I was surfing around some fishing sites tonight and found a good example of Custom concept's gone wrong. The rod is made by a VERY well respected company in the bass market....leaves A LOT to be desired in the fit and finish category.

[www.bassfishin.com]

Scott Sheets
www.smsrods.com

I haven't been building a real long time but those wraps and gaps!! Wow!

I hate to come to the aid of a production rod company but in all fairness those photo's are obviously amplified and cut and pasted onto a white background. You can also see the pores in the reel seat and cork. Yes, the thread wraps have some gaps and yes there are some bubbles in the epoxy but I'm sure if we magnified photo's of your rods to this degree we could see the same. Maybe not to the same degree but imperfections would be visible.
I'm sure this rod looks quite good in a more realistic ratio.

rs

It's actually not too bad. I've seen much worse on both custom and factory rods. BTW, that's the reason I won't use metallics for guides. It's almost impossible to do without gaps and you can't pack it like you can regular thread.

This rod would definitely look good at a distance. Butt,,,,tags on top,,gaps in the wraps,,,butt cap doesn't fit the cork,,,seat doesn't match up to the grip,,,, winding check doesn't fit the seat,,,,end of grip not finished smooth,,, epoxy remnants around check on rear grip,,,,. This could be a Custom Builders nightmare. A good Custom Builder will definitely pay closer attention to detail.

i doubt those tiny thread gaps have anything to do with the rods ability to catch fish. i've seen some "custom" rods i wouldnt sell to a blind man.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/08/2009 12:06AM by Lance Lapeyrouse.

yup, the power of a macro lens. i've seen worse examples than this one but i'd wager the bass fishermen (and women) buying this rod would not be so discerning as most of the people on this forum who wrap rods. some of the dust you see may simply be sitting on the rod during the photo shoot and wasn't cleaned off. dust like that is everywhere. this rod will catch fish and people will buy it. the packing of the thread is the worse example with this rod and most people would probably never be aware of it.

eric
fresno, ca..

It looks pretty good for a production rod ... the color combinations and layout ARE appealing. Granted it isn't up to the caliber of SOME custom rod builders, but it surpasses the work of many others. In addition, I bet if you laid out a hundred of them - they are consistent. People DO value consistency, look at the business McDonald's does compared to Burger King or Wendy's.

Customers WILL buy this rod without hesitation. IMO, that is what should be studied - not the minor flaws in craftsmanship.

I wouldn't be too happy if one of my finished rods looked like that, but for a factory rod, i dont think it looks too bad. Looks better than the loomis i have sitting next to me right now.

I know the MACRO lense highlights everything. Regardless of some of the thread issues just look at the grip fitup. That area is something even a production company can beat. Perhaps a better title or theme would be as an example of something a Custom builder better be able to beat in the fit/finish category.

Scott Sheets
www.smsrods.com

The only thing I have against the pictures is that they used them in the marketing of the their product. Usually art directors will photo touch and blend via the computer to get perfect results. I believe they might have skipped this step in the advertising process. Super crisp pictures of imperfection are not my idea of good marketing but the clarity of the photo's is impressive, I could use that to better myself, then again If I was that picky I would never get a rod done and be out of business

Jason Kesckes. Aint no fish'n like bass fish'n

I believe that rod sells for about $40. It's hard to compare the quality to a custom rod that sells for $200+. Anyone wanting a cheap rod to go fishing with is not going to worry that the wraps aren't perfect.

retail 149 so not far off of a custom

Rolly Beenen
Rovic Custom Rods

Mr. Riggins, where did you get that figure of $40.00 from? What rod has Airrus ever produced for $40.00? Additionally, where did you get the figure of $200.00 Plus for every custom rod crafted out there? There are no doubt cheap rods out there that will work for people like yourself, but there is also a small percentage of people out there who APPRECIATE real craftsmanship, whether it be custom rods, cars, boats, and on and on. Yes, you do normally pay more for craftsmanship, but that is applicable in almost everything made. I don't think Scott would have started this thread if the rod was $40.00. In fact it would probably be smattered on every fishing forum in America & every fisherperson out there would buy one. Of course Airrus would be out of business in a short period of time. But when a company attempts to compete in the market level of custom builders. then they are and should be subject to being scrutinized by others. I'm afraid that the personal appearance of that rod is shoddy at best & that most of the builders on this site would NEVER let a rod they crafted go out the door looking like that, whether it was a gift or for sale. There truly is a difference in the production rod and the CUSTOM CRAFTED rod & it's well worth the small difference in price to those that appreciate the finer things.

OK guys, I admit my error. The Airrus is not a $40.00 rod. I had mistaken it for another rod and when I went back and checked, I found my error. I also appreciate good quality custom rods and produce some nice rods myself. I was just trying to say that comparing a production rod to a custom rod (which you would expect to be much higher quality) may not be meaningful to the bulk of the fishing rod market. That being said, I would expect a $149 production rod to have a little better cosmetics.

jeez jeff. calm down buddy. it's not that big of a deal

I like going into the stores and checking out the quality of productions rods. Granted that anyone who has even built a single rod, develops some appreciation for the efforts that go into building a rod. And I understand that mass-produced rods are not assembled to the high standards I might come to expect in myself or with other builders because of cost considerations. Just the same, checking the alignment of guides, or the application of finish is an interesting and fun distraction while I wait for the wife to finish up looking at yarn or undies. I recently replaced the tip guide on an older rod belonging to a co-worker. Out of the 5 or 6 guides attached to the tip top, none properly lined up with each other. I finally lined the tip guide up with the ferrule guide just to get the rod to him. They're all fishable to point I guess. Just that I believe that 90% of the fishing experience happens before the fish bites the hook. Having quality gear, either custom of high quality production is part of what makes the first 90% more enjoyable.

Patrick

Lance, I was being calm & I wasn't attempting to make a big deal out of it.
Patrick, you are right on the mark!

Jim gamble nailed this on the head, that is a pretty good looking production rod. Most people would not look for or care about the minor tag ends and gaps. We as custom builders hold our standards higher, which is a must when looking to receive top dollar for our craft. But is there really anything wrong with that rod? It still would fish and please most of the consumers who buy it. We as custom builders must find the customers who do care about the finer points, or atleast the ones who can be educated to do so. Thanks for reading my 2 cents.

Chase Foster
American Tackle
www.americantackle.us

You always have your choice, thats all you can say, you get what you pay for.jmho