Overpriced Fishing Stuff 2024

averagebass123 reply :

What do you think is the most overpriced reel, rod, lure, or anything in the entire fishing market?

Just say the name and a reason or two why it is the most overpriced

Grantman83 reply :

1. I would have to say the Zillion is overpriced and I love them. However, I feel they are overpriced because of inflation. Original retail of 249.99 was apt IMO. 329.99 is too high...Great reel but little things like riveted, non removable knobs (which they have on their 139.99 lexa series), low drag output compared to others.

2. New Steez. From what I have heard, it is basically the same reel but has been priced 100 more than before.

3. Abu Garcia G3 Premier. Again, not necessarily because of the quality of the reel, but the fact that it is now so close in price to the MGX (300 vs 350). I would be very surprised if the Premier was selling well because many preferred the dual braking system which is now on the the STX. The G2 Premier was significantly lighter than the STX which was its main selling point. Now, they are basically the same weight, with the STX having the dual braking of the previous generation premier. ALSO, one can get a brand new MGX for 250 on other sites, The Premier just seems lost in the shuffle IMO..

Maico1 reply :

If you paid list/retail price, then you have a overpriced reel..........

dodgeguy reply :

anything shimano.i feel there are better reels in every price range.everything diawa.there prices have become absurd..

bigfishbk86 reply :

Anything that says shimano

Maxximus Redneckus reply :

Anything with a persons name on it

OK Bass Hunter reply :

A reel is worth whatever you're prepared to pay for it.

Fishwhittler reply :

On 5/3/2013 at 8:37 AM, OK Bass Hunter said:
A reel is worth whatever you're prepared to pay for it.

Best post in this thread. I rarely pay full retail for anything, but there are occasions when I'll do so. It all depends.

SoCalFisher reply :

Anything not Shimano.

QUAKEnSHAKE reply :

Shimano for sure. Have Core, Cu50E and Stradic got very good deals on all of them. If I had paid full price of what their asking would feel a bit ripped-off. CU50E doesnt really cast lighter lure any better than a Carbonlite reel. Stradic(went through 3 of them) isnt any smoother and actually noisier than my Supreme XT's, The Core I bought about the same time I did an Okuma Helios and and the Helios has impressed me the most due to its lower cost yet top features/performance. The best feature of the Core is its weight I was being a weight weenie wanting a very light reel to go with a very light rod I have and it does match extremely well.

SoCalFisher reply :

Not really trying to defend shimano but you don't know what overpriced is till you use the gen 2 Abu Garcia revo STX. I can't believe I payed $200 for this thing, worst purchase ever. I wouldn't even pay $100 for one of these.

averagebass123 reply :

On 5/3/2013 at 9:24 AM, QUAKEnSHAKE said:
Shimano for sure. Have Core, Cu50E and Stradic got very good deals on all of them. If I had paid full price of what their asking would feel a bit ripped-off. CU50E doesnt really cast lighter lure any better than a Carbonlite reel. Stradic(went through 3 of them) isnt any smoother and actually noisier than my Supreme XT's, The Core I bought about the same time I did an Okuma Helios and and the Helios has impressed me the most due to its lower cost yet top features/performance. The best feature of the Core is its weight I was being a weight weenie wanting a very light reel to go with a very light rod I have and it does match extemely well.

I agree with you. you could buy 7 h20 mettles which can cast a light lure very good for the price of a core. H20 mettle may not feel like the nicest reel when you are reeling it in, in terms of smoothness and whatnot, but it can cast, thats for sure

kickerfish1 reply :

Probably a thread looking for a short life span. Like Maico noted, a reel is only overpriced if you paid at or over full retail for a current production reel.

There are always guys out there that are best described as "best bang for your buck". Typically wont fish a reel over $100 and may prefer setups that are all purpose. At the opposite end you have the high end enthusiasts/collectors. These folks look for simply the best of the best out of a reel that may only be used for one bait or style of fishing, something rare, or a reel with a color scheme to match a rod or custom build.

Is the guy fishing Texas rigged worm with the $100 budget reel missing out on any more fish than the guy using the megabass hedgehog or Daiwa Z? Did the guy fishing the latter over pay for a reel?

The answer essentially lies in level of expectations, budget, and level of perfection one looks for. Some folks meticulously take care of everything they have to a level of care that would drive most people nuts. Then you have some that are in more of a hurry and just sort of toss things around without second thoughts and are harder on their equipment. Since a reel for these folks will be put through the ringer they may have a hard time justifying a "pretty reel" since it will get beat up quickly.

I know guys that refuse to buy reels other than pro qualifiers and others that only fish $300-$600 reels. Guess what, ... the guys catch the same amount of fish and do equally as well on the water. The guy fishing the $300 reels has a totally different expectation of his reels, and while they may not catch him any more fish he says he gets more enjoyment out of them with respect to their looks and performance.

So back to the question at hand... without bashing brands that I don't care for I will say that most reels in today market place are priced fairly for their market segment for what they offer the angler in their stock form.

While I have a reels from $100 - $500 in the rotation I have no problem catching fish on the $200 and less reels nor do I have an issue with their performance.

It all boils down to angler preference / expectations / budget for determinimg the price to performance ratio for a reel.

averagebass123 reply :

Very insightful kickerfish

Quitlimpin reply :

Anything that says "Brand X"? Really!? Why even bother? The bashing is every bit as obnoxious as the nut huggery.

lmbfisherman reply :

This is leading to a brand bashing thread.

On 5/3/2013 at 8:37 AM, OK Bass Hunter said:
A reel is worth whatever you're prepared to pay for it.

x2 that is the best statement on this thread.

kickerfish1 has given good advice too.

jbsoonerfan reply :

On 5/3/2013 at 10:44 AM, lmbfisherman said:

This is leading to a brand bashing thread.

Like always. Uneducated people with nothing to add just result to insulting their least favorite brand. Lack of intelligence will always find a way to shine through on internet forums.

OK Bass Hunter reply :

I just spent $275 on Shimano Scorpion DC7 that I've waited a few months to buy. From all the reviews on this reel I think it's money well spent. It's a matter of personal preference. When someone says overpriced, it is usually when expectations and results don't match.

GaterB reply :

All of em.

SirSnookalot reply :

Do you really think a stella cost 10 times more to manufacture than a sahara, or a saltiga 10 x more than a lexa, most likely not. The materials used in these reels are not overly expensive in the first place, weight wise how expensive is aluminum or stainless steel, a few bucks really, especially bought wholesale and in volume, and money is recouped when the scrap is sold, believe me they don't throw it out. The actual assembly cost wise is probably on a par and shipping to the US would be exactly the same. If there is a difference it's in R & D, I would venture a guess more $$ is spent marketing a less expensive reel as there is a bigger market and more competition, the expensive reels are sold to a specific market. As far as something being overpriced, that's up to who's buying it.

thehooligan reply :

I wasnt very impressed with the jdm revo aurora i picked up... Msrp on that reel is $479, lol. Felt like a $200 reel at best to me, actually preferred my curado 51. I let go a brand new chronarch 51 and cash on top to try out an abu and was pretty disappointed.

Are most reels overpriced, definitely, its the same way in the import car world. You want to import jdm parts over to the u.s ? Well your gonna pay for it....

And to add to what others have said, i never pay full price, i always wait for a sale or deal to pop up. Theres only a few reels i would pay full price for.

mod479 reply :

In for the anti shimano and anti daiwa thread. Some good laughs already.

.RM. reply :

On 5/3/2013 at 8:37 AM, OK Bass Hunter said:
A reel is worth whatever you're prepared to pay for it.

X2.....

Truth of it is, "every reel mfg out there has 1-2 or 3 series of reels that are over priced".

Many parts never changed but prices did...... via mfg tax's

Tight Lines!

Hogsticker reply :

Anything that says Quantum on it!

stkbassn reply :

I'd say any reel over $200. Even if I could pay more I wouldn't see the reason based on the obvious quality and performance of the Citica E and the Curado E....Certianly paying retail is out of the question these days when you don't have to the vast majority of the time. I got great deals on all of my Shimanos and Abu's so I'm thankful to have such quality equipment in my hands. IMHO, and maybe because I'm just an average Joe making a below average salary, I think all decent equipment all the way up to the top of the food chain has gotten pretty absurd with their pricing. All that said, I'm addicted. The bait monkey is very powerful indeed!

mtaag3 reply :

It would be awesome to see a pro go out with a $40 rod and a $50 reel and just slay a tournament.

Yes, I know it would never happen but be fun to see. Personally budget is not so much an issue as justification for me (but I'm new) and I do fully subscribe to the "buy once cry once" philosophy as its proven itself time and time again in other ventures.

I think the truth was spoken earlier with whatever your willing to pay is not too much.

averagebass123 reply :

On 5/3/2013 at 11:04 PM, mtaag3 said:

It would be awesome to see a pro go out with a $40 rod and a $50 reel and just slay a tournament.

Yes, I know it would never happen but be fun to see. Personally budget is not so much an issue as justification for me (but I'm new) and I do fully subscribe to the "buy once cry once" philosophy as its proven itself time and time again in other ventures.

I think the truth was spoken earlier with whatever your willing to pay is not too much.

Edwin Evers uses the PQ, and around $100 rods... that about as close as it gets to what you're saying.

tholmes reply :

There's no reel worth an angry wife.

just sayin'

Tom

BradH reply :

Here's a good question. If you could buy a Revo S in any gear ratio (5, 6 and 7:1) how many winches, etc. would they sell? The parts will easily interchange. There's lots of marketing gaming that goes into pricing. I think the S is a great value but not so much the rest of them if you pay full retail.

J Francho reply :

I think any of the sub $100 MSRP reels are not worth it, even at discounted rates. They seldom last very long, and never perform as new for any length of time.

averagebass123 reply :

On 5/4/2013 at 1:13 AM, BradH said:
Here's a good question. If you could buy a Revo S in any gear ratio (5, 6 and 7:1) how many winches, etc. would they sell? The parts will easily interchange. There's lots of marketing gaming that goes into pricing. I think the S is a great value but not so much the rest of them if you pay full retail.

thats a good point. I see that a lot too.

dwtaylor reply :

After working in retail, I noticed that Shimano reels had the least amount of markup among Pure Fishing and Quantum reels. We never carried Ardent, Lews, or Daiwa, so I cannot speak about those. Thus I am convinced that shimano cares more about performance per dollar than those other two brands.

People would bring in older reels for me to spool up and there was a huge difference in durability between shimano and all else. The pflueger president is probably one of the most over hyped reels I have ever seen (in walleye country). I never saw one older than 5 years come in, yet I saw hundreds of old shimanos. 10 ball bearings? Who cares, bearing quality is much more important. That, amongst other things, is the reason I am switching to all shimano. Daiwa makes SOME good stuff too, but the $10 increase per year almost line wide irks me. The Zillion was an awesome value when it was about $260. Now, its just over priced for aging technology and weight.

The best value? The curado or citica and the stradic. Those reels will last a lifetime. I would challenge the sx and the old soron stx to rival the shimanos' performance at price, performance, and durability any day.

SissySticks reply :

For me this is all about durability, and in a market that is increasingly interesting in performance and apparently increasingly disinterested in durability, I find myself searching ebay for older garcia and shimano reels a lot. The old 5, 6, and 7 series abu garcia spinning reels are very durable reels with their aluminum construction, despite lower bearing counts and less-smooth retrieves. I have some OLD shimanos that are still catching fish. I'm saddened that this years Sahara no longer has an aluminum frame. I would say ANY reel, at any pricepoint, that won't last a typical recreational fisherman at least 10 years at a "close-to-new" level of performance (assuming basic maintenance) is over-priced.

BigAL reply :

Not for nothing guys but were fishermen r job is to hook the fish and rod, reel, lurer makers r made to hook us n r wallet but hell its fun personally most I will spend on a reel is $100 Ive had $300 reels n I wasnt impressed maybe cause the expectation level was so high, dollar for dollar cant beat bps pq

Capt.Bob reply :

any Shimano or Diawa and I would double that thought on the Diawa. They charge a premium for the naqme, Shimano use to make up for it with CS, many times they would ship small parts that had failed at no charge, those days are over and now instead of raising prices they have deceided to cheapen models and keep the price the same????? Diawa is doing this also.

averagebass123 reply :

I am sad that shimano stopped making the rock solid reels like the d series and bantam series... wow the things probably last forever lol!

SoCalFisher reply :

On 5/4/2013 at 9:16 AM, averagebass123 said:
I am sad that shimano stopped making the rock solid reels like the d series and bantam series... wow the things probably last forever lol!

Shimano reels are still great and their customer service is the best.

Capt.Bob reply :

On 5/4/2013 at 9:58 AM, SoCalFisher said:
Shimano reels are still great and their customer service is the best.

You obviously haven't dealt with the customers service from some others!! I do weekly!!! Those days are over, and seem to be falling off more and more as time goes on!! This was not the case 3 years ago, but it positively is today!! I still own nothing but Shimano brand Spinning reels, and that isn't because of thier CS!! My baitcasters are no longer Shimano, they used to be though! and that is because of various reasons!!

aavery2 reply :

On 5/3/2013 at 11:42 PM, averagebass123 said:
Edwin Evers uses the PQ, and around $100 rods... that about as close as it gets to what you're saying.

Edwin Evers was recently signed by Megabass. Most would consider that a sizeable upgrade from the PQ

EvanT123 reply :

Interesting how a thread on overpriced reels turned into a debate about customer service. I would try to buy a product where I don't have to deal with customer service for a defect.

The Next KVD reply :

I think one reel that most of us can agree on being overpriced is the W&M Skeet Reese Victory. At $79.99 its an attractive price until you handle one. I passed up an offer to buy one off a buddy for $20. Told him that was $20 I could go spend on a decent reel.

Sam reply :

Average, I have a wonderful friend that repairs rods and reels.

When I visit him he always fills me in on the changes the reel manufacturers make to their new reels. Some are good but most are not.

For instance, Shimano is now using a plastic gear in place of the metal one in older models.

The drag pads in some reels are poor and need to be replaced.

When you purchase a new reel always take off the side panel and look for the missing grease. You need to have every new reel serviced so it can be oiled and greased correctly.

So reel manufacturers are now cutting costs where ever they can as the advertise their new reels are better than ever. If you think catching bass is fun just think about the rod and reel manufacturers advertising departments creating ads to sell their products. In many instances they create a demand by selling the sizzle and not the steak.

Rod and reel preferences are personal. You may like Abu and I love Shimano. It boils down to confidence in your equipment.

And yes, rods and reels are priced very high. When you realize that these products are made in China, Korea, Bangledesh, India, Outer Mongolia and other places outside of the US it can give you heartburn to pay the prices asked at retail stores.

But that is our system and as I said, it boils down to personal preference in one specific brand.

.RM. reply :

On 5/4/2013 at 12:04 AM, tholmes said:

There's no reel worth an angry wife.

just sayin'

Tom

ww2farmer reply :

Too each his own. Personally, I don't like Daiwa and don't feel like there is much bang for the buck with them. I gladly pay for Shimano. While they are not loaded with features that other reels have, they last and last, and last forever. Give me a reel I can fish for years with only basic maintenance, and you can keep your crap that weighs a few ounces less, has more bearings, fancy handles and a screaming idiot on tv telling you how great they are.

aavery2 reply :

Everything is only worth what you can get someone else to pay for it. If you follow that logic, then nothing is overpriced. If we as consumers truely believed as a whole that something was overpriced and did not pay for it, what option would the mfg. have other than to stop production or lower the price. When we continue to purchase items that are "overpriced" the message sent to the mfg. is that while we may complain a little about the price, we will still get in our pockets and pay to play.

I always say get in where you fit in, if you feel it's not worth the money then don't buy it, but don't hate on the other guy because it is something that he enjoys, there is room for everyone.

*Hootie reply :

Gee, I'm starting to get depressed....lol

Hootie

SirSnookalot reply :

On 5/4/2013 at 10:48 PM, ww2farmer said:
Too each his own. Personally, I don't like Daiwa and don't feel like there is much bang for the buck with them. I gladly pay for Shimano. While they are not loaded with features that other reels have, they last and last, and last forever. Give me a reel I can fish for years with only basic maintenance, and you can keep your crap that weighs a few ounces less, has more bearings, fancy handles and a screaming idiot on tv telling you how great they are.

Less is not always best for ones needs. Recently I bought a new reel and opted for one 3 oz heavier than my initial thought for a reel choice. My decision was based on the length of my rod, I do believe it worked out well, both reels were very close in price.

Capt.Bob reply :

On 5/6/2013 at 12:34 AM, SirSnookalot said:
Less is not always best for ones needs. Recently I bought a new reel and opted for one 3 oz heavier than my initial thought for a reel choice. My decision was based on the length of my rod, I do believe it worked out well, both reels were very close in price.

yep, and it probably feels lighter if it balanced your setup better, even if it was 3 oz. heavier. Nothing beats balance, and a lot of these light reels make an out of balance setup feel heavier than it really is!!

rboat reply :

I think all companies have both good and bad reels in their lineup. That is how they try to appeal to every consumer. Our job is to find that breakpoint price between quality and sub-par offerings. At times this can be difficult to do. That is why forums like this can be used as a tool to help others. If we all put away our brand bashing and just tell the truth about what works well for the price and where to get those deals. We may all fish with better gear, enjoy the sport more, and send a clear message to the manufacturers about their prices.

bass1980 reply :

This thread has become a pile of poop. You guys can't judge a product by ebay prices. They are all over the price map and many of their prices are guys that get great discounts and are selling it for crack head price because they're just selling it out of their trunk. You have to judge it be retail price.

On the other hand a product is only worth what you're willing to pay for. Why buy a Lexus when a Toyota will do just fine getting groceries and taking you to work? Some people like things more refine and they can afford it. If we all live by the ignorant thinking then BMW's, 500k+ houses, premium suites, John Deere tractors, and anything premium are all over priced. The truth is if we all were millionaires we'd be buying some high end fishing gears that many others would say its over priced.

averagebass123 reply :

This thread was not supposed to be comparing brands, or weight of reels. It was simply to name reels that are rip offs...

katmandew reply :

On 5/3/2013 at 9:30 AM, SoCalFisher said:
Not really trying to defend shimano but you don't know what overpriced is till you use the gen 2 Abu Garcia revo STX. I can't believe I payed $200 for this thing, worst purchase ever. I wouldn't even pay $100 for one of these.

Ditto for the Gen 3 stx. I got lucky traded even for a brand new lews TP so I don't feel as ripped.

Maxximus Redneckus reply :

It all boils down to one thing..who catches the most/biggest.just like with cars I can outdrive many ppl with less HP and cheaper cars and trucks. Its all in our minds what's worth it

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