I had the same great customer service w/ St Croix. When my 2 piece 5WT cracked landing a 11 lb catfish, I asked them that if they were going to replace it I'd prefer a 4 piece. They called me when they got the rod & said not only would they replace it w/ a four piece, but they'd upgrade the rod for less than half the difference in price. I try to stop in there every time I'm in Park Falls.
> Chuck, > > Several things to consider here. One is that part of the cost is the > labor, > another is R&D, materials, warranty, and total cost of operations. > Obviously if one is made offshore it is likely being made for pennies on > the dollar. If the employee in China is being paid $0.70 an hour to make > an > iPhone 5, then consider that shaping cork handles or wrapping guides > probably pays $0.05 an hour. Some companies have lower end models made > overseas and save the better stuff to be made in the US, Canada, or in > Hardy's case the UK. Usually quality control isn't an issue in these > cases, > but you are getting something that the materials cost less as well. Maybe > carbon fiber that was cutting edge 20 years ago that is now cheap to > produce, vs thinner and stronger carbon fiber that was just developed > within the last couple of years. Does it make a difference? Cast them and > judge for yourself. Even blindfold yourself and do a blind casting > comparison to remove any bias. > > Since this great recession I have saved my dollars to buy American. > Nothing > racist, but rather I believe that we are destroying ourselves and > weakening > our dollar every time we purchase something overseas. If I were Chinese, I > would patriotically buy Chinese made goods, or if I were German, I would > buy German made goods. You can't really do this 100%, but when I can, I > make it a point to buy American. We were the greatest manufacturer in the > world from about the 1880s to the 1980s. Our money is leaving this country > for imports faster than we can bring money in from our own exports. If we > don't reverse that trend soon... American manufacturers like Sage and Abel > have made a point to not offshore, not cut corners for the sake of chasing > the bottom of the market. I recently replaced my aged and leaking Cabelas > waders for a pair Sims G4s for this very reason. And I can tell you > without > a doubt that pinching my pennies for it was worth it to me. They are > without doubt the best made pair of waders I have ever used, seen, > touched, > etc. > > All else considered, Sage stands by their products. Most companies do, but > in Sage's case I can speak from experience of a close friend of mine whose > rod broke (from a likely hook ding) and not only did they replace it > without question, but when the replacement was lost in the mail they > expedited another replacement to him. They shipped it overnight in fact. > You pay for that kind of service. A lot of offshore budget line products > come with a very limited warranty. That warranty factors into the total > cost of the product and the manufacturer has to leave enough profit in > there to stand by their product. Not that every single rod is going to > need > replacing, but they do need to factor that into the cost. > > Now if you really want something (anything really) high quality, even > luxury goods, and it is out of your price range then you might want to try > the second hand market. You may not get the latest and greatest, but you > are still buying a piece of that dream. And I know you are frugal, so this > is a more practical approach for the budget conscious. > > Regards, > > Scott > > > On Sat, Feb 9, 2013 at 4:28 PM, Chuck Alexander < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Folks: I just downloaded and started watching a video called “Sage Fly >> Rods: Made in America” and it takes you on a tour of their factory, >> which >> is on an Island just off Seattle Washington, and tells about how great >> the >> fly rods are etc. Are their flyrods REALLY “THAT GOOD”?? Are they REALLY >> worth the prices they charge?? I have never casted one, but I have >> always >> told ppl that I think I’d put my $100 St Croix “Premier” against any rod >> on >> the market. And the Bamboo rod Tony built for me puts that St. Croix to >> shame. But that is sorta comparing apples to oranges to me, the bamboo >> vs. >> the Graphite rod, cause they are just totally different in their action >> etc. But anyway, the cheapest Sage I have seen, I believe is about $300 >> And that is for their “entry level” rods. Are they REALLY worth the >> money >> or is it like a lot of things and you are paying for that “name brand”?? >> Thanks, Chuck >> >> >> -- >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VFB Mail" >> group. >> >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> [email protected] >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/vfb-mail?hl=en >> >> VFB Mail is sponsored by Line's End Inc at http://www.linesend.com >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >> Groups >> "VFB Mail" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >> an >> email to [email protected]. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >> >> >> > > -- > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VFB Mail" > group. > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/vfb-mail?hl=en > > VFB Mail is sponsored by Line's End Inc at http://www.linesend.com > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "VFB Mail" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VFB Mail" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/vfb-mail?hl=en VFB Mail is sponsored by Line's End Inc at http://www.linesend.com --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "VFB Mail" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
