On Fri, 02 Jul 2004 14:11:42 -0500, Tim Apple
wrote:

You know, since I've been flyfishing I've heard allot of smack talk against
Orvis, not but a little while ago I became the owner of a used Orvis rod,
and I think it's one of the best casting rods I own. I went to Bass Pro
today and looked at some of the mid range orvis rods, and it seems for rods
in the 100-200 dollar price range, the orvis rods looked better all in all
and seemed to use nicer hardware. So the question really is, what is the
beef? Is it strictly a stereotype....i.e the Orvis Boy....Or is the stuff
crap, because it seems pretty much like damn nice equipment to me?

Tim Apple

Orvis gear, generally, is good gear. Here's a way you may wish to look
at it: Take two rod blanks, both made at the same plant. Then send one
to "Bob's House O' Rods" and the other to Orvis. Bob, who is an honest
businessman, finishes his rods with decent, but not fancy, fittings and
simply sells them out of his small shop. He offers no warranty other
than that covering his own work. He is upfront about it all, saying,
basically, that it is what is: a reasonably-priced fishing tool. Now
Orvis takes the same blank and finishes it with the finest of fittings,
offers what is essentially a "no questions asked" return policy, markets
it through its catalogs, websites, dealers, etc. Of course, and quite
properly, the Orvis rod will be considerably more expensive.

Is the Orvis version a "better" rod? If the buyer thinks it is for
them, then it is in a purely subjective manner. One could argue that it
is a "better" rod because of the higher quality of the fittings or the
better warranty, and in that narrow objective context, they'd have a
legitimate point. But things like "better," "nice," "fantastic,"
"crappy," and such are always, in practice, subjective.

This might sound smart-assed, but it isn't meant to: only you can say if
a piece of gear is "good" for you. Can you afford it? If so, then the
only real hurdle is overcome. Do you like the feel, the action, the
cast? If so, that is answered . Do you like the look of it? If so,
then that is, IMO, just frosting on the cake when it comes to tools, but
you may think it an important point.

HTH,
R