Uh oh, I've had some time to think.

The drive to my local store that has a decent fly fishing supply takes me a good 30 minutes. I went today and picked up a new hat for winter fishing (a Filson), a Matarelli whip finisher, and some other odds and ends. Then on the trip home it hit me that I just spent more on a hat than I did my first fly fishing setup, and more on a whip finisher than my first vise. I've always considered myself somewhat frugal to the extent of being cheap, and have always stood in opposition to the "gotta buy the best or it doesn't count" crowd. But now it looks like I am changing my stance just a bit.
I still feel that the cheap-o setups are the way to go for the majority of beginners. I did start out that way, with a plano box of flies in my pocket, a econo starter setup from Gander Mtn (back when they still did mail order), and the bare necessities for both gear and instruction because I didn't have a choice (there weren't any fly fishing resources locally at all and the internet wasn't an option either). But slowly through the years, I've upgraded as I've gained experience enough to know what I need or what works (and doesn't). That doesn't necessarily mean the most expensive, but if that is what it takes, I'll save some money and get it eventually. I have a gut feeling that most folks operate this way in some way or another, and to different extremes. Does this seem like the logical progression that most of you have gone through, or am I completely off my rocker?
I guess to make a long story short (too late, I know! :rolleyes:) I think I've reached a point where I'm getting a grasp on the concept that many of you have expressed on many past threads about getting enjoyment out of the equipment that you have. It isn't materialism as much as getting a certain pleasure from having enough experience to be able to truly KNOW what you need. And before anyone gets mad, I'm not saying that you have to upgrade for that satisfaction. I still have some of my starter equipment because it is perfectly functional, but I've had time and experience to discover that as well.
And thanks to FAOL for helping me down that path.

Well, 'Ol Blue, one of the nice things ABOUT YOU, is you're already off your rocker!
But, I digress, so back to your question(s)......................
I didn't "start fly fishing cheap", but neither did I buy Orvis stock when I started 30-whatever years ago.
I was advised, back then and still I tell others the same thing today, that are just starting out..................... "Don't break the bank, but don't try and save a buck, just to choke on the change."

I think it's like anything, anyone starts out, "new in"...........if your beginning equipment is TOO cheap, you're going to get tired, frustrated, bored, burned out, and discouraged quite quickly. Like smoking a pipe. If you buy your first pipe, get a dime store $10.00 one, and cheap tobaky, you're going to burn your tongue, get sick to your stomach and chuck the whole mess into the trash.

Get a "good", but not "top of the line" piece of brier and decent tobac and chances are, you'll stick with it and enjoy it. If, every time, you put tension on your thread, when learning to tie flies and the vice jaws pop open, the head swivels and your 1/2 completed fly pops into your lap, 3 times out of 5, you're probably going to wonder "What were those nuts TALKING ABOUT, telling me "Fly tying is great fun"??

Had I started fly fishing with a rod that couldn't throw 20 feet of line, no matter how many casting lessons, I took, and everyone else was throwing enough to catch fish........... I perhaps, would have given up on even trying anymore. Same, with my reel. If always jammed up, caught the line, between the frame and the spool, causing me to loose fish, or ruin my first $55.00 fly line, I would have thought twice about this fly fishing game, I'm sure.

But, fortunately, I bought "Good" not "The Best" when I started out. Today, after all these years, most of my "Good" has been upgraded even further. I love the "feel" of a fine rod, when it loads and releases its energy. I feel that "a fly reel does a LOT MORE than "merely holds your fly line" and I love the feel, looks, and sounds of a high quality reel. The sounds of a Hardy, Abel or Billy Pate drag, when a large fish runs with my line, is a neat and wonderful sound, I love hearing. Compared to maybe a $25.00 reel that sounds like a pregnant typewriter in labor, when I'm only reeling up at the end of the day.

Maybe, that lady's hair color commercial says it best, when it comes to my fly fishing and fly tying gear, that I own today............ "Because I'm worth it"!??!

MY, long winded and .41 worth, anyway!

I agree with a lot of what you say, and should probably clarify just a bit more. A cheap-o rig to start with doesn't mean the $20 complete setup from WalMart if I have any input on the issue at all. It is a junk rod, almost uncastable level line, and a reel that is nothing more than a line holding noise maker. (And yes, like you, I've learned to detest the loud clacking a $5 reel puts out that seems to send vibrations down my spine from 50 yards downstream.) However, a cheap-o setup can mean the $65 Scientific Angler setup that JC seems to recommend quite a bit. With everything I purchased, it wasn't the cheapest available, but it was the cheapest usable equipment out there. My $10 vise is still functional after all these years and never once popped open on me or let go of the table it was clamped onto, but my Danvise is much nicer to tie on.

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But, fortunately, I bought "Good" not "The Best" when I started out. Today, after all these years, most of my "Good" has been upgraded even further. I love the "feel" of a fine rod, when it loads and releases its energy.

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That is exactly what I'm talking about--the travel from acceptable to more functional and beyond. The gear has to perform well enough at the beginning for you to be able to decide what you like/dislikes are.