Alvey Reels Closing Down

[Stik-ugly]

It has been announced that Alvey Reels is closing down.It is sad to see a Queensland icon will cease production.

[ben475]

Its always a shame when an iconic brand disappears.

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[Lucky_Phill]

97 years in business... Old Charles will be turning in his grave :(

Cheap Chinese imports and the " must have " society along with the TOO well made product has killed it off.

Parts etc will still be available for a long time.

To assist with the process, please visit the site http://alvey.com.au/ and make a purchase of something that won't be around much longer.

A big thank you to all generations of Alvey for their Aussie spirit and incredible reels...

cheers LP

[bluefin59]

My god that's really tragic ,the old man will be turning in his grave . It's probably more about being spoilt for choice now with some many spinning reels of different quality and price the alvey didn't stand a chance I guess . When I was a lad and stated fishing an alvey was almost the only choice of fishermen if you wanted something that would last and could take salt water without dying,very sad day indeed there should be some sort of memorial that everyone could attend to say goodbye to an old friend , Matt

[always trying]

Sad day, that must be what happens when you make a great product. I still have a 650 star drag surf reel I was given as a gift for my 21st birthday 34 years ago, is used heaps and it still works great.
Cheers

[Lovey80]

Very sad.... I need to make a huge purchase before they are gone for ever.

[Triple]

What did they expect with a limited product line that lasts a lifetime..
Never saw them advertised anywhere or being pushed on any fishing shows etc.
And why they didn't capitalize on their well known brand name and increase and diversify their product list with their own designed and made spin and overhead reels has me stumped.

[Dignity]

What did they expect with a limited product line that lasts a lifetime..
Never saw them advertised anywhere or being pushed on any fishing shows etc.
And why they didn't capitalize on their well known brand name and increase and diversify their product list with their own designed and made spin and overhead reels has me stumped.

They basically had 2 other problems, 1, the reels lasted forever and, 2, they manufactured every little item right down to the nuts, just not possible to survive in this global market doing that.

[Noelm]

Not too sure manufacturing costs were the issue, it would be pretty simple to reduce costs, the reels are just not popular anymore, everyone wants a reel with 50 bearings and a thermo nuclear drag of 80 kg, rather than something that just "works" anyone purchased an Alvey in the last 5 years??

[Noelm]

OH, I might add, I am not knocking their reels, they have been in business for a very long time in a tough market sector, I have a few of them, including a big deck winch.

[scottar]

Not too sure manufacturing costs were the issue, it would be pretty simple to reduce costs, the reels are just not popular anymore, everyone wants a reel with 50 bearings and a thermo nuclear drag of 80 kg, rather than something that just "works" anyone purchased an Alvey in the last 5 years??

Add braided line to the list as well as the huge push from the industry in general and the sponsored media towards lure fishing. It is a huge shame that Alvey has become yet another victim of the changing times but personally I think the writing has been on the wall for a while now. Talking to a few guys from various clubs that do a heap of beach fishing, recruitment into the clubs at a junior level is at an all time low. The "bream,bass & barra" media barrage has effectively done to fishing what "The fast and the furious"and drifting did to the V8.

[Daryl McPhee]

It is an extremely sad day when we lose an icon. I have a fleet of Alvey's and I will now add more. Reflecting what Noelm said, the push for cheap reels made from moon rocks with AT LEAST 50 bearings and a drag engineered in the Hadron collider has resulted in a generational shift away from the product. Fishing is actually not that difficult and the ease of use and functionality of the Alvey reel optimized this. The longevity of the product also saw existing users not needing to replace reels.

[BigE]

i also think the on mass brain washing of CONsumerism has deflated everyones expectation of products, I just had a conversation with my adult kids who impressed that their 700 dollar dryer lasted 6 years so it must be a good brand ???

does anyone really expect their $1000+ Stella to be functioning perfectly in 30 - 50 years with minimal service?

have several spin and O/H reels but realistically the kids will only every inherit the Alvey's some are mine some are my dad's make you think doesn't it.

All the best to the Alvey family and there employee's very very sad.

BigE

after reading this i slipped in to Jones tackle and snap up one of the Alvey gunnel rods nice bit of kit and now i have two.

[Nabba1]

I learned to fish when i was about 6 years old off the harbour wall in mackay using an alvey sidecast and a surf rod catching school mack's. Nothing quite like the strike of a mack burning your hand trying to stop the reel spinning backwards, trying to keep your fingers out of the way etc.

I think everyone should learn to fish with an alvey so that they learn about how much pressure you can put on a fish for the line class without the drag doing all the work. The amount of times I've seen people/mates these days winding flat out, either with o/h or spin reels, when the drag is going thinking they are gaining line... sad times.

i still use the big 9 inch alveys for bottom bashing over 50 or 60 m deep.

[terryc]

Sad to see Alvey going, I've been using the reels for 40 plus years, very reliable & simple to use, caught many tailor in the surf at fraser island with these reels, their ability to cope with salt water dunking must be close to unbeatable.
Many thanks to Alvey.

[Dirtyfuzz]

Love my old Alvey, was handed down from the old man and still use it out the back floating pillies


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[sandbank pete]

Yep, got a couple of alvey reels, one was given to me by my uncle 50 years ago and I still fish with it. Got a ship load of egg beaters and use them when new (fishing shows and "expert" mates reommending this one and that, but always seem to gravitate back to the old alvey.. shame about alvey closing but we are all to blame in not supporting an Australian Icon.. they kept true to their word.. would close before going off shore!!

[BigE]

Has anyone used one of the new SS alveys ? Alway thought they would be a good thing but never talked to anyone that used one.

BigE

[TheGurn]

Tried to buy a spare surf reel today just in case some lowlife pinches all my beloved Alveys. Tried three tackle shops and all were sold out of just about every model. Half of the new stock coming in has been pre-ordered. Big effort by everyone but it will be shortlived unfortunately. Eggbeaters in the surf just seems unnatural to me. Makes me uncomfortable to think they won't be available soon, even though they last for years. Still have a boxful of the bakelite and wooden jobbies in the shed, but all a bit too small for the surf. Sad days.

[Dezzer]

From a post I replied to back in 2010:


I agree with Kaidon's thoughts on Alvey. I had one of their compartment buckets and lost the lid out of the boat coming home. I called myself a d!@%head and forgot about it but the missus rang them to see if she could a replacement lid. The next day a courier dropped off a new bucket and lid with a couple of promotional videos inside all for nicks. To replace something that was lost through no fault of theirs, pay for a courier to deliver it and to chuck in a couple of vids was far beyond the service to cutomers that we expect nowadays.<br />
<br />
Buy Alvey products with confidence.

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[NAGG]

Yes it is always sad to see an iconic brand like Alvey go out of business -

Honestly though , their days were numbered many years ago .... I'm actually surprised that they lasted this long . You just can't cater for a diminishing niche market for side cast reels - the world has moved on and no doubt the fishing / social media has accelerated the process .

Chris

[Lovey80]

Its hard to believe it's happening.. if you're beach fishing, blackfish fishing or any sort of bank fishing for things like whiting, an alvey is the go to reel.

i want to buy a few of their deck winches. Anyone know what they retail at?

[ben475]

Ive just put in an order for a 600 lever drag model.
Aparantly they have run out of them so they will be sending me either a 600 star drag or a 650 lever drag.

If you want to buy an alvey reel i suggest you get in soon, i was told they have aleady run out of some models and parts and whats left is being snapped up fast.

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[HeadBanger]

From a post I replied to back in 2010:


I agree with Kaidon's thoughts on Alvey. I had one of their compartment buckets and lost the lid out of the boat coming home. I called myself a d!@%head and forgot about it but the missus rang them to see if she could a replacement lid. The next day a courier dropped off a new bucket and lid with a couple of promotional videos inside all for nicks. To replace something that was lost through no fault of theirs, pay for a courier to deliver it and to chuck in a couple of vids was far beyond the service to cutomers that we expect nowadays.<br />
<br />
Buy Alvey products with confidence.

Sent from my ZTE Blade V580 using Ausfish mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=91595)

Yeah mate I was the one who started that thread! For the record, the replacement Alvey yabby pump is still going strong, had to replace the washer last year but other than that haven't had any issues at all.

It's sad to see Alvey go, but it was really inevitable. The world has changed around them and they didn't really adapt to the modern market. I'm not aware of any new products Alvey has introduced in the last few years besides their (very) overpriced aluminium models.
Sure, we could blame corporate greed, flashy sponsorships, rampant consumerism and capitalism itself, but realistically the fishing scene itself has changed a lot since Alvey's hey-day. Braid, graphite rods, light lures and relatively cheap, well-performing spinning reels are all the go these days, regardless of who's to 'blame'.
However, it certainly does say a lot about a company that has to close its doors because their products were made too well, lasted too long and were produced locally. RIP to a Queensland icon.

[NAGG]

Could we see Alvey go offshore ? .... China perhaps

[Homer_Jay]

It will be too late once all of our manufacturing jobs have gone to China..... long way to commute!

Both sides of government in this country have a lot to answer for.

[bluefin59]

It will be too late once all of our manufacturing jobs have gone to China..... long way to commute!

Both sides of government in this country have a lot to answer for.

Nice to be able to blame the politicians but it's the average bloke who buys everything from overseas and not supporting Australian manufacturers, and I am just as guilty as the rest of you . Funny how now alvey are closing and now they are selling more than ever , not sure what the answer is but it sure is sad . Matty

[chris69]

Id like a dollor for every fish that was caught on a Alvey:D.

[Homer_Jay]

Nice to be able to blame the politicians but it's the average bloke who buys everything from overseas and not supporting Australian manufacturers, and I am just as guilty as the rest of you . . Matty

On the face of it yes, but dig a little deeper ..... Why do we all buy from overseas? - it's cheaper!

Australian business are swamped in red tape and huge overheads. Electricity bills alone are killing off businesses!
The end result is prices go up to cover costs. Prices go up, consumers look for cheaper alternatives and the problem compounds.

The power bill at the Alvey factory is probably $10k - $15k /mth, possibly more. How many reels do they need to sell just to pay the rent/power/phone/internet/ect just to keep the doors open, and they haven't even started paying wages/super/workers comp let alone the owners actually making some profit (this bit actually comes last).

Yes, there was a big problem at Alvey where the reels they sell last a lifetime, and less people are using them however the underlying issue is effecting many businesses out there.

So yes, there is something the government can do to save Australian jobs.... Cut the red tape, and help business be more financially viable, and that doesn't mean hand outs.
The end result is more jobs!

[scottar]

On the face of it yes, but dig a little deeper ..... Why do we all buy from overseas? - it's cheaper!

Australian business are swamped in red tape and huge overheads. Electricity bills alone are killing off businesses!
The end result is prices go up to cover costs. Prices go up, consumers look for cheaper alternatives and the problem compounds.

The power bill at the Alvey factory is probably $10k - $15k /mth, possibly more. How many reels do they need to sell just to pay the rent/power/phone/internet/ect just to keep the doors open, and they haven't even started paying wages/super/workers comp let alone the owners actually making some profit (this bit actually comes last).

Yes, there was a big problem at Alvey where the reels they sell last a lifetime, and less people are using them however the underlying issue is effecting many businesses out there.

So yes, there is something the government can do to save Australian jobs.... Cut the red tape, and help business be more financially viable, and that doesn't mean hand outs.
The end result is more jobs!

While I don't disagree these are valid issues for business, I don't see them being Alvey's primary reason for their downfall. They have simply not kept up with the trends in modern angling. Look at what people spend on a reasonable quality spin reel or overhead reel for offshore - more than what an Alvey is worth by a long shot let alone if you want top shelf stuff like Saltigas and Stellas. If they wanted to increase market share without changing their designs they would need to offer a huge price point advantage which they may get by going offshore but even then I don't see mainstream fisho's coming back to (effectively) a centrepin design simply because the others are better tools for the job on a lot of occasions. I own a few - most stay in the racks these days unless they suit a specialized application for exactly this reason. I still use one on the beach but I'm a boatie at heart and if I'm chasing luderick they are great but for pretty much every other application I partake in there are (in my opinion) more efficient tools out there for what ever reason (most of which have cost well more than I have spent on any Alvey I purchased) - lighter, faster, better drag, line lay for braid (massive for me - rarely use mono any more) are just a few.

I don't know if Alvey ever investigated tooling up to manufacture other reel designs. Possibly they did but I suspect they have such belief in their product (and to a point rightly so) that they would have seen it as a step backwards. Kudos to them for this and their unwavering commitment to keeping manufacturing in Australia but I simply think this has led to them "falling on their sword" so to speak.

It will be interesting to see whether any of the distributors that do use offshore manufacturing will pick up where Alvey left off once the competition is gone from the market place. For someone like Wilson's, they could be a good addition to their product range.

[chris69]

Saw in the paper awhile back they have so many orders there keeping the doors open for 7 more months to fill them.

[Alchemy]

I just ordered six reels (3x600 & 3 x 650) and some spares. I want to ensure my two boys have a couple each, plus a couple of extras for me!

[Homer_Jay]

Old mate at the tackle shop said he was talking to Bruce and he said they had over 7,000 reels on order.

Should keep them going for a while.