Nothing is really wrong with Shimanos. But if you factor in price, warranty, customer satisfaction, selection,and availability, T.I. and Okuma would be my pic. If money was no issue, St. Croix. T.I & Okuma really have a great product for their price, and they are both sponsors of MMA. Meaning they help us to maintain a great fishery here. They deserve our business if at all possible.
In all seriousness based on what I've seen I would classify Shimano rods with Gander, Bass Pro or Cabela's muskie rods.
As mentioned, the T.I. and Okuma are both good and for the money I think hard to beat. Personally, for these rods the application might be the factor on which I chose.
Though I have no experience with the Mojo line I have lots of experience with the Premier and Legend Tournament rods from St Croix. No breakage issues at all for me.
Though I have no experience with the Mojo line I have lots of experience with the Premier and Legend Tournament rods from St Croix. No breakage issues at all for me.
As far as blanks go, the Premier and Mojo are the same SC II graphite, so they would be the same result. They mildly adjusted the tapers so they are heavier down closer to the tip (the ARC technology) but it really only makes a difference on 2 pc rods.
My only experience with premier is a shorrter rod I built myself, and I like the action a lot, if I use a heavy enough lure, as is typical with their SCII graphite, if you underweight it, the initial flex is more stiff, and casting with accuracy becomes difficult. the better SC IV graphite is not as bad, so you can effectively cast lighter lures, even on the big dawg. I had this same experience with different grades of graphite in pole vault poles… it got really exciting!
The people at Reaction strike that manufacturer the MI rods are really good people as well.
If anything happens to the rod they will replace it. I just had a guide that came loose and they offered to send a whole new rod. Wasn't necessary at all, since it costs 5 dollars to fix a guide, but it was a nice gesture
"copper44" said:
See the warranty on the TI only seemed to be 2 years. The Shimano is lifetime over the counter replacement no questions asked.. I shut the door on it, my buddy breaks it, my dog eats it, NEW rod. I haven't seen a warranty like this anywhere else.
Even though the warranty says 2 years for the TI rods, James is VERY flexible with this. He strives for customer satisfaction, he goes above and beyond to accomplish that.
I would listen to the overly tall, excessively dutch one…quality over warranty. Compres are in a distant second class to the TI's, okumas and I think even the Maina rods – specifically the one piece 8'6", the rest are just decent, but this one is a winner. And the 'unwritten' warranty on TI's is actually pretty unmatched – have any trouble (you probably won't), shoot him an email and all will be solved!
"Pete" said:
And the 'unwritten' warranty on TI's is actually pretty unmatched – have any trouble (you probably won't), shoot him an email and all will be solved!
Got that right! James has some of the best customer service in the business and will take good care of you. There shouldn't be any problems, but if there are, James likes hearing about them as it is a chance to improve his product.
"Adam Minnick" said:
I had major blow out / design flaw with a TI Rod this September (for the second time)needless to say, James from TI was more than fair with his replacment. This guy busts his butt and realizes good customer relations, lead to threads like this…… [smilie=2thumbsup.gif]
Just curious, was it a screw-in handle rod? That's what mine was that broke. Although, it was the tip that broke.
I will say first that I love all of my St. Croix Legend Tournament Rods but last summer fishing with Joe B. I snapped my "The Jerk" just above the foregrip casting a Wabull. I take care of all my rods and was shocked to see this happen. I didn't even backlash either. A simple cast and "snap" right in two pieces. Joe and I were stunned. The rod was only used two seasons and in great shape. St. Croix replaced it free of charge and no questions asked which was a good feeling considering the cost of this St. Croix series. That said, I have 6 of the Legend Rods and will continue to purchase them.
I still can't believe where the rod actually snapped. It broke right on the "St. Croix" label just above the foregrip…..It was the only issue I've had with St. Croix Rods. All others have been perfect!
my friends st croix tourney rod broke in the same place you mentioned as well scott.. except his broke when setting the hook on a fish right by the boat.
He had a less than ideal service when trying to get it refunded. They didn't even give him a new rod. He had to pay the difference for a diff rod or some bs after all said and done
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