Warren wrote...
[snip]
You didn't have to research automobiles in the past either, but now
you do.

Right. Odometer fraud was so prevalent during the 50s, 60s & 70s that
practically all used cars were 'low mileage'. Most Americans believed
that a car was worn out at 100,000 miles. Well, by the time the
odometer rolled over it had already been rolled back twice (or more).
The first driver'd put 40-60K on the car before trading it in. The
dealer would promptly roll the odo back a good 10-20K and sell it to
owner #2. #2 would drive it until the odo read 80K or so, trade it in
and the dealer'd roll it back to 60K. Owner #3, drives it to 100K+
and in reality the car's got over 150K or more.

Prior to the 'odometer accuracy' laws of the late 80s, very few cars
had accurate odometers after they were handled by a used car dealer.
If you buy a used car today, you are practically guaranteed that the
odometer is accurate.

"In the past" the used car comsumer didn't have the means to research
automobiles. The only way to get a well-researched used car was to
buy one from a private owner, preferably the original owner, with
complete & accurate service records w/receipts. Since practically
nobody keeps these records, you ended up with an unknown quantity. If
you bought a used car from a dealer, you were nearly guaranteed an
unknown quantity.

With regard to fly lines, I expect a 4wt when I buy a 4wt. Perhaps an
AFTM logo on the package to denote adherence to the AFTM standard is
in order. Kind of like ADA Accepted toothpaste or UL Listed
electrical appliances. OTOH, I probably couldn't tell the difference
between a 4wt and a 4.5wt under normal fishing conditions.

Tom G