Do you own a Greys rod

bennygesserit · May 19, 2013

i clicked through an advert tonight for Greys rods , I was only a little bit surprised that their rods are going for 300 - 400 quid, to steep for me for what is essentially a casual hobby.

But my favourite rod is a carbon light feeder rod with exchangeable tips , my kids got it for me , its very very light I can comfortably hold it all day. So what does the more expensive rod give me ? A better action ? Its lighter ? It definitely should be more durable for that much.

I can't imagine strapping something that much to the cross bar of my bike and I really cannot see that I am doing anything than paying for a marginally better rod an inefficient manufacturing process or a label.

If you extrapolate this I cannot see why you should pay more than a hundred quid for a rod at all.

terry m · May 19, 2013

It's horses for courses. If you only fish occasionally then I completely agree with your approach. If angling is a significant part of your leisure time and funds stretch, then why not.

As for the original question, yes, 7 Greys in total. They are good quality rods, my favourites are a pair of 1.5lb prodigy Barbels, a dream to use.

Also have to point out that I have used the Greys lifetime warranty twice, both due to my mistake rather than quality issues. The response by Greys was excellent.

sam vimes · May 20, 2013

I own several Greys rods. Nothing in that sort of price bracket though. There aren't too many in the Greys range that get that pricey. It's about the bracket that they would look to using the Hardy branding.

As far as I'm aware their most expensive current rod (Aircurve) is around the £300-329 (RRP) mark. However, I've yet to see one in the flesh for sale anywhere. They haven't been out too long though. Looking on-line shows that the real price is £250-280. The older, and now discontinued, Torsion rods started at £300 and went up to £360. However, of the few that actually bought them, very few will have actually paid the full RRP. Street prices are from £210-270.

None of that is particularly unusual. It's about the top line for quite a few manufacturers.

bennygesserit said:
So what does the more expensive rod give me ? A better action ? Its lighter ? It definitely should be more durable for that much.

Actions are entirely subjective so it's very hard to quantify a "better" one. I've used inexpensive rods which I felt had a better action than rods at ten times the price. More expensive doesn't always mean lighter, but it should generally be the case. I'm not remotely convinced about durability increasing, sometimes it's quite the opposite. If you want a really durable rod, buy the cheapest, nastiest glass and carbon composite rod. They are nigh on indestructable. More expensive rods should use higher grades of carbon, use a higher grade of fittings (rings, reels seats etc), "better" finishes and might be lighter (it's the grade of carbon and rings that really push the costs). All the rest of the guff about actions, tip recovery speeds etc is subjective, you may love or hate the result, regardless of the cost of the rod.

As far as whether top money rods are worth it or not, who cares? If you don't want to pay any more than £100, and are happy with rods at that level, be grateful for it, you'll save a fortune. As to what anyone else chooses to buy, that's entirely their business. I'm quite content that spending more does generally buy improvements. Whether or not I'll actually cough up for those improvements is another matter entirely. I look forward to the day I pay £400+ for a single rod, it'll mean I've won the lottery! I much prefer hunting round for heavily discounted stuff and stuff others ignore. However, what I won't do is try to convince myself that there's no difference between the top, middle and bottom of the market. IMHO there is.

All you can do is buy in price brackets commensurate with the amount of use you'll get, pleasure you derive from using it and the depths of your own pockets. If you really can't tell the difference in use between a really good top end rod, mid range rod and a fairly average budget rod, save your money and be thankful.

captainbarnacles · May 20, 2013

i did own several greys rods and they all came up to what i wanted from a rod i used to buy the prodigy range , fair price bracket for what i wanted , but then i found the maver reactorlite range , and now i use nothing else.

Terry D · May 20, 2013

Yes, it's the same with cars. Why would you want a Rolls when a Lada will get you from A to B.

terry m · May 20, 2013

Not sure that there is any guarantee that a Lada will always get to B.

nicepix · May 20, 2013

I own several Greys rods, two Specialist Float rods, a Twin Tip general purpose, a Specialist Quiver rod, a GT3 carp rod and a beach caster. None have cost more than £120 though. The 15 foot VX Specialist Float rod is an absolute cracker.

Excellent value for money IMO.

barbelboi · May 20, 2013

I have an old 3 piece Prodigy that I used to leave in the boot of the car for 'chance' fishing, just in case I passed a river in my travels and had the urge to wet a line for a couple of hours. I'ts in the garage somewhere now, much prefer my Harrisons.
Jerry

bennygesserit · May 20, 2013

terry m said:
It's horses for courses. If you only fish occasionally then I completely agree with your approach. If angling is a significant part of your leisure time and funds stretch, then why not.

As for the original question, yes, 7 Greys in total. They are good quality rods, my favourites are a pair of 1.5lb prodigy Barbels, a dream to use.

Also have to point out that I have used the Greys lifetime warranty twice, both due to my mistake rather than quality issues. The response by Greys was excellent.

Yes sorry , as you say its a completely personal choice and , of course , depends on how often you fish, and also there is nothing wrong to me , in enjoying a thing purely for itself. My thought process was more about being curious as to what you actually get in terms of functionality for the extra dosh. Of course if life were purely about functionality it would be pretty dull.

---------- Post added at 13:28 ---------- Previous post was at 13:19 ----------

sam vimes said:
I own several Greys rods. Nothing in that sort of price bracket though. There aren't too many in the Greys range that get that pricey. It's about the bracket that they would look to using the Hardy branding.

As far as I'm aware their most expensive current rod (Aircurve) is around the £300-329 (RRP) mark. However, I've yet to see one in the flesh for sale anywhere. They haven't been out too long though. Looking on-line shows that the real price is £250-280. The older, and now discontinued, Torsion rods started at £300 and went up to £360. However, of the few that actually bought them, very few will have actually paid the full RRP. Street prices are from £210-270.

None of that is particularly unusual. It's about the top line for quite a few manufacturers.

Actions are entirely subjective so it's very hard to quantify a "better" one. I've used inexpensive rods which I felt had a better action than rods at ten times the price. More expensive doesn't always mean lighter, but it should generally be the case. I'm not remotely convinced about durability increasing, sometimes it's quite the opposite. If you want a really durable rod, buy the cheapest, nastiest glass and carbon composite rod. They are nigh on indestructable. More expensive rods should use higher grades of carbon, use a higher grade of fittings (rings, reels seats etc), "better" finishes and might be lighter (it's the grade of carbon and rings that really push the costs). All the rest of the guff about actions, tip recovery speeds etc is subjective, you may love or hate the result, regardless of the cost of the rod.

As far as whether top money rods are worth it or not, who cares? If you don't want to pay any more than £100, and are happy with rods at that level, be grateful for it, you'll save a fortune. As to what anyone else chooses to buy, that's entirely their business. I'm quite content that spending more does generally buy improvements. Whether or not I'll actually cough up for those improvements is another matter entirely. I look forward to the day I pay £400+ for a single rod, it'll mean I've won the lottery! I much prefer hunting round for heavily discounted stuff and stuff others ignore. However, what I won't do is try to convince myself that there's no difference between the top, middle and bottom of the market. IMHO there is.

All you can do is buy in price brackets commensurate with the amount of use you'll get, pleasure you derive from using it and the depths of your own pockets. If you really can't tell the difference in use between a really good top end rod, mid range rod and a fairly average budget rod, save your money and be thankful.

Sam I have to agree with all you said , mainly I was curious as to what you do actually get for the money - its easy to quantify with a more expensive pole, I think , as you say , if I am more than happy with my existing rod , which I am , then I should stick with what I know / want / can afford - unless I win the lottery of course.

mark brailsford 2 · May 20, 2013

I have a greys 12 FT specimen float rod that I use for Tench and its a nice rod. £79 paid!

sumtime · May 20, 2013

Been contemplating buying a Greys Prodigy TX 12ft Rova 6 Piece Float Rod for quite a while now, always fish when abroad, I need more reviews before I dive in.

Appears cheap enough, decisions, decisions.

jacksharp · May 20, 2013

I have Greys fly rods and they were £250 and £189. I would always spend more on a fly rod than say, a feeder or waggler rod as action is so critical in a fly rod but the market is flooded with coarse rods that are much of a muchness IMO. Shakespeare, Drennan, Middy, Korum, Wychwood.

I like to own good gear but whether a Greys Prodigy would make me happier than a Wychwood Rogue, for barbel fishing, is debatable.

Keith M · May 20, 2013

Buying well designed and relatively expensive rods just gives me the confidence that they are going to perform exeptionally well, be a pleasure to use and won't let me down at a critical moment.
For these reasons I'm willing to pay a bit more for a high spec rod.

I know that you can get all of this from a cheaper rod (I have a few good cheaper rods too) but there are also a lot of rubbish rods out there masquerading as good rods and I don't want to risk buying one if I can afford not too.

My favourite rods are my Greys, Hardy and Harrison's rods; I also have some really excellent Drennan and Diawa rods too.

S-Kippy · May 20, 2013

I have no brand loyalty at all. I have rods from a number of manufacturers...from the very cheap to the quite expensive. If it will do what I want it to then I care not whether it costs £25 or £250. Rods are so subjective that what suits me wont suit you etc. About the only thing I have noticed is that the action of Greys & Hardy fly rods suit my slower casting style...so nearly all my fly rods are from the Hardy/Grey stable.

I have an original Greys Prodigy barbel...its OK but not as good as the X-Flite which I also have. Korum rods I find a bit lifeless....older Drennans gerneraly better than the latest models etc etc. I am currently quite taken with Free Spirit rods which are built on Harrison blanks I believe...better IMO than their original offerings.

I do think there is a limit beyond which you dont really get much more for your money BUT if you like it and you can afford/justify it then why the hell not ? I have two Hardy Marksman Coarse rods for the sheer hell of owning such beautiful rods. Were they worth the money ? Probably not but I like them so who cares ?

As I have often said...if not now...when ?

Chris Hammond ( RSPB ACA PAC} · May 21, 2013

I've got one of their barbel rods I think it cost around £200 (Although I can't really recall exactly.) I bought it to 'upgrade' my tackle from the Shimano Techniums I'd been using previously. Tbh I use the Technium as often as not still now. The Greys rod has never been a problem but I just cannot take to that sort of 'overwrap' ferrule design. It looks suspect to me.

bennygesserit · May 21, 2013

jacksharp said:
I have Greys fly rods and they were £250 and £189. I would always spend more on a fly rod than say, a feeder or waggler rod as action is so critical in a fly rod but the market is flooded with coarse rods that are much of a muchness IMO. Shakespeare, Drennan, Middy, Korum, Wychwood.

I like to own good gear but whether a Greys Prodigy would make me happier than a Wychwood Rogue, for barbel fishing, is debatable.

Jack as has been ponted out I think I must have quoted the upper end of the market, still , for feeder rods At least , i struggle to identify where spending anything ober 60 quid might benefit.

I'll pop down the tackle shop and pick a few up , hough invariably I hit the ceiling with them , causing a universal shop wince.

---------- Post added at 07:07 ---------- Previous post was at 07:02 ----------

S-Kippy said:
I have no brand loyalty at all. I have rods from a number of manufacturers...from the very cheap to the quite expensive. If it will do what I want it to then I care not whether it costs £25 or £250. Rods are so subjective that what suits me wont suit you etc. About the only thing I have noticed is that the action of Greys & Hardy fly rods suit my slower casting style...so nearly all my fly rods are from the Hardy/Grey stable.

I have an original Greys Prodigy barbel...its OK but not as good as the X-Flite which I also have. Korum rods I find a bit lifeless....older Drennans gerneraly better than the latest models etc etc. I am currently quite taken with Free Spirit rods which are built on Harrison blanks I believe...better IMO than their original offerings.

I do think there is a limit beyond which you dont really get much more for your money BUT if you like it and you can afford/justify it then why the hell not ? I have two Hardy Marksman Coarse rods for the sheer hell of owning such beautiful rods. Were they worth the money ? Probably not but I like them so who cares ?

As I have often said...if not now...when ?

Skippy how big is your shed mate ?

Absolutely choose whatever rod suits and also some things besides being useful are just pleasent to pick up and use anyway.

S-Kippy · May 21, 2013

bennygesserit said:
Skippy how big is your shed mate ?

Not nearly big enough...but somehow I always manage to find room for one more rod. TBH I am now struggling to think of anything else rod or reel wise that I actually need... or even want.

Maybe I should get a head camera ?

mg:

bennygesserit · May 21, 2013

I was going to start a reel thread but you know how dangerous they are , I am still using the reels from a Shakespeare firebird I got 5 years ago for the kids. Probably retail at under a tenner each. i have tried my sons more expensive reels and I prefer my own.
My problem now is I am doing a lot of clipping ip and i don't really like the clipping mechanism , to be honest what I am going to do is set a budget if 50 for the pair go down the tackle shop and buy the one with the best clip , don't need a bait runner or anything like that.

S-Kippy · May 21, 2013

Never clipped ip in me life,me.

bennygesserit · May 21, 2013

ha ha IPADS and fat fingers comes to mind.

This is my reel Shakespeare firebird xt reel TUEBROOK £10.00 new though I suspect it can be obatined more cheaply.

To be honest I have two of them and I have caught all sorts of fish on them - Pike 5lb , tench 6lb , carp ( who knows I said 15 everyone else looked at the photo and said 3

)

Do you own a Greys rod

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