Just curious what you guys do and think:I test each blank coming in to me plus I visually inspect each blank as its delivered.
A do over is costly in time, money and reputation to me.
Simple load test in a rod holder off the side of my boat in the garage after an initial flex on a carpeted floor.
Almost every break i have ever had has shown up then. Other breaks i have had brought back in to me after 6 months of use i can all compare to the Rodbuilder article and it shows they were impact/crush/high stick caused.
Are there 'manufacturing defects' that would be seen only after say 6 months or 10 years down the line and not show up in such a pre-build test?
If so:how could i test for them too?
Do manufacturers and or suppliers do such tests or is it just too expensive for them to do?

As I understand it any build defect that is going to cause failure, will do so quickly within the first few flexes of the rod. Anything coming back after its first and MAYBE on a long shot, its second use is due to some sort of user error.

That is my understanding also. But why then offer a many year warranty?
So are the factories doing this test before the blanks leave the plant?
The suppliers before shipping?
Or do you do like i do and test before and after each build because a rebuild hurts you time/money/reputation wise?

Lou Auret Wrote:
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> That is my understanding also. But why then offer
> a many year warranty?


Marketing 101

I give blanks a pretty good flex & if she stays in 1 piece, she gets built.

There ya go the KISS method

Bill - willierods.com

Manufacturers offer a multi-year warranty because the market dictates that they do. Even then, most only warranty against defects in materials and/workmanship, which tends to protect them a great deal.

Long term defects that would only rear their head many months or years down the road would more likely fall to the side of workmanship issues, i.e. a poorly prepped or glued reel seat or grip, that might not begin to come loose or drift until some time down the road.

.................

OK i understand marketing.
The orange rod in a sea of slate.
It sells.
The KISS method would tell me to test before shipping from factory.
Any subsequent test would be a regression test of sorts: did it get damaged somewhere during shipping,storage, handling or the building.

Years ago, while All Star was building their blanks in Houston, I toured their plant. They had a person that would flex each rod blank before sending it to the person installing the handle parts.

Which brings to mind something stupid that I did...one of them. Back in the early 80s I went to a tackle shop to pick up a blank that I had ordered. One of the salesmen was demoing the then new fiberglass blanks with a clear tip. Sorry but I am having an Oops moment (must be catching here in Texas) and can't remember the name of the blank. Anyway, the salesman took the blank and flexed it almost into a circle to show its flexibility and strength. A few days later I finished building the rod and the customer came by to pick it up. To show the customer how strong and flexible these new blanks were (and this was a graphite blank) I tried to duplicate what the salesman had done in the shop. Well I broke the darn thing and had to build another rod. That guy never ordered another rod from me.

Back in the day ( 197?)...I heard Lorne Green, who eventually ran the G.Loomis plant in Canada, speak at my fishing club.
He was extolling the virtues of , the then brand new, Graphite fishing rods.
Everything when well and all were excited about these new rods, until he told us the price!
I don't recall what that price was but it was over $150.00 at a time when most of us thought $50.00 would buy the best rod in the world.
At the same time, I think it was Fenwick, had factory made rods on the market...The magazine reports were good, BUT, the rods were "known" to be very fragile.
To pursued us reluctant buyer to try these new rods, at 3X or 4X what we were used to paying, life time warranties soon became common.

Fine

And now you pay 300.00 for a blank that when you clean it with Drug Store Alcohol ---- The finish comes off
Quality i don't think so

Bill - willierods.com

One thing you got to remember is graphite is very fragile a slight bump can cause fractures that cannot be seen but will show up later when you least expect it ! Glass is much more forgiving . Larry