Just to touch on a point in your response. Speaking as an engineer (though not structural), sometimes it is very difficult, if not impossible to determine an exact cause of failure or even to find evidence that would lead one to a conclusion that could be considered “without a reasonable doubt”. For example, if a blank delaminated, that would almost certainly be a manufacturer’s defect, but if you are trying to determine if a broken section was caused by a weak link in the fabric and/or epoxy used to make the blank or caused by the owner, it may get a little more difficult even for a structural or materials engineer to figure out what was user caused and what was manufacturer’s defect.
Years ago I had a decision to make. I bought a cheap graphite rod. I didn’t know anything about the quality of graphite rods. My thoughts were, why should I spend a lot for a rod when I can get a cheap one?
Well I broke the rod accidently and I took it back to the store and asked if they would replace the broken rod. The guy said “YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR” I have never forgotten that and I made the decision that having quality tools was going to help my confidence. They just had to change technology so my first flyrod, Eagle Claw glass, was out of date.
Doug
"Well I broke the rod accidently and I took it back to the store and asked if they would replace the broken rod. The guy said “YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR” I have never forgotten that and I made the decision that having quality tools was going to help my confidence. "
If you broke the rod by accident, perhaps in a car door or against a tree, do you think an expensive rod would have withstood the encounter? Do you think that someone should hold the manufacturer accountable for their own error? Sorry but when I buy a rod I buy it because I happen to like it, not on the price or any warranty.
Just out of curiosity, if you buy a brand new car, be it a Kia or a Cadillac. A month later you happen to get slammed by another car as you go through a ‘Stop Sign’ that you failed to see. The car is totalled. What would you expect the auto dealer to do when you have the car towed in and ask about the warranty?
I get a kick out of these threads. Most people do not understand that the Customer is paying one way or another for that broken rod. It may be becasue the price is higher for a given rod or it may be do to the price they charge for fixing it but you are paying for it. Not all at one time or by yourself but we all are paying more to have those “Great” warranties.
In the years “B-F-W” (Before Full Warrenties) I am old and remember those day’s. If you broke a rod you paid to ship it back and to have it fixed unless they thoguht it was do to a defect in the rod. And believe me they know if you broke it or it was a defect.
At a fishing access I over herd a guy one time tell another guy that he didn’t like the rod he had bought and that the company had come out with a new one that he liked and had cast. He told the other guy he was just going to break his rod and ship it back and get the new one. While you may not do that it does happen. So does slamming the rods tip in a door or falling with it. That is not the company’s falt it is your falt. But because of those great warranties we are “ALL” paying to fix that guy’s rod and your rod.
So we have all of these great warrenites and we all pay more to have them. Seems to me if we were just a might more careful we wouldn’t need them so much. But I find in this day and age it is easier to say someone else was wrong than to just say “I did it”.
I might also suggest reading the Warrenties on rods before buying a new one and then you will not be so disapointed when and if you break the rod. The rod companys are getting back to the old way of doing it so be forewarned. It is going to happen. Ron
Tyeflies,
Sometimes I have trouble communicating. The rod that I broke snapped in half because the line got caught on a crawdad trap at Paulina Lake. I have seen rods take a lot of bending and not break but they had all been glass rods up until then.
I have never sent a rod back to the manufacturer and it it was my fault that it broke then for many yrs I just bought a new glass rod.
I found when I bought my Orvis rod many yrs ago, I had a tendency to baby it and be more careful with it. You can understand that if I grow up with cheap glass rods and graphite comes along, then I thought I was playing it safe because Orvis had a good reputation.
I have never bought a rod because of the warranty. If I like the rod then I will live with the warranty. My fishing life changed because I went from glass to graphite and I was not happy about paying more money but I listened to advice from Kaufmann’s Fly Shop in Tigard OR back in 77 and depended on them for many yrs. and that was before they had a NO FAULT warranty across the industry.
I have never bought a 500.00 flyrod nor will I ever. I wanted a sensible good quality rod that I wouldn’t feel guilty paying for. That is what I love about my Ross reel also.
Doug
