Re:New St. Croix panfish rods
2013/04/14 11:24:59
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It's a nice looking stick for the money but I'm not a fan of the PacBay Minima guides. I understand why they used them though.....to keep the price point down.
I wouldn't let the 5 year warranty deter you. If it doesn't blow up during the first couple outings, it's not gonna break due to MANUFACTURER defects. Anything after that is operator induced. (high sticking, impact damage, over-lining or exceeding lure rating)
Lifetime warranties are going to slowly start to go away because of the way people abused them. People assume lifetime warranty means unbreakable or I don't have to take care of this cause I'll get a new one when it breaks. Typically, this is all factored into the price of a high-end stick with a 'lifetime warranty'.
Kistler finally got wise to the 'game' the customers were playing and changed their warranty accordingly:
"Here at Kistler it is our belief that we manufacture the very best fishing rods at the very best value. And we back our rods with a ONE YEAR Limited Warranty against manufacture defect or component failure. If within One Year of purchase (noted on your registration of the rod) your rod should break and it is clear from inspection this break was due to manufacturing or component failure, we will replace your rod with a new one at no cost minus shipping." While I'm not a fan of their rods, I believe it was a smart move on their part.
Sorry for the rant, but I don't think 5 year warranty should influence your decision when purchasing a seemingly low end rod when much higher quality sticks offer even less.