the HMG series. I have 6 of them (2 spin, 4 baitcast). I think it's a light, very sensitive rod and represents a very good value.

I admit that I have broken one. I'm not sure if it got damaged or if it was a manufacturer's defect. It was a 7' MH baitcaster and I was pulling a bass out from depths of a blowdown. I put a lot of stress on that rod and admittedly may have banged it my gunnel. The bass came free and I put the rod aside. I didn't fish it the rest of the day. When I got home and was wiping it down I noticed a black ring around the blank about 1/3 of the way down. I flexed it and it folded in my hand. It had a lifetime warranty so I took it back to the store where I bought it and they exchanged it - no questions asked. The store told me they administer Fenwick's lifetime warranty for the first year, them you have to send the rod to Fenwick. I've not had a problem since then.

But the upside is all my other HMGs have performed perfectly. I've even caught some decent sized blue catfish on my HMG rods. I caught one that went 12+ lbs on my 7' M spinning rod in around 20 feet of water. That was like pulling up a tire. And I've caught a number of schoolie sized stripers on my others.

There are more expensive rods, but I think the HMG is one of the best in it's price range. It's light (about the same as a comparable Avid), extremely sensitive, and has really nice cork (I've seen worse cork on much more expensive rods). I wouldn't hesitate to buy another, and I may.

[Jig Man]

I really don't know anything about any Berkley product.  I do own 7 HMG rods.   They are as sensitive as my Gloomis IMX rods just a bit heavier.

[TrippyJai]

I'll be picking up a Berkley Series 1 rod tommorow, I will let you know how it feels for now since I won't be fishing it until warmer weather.

I also have a Fenwick EliteTech Crankshaft 50/50 Delay that I am yet to try. They are on Christmas special at my local tackle store.

The only other fenwick rod I've used is a Eagle GT and it's very good starter rod and for the money.