Are you one of those "brand loyaly" nuts?

dezza · Sep 30, 2011

I was speaking to a friend the other day who told me that I was letting the side down because I had come against Shimano and was now pushing Daiwa in the reel stakes.

I told him that I had no brand loyalty and that I bought what I deemed to be the best in terms of value for money and performance at the time.

"Well I could never be like that", he said. "I stay with a make all my life."

But yet, I thought, how silly.

It reminds me of those who use ancient old reels like Mitchells and claim that they are the best. I often wonder why they don't drive around in Model T Fords or velocipedes.

Modern stuff IS better, and those that stick to one brand name are doing themselves a dis-service.

Are you a brand slave?

Lord Paul of Sheffield · Sep 30, 2011

with rods - no - I'll buy what I need and what price I can afford

reels , well I've bought others but now I'm firmly in the shimano camp - I know how good Daiwa reels are said to be but if my stratics don't let me down why should I change

barbelboi · Sep 30, 2011

Ron The Hat Clay said:
Are you a brand slave?

No......................apart from most of my rods being Harrison and all the f/s reels that I use being Shimano...............definitely not

Jerry

mol · Sep 30, 2011

I tend to like certain brands for certain things and they'll be the first I'll check out there range first but thats not to say I will buy them. As an example if I'm buying a fixed spool reel then the first brand I'll look at will be shimano

I do tend to stick to a narrow band of bigger companies for expensive purchases like rods and reels etc though. I wouldn't say it's because I'm a tackle tart it because, in the past, I've bought less well known brands and I've been let down.

sam vimes · Sep 30, 2011

Yes and no. I'll tend to get an unhealthy brand obsession, or at least a bee in my bonnet, for a period of time. (Sadly, for me, that's the same for just about any consumer brand

) Until recently, I'd not touch Shimano rods with a bargepole after a below par experience of one of their costlier rods. Now I've got quite a few Shimano rods and, if money weren't an issue, I'd have quite a few more. I've been a fan of Shimano reels for years though. I've tried other brands over the years but I simply don't like much else for one reason or another. I've really tried to like Daiwa reels, so many people can't be that wrong, but there's just something I just don't like about the feel of them. I wouldn't dream of saying they were bad reels they just don't feel right.

However, I'm not blinkered enough to suggest that brands of rod and reel, other than my favourites, can't be any good. If and when something of another brand comes along that feels better to me, performs better and is either no more expensive or cheaper, I'll have no problem whatsoever in switching brands.

Frank Elson · Sep 30, 2011

Absolutely no brand loyalty here (although I do write for a magazine dealing with just one make of cars - that's different!)

It does tickle me when someone asks for a suggestion for a rod/reel/whatever and up pop the "posh" brand names while people like myself proposing a Shakespeare are made to feel slightly inferior. Value for money - ****** the manufacturer !

Your quote: "It reminds me of those who use ancient old reels like Mitchells and claim that they are the best. I often wonder why they don't drive around in Model T Fords or velocipedes." Is a bit odd.
I still use my old Mitchell 300 but do not claim it to be the best - just that it is still, after all these years, fit for purpose. It still does the job so why on earth would I throw away a perfectly decent reel to buy another, no doubt perfectly decent reel ?

Had you written: It reminds me of those who use ancient old centrepin reels and claim that they are the best. I often wonder why they don't drive around in Model T Fords or velocipedes. Now that would have made sense in this day and age.

clint4782 · Sep 30, 2011

I am with bait, but not tackle; however, Shimano 'do' reels, Fox 'do' alarms etc so I do tend to look at manufacturers I associate with quality tackle if I need a specific item. I was lucky enough to be given a Harrison Torrix recently to review and can honestly say it's a stunning rod, but I wouldn't have looked at it normally due to the retail price band.....I try to buy the best I can afford, so look to who I know supply the best quality in my price range.

I do have certain 'obligations' with some of the stuff I write for a variety of clients, but if it suits me, I'll use it.

sam vimes · Sep 30, 2011

Frank Elson said:
It does tickle me when someone asks for a suggestion for a rod/reel/whatever and up pop the "posh" brand names while people like myself proposing a Shakespeare are made to feel slightly inferior. Value for money - ****** the manufacturer !

Nowt wrong with that provided it doesn't take you down the road of inverse snobbery. Plenty of folks see a certain brand name or even just a price tag and refuse to acknowledge that a bit of kit could possibly be better than their budget hobby horse. What exactly are the "posh" brand names though?

I openly admit to a complete blind spot when it comes to Shakespeare gear. It's their own fault though, the rubbish that they foisted off on the youngsters in the eighties has put more than just me off for life

. You could gold plate a Shakespeare rod, line up every TV angler, name angler, match winner and award winning angler alive to tell me that Shakespeare is the best and I'd still not buy their kit. Rational it may not be, but that's the way it is and that's the way it'll stay.

dezza · Sep 30, 2011

Some of Shakespeare's reels, such as the Pfleuger fly reel range are spot on, and they do some of the best fly lines in the world.

What makes me s****** are guys like Spiders, who I am told owns no less than 100 Mitchell 300s so that he can mix and match spares. Where he puts them is a complete mystery.

All he has to do is buy one decent Shimano or Daiwa and he is sorted for life.

What the heck is a "posh" brand name?

---------- Post added at 10:19 ---------- Previous post was at 10:15 ----------

sam vimes said:
I've really tried to like Daiwa reels, so many people can't be that wrong, but there's just something I just don't like about the feel of them. I wouldn't dream of saying they were bad reels they just don't feel right.

You can't have felt a TDR or TDX reel. They are some of the most "fit for purpose" reels I have ever handled.

sam vimes · Sep 30, 2011

Ron The Hat Clay said:
You can't have felt a TDR or TDX reel. They are some of the most "fit for purpose" reels I have ever handled.

I have, still don't like them. Not a patch on the similarly expensive Shimanos as far as I'm concerned. I acknowledge that they are nice enough, well made, light enough etc. The only way I can describe what I dislike about them is that the retrieve feels heavy in comparison. It's something that I find to be common across the Daiwa ranges. I wouldn't swap my Twinpower Ci4 and more than a hundred quid for a TDR/TDX.

chub_on_the_block · Sep 30, 2011

Havent bought any new rods or reels for almost thirty years. Never even heard of Shimano until i started fishing again a couple of years back. They certainly get lots of praise on here.

Only brand i used to stick to, whenever i could afford one, was Normark, back in the day.

Paul Boote · Sep 30, 2011

I'm a Western Fishing Line Company man myself...

http://downtothesea.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/tumblr_lr1xiknGjq1qdwo7go1_500.jpg

chub_on_the_block · Sep 30, 2011

Thts not fair..i did "upgrade" from Intrepid to Mitchells and ABU's.. and most of my rods are carbon...

904_cannon · Sep 30, 2011

If it hadn't been smashed beyond repair (I'd already had several goes) my home built glass fibre stepped up Avon type rod would still be my preferred rod for the majority of my fishing. I actually built it whilst on a 2 week caravan Holiday near Richmond (Yorks) in the hot summer of 76. Total cost about £10.

For close in stick work I'm still using a Shakespeare Match International C/F reel I bought about the same time. I cant claim to have had anywhere close on 100, but I did have three which Ive used for spares over the years. I think one of the spools still has Bayer 2.6lb bs line on

Mind, I still enjoy showing off my Paul Boote built GP rods

Ive promised my GP Barbel Trotter to a young lad in my club; I'm sure he only telephones to check that I'm still here.

chub_on_the_block · Sep 30, 2011

I still have an 11' heavy duty Avon style fibreglass rod i made out of a Lerc short pole. Got Fuji rings and everything. Its called "Huge Dog" and i used to use it for big chub..innocently known as going dogging in those days!! Small chub we called pups. Actually had a 2Ib roach and 5Ib chub on it once after i switched it to it after my 11' Normark carbon Avon rod was found wanting for power.

Have a lovely old custom built Terry Eustace "Big Tench" 11' fibreglass rod too, from about 1980, but managed to snap the tip of it trying to pull line through from the reel when tackling up this summer - first time i had attempted to use it for 25 years and the glass had weakened.

Nowadays, I would only use a fibreglass rod for hands-free ledgering. Even then, obviously, i would prefer something a bit more up to date.

Lord Paul of Sheffield · Sep 30, 2011

worse brand loyalist I know is saying that anything **** Walker did, said or wrote was right and can never be challanged

Tee-Cee · Sep 30, 2011

Now where have I heard that name before...........

Personally I also buy the best I can afford (not necessarily the 'best') and generally based on what others say, recommendation and what I read. In use, having bought the item, I may love it or hate it but either way I just get on with it and make it work for me, safe in the knowledge that I cannot afford to replace it anyway.

For certain I don't go buying rods or reels based on trend or name and to have dozens of rods and reels just standing around seems wasteful and pointless but if I had loads of cash perhaps I would be tempted!

Lord Paul of Sheffield · Sep 30, 2011

Tee-Cee said:
Now where have I heard that name before...........

A certain gent from Rotherham shouts the name when making love

Tee-Cee · Sep 30, 2011

Ugh!!

You'll be telling me next he holds his favourite rod at the same time!

****, ****, ****..................sounds about right...

Comfortably_Numb · Sep 30, 2011

Because i dont have the time or incination to cover the mileage required to get round the angling shops to check stuff out, i buy a lot of stuff based on recommendation, but still its buying blind. I have learnt over the years that certain brands are more reliable than others. For me its .....

Drennan/ESP for rods
Daiwa & Shimano for reels

For stuff like luggage, clothing, end tackle then i have various brands

Are you one of those "brand loyaly" nuts?

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Banned

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Senior Member

Well-known member

Senior Member

Well-known member