Avon tip breakages, particularly Greys Prodigy

Jim Crosskey 2 · Apr 27, 2017

A while ago I brought a second hand rod, something I'd been hankering after for quite some time - a greys prodigy barbel rod, 1.75tc three piece (stowing down to the size of a float rod) with both avon and quiver tips.

To my immense annoyance, I managed to break about six inches off the avon tip on my first attempt to fish with it, before I'd even managed to cast out! "Doesn't matter", I thought... "lifetime guarantee with these rods!". What a lot of tosh that turned out to be, as having made contact with Greys it turned out they had no spares for this model and could therefore offer me any new rod in the current range for 85% of RRP (which some retailers were beating anyway).

Since then, I've kept an eye on similar rods on ebay and I'm actually quite surprised how often avon twin tip rods seem to be sold second hand with the last 6 inches of the avon top missing. So my question - is this a common fault amongst many manufacturers? Or just an annomoly with this particular model?

(Every cloud has a silver lining btw... because whilst I only have the quiver tip section for this rod now, it has accounted for a number of fish on the wye, and also works really well on the thames when it has a bit of extra go in the winter but I still need a sensitive bite detection)

binka · Apr 27, 2017

I can't help on the frequency of Avon tip breakages I'm afraid, miraculously it's something I've only ever done once and that was a couple of years ago with a wrap around on a float rod during a night session and I was lucky to lose barely an inch of tip so I'm still happily using the rod.

I sympathise with you on the guarantee though, I don't know if it's because Greys are (were?) part of Hardy who's own lifetime guarantee was similarly meaningless both in my opinion and my personal experience of attempting to use it

trotter2 · Apr 27, 2017

I think the prodigy range was a more tip action style Avon, were other avon rods are more though action.
If the blanks not made correctly it can put more stress on the tip sections with a tip action blank.
I have had about 6 different Avon rods over the years my personal fav is the jw rovex. I have never broke a tip section on any of my Avon rods but I have never had a greys Avon.
So it could be a fault I agree about the greys guarantee total rubbish.

Keith M · Apr 27, 2017

I have several Greys rods, some before they started to send their blanks out to China for their final build and some since, and I've never had any problems with broken tips (famous last words

) so I suspect it was a faulty tip that you had; and if you saw how the Greys and Hardy blanks are/were tested using their famous test rigs back in the U.K you would have probably agreed.

I'm not as sure about their 'Chinese build' as I was about their blank production as both myself and a friend have had the lining fall out of the butt rings on our newer Prodigy Barbel rods built in China, but the blanks have taken a lot of abuse with no problems at all (so far).

Whether they still use the same quality of blank manufacture and blank testing since their latest sell out I'm not sure but they have historically been well known in the industry for their 1st class blanks and test rigs in the U.K.

However I agree that their lifetime warranty is definately not as good as it may first sound when you need to use it.

Keith

rayner · Apr 27, 2017

Surely if they can't replace a broken section with a lifetime guarantee they should replace the whole rod.

robtherake · Apr 27, 2017

Most of my Avon/twin tips are Fox and Shimano and I've never has an issue with either brand.

seth49 · Apr 27, 2017

I have two of the greys prodigy barbel rods, at one and a half pounds test curve Avon section, plus the three quiver tips and carrier, never had a problem with them, think there about ten years old, never had any problems at all with them.

I've had some good barbel and carp on these, plus salmon too sixteen pounds as well, if I could only fish with one rod, it would be one of these ?

Keith M · Apr 27, 2017

robtherake said:
Most of my Avon/twin tips are Fox and Shimano and I've never has an issue with either brand.

My Avon/quivers and twin-tips are Greys, Drennan, Hardy, Diawa and Ryobi Masterline and the only tip section that had a faulty tip section was one of my original J.Wilson Avon/quivers which broke just above where the quiver joined but that was replaced within days of reporting the fault to Ryobi Masterline back in 1980/81.

I did have a Diawa float rod that lost a couple of inches off its tip but that was my fault being clumsy and stepping on it

seth49 said:
I have two of the greys prodigy barbel rods, at one and a half pounds test curve Avon section, plus the three quiver tips and carrier, never had a problem with them, think there about ten years old, never had any problems at all with them.

I've had some good barbel and carp on these, plus salmon too sixteen pounds as well, if I could only fish with one rod, it would be one of these ��

I really like my Prodigy Barbel rods too and have caught some very nice Barbel and Carp on them too. The one that lost its agate butt ring liner was one of the newer ones that was built in China but it has taken a lot of abuse since then with no problems; they never seem to bottom out like some other barbel rods I've tried either, they always seem to have a little more to give.

Keith

caelan · Apr 27, 2017

hi I have got 3 greys prodigy barbell rods I have broken two top sections of the same rod 1.5 tc 2.0 tc when I called greys they sent the two new tops out free of charge no problem great service

trotter2 · Apr 27, 2017

I think the reason why company's don't do the in house repairs like they used too. Is it cheaper to just send out a new section made in a sweat shop than pay someone uk wages to get the job done.

caelan · Apr 27, 2017

trotter 2 not sure were greys tips are made but I hope it aint in any back street sweat shop

trotter2 · Apr 27, 2017

caelan said:
trotter 2 not sure were greys tips are made but I hope it aint in any back street sweat shop

Hardy and Greys as far as I know are made in korea
At least that's the case with the reels not sure about the rods like.

tigger · Apr 27, 2017

I'm a bit surprised at people having issues with an avon rod tip breaking off, I mean they arn't exactly slim like a float rod. Not good is it!

Nobby C (ACA) · Apr 27, 2017

Greys platinum carp rods had a known reputation for tip snapping. Lifetime guarantee should mean just that,give Greys a bit of earache about it.
PS: You didn't tell them it was second hand did you? The rods cost about a tenner each when you buy them in bulk from Asia.

sam vimes · Apr 27, 2017

I think a few people could do with reading the Greys lifetime guarantee small print. It's a lifetime guarantee in name only. It always contained caveats about stock availability and parts were charged at a set price. If you were lucky, they didn't actually charge you that fee, but it was in the small print.

The difference of a few years is that the Hardy/Greys of old would attempt to keep lots of stock, even of rods long out of production. It was one of the reasons that the company was failing and how they ended up as part of the Pure Fishing group. Pure Fishing have sold off masses of these spares and old stock as they possibly can.

There's not many tackle brands left that you stand much chance of getting spares once an item has been discontinued from a catalogue. This reality mean that you've generally got support for the remainder of the catalogue lifetime (usually two to four years, depending on the brand), plus a year or so.

Jim Crosskey 2 · Apr 28, 2017

sam vimes said:
I think a few people could do with reading the Greys lifetime guarantee small print. It's a lifetime guarantee in name only. It always contained caveats about stock availability and parts were charged at a set price. If you were lucky, they didn't actually charge you that fee, but it was in the small print.

QUOTE]

Bang on. The issue I had with the rod was that because it was discontinued and there were no spares left, the "next best thing" within the bounds of the small print was to offer me a rod at a small discount on RRP. Hardly a "lifetime guarantee"

Never mind, seems I've been a little bit unlucky. Like I said, I can hardly complain about it all when the quiver section has been put to such good use.

Thanks for all the replies.
cheers
Jim

steve2 · Apr 28, 2017

Has anyone ever read the small print on any type guarantee? If you do you find very little if anything is covered free of charge. The 5 years guarantee on my washing machine only covers parts or labour not both it’s hidden in the small print.
Most things these days have built in obsolescence fishing tackle is no different.
My Greys rods have been in service now for over seven years never had a problem. Seven years my not seem along time but it is if you see how I treat my fishing tackle.

trotter2 · Apr 28, 2017

The problems your having obtaining the right guides is very common.
In the uk most if not all retailers and rod builders buy the guides from Hopkins and Holloway.
Hopkins only sell the big brand rod guides.
Rods imported from China commonly don't use those guides why? Because there to expensive.
I have had the same problem the only solution is replace the lot or fit the on odd guide.
If you ring Hopkins they will tell you the situation

terry m · Apr 28, 2017

I am a big fan of Greys rods, and (through my own fault) have broken three sections over the years (I have about 15 Greys rods so not as bad as it sounds). On every occasion the section has been replaced, no questions asked with a perfect match, the only cost is the carriage which is crystal clear on the warranty.

Rash and baseless statements about sweat shops in the far east mean little without supporting evidence.

I would take an educated guess that most people walking the UK streets are at some point knowingly, or unknowingly wearing apparel that originated from a production facility in Asia where business scruples and regard for worker welfare would fall short of standards expected in Western Europe.

Glass houses and all that stuff....

trotter2 · Apr 28, 2017

terry m said:
Rash and baseless statements about sweat shops in the far east mean little without supporting evidence.

I would take an educated guess that most ....

You complete idiot what more evidence do you need
a retailer finds it cheaper to supply a new section than pay
a guy in the UK to put a ring back on. Does not tell you something about the price of the product compared to paying a rod builder £6 to do the job
What planet are you on

Avon tip breakages, particularly Greys Prodigy

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