ALX vs Fitzgerald 7" or less Flipping Rod

[jemccall]

Trying to find my dad and I a good flipping rod that is 6'-10" or 7', nothing longer. Having to keep it under $200. We do a lot of river fishing with heavy cover (root balls, tree tops, vines, etc.) Lure weight never would be over 3/4 oz. 90% of the time he would be flipping a 1/2 to 5/8 oz jig. I believe these two rods are made in America also which is why I'm considering them.

The three exact rods I am considering are:
ALX IKOS 7' Medium Heavy Promise 7
ALX IKOS 7' Heavy Hammer 7
Fitzgerald 6'9" Bryan Thrift Heavy Skipping Special

Any comments (good or bad) on these two rods would be appreciated.

[AAtwofour]

The IKOS line of rods aren’t made in the US. Not 100 percent on this, but I think Fitzgerald used to be made here in US, but they went away with that awhile ago

[CWKemp]

Im pretty sure the IKOS line blank is outsourced. But I do know they build the IKOS rod in Aiken, South Carolina. The Hammer 7 is a great flipping rod. Light, sensitive, and stout. I'm sorry I cannot compare the Fitzgerald, never had one in my hands.

[cidgrad]

Here is a link to a very in depth, transparent article about where we build our rods and source our products. Every single ALX rod is constructed in Aiken, SC - including the IKOS Series. All of our rods are all built side by side to the same quality standards. Need to update that the OXIM series blanks are US made.

Excerpt:
IKOS rod blanks - I made the economic decision to source the blanks from China. We have worked directly with the same factory in China since first introducing these blanks. We needed to reach a lower price point and I had few options to achieve that final price.

While the IKOS blank may come from overseas, you can still feel confident that all assembly is being done by American hands. If you would like more info, I'm always happy to answer any questions. Give us a call!

[willwork4fish]

I can tell you from a lot of first hand experience that ALX rods are very well built. I buy broken rods pretty regularly and strip them and use the parts (guides, keepers, reel seats) for repairs and to build charity rods, raffle rods, lower cost builds, etc. I've also repaired, restored and re-guided God knows how many rods over the past 18+ years from every major manufacturer and many smaller companies. Every once in a while Alex will sell me some of his warranty returns at a good price and I've probably pulled apart 60 or more of them. IMO they are built as well as any I've seen...the wraps are always very clean, the guides are straight, the reel seats are an incredible pain in the ass to get loose from the blank and they never seem to get too heavy handed with the finish. The rods Alex puts out are put together as well if not better than any I've messed with. I've also built on both the OS and Ng series of Hydra blanks he sells. I believe the OS is what he uses for the IKOS rods (I'm sure he'll correct me if I'm wrong) and they out perform their price point. I don't even get a deal on them and I still buy them.

[CWKemp]

That's a good article Alex, never seen that before. Very transparent.

jemccall - I'm a big fan of the ZOLO and ENOX series ALX rods, but I get a lot of work out of the IKOS series. They're very versatile. I actually just ordered a couple more Promise 7's and a Hammer 7 today. That Hammer 7 is a great flipping / jig rod, it also makes a damn good spinnerbait rod.

[TideChaser]

Look at the Zolo skipper. It may be a little over your budget though.