Loomis Distance
I hear that the Loomis GLX Distance rod is a bit fragile. Do any members have experience? Just how good are they? I'm looking at a 10" 3 piece. Also any experience of Loomis guarantees is welcome.
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The older I become, the more I think like a fish................six second memory.
I don't know about the 10 footer, but I did break the tip on my 9' GLX - probably not the rod's fault though, I snagged something on my back cast. I used their "expeditor" service, for I think $65, I had a new rod in 3 days. Couldn't ask for anything better.
I've had the Loomis Max Linespeed for over a year with no problem and three other 'old school' GLX's for several years with no problem. The GLX's were my everyday, go-to rods and saw a lot of use.
I do treat my rods like they are made of thin tubes that can easily be broken though... especially if you add stress-risers like chips and nicks.
A lot of the time I think broken rods boil down to operator error. Within a week after selling one of my GLX's the new owner broke it!
Rusty,
For many years the Loomis bass rods were the rod of choice for many of the tournament guys (maybe still are, I'm not around that genre much). 'Sponsorships' were easy to obtain (they'd give you 7 rods to use) if you had some credentials. They were 'pricey', so some guys just had to have them because of that.
They broke.
Lots of them broke.
Often.
The guy at the local tackle store, for whom I did some repair work at the time, was sending back over 90% of the Loomis rods he sold.
I personally 'repaired' over 60 of them in under a year, for thing like full failures to broken tips.
Admittedly, these things were light, the lightest around, had fantastic crisp actions, and were as sensitive as any rods anyone had ever handled before.
They were just fragile.
Since that time, this was all the way back in the mid 90s, I've been told that they have manage to improve the durability of their rods (I think they were purchased by an offshore parent company that insisted on better quality?).
I'm still spooked, and I won't own a Loomis rod of any type.
I do know a few fly fishermen who own their fly rod and are pleased with them. I've also refused a number of repairs of them as well.
Up to you, of course, but forewarned is forearmed.
Good Luck!
Buddy
It Just Doesn't Matter....
Thanks guys, contrary advice but all include a backing to the fragility concern, I'll take this on board.
Tight Lines
The expeditor policy on returns is the best in the industry. I have broken 3 Loomis rods, but they all broke from things that would have broken any rod. I feel like they're as durable as any other rod, and though the return costs $50.00, I like it 100 times better than other companies.
The Loomis GLX will be more fragile than other rods, but I agree with another poster who generally blames operator error. I own 4 GLXs (3#,4#,7#,9#) all of them are over 7 years old, and none of them have ever been broken. Here is the reason why they are considered fragile.
They are incredibly light, yet responsive. It has to do with the thin graphite walls (which decreases the weight), on the other hand the graphite is high modulus. High modulus graphite is stiffer, more molecules per area (think a table vs. a sponge) and subsequently more brittle. The result is a rod that will return to straight faster than a rod made of IM6 graphite, even though it is lighter weight.
This was a huge jump in fishing technology when the GLX first came out. The rod itself is a great rod, but it is going to be more brittle than an IM6 rod. But I would also say that all rods break in a car door, so to say that it is super fragile is a stretch because all rods are fragile if you think about it.
Lastly, the tip section on a 10' rod will be (obviously) 3.3' long. The longer the section the more supple it will be, and therefore less fragile. Think of a piece of wire. A piece 1' long will support its weight and could be kinked easier than a 10' piece of the same gauge wire that is easily bent and more difficult to kink.
Just some thoughts, and remember, my advice is free... perhaps you are getting what you paid for.
I still like the classic statement Gary Lomis made about the GLX:
'I can make a rod that won't break, the problem is, no one would buy it!"
I agree with many others who posted. The GLX and other Loomis models are very light and may be "not quite as tough" as other rods you might buy. But the way a GLX casts makes it all worthwhile. They are light,crisp and cannons when you want to throw a long line. Now days, Loomis will replace a broken rod for a set price that makes the extra risk worthwhile IMHO.
Thanks all, especially Pisces and Traveller. It's good to get intelligent experienced advice. Much appreciated.
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