How much filler is acceptable on a £220 float rod?

[kingf000]

I bought float rod late last year for £220 and although the rod fishes well, the cork handle, at least to me, is rubbish. I've attached a few pictures and even after only 5 fishing trips, the filler is falling out and one bit has a square of cork sealed in with filler. In the past I've had £30 rods with better handles than this. Is this just the norm nowadays? I've even had grade A fly rod handles better than this.

 

[cg74]

Assuming it was a new rod return it to whoever sold it to you as it's clearly substandard and demand a full refund or a replacement butt section.

 

[kingf000]

Assuming it was a new rod return it to whoever sold it to you as it's clearly substandard and demand a full refund or a replacement butt section.

So not acceptable then? The manufacturer told me that they visually check all their rods for defects. Looks like the checker must have forgotten his glasses that day

 

[Aknib]

Who is the manufacturer?

 

[Ray Roberts]

On the plus side it must now weigh a few grams less.

 

[Keith M]

I’m assuming you bought it via the Web otherwise you would have seen it before.

Return it and get your money back; it’s clearly sub-standard.

Keith

 

[@Clive]

On the plus side it must now weigh a few grams less.

Given this post he must be psychic

I don't need to snap off the end of the rod, though the whole top section weighs 10g so I'd need to snap off the whole lot. All I need to do is to wait for the relatively large amount of filler to fall out of the cork handle.

• kingf000
• Post #16
• Dec 19, 2023
• Forum: General Fishing

His wish has come true and he's still moaning

 

[markcw]

Who is the manufacturer?

Hope it's not Drennan or they will be well and truly p1ssed off with more emails and phone calls .

 

[markcw]

I bought float rod late last year for £220 and although the rod fishes well, the cork handle, at least to me, is rubbish. I've attached a few pictures and even after only 5 fishing trips, the filler is falling out and one bit has a square of cork sealed in with filler. In the past I've had £30 rods with better handles than this. Is this just the norm nowadays? I've even had grade A fly rod handles better than this.

Has it affected the actions of the rod seeing it will be below the stated weight now ?
If that's the state of the handle after 5 trips ,you are either fishing with filthy hands or you don't wipe it down after use .
I have 30 year old rods with handles cleaner than that and they are used regularly .

 

[Ray Roberts]

Some people just like to have something to moan about, or have an agenda with Drennan.

 

[steve2]

I checked one of my rods that is now 60 years old the cork is in better condition. But it was made by craftmen and not mass produced in China or wherever. They are now made cheap to sell for big profit so we now are expected to do our own quality checks.
Would suggest you buy from a tackle shop and check the quality in the shop.

 

[markcw]

I checked one of my rods that is now 60 years old the cork is in better condition. But it was made by craftmen and not mass produced in China or wherever. They are now made cheap to sell for big profit so we now are expected to do our own quality checks.
Would suggest you buy from a tackle shop and check the quality in the shop.

Mine are Daiwa UK made at the time .

 

[@Clive]

Some people just like to have something to moan about, or have an agenda with Drennan.

Yes. If I remember correctly he was offered a refund or exchange but decided to keep the rod. As such he has no moral right to keep bringing this issue up.

 

[cg74]

So not acceptable then? The manufacturer told me that they visually check all their rods for defects. Looks like the checker must have forgotten his glasses that day

Totally unacceptable, you've paid a premium price for a premium product, what you've been given is simply not of premium standard. You've used the rod a mere 5 times and it's showing a greater level of damage/tiredness than my 25yr old Greys barbel rod which has spent thousands of hours bank side.

 

[cg74]

Has it affected the actions of the rod seeing it will be below the stated weight now ?
If that's the state of the handle after 5 trips ,you are either fishing with filthy hands or you don't wipe it down after use .
I have 30 year old rods with handles cleaner than that and they are used regularly .

I'm guessing the OP has previous for complaining about rods so I should just leave it but for the sake of others that find themselves in a similar situation I'll continue. It doesn't matter if the action of the rod is unaffected it's the poor quality cork and low quality of workmanship in its production for what is supposed to be a premium product that is the issue.

I never wipe down my rods after use and they arn't in the poor physical state as those pictured. I am referring to the filler coming out and indeed the quantity of filler used.

 

[sam vimes]

Cork quality has reduced steadily over the years. The average standard of cork is quite a long way from what it was in the early nineties. I also can't remember the last time I saw a mass produced coarse fishing rod with a stated quality of cork fitted.

That rod does look particularly poor. Having eight Acolytes, it looks poorer than the worst of mine. However, I do know that the quality varies quite significantly. I never felt that I had much cause for complaint though as there has never been a stated minimum quality and I never rejected any rod on delivery inspection (or in the shop). I did reject a couple of brand new Acolyte 17' Float rods for having misaligned butt rings. I'll bet that many buyers wouldn't have been remotely bothered by what I found unacceptable.

 

[Philip]

Cork quality has reduced steadily over the years.

Although I am certainly of the camp of seeing rods more as tools rather than ornaments, I would agree that the average cork handle on rods appears to have got progressively worse over time. Its hard to put my finger on it but the cork even feels different on some of the modern rods and lacks a certain depth or warmth to it if I can put it like that. It’s a shame as I pick up some quite nice rods and whereas in the past a nice work handle was the cherry on the cake some of the cheap looking cork handles nowadays actually put me off and diminish from the overall rod.

 

[kingf000]

Yes. If I remember correctly he was offered a refund or exchange but decided to keep the rod. As such he has no moral right to keep bringing this issue up.

If you remember correctly, I was offered the possibility of returning the rod for them to inspect and, if they agreed, would give me a replacement, which would have left me without a rod while they deliberated. When it actually came to me agreeing for a replacement, the manufacturer failed to reply to my e-mail. I said I would keep the rod to see how it did, ie if the filler stayed in place. As it is, more filler has fallen out of this rod with 5 fishing trips than from my Drennan Tench rod that is over 30 years old. Not only is the cork of much poorer quality, but the quality of the filling is also poor. I brought it up here again merely because I wanted to gauge the opinion of those more expert than me on what standard of handle one would expect from a £200 rod these days, morality having nothing to do with it.

 

[Aknib]

On the subject of cork quality, and I think i've posted about it before, I don't think the current cork producer's grading system helps in that I believe it's graded within the year it was produced and not to a set scale irrespective of time but I will caveat that with a question mark?

I believe Portugal is by far the largest cork producer and i'm not sure if that is their system of grading or not.

Unless i've got it wrong that tells me that eg. a 2021 B grade might be better than a 2022 Flor or A grade because the seemingly better might just be the best available from a poorer production year and therefore is accredited with the best score when in fact it might not be up to the standard of the previous year's and lesser accredited B grade?

This is an interesting read...

https://www.rodbuilding.org/library/corkscale.pdf

 

[@Clive]

If you remember correctly, I was offered the possibility of returning the rod for them to inspect and, if they agreed, would give me a replacement, which would have left me without a rod while they deliberated. When it actually came to me agreeing for a replacement, the manufacturer failed to reply to my e-mail. I said I would keep the rod to see how it did, ie if the filler stayed in place. As it is, more filler has fallen out of this rod with 5 fishing trips than from my Drennan Tench rod that is over 30 years old. Not only is the cork of much poorer quality, but the quality of the filling is also poor. I brought it up here again merely because I wanted to gauge the opinion of those more expert than me on what standard of handle one would expect from a £200 rod these days, morality having nothing to do with it.

Your contract is with the retailer, not the manufacturer. So there is no reason why you could not have taken or posted the rod to the retailer. You chose not to. Doesn't matter why. You chose not to return the rod and therefore you have no moral right to keep on moaning about it.