View Poll Results: Is buying cheap, a good option?

Voters
100. You may not vote on this poll
  • Buying cheap gear is fine - it works!

    13 13.00%
  • Buy the best quality gear you can afford

    72 72.00%
  • Top shelf (& top dollar) is what to aim for

    15 15.00%
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Thread: Does el-cheapo do the job..?

  1. #16

    Re: Does el-cheapo do the job..?

    Rod - not every important for 90% of uses unless casting very often and then a middle of the road one will suffice quite handsomely for 90% of the those people in my experience.

    Reels - middle of the road reels work very well if a person does their homework competently before purchase - so very important, this to me has not changed in 20 years.

    It's like cars - an old dunger family car will usually get you to where you want to go, a new basic and typical family car should do it as reliably or better incorporating more but enough ease of use/comfort and a longer lifespan from that point.

    From here and upward the purchase incorporates more the individual as the travel and usefulness component has been well covered in the other cars so now personality type mainly will drive all or most all of the justification, for all but the very special interest user.

    cheers fnq



  2. #17

    Re: Does el-cheapo do the job..?

    i work on the best you can afford theory..
    unless you fish hard & a lot i doubt the average fisho would pick the difference between a top end & a middle of the road outfit. My daughter has had a Shimano spin outfit for about 4 years, cost the princely sum of $57 on sale. It's looked after & for general estuary use it performs faultlessly, the drag only has one washer in it so it gets a bit jerky if a fish starts to take too much line, but still not a worry if the drag it set to suit. the rod is a little clear tipped thing thats a bit soft & floppy, again it does the job well. I still use a couple of 25 yo shakespeare & diawa reels which had the washers replaced with oil soaked leather, while they are a bit heavier (all metal) & not as smooth as newer ones, they will still do the job just as well as newer ones.
    I personally feel a lot of people are caught up in the marketing of the 'Name' product & spend way more than they need to just so they can be one of the 'gang' & say" i have a 4-6kg youbeaut floppycastor" too..."with matching reel" my 2cents..

  3. #18

    Re: Does el-cheapo do the job..?

    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce_Bogtrotter View Post
    I personally feel a lot of people are caught up in the marketing of the 'Name' product & spend way more than they need to just so they can be one of the 'gang' & say" i have a 4-6kg youbeaut floppycastor" too..."with matching reel" my 2cents..
    Ain't that the truth.
    Jeremy
    "The underlying spirit of angling is that the skill of the angler is pitted against the instinct and strength of the fish and the latter is entitled to an even chance for it's life."
    (Quotation from the rules of the Tuna Club Avalon, Santa Catalina, U.S.A.)

    Apathy is the enemy

  4. #19

    Re: Does el-cheapo do the job..?

    I am less concerned about the rod than the reel

    smooth drag is a must, with low maintenance requirements

    I've been happy with mid ranged Shimano reels so far.

    I will upgrade to some higher end shimano reels later on, but only when doing so for a specific reason

    cheers

    Mick

  5. #20

    Re: Does el-cheapo do the job..?

    Hi, from a traders point of view, and something most fishing tackle buyers don't realise, is most of the mid range stuff comes from the same factories.

    Penn don't make anything
    Silstar don't make anything
    Jarvis walker doesn't make anything
    Daiwa doesn't make anything
    And so on.

    Alot of misconception is that there's alot of 'Cheap chinese copies'
    There is and then there isn't.
    Confused ??

    If you find a brand reel and find a reel that looks the same with a cheaper brand name (it's the same reel) not a copy.

    Tica
    Browning
    Silstar
    Flueger
    Shakespeare
    And so on.
    Are all from the same off the shelf manufacturers, they are not specifcly designed and manufactured products.

    Top shelf brands like DAIWA, SHIMANO do design their own stuff, and do monitor their own quality controls, not necesarily in their own factory.

    For mid range stuff from the above brands it is the same products and from the same factories as Tica, browning etc etc.

    High end you get the best possible quality monitoring by the "Brand"
    So in mid range, buy only on price, ignore the brand.
    In bottom range stay away (made by backyard type small factories)

    The bigger the brand name, the overheads and advertising you pay for.

    As for rods, there's 1000's of manufacturers, if you see rods that look similar or have same looking , size blanks, it's the same blank.

    Brand name components are a better choice on rods. Fuji, BayPac etc.

  6. #21

    Re: Does el-cheapo do the job..?

    Many people think that a stella or saltiga is to expensive and will do the same job as a lesser expensive or lesser quality reel and i used to think the same - until i used one , chalk and cheese really .
    I would rather save and have the top end stuff ( if i can afford it i will have it ) .
    Having said that if i was unable to afford it then whatever i could afford would do the job

    CHEAP V EXPENSIVE / E-TEC V 4STROKE will it ever end ------ i don`t think so

    Regards MONOSTRETCHO
    quote of the day ( guns don`t kill people fathers with pretty daughters do ) !!:wink:

  7. #22

    Re: Does el-cheapo do the job..?

    Stella`s , saltiga`s , megabass , blacksheep`s , exist`s , ize`s etc etc and the list goes on are all manufactured in japan arn`t they ?
    quote of the day ( guns don`t kill people fathers with pretty daughters do ) !!:wink:

  8. #23

    Re: Does el-cheapo do the job..?

    Stella`s , saltiga`s , megabass , blacksheep`s , exist`s , ize`s etc etc and the list goes on are all manufactured in japan arn`t they ?
    No.
    All made in China, maybe some are assembled in Japan.

    Chinese will print anything on a box or product for their customers.

    For example 75% of a commodores parts are made in china, assembled here, so they are made in Australia.

    Because chinese labour is cheaper, same goes for any brand.

  9. #24

    Re: Does el-cheapo do the job..?

    MONOSTRETCHO,
    So there's no confusion
    For SHIMANO and DAIWA "top shelf items"

    They are the best by far, as they do their own strict quality design and controls.

    But $1000 - $1500 is too much, they are not worth it.

    For mid range reels and rods for every brand, they come from the same factories, so mid range stuff is not hiked up by the same stupid margins as high end.

    So Given that the same contractor's make the same MID range stuff, you're better buying on price alone, whenshopping for mid range.

    The High end contractors are seperate to mid range contractors.

    Mid range is marked up at a lesser % rate than high end, so mid range in my opinion is a better buy (for your $)

    For lesser known(advertised brands) like silstar for eg, they are priced fairly.

    Only marked up 100% from factory price by the time they retail.

    Not 1000% like top shelf stuff. (Yes x 10 by the time they retail), and the retailer is not making that much on them, the brand is.

  10. #25

    Re: Does el-cheapo do the job..?

    To a certain extent yes. A good example is a mate of mine who will only use cheap JW combos.The funny thing is this bloke lands a couple of 10lb+ trout each year (arsy bugger) on his beloved combo.He just replaces it every two seasons,maybe not everyones cup of tea but it works for him.
    Cheers
    Reidy

  11. #26

    Re: Does el-cheapo do the job..?

    I dont see how you can say that a saltiga dog fight at over $1000 is ( not worth it ) of course it is because it is the best wether or not you have one ,can afford one or want one it is hard to deny there quality.
    Iunderstand what you are saying about the mark up but i think they are worth it
    I also find it hard to believe that there is no reels made in japan i could be wrong but i thought they were.
    quote of the day ( guns don`t kill people fathers with pretty daughters do ) !!:wink:

  12. #27

    Re: Does el-cheapo do the job..?

    Geeze guys,
    There's some really useful infomation coming out here and I am finding out plenty of stuff I didn't realise before. There's obviously some pretty cluey members out there with sound expertise.

    I have a good idea about the kind of equipment I like to use and how to get the best out of it but many other (behind the scene) things remained a mystery.

    It's good to get some of that 'value added' info about differentiating between what is good tackle; what constitutes mid-range; what exactly is el-cheapo and supporting technical information to back it up. All that info about brands, products & manufacturing etc is a valuable contribution to the bigger picture.

    The poll clearly indicates that buying the 'best you can afford' is the most popular choice. I tend to agree even though over the past three years I've accumulated more top shelf baitcasting gear (mostly because of fishing in png).

    Reels: Millionnaire Blacksheep 300; Calcutta 400; Conquest 300; Penn 975; Curado DSV 300 plus a couple of lower priced mid-rangers (as stand-byes).

    With the reels I definately noticed that the more costly ones functioned better & more consitently in the conditions - especially with heaps of casting & retrieving involved.

    My favourite ended up being the Calcutta 400 (suped up Jap version with more BBs). Casts like a dream, easly to use, silky smooth drag & all the rest.

    Rods: I've got rods ranging from Egrell; Loomis & T-curve to Shimano Raiders and a Penn Pinpoint. I have noticed less overall difference between those first three rods. I even preferred to use the T-curve over the Loomis as the T-curve had more of an 'Egrell' feel about it.

    But there was a heaps of noticeable difference between the Pinpoint & the Egrell with the Egrell giving greater control over the fish. The Raiders were fun to use but again not quite in the category of the top three.

    Out of the rods mentioned above, I'd have to say it was the 5' 8" 6-8kg T-curve that ended up as my preferred stick, matched to the Calcutta 400.

    I haven't tested the Conquest 300 out enough yet to get an opinion, but I'm sure it will end up as a goodun'.

    So, in view of the above - as preferred choice - I've gone for the option of a 'top shelf' reel ($400+) match to a mid-range priced rod ($200+)

    Regarding the "buy the best you can afford" scenario, sometimes it will come down to buying what is the best thing you can find for the job inside your budget - even if you could 'afford' something more expensive.

    If I go into a tackle shop with $300 to buy a rod and I see a you beaut model, with a great action for $290 and right next to it is a T-curve for $215 with a similar action and a good feel to it, then I most likely won't choose the $290 option, simply because I have enough money for it.

    There are so many contributing factors, many of which have been covered in the previous threads. I'm sure more opinions & reasoning are yet to surface.

    Anyway, it is great to hear some interesting feedback.
    It helps to re-evaluate your own position and put more thought into the how/what/when/where/who/why/would've/could've/should've/didn't/might; of buying tackle.
    Last edited by PNG1M; 22-12-2008 at 03:36 PM. Reason: typo...
    "...a voice in my head keeps telling me to go fishing..."

  13. #28

    Re: Does el-cheapo do the job..?

    If I had a choice of

    a 5.5mtr $40,000 boat package with $10,000 of reels and rods.

    or a 6.2 mtr $48,000 boat package with $2000 of reels and rods.

    I wouldn't hesitate and get the 6.2 package.

    Lets face is rods get broken now matter how expensive, and reels get dropped or lost over the side.

    I know of a guy who dives off Greencape every now and again, to retieve some nice outfits, that someone lost for what ever reason.

    Ever been out is rough weather and looked up at the rocket launcher at the ramp, to notice there's something missing ?

  14. #29

    Re: Does el-cheapo do the job..?

    Those that think that there is little difference between reels clearly have not used / compared similar style reels side by side (High end Vs Cheaper)

    Take my barra reels : Steez , Zillions , Chronarch SF.

    all do the job .... all have caught good barra .... but there is a huge difference between the 3

    The Steez is the most expensive ($700ish) : its considerably lighter , much smoother casting , can cast lighter weights , smooth drag , nice cast control ....... a dream to use all day

    Zillions (I own 2) Mid to high priced ($450) : Heaviest in weight , smooth , casts big lures well but not light weights , heaviest drag , good cast control ..... robust reel ....... Happy enough to use it all day - but you know it

    Chronarch SF Mid priced ($350) ..... Reasonably light , fair drag , not real smooth to wind , casts OK , So so cast control , ...... a back up reel.

    Without a doubt ..... If I could own 3 Steez's I would - but since I couldn't 1 Steez & 2 Zillions will do ( 1 imported @ $A250 .... makes it value)

    I think this is a fair comparison as each reel is interchanged with rods & fished in the same role! .........

    Chris
    Give a man a fish & he will eat for a day !
    Teach him how to fish
    & he will sit in a boat - & drink beer all day!
    TEAM MOJIKO

  15. #30

    Re: Does el-cheapo do the job..?

    ########## has it right.

    Most tackle 'manufacturer's' source their wares from South east Asia.

    Many different brands will use the same blanks because they are 'sourced' from the same manufacturers. they are often sold from the factory for a few dollars each but will end up with whatever price tag the tackle firms choose to put on it.

    A high price is no real guide to quality....there is some expensive crap around

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