what does 'refurbished' orvis rod really mean?

[k-bob]

I like flyweight fly fishing stuff, and bought a 7 foot, 4 weight, 2 piece, one ounce orvis superfine rod with the black R (reject? returned? refurbished?) on its little cork-cigar grip at an orvis warehouse sale for $199. I like it for brookies, but the funny thing is that while it balances perfectly with a 3 oz real, it actually feels quite tip heavy with my usual 2.2 oz reels! I am having a longer grip put on it; the factory one was too small and a few inches shorter than a standard grip. With a longer grip my index finger will be a few inches forward, and it should balance nicely with the 2.2 oz reel.

I could see that the grip had been worked on, nicks in cork filled, what does the R on are these R-marked rods really mean?

 

[Fredrick]

It means that you can't use the orvis 25 year guarantee

 

[tomgamber]

..in addition the brand new Orvis I bought last year had a handle that was filled and sanded as well.

 

[jayL]

What Fred said. It's basically a factory second, and not guaranteed. Good deals to be had on them.

 

[k-bob]

Thanks, I know there's no guarantee, but that's OK. I do break a lot of equipment, including 3 fly rod sections this year (the reel section of a 2 pc rod in a fall; the third section of a 4 pc cracked in the trunk during a car crash; the tip section of a 4pc against a branch while casting). Rod makers have been nice about helping me out, but I can live without the warranty. Hopefully, since it is an older rod and the tip section is more likely to break, I can find a spare superfine 704-2 on ebay before fishing season starts.

 

[osprey]

A good friend of mine who has since passed on gave me a 6 1/2 ft bamboo "Batenkill" it came with an extra tip which had been broken off right at the end of the metal tip , i had built a few rods by then but decided to see what it would cost to send back to Orvis to get repaired. They wanted $80.00 which i didn't think was too bad so i sent it back , looks good i can't tell the difference in the tips without looking real close. After reading this post i went and got it out and i guess the guarantee thing is the only issue 'cause there is no "R" on the rod , even though it is refurbished by them.

 

[k-bob]

thanks... I have never sent a broken rod back for repair... I will keep this in mind if/when I damage the (fragile looking) 704-2!

 

[gulfgreyhound]

The R means that if it can be fixed it will be, but no warranty. had one that shattered, sent it back, got a new rod with a warranty for $ 100. Not a bad deal ,but there are other rods out there that are reasonable and have full warranties.