Made in China - a change in attitude?

[Hawker]

Hi guys

Just because a fishing rod or reel is made in China does it mean that it is necessarily bad?

Was wondering how many people base their purchasing decisions on where their reel or rod is made as i saw a bloke in a tackle store refused to buy a reel that he obviously liked but backed out after looking at where it was made.

if you saw a reel that looked good and felt good in your hands and was well priced but then you realised that it was made in China, would you think twice about purchasing?

How much would your decision making be influenced by brands in this case?

I have noticed more and more that products made by Okuma, Daiwa and Shimano are inreasingly manufactured in low cost regions such as Taiwan, China and even Vietnam. Very hard to find products made in japan and sweden these days so in some ways we dont have much choice anyway i suppose...

What do people think? Curious...

[Noelm]

There is a bit of a mixed bag with 'stuff" made in cheap labour contries, you need to hark back to the "good old days" when everything made in Japan was cheap sh!t, then the Taiwanese did to the Japanese what they did to the rest of the world, undercut them with cheap merchandise, then the Chinese did to the Taiwanese what they did to the Japanese, and so it goes. Now to be fair, the Chinese can make some very good stuff, it just dpends on the buyers as to the quality they require, if "they" specify high end, that's what they get, if they specify cheap, that's what they get, so, to that end, a high end reel/rod/whatever made in China, can be every bit as good as one made in the US, Japan or anywhere else, but a cheap crap one, will be just that, as cheap and as crap as you wil find, I saw in one of those reject shop places yesterday, a set of 15 screwdrivers for $3, now anyone expecting them to be quality must have rocks in their head, but for three bucks, Jesus, how do they do it?

[nigelr]

FWIW, I buy vintage stuff of Ebay unless I want to spend a motza on a high quality item.
I'd rather hunt around and pay $150 or less (generally way less) for a reel because there's a fair chance it will get lost overboard, rough treatment on the boat etc etc......
My surf and rockfishing reels are late 60's-early 80's and made in France or Japan, my overhead boat reels are generally Japanese-made Diawa Sealines from the70's. No doubt the modern top-end products such as Sealine Tournament and Tiaga have a very high level of quality control; I had a Thai-made Daiwa SLD20 that was a superb reel.
Personally, no Chinese reels for me, I love the old stuff way more! I reckon I can get a far more durable product off Ebay for say less than $100 than I could from the local tackle shop, and I have a lot more fun with the purchase.

[reggy]

There is a bit of a mixed bag with 'stuff" made in cheap labour contries, you need to hark back to the "good old days" when everything made in Japan was cheap sh!t, then the Taiwanese did to the Japanese what they did to the rest of the world, undercut them with cheap merchandise, then the Chinese did to the Taiwanese what they did to the Japanese, and so it goes. Now to be fair, the Chinese can make some very good stuff, it just dpends on the buyers as to the quality they require, if "they" specify high end, that's what they get, if they specify cheap, that's what they get, so, to that end, a high end reel/rod/whatever made in China, can be every bit as good as one made in the US, Japan or anywhere else, but a cheap crap one, will be just that, as cheap and as crap as you wil find, I saw in one of those reject shop places yesterday, a set of 15 screwdrivers for $3, now anyone expecting them to be quality must have rocks in their head, but for three bucks, Jesus, how do they do it?

I totally agree!

[Boat Hog]

I must admit, I have bought a different size Diawa reel (in the Same Range - SOL), because the reel was made in japan and the others weren't.

[Steeler]

Not a change in attitude i think just IMO China has evolved as a manufacturer and now is quite capable of manufacturing and supplying top quality products.

All comes down to the company sourcing product and what quality the demand.

[Heath]

It all comes down to the quality control processes that the company puts in place. Take Austackle for example. Their gear is evolving at an astonishing rate and it is all manufactured OS. I know for a fact that have very good quality control measures put in place that ensures their product is top notch for when it lands on the shelves here in Australia.

I rate their rods, reels and lures as good as any of the bigger fishing companies but they cost much less !!

[Si]

Hi guys

Just because a fishing rod or reel is made in China does it mean that it is necessarily bad?

...

Most of the time = lesser quality, sometimes very good high end product.

van staal made in china. still a very good reel.

[finga]

You'd be surprised what is made in China.

You get what you pay for from China. If you want cheap and nasty you get it. If you want something a whole lot better they'll make it BUT you pay more. Simple as that.
Where are 98% of rods made?? I mean really made.....not sold or sourced through another country or supplier.

[nigelr]

It's an interesting evolution I reckon; like Noelm I can recall the days of 'Japanese junk'; nowadays their domestic products in particular are of absolutely exceptional quality. The Japanese consumer will not tolerate anything less.
In time it may well be the same with China, certainly the same opportunity has arisen.

[NAGG]

Product made in china can be of such varying quality it makes it difficult to know what is good and what is a cheap knock off .
Many reputable companies set up operations in China - tool up using the best European / US technology ...... put in their own management/procedures and end up making a first rate product .
Then you have Chinese companies that duplicate a product & then offer the product on the open market ......... they might look good but may use inferior raw materials / components - quality procedures etc etc ........ Chinese companies are renowned for substitutions or even copying someone else's technical data sheets
It's still a case of roll the dice .


Chris

[charleville]

China is a big place. There will be backyard manufacturers producing shoddy stuff and and there will be the big guys under supervision from big western brands producing the best that the world has to offer.

Have a look at this vid relating to the assembly of Apple iPads if you think that China = poor quality in some way...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cL60TYY8oQ

What isn't made in China these days?


If the product's performance is critical, stick to a big brand and ignore where it was built. I once had a very flash looking Chinese made, nondescript brand reel disintegrate in my hands under the load of a big fish one night at Mud Island. My error was buying a nondescript brand rather than something like a Shimano which might be made anywhere, including China.



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[Hawker]

Hi all

Thank you for your responses.

I used to be quite biased towards Made in China products a few years back but i think my mindset is changing.

I think it all started when I replaced a Victa lawnmower with a totally Chinese Sanli PowerMulch. I have been using this mower for years and have to say it's been awesome. It made me think products made in China don't deserve the poor reputation that they have been getting.

Also, when Korean companies Samsung and Hyundai first came out with their products, so many people dismissed them as being poor quality rubbish but look at them these days; Samsung's Galaxy phones are rivalling the iPhone and the Hyundai i series have been wining car of the year awards. Who would have thought.

Funny I dont think ive ever bought expensive Chinese tackle so hmmm maybe I should try for once Ill go for some "branded" ones perhaps...

[Noelm]

Lots of over seas cheap labour companies started out by manufacturing goods for other well know brands Samsung as an example used to just make electronic "stuff" for people like (say) Phillips, the product was branded as a Phillips and people purchased them by name, very few questioned the quality, or the country it was made in, however, when you buy a "no name" cheap reel, TV, whatever, you take your chances, especially when it is an ebay item.

[MudRiverDan]

Whatever the quality it will be the same as everywhere else.
The price will stay the same and you get what you pay for.

Dan