I have built on several high end blanks including cts, rx8+, and Gatti. I have built some rods on rx7 blanks and just built a rod for on a freind on a mhx blank. I have loved every rod I made. I can say the the cts affinity x 10' 3wt is my favorite rod I own.

Now the question, I want to build a new 9' 4/5wt I am lusting over the new sage one. Why I don't know maybe the sage name maybe the marketing hype. My heart says spend the money and buy one but my head says buy a mhx or quickfire for a 1/4 of the money. Both of these blanks are high mod, fast action, small dia, and weigh very close to sage one blank. Am I crazy for spending the money on the sage? will the other 2 blanks cast and fish similar if the ccs numbers are close? how much difference is there these days from the highest end blanks to a good mid price blank?

Thanks,
Bob



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/2011 09:35PM by Bob Hallowell.

Bob, I would go to a shop that carries Sage and cast one. I played around with a friend of mines Sage One 9ft 4wt. I personally didn't think it was any better than the CTS Affinity X series. I didn't run the CCS data on the Sage One 904 but it did feel under lined with a 4wt line on it. I would go and test cast one, especially considering the price of those blanks.

The Sage is a nice blank, but no nicer or better than the high end offerings from any of the well known blank makers here. There is a HUGE mark up associated with most of the high end fly fishing products. The dealer margin is often DOUBLE his cost. There's where your extra money goes.

Not exactly an answer to your question but check out the new TFO BVK blanks. I am about to order one in a 9wt. The blank specks (and reviews) look great and the cost in the smaller sizes is about $115. They list 2 5wt blanks (8.5 and 9'). The only high end blank (in this case Sage) the I really though was much better than anything I use (I have St Croix, RX8+, and a bunch of lower end stuff) was the Sage Large Mouth Bass rod. Pretty cool concept and execution but no one else makes anything like it so it is hard to compare.
The timing of your question is perfect. I have been thinking about the same question this weekend. In the lower line weights (4,5,6) my favorite rods are : Orvis 7-11 4wt purchased in 1985 (medium by today's standards), a 7' (4 piece) 4wt private label blank I purchased for $25 at a fishing show which is medium fast and a 6 wt Cabelas 7 piece travel blank. None of these are gourmet but I love casting them. I think that as line weight go up, the blank makes a much bigger difference. For example, I love my Batson RX8+ 7wt while I find my St Croix 7wt Legend just ok. I have yet to find a 9wt 9' that I love so that is why I am trying the TFO BVK.

Quinn

One more thing. As soon one already said, cast before you buy. If you want a high end blank that is USA made then you should also check out the Orvis Helios ($320 from Mudhole) and the Hydros (about $220 from Mudhole). Never tried either but I am told the Hydros might be the best deal around....

Quinn

Everyone is different. I agree that only YOU will be able to make that determination. In the past year, the nicest feeling 4wt rods that I have had in MY hand were a St Croix and Winston.

I wiggled the Sage One #6 - stick with the CTS - in any configuration.
Herb

Please correct me if I am wrong but I believe that Orvis does not warranty thier blanks when sold as blanks. They only warranty in-house builds.

I'm sure they still carry a warranty. I don't know of any blanks that don't.

Of course, nobody offers a warranty against breakage, only against defects in materials and/or workmanship.

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

How much we like a particular blank depends to a great deal upon intangibles such as advertising, marketing-generated prestige, and appearance. Subjective data such as weight and CCS data aren't a whole lot of help to me at least in determining which rod blank will "feel best" as a finished rod. The suggestion to test cast is a wise one. However, the design and construction of the fly line being used has at least as much influence upon casting performance as the choice of blank, and different blanks of the same line rating seem to "like" lines of different weights and different tapers. This makes even test casting an uncertain method for selecting a blank. One certainty is that a $150 mistake is less painful than a $450 mistake. Good luck.

Seems opinoins vary here but most still seem to reccomend higher priced blanks just maybe not the highest end. There is not many shops around here for me to test cast rods. And I seem to own more rods then most of my buddies I fish with so it is hard to try theirs. One thing I have learned from my own experience is I like a fast rod with a softer tip. in looking at the data for the quickline 9'4wt has an ern of 5.5 , AA72 and a tip size of a 3.5 which to my untrained eyes looks like a fast rod with a soft tip (small size 3.5) 5wt for my style of fishing. the sage one 9'4wt has is the same wieght and tip size and has a slightly larger butt .360 to a .340. would could mean more power in the butt maybe help fight bigger fish and casting to distances I don't fish. Please correct me if I am reading to much into the data.

I try not to buy in to all the marketing hype but sometimes I still do, I know you get waht you pay for. But with all the new technogoly coming out is there that much difference any more between an quickfire at $65, an MHX at $100 and a sage one at $360?

Bob

Just got this back from Orvis themselves.

"All Orvis blanks are covered under a manufacture defect in materials and workmanship only. They are not covered with the 25 Year Warranty. "

So really not much different than many manufactures

Bob,

the CCS data isn't subjective - it's totally objective just like a tape measure or thermometer.

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

I'm experiencing what Bob is with several customers right now. they want a "high end" 8.5' 5 wt. rod. they are all talking Sage, Orvis and St. Croix. I recommended a Batson, or MHX as an option. I think these two lines are equal to the other but can't "sell" them as they don't have the huge marketing that the big names do. And I can't really build up a Mhx or Batson then walk into the Orvis shop with customer in tow and do a side by side comparison. So in this case the big marketing firms win.

Gary

As long as he or she pays the bill and you make money

Unless you build for free ??

That is like the Spiral wrap Put one in a fisherman's hands It works well easy to cast easy to use all day

But because it Looks Funny they don't want one


Go figure

Bill - willierods.com

Tom Kirkman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bob,
>
> the CCS data isn't subjective - it's totally
> objective just like a tape measure or
> thermometer.
>
> ................

I'm coming to believe that this (CCS) is only part of the equasion. Resinant frequency and weight distribution is in my eyes perhaps more or equally imortant to how a rod performs. Two rods with identical CCS numbers can feel completely different in hand depending on these other qualities.

The CCS doesn't measure "feel." The CCS measures the inherent properties of a rod blank by completely objective means.

"Feel" on the other hand, is purely subjective.

.........

There is more to casting a high-end blank than just marketing hype. Don't forget Winston and Thomas and Thomas. My personal favorites.
Measuring the rod stiffness is only a small part of the equation.
Listening to half a dozen people after casting the high dollar rods says more than brochures.

Is it the temperature of 30 degrees or the 40 MPH freezing rain that makes you cold ??

Eugene Moore

Here's my 2 cents,
High end or low end it don't matter to me. Usually 10 out of 10 times if a customer is looking for a custom built fly rod, he or she already knows which blank they like period. But if they are thinking of something "different" then I let them try some rods I already have built up in the line class they are interested in. They are the paying customer and only if they are way out in left field will I step in and discuss the issue with them. By the way those TFO BVK blanks are amazing, also the TFO Axiom blanks are a "faster " rod and they are nice also. It seems I have people who are liking them also.

Dave Loren
East Bay Custom Fly Rods

While we are talking about high end fly blanks. -- let us not forget NFC (North Fork Composites). Designed by Gary Loomis.

Karen
Bingham Enterprises