Best fly rod warranty?

[TheDude]

I recently broke my Sage VPS for the third time, meaning another $50 for a replacement section. Having put $150 into a rod I spent $250 on to begin with, this got me wondering, are there any other fly rod warranties that offer the same no-questions-asked multiple claims for less? I may consider changing my main rod (9'0" 5 wt) out for a different brand if it means saving $30 or $40 each time I break it, which seems inevitable.

 

[PennKev]

TheDude wrote:
I recently broke my Sage VPS for the third time, meaning another $50 for a replacement section. Having put $150 into a rod I spent $250 on to begin with, this got me wondering, are there any other fly rod warranties that offer the same no-questions-asked multiple claims for less? I may consider changing my main rod (9'0" 5 wt) out for a different brand if it means saving $30 or $40 each time I break it, which seems inevitable.

I don't worry about warranties and just take care of my stuff. Haven't spent a dime on warranties yet in 16+ years of fishing.

 

[TheDude]

I understand it is probably tempting to comment on equipment care, especially to those who have not broken their rods in ages and are really proud of it, but I am asking about the warranty comparison and would appreciate that replies stick to that topic. That is the advice I asked for. Thanks!

 

[StudentofTheStream]

Dude,

I can tell you that I've broken a handful of rods and had to invoke warranty usage. Most of the rods I own are in the 25-30 dollar replacement fee plus shipping.

Of these rods quite a few have been Redington which is now owned by Sage and the warranty dept. is exactly the same. What I would do if I were you, call them up. They'll have your rod breakages on record. Unless you slammed it in a car door or something, tell them you're upset that this is the 3rd time this rod has broken and you don't feel it's right you should have to pay the $50 to replace it again. I've had them waive the fee and offer me to switch to a different rod weight if I wanted. They're usually pretty good about it.

That's been my experience anyhow.

I don't know of any company anymore that has a no cost warranty return, though some the first breakage is free. TFO has about the best warranty all around though. You can get POed, break it over you knee and they'll replace it for you. I've never had an issue getting a Redington replaced though either.

 

[TheDude]

Thanks for the great advice. I'll try calling now!

 

[TheDude]

Student,

I just called Sage and tried to work my charm to get the fee waived, but without results. The person I spoke with said an engineer can look at it and if they determine there is something wrong with the rod, then they can waive the fee. She did say that most breakages are from car doors, so I at least have that going for me considering all of my breaks were from unknown causes. Any advice for pursuing that further, given that you've had success?

 

[afishinado]

TheDude wrote:
Student,

I just called Sage and tried to work my charm to get the fee waived, but without results. The person I spoke with said an engineer can look at it and if they determine there is something wrong with the rod, then they can waive the fee. She did say that most breakages are from car doors, so I at least have that going for me considering all of my breaks were from unknown causes. Any advice for pursuing that further, given that you've had success?

How DID it break? What happened the other two times? No rod can stand up to a car door or ceiling fan, but some rods are more prone to breakage than others.

 

[ryguyfi]

TFO's service is fantastic.

Check out this article. A whole section on warranties for the rods they tested.


http://www.yellowstoneangler.com/FlyRodReview.Best5weightflyrod.HardyZenith.SageZ-axis.WinstonB3x.WinstonBIIIx.LoomisNRX.SageVXP.StCroixLegendEliteTempleforkBVK.asp

 

[StudentofTheStream]

I must admit I did wonder how they would treat this case. With mine I had 3 of the same type of rods break. 2 were fight big fish and 'horsing' them a bit and the other when I was snagged on the bottom.

The high modulus rods suffer demise if they have a nick in the blank which could have been my issue.

Either way, with a Redington rod, they just replace your rod with the newest in the line. With the Sage brand though, they fix the piece you broke. They seem to be more vigilant with their flagship brand. I am still a bit surprised that she wasn't willing to do anything for you.

How did your rod break?

 

[ryguyfi]

Sometimes with any customer service, if I don't like the result, I'll just call back and hopefully get another agent and try again.....

 

[StudentofTheStream]

Ry I agree but I believe they have one lady there that handles all that stuff. When they waived the fee for my last return she said "Put my name on the warranty form and say I waived the fee." I asked how would they know to do this and she responded she's the only one there to authorize it.

Not sure how else to direct you though Dude. Ask them to swap you for a Redington? Good luck. Let us know if you make any progress.

 

[TheDude]

I don't know how the rod broke this time. I was just stringing my line through and it fell apart, already broken out of the case. The first time I was trying to chip ice of the top guide and the very tip broke off. I figured I was foolish there. The second time I was casting and the broken top foot cast out wit the line, the cause unknown. No car doors or any other direct damage that snapped it other than the ice incident, which was a little extra sensitive in itself, in my opinion.

I'll check out the TFO warranty.

It's not like Sage isn't honoring the lifetime warranty; I'm just looking for a way to save money in the future if I'm prone to breaking rods. I'm not too particular about having the best feeling cast or anything. Last night I fished the green drakes with my back up rod, a $100 Cortland one I bought at FFP as my first rod, and also it's super stiff I don't notice anything when I'm in the zone and trout are rising.

 

[Ramcatt]

look for a rod that is from asia... they are so cheap that your broken rod goes in the trash... and the comp still makes profit with just a $25/30 fee (reddington, TFO)

higher end us made rods will always be repaired (Sage, T&T, winston, scott)

 

[TheDude]

Ramcatt, I might be interested in your suggestion of a cheap rod, Asian or preferably non-Asian. However, I have way less experience with different rods than most people I know and those active on here. Say it's becoming less expensive to make decent fly rods nowadays than it was ten years ago...I wouldn't even know.

If that is the case, does anyone have any recommendations for well-performing cheap rods? I'm thinking 9'0" 5 wt and maybe a 10'0" or longer one for nymphing.

And when I say cheap, I mean real cheap. I have no shame when it comes to labels. In fact, I'd be able to take pride in knowing my rod only cost a fraction of what most people pay yet is comparable. I love my merino wool socks that come 4 pairs for $10 from Costco and are almost identical to the Smartwool hiking socks for which I was paying $17 per pair once I found out how much I loved them.

 

[Fishidiot]

TheDude wrote:
If that is the case, does anyone have any recommendations for well-performing cheap rods? I'm thinking 9'0" 5 wt and maybe a 10'0" or longer one for nymphing.

I build all my fly rods from price point blanks - mostly Rainforest or Cabelas. When I break 'em....I just cut off the guides and reel seat to be re-cycled and build a new fly rod.

 

[pabowhunter14]

Another vote for TFO, have had great service with them two rods replaced with no questions asked. One was my fault (took a hell of a fall down the side of the tracks on Little J, head over heals) and one was a weak ferral on a two piece. Nice rods for the price as well.

 

[MKern]

$50 to replace the tip top is a rip off. I used to fix them for $5 if you brought the tip top and $8 if you lost it.

 

[caveman]

Buy a fiberglass rod, not as prone to beakage and much tougher than Graphite.

 

[jdaddy]

MKern wrote:
$50 to replace the tip top is a rip off. I used to fix them for $5 if you brought the tip top and $8 if you lost it.

You were putting a new tip on resulting in a repaired rod. Warranty repairs are replacing the entire section damaged thus restoring the action and feel back to its pre-loss condition. Big difference.

 

[MKern]

Jdaddy, I realize that and you are right, a big difference.

However from a practicaly stand point losing 1/4 inch of rod tip will not effect the action and will be unnoticealbe to the angler.

Just an expensive fix and a couple weeks without a rod for a 5 minute fix at home.