Those of you who are big loomis fans....i have about 20 or so Powell Rods and never picked up or used a Loomis but i feel like they have a bit of a following...cult like. Can someone tell me why they justify the price? Is the warrenty better do you honesly think they are better than a $150 priced rod? Just curious! Thanks.
The warranty is great but what makes them worth it are the materials / build quality, ergos, and sensitivity, especially with bottom contacting baits. This applies to the mid to high end models, think IMX-Pro and up. I do have Powell rods that I love, but not even close in terms of quality. That being said, IMO they are overpriced but I like em and have been collecting for years so I've built up an arsenal over time. YMMV.
I will say, the older Powells were much better quality than anything they are building now. Loomis are nice, I do think they are overpriced tho. I think there's some really nice IMX-Pro models, and GLX. Thats where id start. Or, if you can find older GLX,IMX,GL3, Mossyback, etc. Those are great rods.
It certainly isn't the build quality. I've worked on enough of them to see that. They just have great blank design coupled with the right materials. Wish they still sold blanks.
Sadly, I agree with this.Originally Posted by shfishinsticks
[QUOTE=Nickwillis813;12935014]Those of you who are big loomis fans....i have about 20 or so Powell Rods and never picked up or used a Loomis but i feel like they have a bit of a following...cult like. Can someone tell me why they justify the price? Is the warrenty better do you honesly think they are better than a $150 priced rod? Just curious! Thanks
Better than a $150.00 priced rod? Absolutely better and not even close. 5 or 6 hundred better I don't think so.
Imo, the $200-$250 range of rods is the perfect medium between cost and performance. Anything above that and the performance/cost ratio begins to diminish.. Sure they might be lighter and more sensitive, but are they really worth $200 more? Probably not. It’s similar to a stress-strain curve.
I believe that’s where building your own rods has the advantage. You can build the equivalent of a $400-$500 rod for about $200.
1995 Ranger 481v
1995 Johnson Fast Strike 175hp
Haha, no kidding, I'd call their build quality "fine" at best. I could do without the foregrips too. For me though I don't see the cost benefit. The blanks are great but there's nothing special about the rest of the components. ECSM seats on most of them except NRX's (nothing wrong with them, my favorite seat but they're $6), Alconites on their $400 rods and even the NRXs are just a mix of Recoils (don't like) and SiCs (you don't get Torzites for $600+ ? have to go to almost $800 for those). I think GLX are all SiCs. On the "cheaper" ones you got SeaGuide, I'll pass on those as long as Alconites are still a thing.
They've got a following for sure probably because a lot of people think Gary Loomis invented the bass rod.
I have a couple dozen older GLX and IMX rods that have been great for over 15 years. I have a hard time with the price of the newer models when there are rods as good for half the price. The performance of their new rods is fantastic, but the quality and build is not what I used to get on a good GLX. Warranty is also not what it used to be with older models having a fee to replace them with a newer model. As I replace the ones I have, they most likely will not be loomis replacements, just too many good rods that others have mentioned.
MoBob
2020 Z520c Ranger 250 Pro-XS Mercury
2023 Ford Raptor
O'Fallon, MO
Yeppers IIRC Gary started with Lamiglas...and Gary sold to ShimLoomis circa 1997. My heartbreak is that ShimLoomis took away blank availability for custom rod builders. Now that Shikari is gone, and Lamiglas got rid of a lot of bass models, not a lot is left for US blanks aside St. Croix and Point Blank and perhaps Rogue.
Welcome to the ShimLoomis era...
You left out North Fork Composites’ blanks. Gary Loomis’ current company.
North Fork Composites is Gary Loomis’ current company and makes blanks in the US. Only St Croix rod blanks that are available for builders and made in Park Falls is the RodGeeks C4, B4, and SCV. The C2 and B2 series is Mexico.
Cashion also just started making their own blanks and I’m pretty sure are made in the US. Along with Hydra/ALX
1995 Ranger 481v
1995 Johnson Fast Strike 175hp
I buy and sell about 50 rods a year looking for unicorns. The funny thing is if I told you I found a great rod for $100 and it did all things a $600 does including sensitivity and quality you wouldn't believe me.
Loomis blanks are great in GLX, NRX, and Conquest. Bottom contact they excel at. But to use a spinnerbait, or a top water lure with a $600 rod is just stupidity.
Made in the USA
NFC, Park Falls Croix, Hydra Ng and probably Enox, Thrasher, Stryker (bought a lot of Rogues equipment), Seeker, Cousins was made in the US and used to supply a lot of house brands like Liberty (I don't know where Libertys come from now but they still say made in the USA) and also built blanks for rod companies, I know Batson (Rainshadow) is USA owned and headquartered but I don't know where the blanks come from. I think I remember that Bushido blanks (American Tackle) are made by Seeker.
Point Blank are China, so is Phenix and a lot of other ones...or Korea or Taiwan. I don't know for sure but since GLoomis is now owned by Shimano I doubt all of the blanks are made here they could be though I don't know. A lot of the rods are built here though in Washington. There are a decent number of companies that assemble their rods here...Kistler, Cashion, Hammer off the top of my head, Falcon maybe and obviously ALX.
Rainshadow RX10 (their top of the line) is Korea. I got a few of those blanks recently and was impressed. Not X-Ray (NFC) caliber, but I was happy with them for a light, non bottom contact builds. Personally, I don’t care where they are made, I just want the best I can get. The best graphite materials appear to come from Japan (Toray), but that is just the raw materials. NFC is touting a new material (C602) that seems to IMPLY a US material source.
Cashion blanks are rolled in the US, as well, not just assembled. Trika, as well.
Fellas, I know about NFC, however not for me with their history of customer service challenges. I actually sold one of the best built custom rods I ever held in hand...a Vinnie built NFC HM 766 flip cut down to 7'4", Fuji Torzites, carbon graphite reel seat, gorgeous metal lockdown foregrip...I just didn't have a place for it in my arsenal and also sold the Zillion IP69L that was paired with it.
The last Hydra NG I had was another gorgeous custom spiral wrapped 955 swimbait with blue/silver Chevron wraps and blue marbled Fuji reel seat, made by Andrew Metzger, which I traded for a St. Croix Legend Xtreme MHXF since I was no longer tossing swimbaits before I moved out of Colorado.
I still have three made in the USA Seeker rods, all spiral wrapped...a CSW 808 and two CFC 807s. Seeker is now cheapened and no longer made in the USA.
Kistler, Falcon, Cashion, ALX, Hammer...not sure any of these are actually made and manufactured in America.
Anyway, yes I know about NFC, and I would go back to them if it weren't for their poor customer service history.
Honestly, I wish Lamiglas would update and expand their Infinity blanks.
Last edited by dragon1; 03-22-2023 at 09:08 PM.
Well, there is not any indication of whether Seeker is made domestically or overseas, but their quality has evidently gone down a lot since ~ 2015.
http://charkbait.evecommunity.com/ev...m/652008920101
Loomis, in my opinion, are not what they were 10 years ago, they got rid of there original IMX, smallmouth series, many of there excellent rods and consolidated and jacked up prices, they are over rated. My 50 dollar sensilite to me is as sensitive as my NRX original, again sensitivity is subjective and has not been proven. Will never buy a Shimloomis again.
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