Loomis Rods

[Lucky_Phill]

never having owned one and probably never will, I am wondering what is so special about a Loomis Rod ?

Questions that need answering are

1. who actually makes the blank ?

2. who actually builds the rods ( retail ones ) ?

3. what actually makes this a better rod than others ?

4. are they any better than Pioneer, Clastar, Samurai, Hastings, United or Graphite USA ?

and finally....

5. why are so many for sale on Ausfish classifieds ?

Cheers Phill

[ant_72]

Loomis rods have been around for a lot of years, pretty much when graphite rods started to hit the market. They were originally produced in the usa and then found their way overseas. The amount of time they have been around contributes to their popularity because of the name and the quality of the product. As to who makes the blank now i am unsure but originally by Gary Loomis hence G.Loomis. They are now distributed here in aus by EJ Todds. Now because of the advancements in graphite manufacting a lot of companies have caught up with the quality in the production processes. To say one rod is better than another is more to the opion of the user as just about all rods act differently due to many different aspects (taper, length, quality of graphite etc). But Loomis have been a popular choice for quite a few years now and will be in the future. I hope this sheds a bit of light on a subject that could take quite a while to completely explain. Yell out if you would like some more info.

[Rockfish]

GLoomis rods have been around for a long time and have produced a range of technique specific rods. Different graphites from GL2, GL3 GLX, to IMX, then the blended models such as the crankbait (very popular for barra) and forcelite etc, Different rod lengths from 5'6'' to over 7' in baitcasters and many line class ratings for all.

The single most popular thing about the GLoomis in the current market which places sales above its competition in my opinion is (a) reputation and (b) the expediter warranty: Meaning it doesn't matter how or why you break ANY loomis it will be replaced for approx $140 as long as the last few inches near the butt are produced for identification purposes. GLoomis rods are now produced in America (i think) as a subsidiary company to Shimano, say hello to the worlds greatest tackle marketing company.

As previously mentioned, what makes one rod better than another is often situation and technique specific combined with a healthy dose of personal preference.

Many people in the tackle industry and fishermen regard the current crop of mass produced rods like Shimano T-curve's and Daiwa Advantage above some of the base model loomis AND for less $$$. Reasons include quality of blank materials and design, build quality, runners etc.


Hope this helps

[ON-THE-CHEW]

Don't worry about Loomis buy an Egrell, just as good if not better and half the price for the same thing.

Andrew

[HOTRODS]

HI Phill, not going to answer all your questions with authority as im not 100% on some of them BUT here goes !

BLanks are made in the USA and im pretty sure the build them up in house (unless they out source some of the work?)

as for being 'Better' than other blanks on the market..yes and no...the range of blanks available is HUGE !!!!!!!!

and a full range exists from low mod graphite (GL2 - 3) up to hight mod Graphite (IMX - GLX) so a comparison would have to be done against another companies blanks in a similar material to get an accurate comparison...

thelike os Samurai, Calstar & Hastings (which make the GUSA, United and Pioneer blanks) dont all have comparable blanks...Hastings woudl be the closest but even they have a fairly diffeent style of taper and build quality...

they are a good blank if you have the right 1 for what you want to do...so in answer to No.5 'why so many for sale?" they are expensive..and as there are SO many different blanks that suit out aussie style of fishing if ou havent had a play with a few and make a hasty decision you may not end up with a rod suitable to your needs and may want to upgrade to a higher model of diffeent rod alltogether...


hope that clears up some of the fog ?!

cheers ME
eg. i had a client order a stack of blanks from the MUDHOLE in Florida with out consulting me or any other builder...he just red the stats and though he was on the ball...(after fast taper bream rods FYI) turns out get got a heap of noodles that wern't anywhere near what he needed and he offloaded them as soon nas he realised his mistake...

[OzRods]

Hi Phil
1. G Loomis blanks are made by the Loomis company in the states and they are now owned by Shimano.
2. As far as I know some of the rods get built in the factory and some of the rods get built by contract workers who are just rod builders who go to the factory pick up the rods that have already got the grips, reel seat, butt cap and tip installed on the blank with the markings where the guides go. They take home how ever many of these rods they do in a week with the guides in a box and wrap the guides on the rods then drop them back the next week and pick up another lot of rods to do. Usually they get all the stuff like thread, tape, blades ect supplied. Most rod manufacturers in the states have there own private contract rod builders like this.
3. Sorry I dont really understand what you mean by that question could you please explain what you mean.
4. I wouldn't say any are better then any other they are all different and most have there own market they target ie: GLoomis concentrate more on the bass market although they have rods for all species, Calstar are mainly saltwater rods but do have rods for all species and its the same for all of them. Okay I would say some are better then other but thats just my opinion it doesn't mean they really are. It depends on what style of fishing you are doing and what fish you are trying to catch. Like I said before if you are fishing offshore for Marlin chances are you would pick a Calstar over a Loomis but if you are fishing impoundments for Barra chances are you would pick a Loomis over a Calstar but then again you could like a Hastings over a Loomis it is totaly up to you and what you like better when it comes time to pick something.
5. IMHO for the price of a Loomis you can get other rods just as good for half the price and I think you are paying for the name but thats my opinion. There are also probably alot of Loomis rods out in the market. Why dont you ask some of the people selling them why are they selling them?
Thanks
Simon

[Lucky_Phill]

Thanks guys, that cleared a lot up for me.

Maybe it is the marketing that Loomis get their rep from as I rarely hear folk talk about the Hastings ( which I use to build my rods ).

I am of the same opinion Simon in regard to paying for the name...... but then again, it's all a personal choice... hey !

Cheers Phill

[Lucky_Phill]

Simon, question 3 related to what actually makes it a better rod..

performance
build material
warranty
finish
etc

phill

[coelacanth]

Does warranty mean though that it is a better rod or does the producer want to make sure that the customer does not go to another high/higher quality product than his.
Many have found with expediter that if the rod is no longer built or if the want to change they have to pay more than the standard exp price .
I still can't get over the fact that some people intentionally break good rods to get a new one cos they can ,I guess this is why they are dearer for a start.
I do think that this was not the intention of the initial concept but unfortunately has become the rule not the exception, however some do genuinely break their sticks in the act of capture?.
How come they can't seem to build a casting stick on backbone.
Never owned one ,never will
IAN

[Horse]

I think you will find an lot of variety in what is offered in finished rods from the various manufactures and to categorically state that one brand is better than the others shows a lack of clear perception of reality. Many do not look past the brand name in anything they use and this characteristic will apply to clothing, cars, boats and fishing gear. They gain enjoyment and and a great deal of personal satisfaction from the label. This characteristic of human behaviour is what marketing departments of many corporations rely on.

What suits one persons style is probably not going to suit the next. G loomis rods were ground breaking in what they were doing in the early days of graphite blank construction and have had some of the best marketing programs I have ever seen. To offer a replacement at a cost which is probably only a fraction of build cost to them is pure gold.

There are so many great blanks out there from a variety of manufacturers that to blindly say that a Loomis or Egrell is going to suit everyone for every purpose is very naive

Neil

[Mark Fisher]

I have 3 Loomis Rods which I built up from blanks. They are excellent rods but IMO no better than many other brands out there. The Loomis marketing is exceptional. I went to the AFTA show last year and the Loomis stand was very impressive. One thing I noticed is that for your money you get a very basic rod with no frills. Their marketing hype is that you are paying for the advanced technology used to make them (Crap). I can build a very personalised customised rod on a top quality blank for a similar price to what they cahrge for a Loomis rod which is the same as a 1000 others. Again, for me, I like to see a little trim and workmanship in a rod I'm going to pay top dollar for. In the end, I will pay for a blank to build myself, not for the mass produced, mass rolled, factory blandness we see available today. You may as well buy all your gear from Big W. As an opinion only and not bagging any of the rod manufacturers, I will go for a GUSA or Hastings blank any day over a Loomis. Just my opinion.

Regards
Mark

[Stuart]

I always found it frustrating as a rod builder that Loomis was some how the benchmark that all other rods would and could be judged. Im glad those days are long gone.I’m not going to say Loomis is crap because they where in fact at the top of the pile many years ago. Back then they did have some very unique proprietary equipment they used to roll their blanks that no one else had. This put them at the top because of the quality and performance they were achieving in their blanks. I mean there blanks where very light, the blank walls where scary thin, and yet the power was insane. This was radical stuff back then. You can thank Loomis for the cutting edge designs they produced years ago because with out those designs every other company would still be 10 years behind.

The quality in their blanks is still there, just no more real R and D that use to put into the blanks. Many companies have caught up to and indeed surpassed Loomis these days, but no one should forget that Loomis set the ground work. Blank technology in my opinion has ground to a halt; there is no new material available due to the cost involved in prototyping and then production on a scale where it will be commercially viable. Every one is copying from each other these days, some one brings out a great action and what do you know, some one else brings out the same but with a different paint job. I have been doing this long enough to see the copies come and go; some have even endured the test of time.

I can assure you all that what Australia needs is a real manufacturer that will design and build top shelf blanks, invest in R and D and put out consistent top quality blanks. Stop making blanks that look good and start rolling blanks that perform they way the should. To much emphasis is placed on appearance over that of performance these days.

Stu

[Lucky_Phill]

Thanks Stuie, missed you at the T & T show, I went today. ( Sunday )

All the above info leads me to believe that I am doing the right thing, for me, and building rods from hastings blanks... a cost effective way to produce a great rod.

Cheers Phill

[Stuart]

I went on Saturday mate. It wasn’t to bad, heaps of nice boats, and plenty which I thought where way over priced. Man, the price of boats has gone through the roof. Not much in the way of tackle. Perhaps between you and me we could organise a rod building demo section for the general public? Just an idea mate.

Stu

[IRMC000]

Lucky Phil
A great question many have asked and wondered.

Q1.
Many contributors to your post may be interested to do a bit of homework about where GLoomis blanks are actually made.

I own a couple and have built them from blanks but I have only used the one so far. A sweet rod but custom made, by me for me. A stick off the shelf may not compare to a custom made job.

I agree with many comments already - a rod or blank needs to be applied to a set of circumstances not to another rod or blank. Builders differ in set up etc as well.
Batson as a brand would have to be regarded as a comparable manufacturer and close to half the price and regarded as better than GLoomis by many builders.
Many "dream" of owning one and that means the marketing has done it's job - "gottcha".

Q3.
GLoomis aren't neccessarily better than others

Q5.
Maybe the marketing has already done it's job and when someone owns one and finds out that it doesn't out perform other rods by the proverbial mile they sell it off because there are others still dreaming of owning one.

Robert
RHods