Used Shimano Clarus 6'6" MH baitcast rod, how much should I pay for it??

[The Rooster]

My brother-in-law has a 6'6" MH/F, 1 piece Shimano Clarus baitcast rod that he does not use.  I think I can get him to sell it to me but I want to know what it would be worth before I buy it.  It's in good to great condition, no damage, not even scratches, just used somewhat and put away in favor of other rods was all.  I was thinking of offering him $40 for it.  Is this fair??

I really wanted a Compre like the others I have but money is tight and I have a reel that really needs a rod for this coming season.  It's already a year old and still new in the box.  I'd like to grab this Clarus and use if for spinnerbaits, maybe occasionally a worm or jig.  Primarily it would be a spinnerbait rod.  The rod has a weight rating of 1/4 to 3/4, which won't fully cover all my spinnerbait needs but it will do nearly all of them.  I thought it would be a good alternative and let me use the reel, also provide an extra combo so I don't have to cut and retie so often when I want to use a different bait. 

Or would you hold out and get the Compre??  That's likely to be a while coming, but I can swing $40 fairly quickly.

[SirSnookalot]

I own a clarus med spinning and I like it a lot.  The rod cost new is $59 I think, imo 50% of original cost on most used items is the top I would pay.  Which is it, year old and in good to great condition or new in the box as you stated, it's either new or used?

You won't get hurt at $40 as it has a lifetime warranty.  If I were your brother in law, I'd just give it to you, especially if it isn't being used.

[The Rooster]

Sorry for confusion. The reel I have is a year old (I bought it last spring) but is still new in the box (I never used it since I have no rod for it).

The Clarus rod is used. I want to get that used rod and put my new reel on it. Also to buy the rod now it's $69.99 I'm not sure if his is the updated version which is now $69.99 or the older one that had chrome lettering on the shaft and sold for $59.99. Either way, $40 with a lifetime warranty is not a lot and is far less than the $100 the rod I REALLY want will cost in the meantime.  I don't want to cheat him and don't want to cheat me either.  To me $40 seems fair, just wondered what others thought.

[grimlin]

$40 is more than fair....Both of you guys make out well.

[OnthePotomac]

I may be wrong, but I believe Clarus rods have not been produced that long.

[The Rooster]

I'm not sure how many years they have been around.  I know they have been for the last several years though.  Used to be priced at $59.99 for 6'6" or shorter rods, but last year that went up to $69.99 for 6'6" or shorter sizes.  7' are another $10 over this. 

I am more than satisfied giving $40 for the rod if he will sell it for that.  Actually I can't wait to ask him cause I know he will.  He went to using all Compre rods like me but all in 7' foot lengths.  I am using 6'6" and even though I really want another Compre I'll settle for the Clarus for now considering what I am doing with it, I know it will be great for this.  Sensitivity might not be as much, and I expect the rod to be heavier than the Compre too.  Seems I remember from the store that the Clarus weighs more in hand, but that's OK, I won't throw it all that much and it will allow me to put that reel to use for a low price this year.  If it is the older version, I may offer $35 instead.  Little over 1/2 the original price but considering the lifetime warranty comes with it, that's OK too.

[Hammer 4]

I have a 7'6" Clarus..good rod for the $$$. For 40 bucks..the 6'6" is a good deal imho.

[Clyde]

IMHO I had rather give $40 for a used Clarus than any new $40 dollar rod. I am a fisherman on a budget. I got a Clarus towards the end of last season for jigs n things. I love it. If its in that good shape its worth the bucks.

[I.rar]

great rods.

$40 for that would be about right. they go for $59.xx to $69.xx online depending on where you shop and what length.

[LAO162]

Unless he has a need to sell the rod or you need the rod in the immediate future, you'll probably be happier getting a rod you really want.  If you want to get an idea of the market price, follow that auction site for a few weeks.  I didn't see a lot of them out there but $40 was probably reasonable.

My perspective - I'm trying to get out of the cycle of upgrading every year, so I'm [hopefully] learning upgrade only to gear I want and only when it is at a great value.   ... I already have more than I can use

Leon

[kikstand454]

the clarus isnt much heavier than a compre.i think its a good deal and will work great for the tech. youre wanting to use it for.

i kinda go by the theory that youre most expensive, most sensitive rods whould be your "bottom" rods. they are the most important in terms of sensitivity.

"moving" lures youre looking more for toughness and comfort. so you want something light and strong... not nec. the most sensitive.

so the clarus will be fine..i actually use a clarus for shakey heads... which goes against what i just said... but i have found it plenty sensitive for that. esp in a spinning rod.

[The Rooster]

the clarus isnt much heavier than a compre.i think its a good deal and will work great for the tech. youre wanting to use it for.

i kinda go by the theory that youre most expensive, most sensitive rods whould be your "bottom" rods. they are the most important in terms of sensitivity.

"moving" lures youre looking more for toughness and comfort. so you want something light and strong... not nec. the most sensitive.

so the clarus will be fine..i actually use a clarus for shakey heads... which goes against what i just said... but i have found it plenty sensitive for that. esp in a spinning rod.

First I'm really glad to hear you say that about the Clarus and shakeyheads. I had planned to get a Clarus spinning rod since I can't seem to find a rod that has a handle that suites how picky I am. Even the Compre spinning rod does not fit the bill here, I hate the cutout on the foregrip. Clarus doesn't have this so I was going to get one of those in the 6'6" length to do for this.

Also I agree with your theory about the "bottom" rods. This is most of the reason I was going to get the Clarus rod from him. Currently I'm using a Compre 6'6" MH/F as a spinnerbait rod with a 6.4:1 reel on it.  And then I also got a matching 7.1:1 reel to put on another 6'6" MH/F Compre to use for jigs and worms. Basically I was going to have 2 of the same rod with just different ratio reels on them but never got the rod I needed for the 7.1:1 reel. Since money got tight and I can't really swing another Compre anytime soon then I thought I'd put the 7.1:1 reel on the Compre I already have here and then use the Clarus to replace it with the 6.4:1 for spinnerbaits. That way the more sensitive Compre rod is used for "bottom" lures with the 7.1:1 reel for fast retrieves, and the less sensitive Clarus rod will be used for spinnerbaits and is still sensitive enough to do the job without making me feel like I sacrificed anything. Overall, the only setback will be whatever weight difference there is with the Clarus, and the handle is slightly different too I think, seems the Compre handle is more ergonomically shaped and angled where the Clarus is fat and round and straight as a board. But for this year, I won't complain about that. Maybe I'll upgrade rods near the end of the year and get the Compre I wanted as a Christmas gift, then either sell the Clarus again (probably for what I'll have in it) or get another reel for it and make it a lightweight frog rod or something. Something where it's stiffness and heaviness will be a plus and weight won't matter since I won't be throwing it that much.