I was looking through a vendor's site and clicked on the Thomas & Thomas flyrod section just to see what they cost. I couldn't beleive my eyes! $425.00 for a 9' 7wt fly rod. And that's just the blank! Granted that this flyrod blank maybe somewhat better than a St. Croix SCIV, which I doubt, but is it that much better compared to the price difference? I think not. It seems to me that you're paying more for a name. They should sell K-Y Jelly with those blanks. GEEZ! Can anyone justify the cost of this blank? Just curious.

Steve

Some can. It all boils down to what you want and what you are willing to pay for it. For some, the name is worth the extra bucks. Others simply love a particular action or feel and again are willing to pay the extra amount necessary to get what they desire.

Are the more expensive blanks "better" than some of the less expensive blanks? In most cases, no. In some cases there is some design work, fiber type, etc., that cannot be broken down and distributed against many units of sale and this can account for some of the price difference. But again, there are $100 blanks out there that I would put up against any of the $300 blanks in terms of quality and performance.

And keep in mind, if these companies could not get the high sticker price for their products, they would drop the price or discontinue the product. As long as people are willing to pay it, they'll sell it.

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Tom, I have to agree with you 100%! It is a matter of supply & demand, as long as there continues to be a demand for these blanks
they will be made.

And yes, there are many less expensive blanks on the market which have the same quality. Which is why at Millennium Custom Rods we
offer rods built from a number of manufacturers. We strive to give a
client not only what they want in the rod, but also what they can afford.
Shucks, we what them coming back after all, but if you want a T&T
rod we will get it. And if you want it custom built , please expect to
dig deep for it. Supply & demand !

Dave Norton
Millennium Custom Rods

I often hear that there are many cheaper rods that offer the same quality as the high end rods... but do you really think they put the same amount of money and technology into the design/build as, say T&T or Sage? St. Croix, for instance, has to spend as much as these companies on advertising. So how much of the remaining DO they spend on making sure their product is as innovative as those who lead the field? I drive a nice Toyota... but it will never be a BMW.

I'd say yes, they put as much or more into their blanks and rods as do the likes of Sage and T&T. They just don't mark their products up as much. They sell more and can therefore break down their R&D costs over more sales. Ask youself what would be better about a Sage than say a St. Croix. Does it cast farther? No. It is straighter? No. Is it finished better? No. Is the quality better? No. Will it last longer? No. Is it lighter? No. So what exactly is the extra expense for? If you can't tell or spell out a specific difference then you have realize that there isn't any. I think too many of these companies are trying to sell us on some mystery. They can't prove their blanks are better in any way but just instead tell us it has that legendary "Winston Action" and that's why it cost more.

I rate myself an excellent caster. I can throw a shooting head and about 100 yards of shooting line. Most of the time I can get out a full WF fly line, or within 5 yards of the backing anyway. I have two T&T rods and they are very nice. I have 1 St. Croix SCIV and I have to rate it even better. Half the money but just as good on the performance scale. These are factory rods purchased before I began building my own. The St. Croix's are easily the equal if not superior to the T&T's. And the T&T ain't no bad rod!

I think a prospective buyer should ask himself those very questions. Perhaps the answers aren't so quick and easy. Lighter? Actually, yes. Look at the specs. Cast farther? Always subjective because of caster, but living at a high profile charter fishing area, I don't see many guides using the lesser known brands... and they're not supplied by manufacturer through sponsorship. Straighter? Anyone who has built on many different brand blanks can attest to the fact that some companies do not have a high quality control on how straight a blank must be when it leaves the factory... and they are not the top shelf brands. Can you build a high performance rod on a blank that is less than $300.00? Absolutely. Done it many times and no one has complained. Is it the equivelent of the one built on a $400.00 blank? Not according to any buyer I've ever had.

I have found that most fly fishermen in particular rate rods based on price, not on actual performance or quality. The thing I always hear from the 'expert' fly guys on St. Croix is that they are great rods 'for the money'. They always have to qualify their statement because even though their senses tell them the lower priced rods are just as good, they cannot believe. There has been far too much advertising and marketing going on to get them to pay more for particular brands.

I feel like I am a good pretty good rod builder and fisherman and I cannot find anything better about the ultra expensive brands. What am I overlooking?

I happen to agree that most angler's can't tell you why the "expensive" rod is better! St. Croix builds great blanks and rods, and as some would say "a great value"! Isn't that what most are after? A good value? I know, I know we all want great rods, but some of these prices are getting crazy!

Beauty (and value) is in the eye of the beholder. I happen to really like Sage rods. I've found that a St. Croix will cast just as well. So now I'm down to asthetics. Why not build a rod that performs like a Sage, looks like a Sage, but is half the cost? In my frugal mind, no reason why I shouldn't, and I have.

I'll wager if you build two rods in the same weight, with the same components except the blank, most couldn't tell the difference.

Now if I could only get a Merkel quality shotgun for the cost of a Browning...