This is a follow up to yesterdays post. I ordered 250.00 worth of AA cork rings from a major supplier to the left. When I got them, I thought they looked real good. Then as I was applying them, I noticed what appeared to be sanded filler. I voiced this yesterday. Today was sand and shape day and boy, let me tell you something; LIVID don't even begin to describe how I feel about what has turned out to be "Rot Gut" cork. 1.75 a piece! I'd name-em but won't out of respect to this forum. But I can tell you this boys, I'll get a Phd in cork sources before I buy anymore "Doctored UP" high dollar cork rings from anybody. I'm figh'n mad about this. I'd hate to see what they're lower grades look like.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/18/2005 04:51PM by Tom Kirkman.

Here's one problem, what exactly is AA cork supposed to look like? Can you point any of us to a published standard as to how clear AA is? Or Flow? Or Special? Of course not.

Until the new cork grade scale comes out, I'd buy only enough rings to turn one grip, then go back and order more if it turns out to be good. If it turns out to be bad, move on.

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Well Tom, I thought AAA was the best. I can't point to anything with both hands around my ankles!

I understand and many here have been in your situation before. But many companies will tell you that AAA is still a notch below Flor, or Special, or Super. And nobody can point you to any sort of published standard for clarity. Exactly what constitutes "the best?" What does "the best" look like?

It won't help you on this particular shipment, but after next issue of RodMaker comes out you'll at least have something to fall back on.

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Hi Fred,

Have you contacted the dealer to express your displeasere with the product you purchase? Maybe you can return the unused rings. If they are a reputable company they should work with you. I really hope you will be able to correct this problem. No one likes to see someone being taken advantage of. Good luck

Hank
On The Rocks Fishing
Wells, ME.

It would'nt be a good idea for me to call them for at least 24 hrs Hank. I remember 1986. I was a Lance Corporal in the Marines. My unit, 24th MAU was in Tunisia, N Africa.We were training, in the field,aggressing against FFLegion and Italian Marines. The arab kids spoke french. One day, after war games played out, I walked down by a large stream. I came upon this unusual looking tree. It was old. It had the most unusual bark that just kinda hung off it. I broke a large chunk off and it was on that day, that I discovered where cork came from. I should've field stripped the $#@ and brought it home to sell.

Fred,

Take a couple of shots of the goos stuff to calm you down before you call. I sure you know if you go in like a Bulldog looking to take a chunk out of someone's rearend you will get no where quick. We all have our own stories cork. Again good luck.

Hank
On The Rocks Fishing
Wells, ME.

Hi Fred et al--you're right, Hank...we do all have our own cork stories. In seeking out the best (and I mean the BEST) rings for our rods at G&L FlyCraft, we brought large quantities of "the best" rings in from 6 different wholesale suppliers. I won't even finish the story as I'm still working through it with my therapist... ;)

One of the reasons we take cork selection at our rodbuilding supply company, Rocky Mountain, so seriously. We are VERY interested in this new grading scale, as we've been in the process of coming up with something for our customers and will be happy to adopt a universal standard. I can tell you that we sort our cork orders beyond the grade we receive them in (i.e. we sort our "Flor" cork into the very best yet-unnamed rings, a true "Flor"--yes, I know, what is that--and what REC and others call Super). That means we take a pretty decent hit on Super because we sell them for less than Flor but paid Flor wholesale for them! I just don't want to be the cause of stories like this.

All this having been said, we all know that cork quality ain't what it used to be, and truly fine rings are very nearly impossible to come by. We're working to solve that problem somewhat at RM, but I really am excited about this forthcoming standard. Hopefully we'll see less and less of such frustrating stories!

With warmest greetings,

Fred,
Remain calm. Most who have purchased cork rings have had similar experiences. I'm one, and found that a nice email to the sponsor, indicating that the cork didn't meet my satisfaction for the price, was all it took. Credit was provided upon return of the cork rings. The best thing is to discuss the situation with the sponsor. I do admit though, that I am pretty disturbed by vendors who sell cork rings that have been doctored up in an attempt to have them appear to be of better quality than they really are. Vendors who distribute modified cork rings should carefully consider the message they are sending to their customers.

Jeff Shafer

I think I watch Tom put my cork problems completely to sleep in Charlotte. My position is now Don't Worry Be Happy!! Flock - Flock Flock!! Get in touch with Andy Dear and buy a box full of grips - get the expensive ones with some water damage! For a hundred dollars you can get enough of Andy's cork to add flotation to your boat. I will let others dwell in the world of AAA grading quality!

Gon Fishn Aka Gon Flockn!

You got it, Bill,

Between Flock, Burk, Wood and Andy's Super exotics, I haven't bought any of what passes for cork these days and don't intend to.

Mike

I don't see how any dealer could possibly come out by taking rings one at a time and doctoring them to look better than they really are. Does that really make any sense?? Nobody has that kind of time.

I think Tom hit the nail on the head. What you bought were AAA rings according to that particular dealer. Who's to say he didn't grade them properly? How would anyone know what an AAA ring is supposed to look like.

I'll be happily waiting for a set in stone cork grade scale if and when it happens. It would be the best thing to happen to buying cork in many a year.

Such a published standard is on the way. Look for it in the issue of RodMaker that mails on April 2nd.

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Flocking won't be for everybody, but it does offer some alternatives. I spent several years trying to come up with a good do-it-yourself flocking method that didn't require special or expensive equipment. For the most part, it didn't exist. Working with the Donjer Company and similar supplies to what they were sending the duck decoy makers, we were able to come up with a really good do-it-yourself kit and a technique that works very, very well on fishing rod grips. I had to get them to source a shorter fiber than what they had been supplying, but the in the long run it was worth it. Anyone that hasn't given grip flocking a try might want to do so. It's easy and when properly done (yes, like anything else, you can foul this up if you don't follow the correct instructions - RodMaker Volume 7 #4) will produce a very classy and extremely durable grip in almost any color of your choice. And at a fraction of the cost of a good quality regular cork grip.

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Tom I saw the flock demo in Chalrotte. Very impressive! How long have the grip flocking kits been around? Do we really know for sure they they'll hold up?

The rod grip flocking kits did not exist prior to my writing the article. In fact, they didn't even exist when I went to press with the article. I had Donjer's word that they would start producing the kits as I had spec'd them and hoped they'd be ready for sale by the time the article came out. They were.

So there are no real long term durability tests available. However, properly done, I've taken these do-it-yourself flocked grips and scrubbed them with a coarse bristled brush and not done much damage. I have several that have been sitting out now for over a year in all kinds of weather and they still look great. I"m betting that they'll hold up better and longer than any other grip type out there. Other than that, we'll just have to move down the road a few years and see what happens.

I plan to put the article on flocking your own grips into the online library in the next few weeks so more of you can see how this came about and how nicely you can flock your own grips.

None of this really helps Fred's dilema, but it does stand as an alternative.


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Mr Colby, I'm not suggesting my supplier doctored up each individual rings sir, I am suggesting that anyone in that business should know the product through & through, and be able to recognize, as my untrained eye originally noticed, that the rings were filled in by their supplier or point of origin. I am suggesting that the supplier should take some pride in what they sell to rodbuilders. And at the very least, examine closely what comes in from their overseas cork suppliers, and price them occordingly. 10% of the batch I received, were so riddled with big holes, as to be laughable that anyone would even try to sell them at all. Let alone, charge 1.75 ea for them. To me, thats not even caring let alone being quality minded. I run a small business also. www.allatoonastripers.com Let me tell you what I've learned in the last seven years. Be honest. People are'nt stupid, they know when you slack on them. Without repeat customers, you have no business. Your reputation, good or bad, is all you got. The day you throw QUALITY out the window, is the begining of the end of your business. Let me put it this way, I have been approached already by some of my clients wanting me to make them a custom rod. I will do this in my off season. I will not order anything from this supplier in the future.

Not for nothing but I for one think you should name them. At $1.75 a rong I don't think they should have fill in them. Yea I know cork is a crap shoot, but to many are selling it with fill !!!!!!
If you can put up some pictures of it.
I don't know who is at falt here, but then again, a supplier buys a product, HE inspects it! If not good Send It Back! Don't sell it as some thing it is not !.

Nobody sells cork rings with "filler" in them. Some punch dust occasionally settles into any pits, but that's fairly common with all rings.

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Then I guess the poster is wrong? But it still sounded like for the price, they should have been better??

The argument you will get from any supplier is that what he has just sold you is, in fact, what he buys as AAA or Flor or whatever rings. Here we go back to the original problem - what constitutes an AAA ring? How clear is Flor? 90% How large are any pits or holes in a Special grade ring allowed to be? Pinhead size? Larger? How good is a $1.75 required to be? None of us can answer these questions with any certainty.

I am pretty sure, however, that no dealer can afford to sit at a table all day and individually fill tiny pits and holes in hundreds or thousands of cork rings. He'd have to charge a lot more than $1.75 each if he was doing that.


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