Ah, Jim, it seemed like a time for levity. So I'll be serious for a moment. I worked for orvis for a bit. love their rods (though i don't think they really think through their salt water rods--small stripping guides, etc, still the blank is excellent). i think that they, orvis, are in that corporate trap of continually needing to produce a new product, whether one is warranted or not. so a customer goes and spends 600 for a zero g and the very next year they come out with the helios (an amazing rod by the way. when i picked up the rod tube i was convinced it was empty. and i think the zero g was the most accurate rod i ever cast, and if i was a dedicated bone/permit fisher it would be the only rod i owned). we who worked there used to always scratch out heads at the amount of different fishing vests we sold, and always felt we needed three of two models--light and heavier, and cheap, medium and high priced., instead of the 20 we had with a new model coming in every other month.
but i really do think it is admirable that they still sell fishing equipment--it was a very small part of the overall business. I believe they were the first to offer the warranty (and i know there's controversy about that but i'm for it), and i have always found their customer service to be way beyond excellent. i once broke a reel in the middle of striper season and rather than have me wait for the repair they sent me a new one. exact same thing happened with my spey rod (and they sent me a better model!), and, as i said before, they swapped a 5 wt helios that i had gotten for free for a 9 wt. when i moved to saudi arabia at no charge. all of this long before, and long after, i worked there. so....great product and great service, a price line for everyone, and also a commitment to conservation. what is there to complain about?
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