Overpriced.com

[Catt]

I believe in keeping my tools simple, functional, durable & dependable

One can go to Wal/Mart, Harbor Freight, Sears or some other outlet store to buy mechanic, carpenter, electrician, machinist tools ECT and these tools will work but they are not designed for commercial use. Yes these tools wills last the weekend guy a lifetime of light to medium use and serve him quite well.

Now look at it through my eyes I am a journeyman carpenter/mechanic my tools are what I make my livelihood with so I must depend on my tools to perform every single time I use them under every conceivable conditions with limited failure.

Now relate this to bass fishing; when I hit the lake it will be from sunup to sunset, under extremely adverse conditions, and with full expectations of bass in excess of 6 pounds so any failure on the part of my tools is not accepted.

Definitions

Tools: lures, line, hooks, rods, reels, depth finders, trolling motors; get where I'm going here?

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

I understand completely, but admit that I don't walk the walk.

Give me some line and a hook and I'd like to think I can bring home dinner. Heck, the Native American Indians got it done with a piece of bone for a hook and braided twine or hair for line

It's not the car, it's the driver, but when you make it your "living",...well sure, buy the good stuff

The one thing I won't personally skimp on though ,.......is my coffee,lol CHEERS Tommy!

[Sam]

Yes, You Get What You Pay For and high quality tackle is necessary for bass fishing.

The guys at Green Top in the Richmond area are outstanding at helping you select the right rods, reels, terminal tackle and baits.  The majority of the clerks at the big BPS three miles away usually do not know that much about their products so it is up to you to know what you are searching for when you enter the store.

And the majority of Green Top's prices are lower than BPS.

This is why I stick with Shimano reels; name brand rods; name brand line; Owner, Mustad and Gammy hooks; and high quality terminal tackle.

The big discount stores and web sites do have some high quality items at discounted prices but it is still more fun to enter a store and feel and play with the rods and reels and read about the products when purchasing them.

The posts on this forum are invaluable when deciding on a setup.  Once you make up your mind, it may be worth your time and effort to find a good tackle shop to further discuss your options with guys who actually fish for bass on your local waters.  

[Catt]

I agree you get what you pay for up to the point where the price is no longer reflective of workmanship but of whose name won what event lately. Not many companies ever put more pride in workmanship and product quality than Jim Bagley; his crank baits have always either had 5 or 7 coats of paint. Bagley products were reasonably priced until some dude from Japan won a stupid tournament and the price tripled. So put it in perspective; price tripled while product workmanship and quality stayed the same = overpriced.com

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Oh, ok, I think I missed the point of the thread,lol.

As for equipment, I like good stuff but for certain baits like soft plastics, I would never pay full retail for stuff like GYCB's. The big argument is that they work better because they are softer but even if this was 100%, indisputably the case, (in my experience,..it's not).....does it cost that much more to make a softer bait??? I think it actually costs less (less hardener is added to the recipe)

I'll give it to Gary that he developed a great shape but, IMO, you're paying for hype.  So for stuff like that, I'll go the less expensive, just as productive route.

(This is not a GYCB rant, this is just the most obvious example I can think of right now)

I think the biggest factor that can make a dramatic difference in your fishing would be the choice of action specific rods.  I think that comes more with balancing your arsenal and doing the research before buying, moreso than the overall price though.

[MALTESE FALCON]

I agree 100% with Catt. For many years, I would buy any $20.00 combo that MIGHT last one season. After more equipment failures than I care to admit, I started purchasing quality equipment, and fishing has been more successful, and fun since.

Falcon

[Muddy]

Gottcha Catt and LBH! There comes a point where I am not willing to pay for equipment that is "over kill" for lack of a better word. You don't need a hand grenade at a knife fight. *** work just as well as the Yamamoto Offerings. Put a decent Crank or Jig in the hands of an experienced Bass Fisherman, who knows how to FIND THEM CONSITENTILY and he will out fish a guy with a 70 dollar Depps bait every time. There comes a point where so many ounces off rod and reel weight and flashy looking baits are just way more than needed to get the job done.

[cart7t]

I suppose the same can be said about any fishing equipment that carries a high price tag (relative to other products in the same category).

Whether the high price is due to perceived quality or else popularity due to recognition from a tournament win or pro's endorsement, the question is still the same.  Is this product really that much better to justify spending X amount more money than a similar product costing much less.

[roadwarrior]

The "Law of Diminishing Return" applies to everything: You can pay

a lot for just a little more! I don't think it's a big deal, but some of us

are "collectors". When it comes to baits or lures I actually fish, I think

particular brands can make a difference in results. However, a lot of

guys, like me, buy stuff we never use. Silly? You bet!

For me it's just a part of the bigger picture. I like spending time in

the Man Cave just playing with my gear. Seriously, I enjoy collecting

equipment just about as much as fishing!

8-)

[drmnbig]

I'm half and half on this one.  I don't have super cheap combos but most of mine can be bought for less than $150 for the comob.  When it comes to bait and terminal tackle I'm the same way.  I REFUSE to pay for Senkos, Lucky Craft, etc. when I catch probably just as many and as quality of bass with zoom, bomber, etc.   I don't skimp and get the cheap crankbaits that you can find at WM for $2.00 but there is no way anyone can convince me that a $15 crankbait is any better.  

[Catt]

The NEW Abu Garcia® Revo® "Skeet Reese" reel

Weight: 6.8 ounces

Gear Ratio: 6.4:1

Bearings: 11 HPCR

Line Capacity: 12/145

Price: $279.99

Abu Garcia® REVO® SX & STX Series

Weight: 8.75 ounces

Gear Ratio: 6.4:1

Bearings: 11 SS

Line Capacity: 12/140

Price: $169.99

Believe me the REVO® SX & STX will serve any anglers for years to come and will leave the angler money enough to buy a quality rod.

Overprice.com: The NEW Abu Garcia® Revo® "Skeet Reese" reel

[Blue Streak]

I feel I can use the same equipment that I did in the 60's and catch as many bass as I do today with the expensive state of the are equipment that I use know. I think the exception to that are today's line and hooks, but even some of those are way over priced. Of course I did not buy the cheap combos because when it comes to dependability you truly get what you pay for to a certain point, and then it becomes just the prestige of owning a five hundred dollar reel.

 As far as baits go I think it is the popularity of a bait that drives the price so high and not the quality, GYCB and Lucky Craft baits are a good example of that. I buy them, but I have many less expensive baits that produce just as well. I think most of this is the hype, someone won a tourney with them so we all rush out to buy them.

 I'll admit that I am a collector also, I could stock a small bait shop.

[Eddie Munster]

I'm known as a pretty cheap individual but am slowly realizing that some things you pay less by paying more initially. I've got a Walmart combo that I bought my daughter (who never uses it so I do  :) that I've had to return 4 times now. It was only $30.00 but I'm spending about that much in gas and time going back and forth returning it. Not to mention taking my good line off the returned one.

I've also bought several Lucky Craft cranks and while they look pretty and run true, they haven't increased my catch rate over the Bandit Crank that I found. That Bandit 100 series by the way I had my first double on yesterday.  I caught two fish on the same cast; a 1.5 and 1.0 pounder sandwiched tight on that bait.  ;D

[DRhodes]

The "Law of Diminishing Return" applies to everything: You can pay

a lot for just a little more! I don't think it's a big deal, but some of us

are "collectors". When it comes to baits or lures I actually fish, I think

particular brands can make a difference in results. However, a lot of

guys, like me, buy stuff we never use. Silly? You bet!

For me it's just a part of the bigger picture. I like spending time in

the Man Cave just playing with my gear. Seriously, I enjoy collecting

equipment just about as much as fishing!

8-)

+1

I find myself buying things I know I will never use "just to have in case I need it"

[tnbassfisher]

I'm known as a pretty cheap individual but am slowly realizing that some things you pay less by paying more initially. I've got a Walmart combo that I bought my daughter (who never uses it so I do :) that I've had to return 4 times now. It was only $30.00 but I'm spending about that much in gas and time going back and forth returning it. Not to mention taking my good line off the returned one.

I've also bought several Lucky Craft cranks and while they look pretty and run true, they haven't increased my catch rate over the Bandit Crank that I found. That Bandit 100 series by the way I had my first double on yesterday. I caught two fish on the same cast; a 1.5 and 1.0 pounder sandwiched tight on that bait. ;D

Haha. Two fish on one crankbait?

I am starting to notice this. I am currently using a BPS UL Combo that I bought cheap a few years ago. But, as I'm getting into Bass fishing more I am noticing that my gear isn't quite where I want it to be.

[burleytog]

Hmmm, how about overinflated.com ?  :-X

[Fishing Rhino]

Woodworking was one of my many vocations.  It was not so much the working with wood as it was working with the tools of the trade.

I've always been a tool/machinery lover.

I have owned a Craftsman, and a Black and Decker skill saws.  I used them primarily around the home, not in the woodworking shop.

I thought they were OK at the time, and they fit the budget.  They also did the job.

A few years ago I needed a replacement.  Our finances had become much better over the years, and I was starting a major project so I bought a Milwaukee.

It cost more than double the econo brands, but the first time I pulled the trigger, it was amazing, so quiet and oh so smooth.

It didn't buzz through the wood, it hissed effortlessly, even through 2 X 12 stock.  It was such a pleasure to use that I began looking for other projects just so I could work with it.

Funny thing is, I cannot tell the difference between a medium and a medium heavy rod by feel, but give me some other type of "tool" with moving parts and I can feel the very subtle differences.

When I started fishing again last year, I did not want the high end gear, but I did want good stuff.  I tried a cheaper Shimano Symetre, which felt smooth, then I tried the Saros, and to me, it was like night and day.

That's not to say the Symetre felt like junk, it didn't.  But to me, the Saros was worth the extra twenty or thirty dollars based on feel alone.

Good thing I didn't try the Sustain or the Stella.

[Catt]

Rhino reminded me of a perfect example

Circular saws are a major investment for the commercial carpenter and none will server him better than the original Skil brand SkilSaw model HD77 7 ¼ blade - worm drive. I have one I bought back in 1971, I've built dozens of homes/offices with it; change a couple brushes for maintenance and you're good to go.

I think they are still like $150

[Catt]

It's like in hunting name me a cartridge and rifle model that has accounted for more Whitetail than a Winchester model 94 & the Marlin model 336 in 30/30.

I'm on a roll; this could go on all morning but in reality it comes down to what the individual is willing to pay for his perception of quality. The model 94 will kill deer just as dead as a Weatherby Mark XXII 7MM Wby Mag.

[Big Mike in Fl]

I just got an old 94 for christmas this last year and it's become my new favorite gun, I don't even carry my .300WSM anymore.They also stopped producing them, so if you have one, don't get rid of it.

I agree with what's being stated here, there is a cross refernce between useful, quality, and over priced waste

[DOVERANGLER]

i agree that you get what you pay for. but on the other hand i am not going to pay 10-20 bucks for a lure that i am going to lose by snagging an underwater stumb or in the lakes in delaware they put old christmas trees in the lakes a while back to make stucture for fish and they are murder of rattle traps and cranks. for that fact i get just as much luck from bps brand. the only thing i will pay over 5 bucks for is strike king sexy shad rattle traps because it has proven itself to me again and again