New rod or old

[mikench]

I am all for a bargain and have managed a few of evil Bay ! However some of the prices for rods of yesteryear, particularly as you are buying unseen seem mad! Without naming rods or marques, i have seen several which are clearly not in tip top condition, have been repaired or rerung or even have a couple of inches missing from the tip! How can a 13'rod which is now 12'10"" be described as a 13'!

I would not be prepared to spend nearly £100 plus postage on such a "bargain" as above when for an extra £80 or so I can pick and choose the alternatives( either marques or lengths or even traits), check it carefully, have a waggle and end up with a brand new rod and matching bag or case!

A nearly new and well looked after modern iteration, say an Acolyte, with a fair discount for depreciation is different but not for a 20 year old rod!

I will take a chance for £30 or may buy if the rod is local and I can go and view!

What do other members think? The same principle applies to reels which if anything offer even less perceived value and may have been abused and well used!

 

[tigger]

Regarding rod lengths Mike, try measuring a some of your brand new ones, you may find they can be a good inch shorter than the 13ft....seriously! I measured mine once and found some where a little bit over the stated length but most where under by up to an inch or more.

Some of the older rods are the bees knees though and strangely as it sounds are just better rods than you get today.

 

[mikench]

Did you ask for a price reduction Ian? I will measure one or two ! If an older rod takes my fancy and at the right price, I will take a punt! Otherwise I will decide on a new model and enjoy the anticipation!

 

[sam vimes]

There are plenty of excellent older second hand rods that you wouldn't ordinarily get for anywhere near as low as £100.
I believe that some are well worth it, others less so. However, they are worth whatever someone is willing to pay. Just because I may disagree is irrelevant.

When it comes to broken rods, there are many reasons for people to buy them. I don't buy into the "it's only lost an inch or so, you can't tell the difference" theory, though it might be fine if it's your rod. Many don't seem to care one jot as long as the tip hasn't lost too much. I certainly wouldn't buy a rod or pole with repairs, even if it's just a new tip ring fitted to a slightly shortened tip. However, if I had a broken old rod, I'd certainly be tempted to pay decent money for an older broken rod or pole that had an undamaged section that I required.

It's also worth noting that certain brands of rod are well known for having uneven length sections. I've seen a few arguments between buyers and sellers along these lines. Some are quite right to be annoyed, others are misguidedly making false accusations.

 

[mikench]

I am well aware that some rods from yesteryear are well worth having and paying a high price for but only if you knew the provenance of the rod, could see it and check it thoroughly! I know that many members have some cracking older rods and love them! My knowledge of these rods is limited to non existent so to buy one sight unseen from someone in Essex is too great a risk!

I still look though and may be tempted ! Thanks for responding!

 

[nottskev]

Fishing rods, especially certain kinds of float rods, Mike, are the proof of the old cliche "They don't make them like that any more". Most of the reasons have been covered on here before:rising material and production costs; shrinking market for finesse rods and so on.

Old rods don't have to be shabby. I've a few which I've bought as mint examples. I opted to collect, so I could inspect. The last one came from somewhere in Buckinghamshire, so you get to see the world, too.

I couldn't say they were a "bargain", but I got exactly what I wanted, and rods the likes of which you can't buy new.

It it worth the bother? That depends on what you're wanting, and if it's available new.

 

[David Rogers 3]

Only experience can tell you whether an old rod on eBay is worth a gamble or not. I have several cane rods that I bought "sight unseen" from eBay and while I wouldn't do so anymore (I've got enough to be going on with as I'm a user not a collector), I would never have had the opportunity to buy them - or even necessarily been aware of their existence - in any other way. My diy skills are minimal, so I would never bid on anything that needed work doing on it, but I know of several handyman-anglers who are experts at re-ringing, fitting new ferrules, etc. and they've often transformed shabby old rods into "better than new" condition!

 

[thecrow]

There is a rod I would love to own as it is so versatile covering lots of situations, they are rarely if ever seen on the bay and even if they were I could never afford one, I would have one over any "new" rod if I could.

I wouldn't need to handle the rod or check its condition as I have seen its versatility plenty of times and the type of angler that would own one would not imo mistreat the rod.

There is also the guarantee from the bay and paypal that if the item is not as described a case can be opened for a refund.

 

[mikench]

You missed out the identity of the rod Graham!

 

[thecrow]

You missed out the identity of the rod Graham!

Purposely left out as I don't want to get into this rod is better than that as that sort of thing is always down to how the user feels, tackle to me is nothing more than a tool for a job, this one would cover several sets of spanners.

There are a couple of members on here that will know which rod I mean

 

[tigger]

Mike, I actually phoned Hardys over a rod being an inch short and they said that that was well within their parameters.
I would expect it nearly impossible to guarantee the exact length of a rod as (for example) overfit joints which are often varnished etc only need minute variants on the thickness of varnish which will decide on the distance the sections slide into one another

 

[Mark Wintle]

I saw the rod Mike is referring to on eBay and it's definitely a couple of inches short - the ring spacing at the tip gives the game away!

 

[sam vimes]

There are always a few damaged rods kicking about on ebay. Many sellers are quite truthful about it. Others are simply ignorant, a proportion simply lie. The worst manufacturer I've seen for deliberately making short tip sections is Tri-Cast. Having bought a few brand spanking ones, I know that they start out life shorter than but and middle sections. Quite a few of the arguments I've seen have been over Tri-Cast rods.

 

[nottskev]

There are always a few damaged rods kicking about on ebay. Many sellers are quite truthful about it. Others are simply ignorant, a proportion simply lie. The worst manufacturer I've seen for deliberately making short tip sections is Tri-Cast. Having bought a few brand spanking ones, I know that they start out life shorter than but and middle sections. Quite a few of the arguments I've seen have been over Tri-Cast rods.

Not sure why you say "worst", unless you mean the rods fall below your acceptable limits in regard to stated length?

I'm always pleased to find a tip section that's a bit shorter (I don't mean second-hand damaged goods) than the other sections - it puts the most vulnerable part below the other sections when being pit in a rod bag, out of the way when the top of the bag is folded over, protected by the longer sections if you ever carry it/band it without a bag and so. Nothing intrinsically wrong with the idea?

 

[sam vimes]

Not sure why you say "worst", unless you mean the rods fall below your acceptable limits in regard to stated length?

I'm always pleased to find a tip section that's a bit shorter (I don't mean second-hand damaged goods) than the other sections - it puts the most vulnerable part below the other sections when being pit in a rod bag, out of the way when the top of the bag is folded over, protected by the longer sections if you ever carry it/band it without a bag and so. Nothing intrinsically wrong with the idea?

I'm saying "worst" as in most likely. For good or ill, Tri-Cast are the manufacturer most likely to make tip sections shorter that the others. This may or may not be a good thing, but it does lead to arguments when it comes to selling. Lots of buyers simply expect equal length sections. I'm not entirely convinced that it's a good thing to do. I can cope with the possible protection argument. However, it's somewhat negated when you have to fish around in the rod bag to get hold of that vulnerable tip section.

 

[nottskev]

I'm saying "worst" as in most likely. For good or ill, Tri-Cast are the manufacturer most likely to make tip sections shorter that the others. This may or may not be a good thing, but it does lead to arguments when it comes to selling. Lots of buyers simply expect equal length sections. I'm not entirely convinced that it's a good thing to do. I can cope with the possible protection argument. However, it's somewhat negated when you have to fish around in the rod bag to get hold of that vulnerable tip section.

I see what you mean. I don't reach in and fish around; I push the section up from lower down, while the bag is stiffened by the other sections. The fishing comes later

 

[mikench]

Which float rod from yesteryear would people recommend for roach, Rudd and crucians which are better/ more enjoyable in use than their modern equivalent ?

 

[sam vimes]

Which float rod from yesteryear would people recommend for roach, Rudd and crucians which are better/ more enjoyable in use than their modern equivalent ?

The rods I currently choose between for this type of light fishing are a Normark Microlight, a Drennan Acolyte Ultra and a Browning Sphere Hot Rods Edition.
When it comes to second hand rods, I'd be happy with one of the light versions of the 90 Daiwa match rods or one of the R/Response versions of the older Shimano rods. The problem with either is that they are rather thin on the ground and often quite pricey.

 

[thecrow]

I don't think that a question that can be answered other than saying what their personal preference is for that type of angling, as with most things in life we all like different things............. I will only eat raw vegetables while others love them cooked

 

[Keith M]

The rods I currently choose between for this type of light fishing are a Normark Microlight, a Drennan Acolyte Ultra and a Browning Sphere Hot Rods Edition.
When it comes to second hand rods, I'd be happy with one of the light versions of the 90 Daiwa match rods or one of the R/Response versions of the older Shimano rods. The problem with either is that they are rather thin on the ground and often quite pricey.

The rods I currently choose between for this type of light fishing are a Normark Microlight, a Diawa Amorphous whisker light float rod (AMW13L) and a Drennan Acolyte Ultra; although I wouldn’t have chosen the Acolyte Ultra last year when my tip section gave in and collapsed in three places while I was simply threading my line through it, I believe this was caused by rod blank faults in some of the Ultra rods when they first came out.

So I definately wouldn’t buy a secondhand Drennan Ultra from eBay as it could be one of the earlier ones quite a few of which had Ultra Ultra wafer thin top sections, so I wouldn’t take a chance. My newer Ultra is great though.

A friend of mine still uses a Shakespeare President Super Match rod and he loves it.

Keith