get what you pay for

[caelan]

hi guys
bee
n looking at the tackle shops on line has anyone used dragon carp
to buy any fishing gear some of it looks very cheap to buy but is it any good
will it last any length of time come on hands up has anyone brought stuff
from them if so what was it like martin/caelan

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

I think you can find the odd decent rod , not sure of the reels, but for bits and pieces they re good value

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Martin, I'd suggest a search of previous threads using Dragon Carp or Avanti as key words' here's a recent one:

http://www.fishingmagic.com/forums/general-fishing/349065-grandeslam-products-2.html

I inherited a short DC telescopic landing net handle which gets used regularly and has not yet let me down, the only snag with buying from the internet, without reviews you trust implicitly, is a particular piece of tackle may not feel "right" to you. The only way to prevent this is by visiting a shop and trying it in person.

 

[dorsetandchub]

One thing Dragon Carp have done which is a little bit annoying is that when a tackle manufacturer (Boss and Image being examples) have gone to the wall, DC have bought the name and reintroduced far inferior grade tackle than the original manufacturer would have sold you.

I have a Boss landing net which is still great twenty odd years on, I can't imagine any DC tackle hacking it for that long.

I'm sorry to say, mon ami, that the points raised are good advice - you are buying unseen and the price being asked does look too good to be true.

Caviat emptor, my friend.

 

[chrissh]

say away it's cheap and should be call dragon cr*p not carp

 

[lureed]

It depends on why you are buying. If you can afford better quality (and price is not always a determinate) then it will prove more economical in the long run, as it will likely last you much longer. It is also likely to provide a better fishing experience (notwithstanding the advice regarding buying without handling the item). However, if you're on a budget, they do provide perfectly acceptable gear. I have a couple of Dragon Carp/Avanti rods and reels which I've used over the past 3 seasons and they have performed well enough, very well considering their cost. Look after them and they will not fall apart. Would I prefer to use top-of-the-range gear? Certainly, but it is not an economic option at the moment and won't be for some time. Buying budget gear has therefore simply allowed me to fish at all.

 

[dorsetandchub]

Understand the point about economic buying but there's always the ebay / gumtree route, isn't there?

Some while ago, I sent off for a DC "Method Monster" reel from DC (should have cost a tenner but it was free via Angling Times). It arrived with two spools that didn't look like they'd mix it with hard fighting carp.

I really do take your point about economic necessity but I honestly feel with some of their stuff, if you buy cheap you'll buy twice.

(If anyone wants a boxed, unused Method Monster PM me)

 

[dangermouse]

A rod, a brolley, a tackle box and a chair. No complaints with any of them.

Can`t say I rated the bait (boilies) I bought from them though. And several of the lids on the budget maggot boxes I purchased have split.

All in all though my experience with them has been good. But you do have to be selective.

 

[laguna]

I thought they simply bought and sold on bankrupt stock?
A mate recently bought two maver Powerlite SX carp rods for £20 each

 

[Nobby C (ACA)]

It's ***** and it will break.

 

[dorsetandchub]

Get yer bum off that fence, Nobby, and say what you mean in future

 

[terry m]

Pay yer money and take yer chance.

As the title of the thread says, youy get what you pay for, a good general rule of thumb in life. However, if that is the limit of your budget then it may, just may be worth a closer look.

 

[seth49]

Mate of mine bought a little maver 9ft tip rod of them, Last week he had seen me using a 9/11 ft shimano in some tight swims we fish on a commercial we fish quite a lot, He hasn't tried it yet, But for thirty quid it feels a decent little rod.
Another friend of ours bought one as well.when he saw it.

 

[Keith M]

I have a couple of rods which cost me as little as £15 which are great rods which do everything I want them to do, have lovely forgiving actions and which I love using; however; finding such rods is a lot harder at the lower end of the price range.

I'm no snob, anyone who knows me will tell you that, but I nearly always find that if I am willing to pay that little bit extra (without going over the top); then I get a much larger choice of rods to choose from which do exactly what I want with no compromising; whereas if I am spending less I often have to accept small compromises.

Keith

 

[terry m]

Many years ago I bought a couple of rods for river piking off of ebay, new pair for ~£30 ish.

I used them for many seasons, they did the job, perhaps a little heavy and the blanks were not exactly slim, but they did a job. They were replaced a couple of years ago by a pair of Greys which are in a different league when it comes to the pleasure and feel derived when using them. But, nonetheless, that pair of cheapies still landed a lot of fish no problem, and they are still lurking in the garage somewhere!

 

[law]

I've got an Anoki (Dagon Carp) marker rod which I use for spoding.
It's only 3.75tc so really, too light for spoding.
But I beat the **** out of it and chuck the big spomb fully loaded 100yards.
It's been fine so far.

 

[quiffco]

Dragon Carp is a Sport Direct brand as of 2012, which means lower prices but lots of cut corners.
As with Karrimor, which used to be a go-to brand for outdoor goods, it's now just a name and bears no relation to the quality of the items.

Not that it means it's ****, sport direct does make some good stuff, but the guarantee of quality that used to go with the name isn't there anymore, so you take your chances.

 

[arthur2sheds]

It does tickle me when folk deride cheap gear as rubbish.... quite often you are pleasantly surprised, a mate of mine is retired with not much spare income and he bought some Dragon gear... it ain't too shabby for the price.. it's the same with Avanti, Theseus, Ultimate or Vision... just because it's cheaper doesn't mean it's rubbish.... yes it's built down to a price but you expect that when you hand over the cash... it gets folk out on the bank... so don't knock it:thumbs:

 

[caelan]

well said arthur2sheds I do see some of this so called cheap gear out on the banks and it don't look bad an I do see it catching fish so good on them
at least there out fishing

 

[arthur2sheds]

it's not the gear that catches the fish it's experience and watercraft.... the best bits of gear you have are your eyes, ears and brain.... getting the rig to the fish isn't the battle.... It's the last 3 feet of your terminal gear that catches the fish, whether it be pole, rod and line, lure, or fly....











































That said there's summat to be said for being an utter tackle tart like memg::wh