machined fly reel opinion

afishtailtackle · Mar 3, 2009

i have rods and reels made for me, they are called custombuilt i am looking for feed back on the reels as to what they should sell for and what range are they in the reel wars. i have had people say 199.00?? any help from the experts on this site would be great. i also have some rods in the classified i would like a rating on. thanks all

The reel is Custom built 5-6 wt fully machined Aluminum. Features a solid spool and frame with advanced multi disk stainless steel drag system. Fully machined aluminum by Custombuilt.

Frank Whiton · Mar 3, 2009

Hi afishtailtackle,

No way to give price with out at least seeing some pictures.

Here is what I think would be a good approach for a hobby business.

1. Determine Your cost. This would include any cost for manufacturing, advertising and shipping to get the product to you or other vendors.

2. Determine the amount of profit you need to make selling them worth while to you.

3. Add the total cost with your profit and you should have your low dollar cost to sell.

4. If your price is lower than similar reels in the market place you can add more profit. Use this profit markup to discount the reels or offer free shipping to a buyer.

This is a pretty basic approach just for you to consider. It sounds like this is a hobby business and should be OK in this type of business.

Frank

BigCliff · Mar 3, 2009

Frank has given you good advice.

Given that you would be a new entrant to the industry, I would do one of two things to get your product moving: Make the design unique and distinctive, or get a known expert to endorse them.

There are so many reels on the market right now its silly, and you have to do something to set yours apart, from a product development standpoint. I think there are basically three ways to do that: make it the best thing available at a Mercedes (not Maybach) price, make it aesthetically or functionally unique, or make it an outstanding value. Since you're trying to break into an established market, I think uniqueness will be your key.

Here's an example, though from an established mfg-

peregrines · Mar 3, 2009

There's a lot of competition out there, and you don't really give much in the way of specs. It may be just me, but I've never heard of a "steel drag".

You might want to take a look at the competition, and the features of other reels on the market to see how yours might compare in terms of components, drag design, type of anodizing, etc, and also where it is made- US or overseas. There have been many Chinese knockoffs of popular reels that have a superficial surface resemblance (in the look of the design) to the real thing but that's as far as it goes (quality of components, down to the screws used, stink).

Specs for many reels are available on line. Some that I'd look at would be Orvis Barstock, Teton and Teton Tioga etc. It's a very tough business environment and Teton, a maker of very fine moderately priced reels made in the USA, with an excellent reputaion and well established brand and presence in shops nationwide, has suspended operations and is in search of a new buyer. Their Tioga line retailed for under 150, and was/is an excellent reel, the Battenkill Barstock, made in China sells at retail for less.

Also realize that the retail cost might reflect a 40% mark up over the wholesale cost. If you're selling direct, on the surface that might mean more potential profit for you but... how would you get the word out? and how do you overcome the resistance of people that might be hesitant to buy sight unseen?

Not trying to discourage you, but there are many qualities that go into a good reel beyond a "steel drag" (?) and machined aluminum.

afishtailtackle · Mar 3, 2009

hi all thanks for the input. the reels and rods are made here in the usa. i will get some more specs and pics to post.

afishtailtackle · Mar 7, 2009

hi all. i want to post some pics in this tread but can,t seem to get it to work???? i can,t find the url??? any help i thank you. skip

KRD · Mar 7, 2009

Send me a reel, I will test it out, let you know how much I feel as it could be sold for.:tongue:

Frank Whiton · Mar 7, 2009

Hi

Here is a link to a FAQ on how to post a picture. It may help you out.

Where do you have the pictures you want to post, on your computer or on a WEB site? Where the pictures are located will determine the best way to post them. Look over the link and if you still need help let me know.

Frank

afishtailtackle · Mar 8, 2009

thanks frank.

afishtailtackle · Mar 8, 2009

Some more pics and The drag is carbon fiber with multiple pin, spring loaded stainless steel discs. the reel is
fully machined aluminum. we have reb rod make our rods. they also make our bait cast and spinning 1 pc rods. i use them and love them compared to all the other name brand rods i have. my fav is my 7.6 ft ,i have a penn captiva live liner mounted on it , 15lb test i fish halibut with it and then change the spool to suffix braided 15lb thickness but 65 lb test, i fish shallow water rock fish and the kelp with it.

afishtailtackle · Mar 8, 2009

opps also the rods are hand made blanks. the 4 pc fly rod is nice because my little rubber boat has not much room. so when i get the days meat ican put together the fly rod and find bonita or maceral boils and have a blast catch and release. i really suck with a fly rod but its fun. my biz partner and i are supposed to do a costco in alaska soon and he has some guy who is going to fly us back in the deep middle of no wheres to fly fish. i,m not sure i want to get in a small plane???? i know i,m a chicken poop. lol but he is a big fly fisher

Frank Whiton · Mar 8, 2009

Hi afishtailtackle,

Thanks for the pictures. Unfortunately they need to be larger so we can see some detail.

I know that picture posting can be difficult to learn. You may need a photo program. Take a look at Picasa 3. It is a free download from Google. It is simple to use for basic picture manipulation like sizing. A 4"x6" size would be about right. There is one problem. You will also get Google Toolbar with the download if you don't already have it. I use Google Toolbar so it was not a big deal to me.

Frank

afishtailtackle · Mar 8, 2009

mojo · Mar 8, 2009

You send me one, and Joni one for extensive testing- stillwater and moving, and we'll give a honest write up on it. Whether it's bad or great. Best way to get the ball rolling is word of mouth.

Midwest flyfish kid · Mar 8, 2009

Very nice reel:icon_bigg

Bakerloo · Mar 9, 2009

The Chinese reel market seems saturated. Albright has a suggested MSRP of $250 but sells them for $100. I'm guessing that they are getting them for abot $50-60. This is for their best one. Maybe you can get $200 but it seems high. I can get Korean made Hardy's shipped from the UK for only a few $$ more.

afishtailtackle · Mar 9, 2009

thats all good info. they are made in the usa tx. i have them on my site for 129.99 5-6 0r 7-8 my cost is the same on ethier so why rip people off?? i see alot of reels from like penn and shakespeare where the cost for a 2500 series is the same as the cost of a 3500. so when i see this i try to give the customer options for the same price. thanks all

Midwest flyfish kid · Mar 9, 2009

That seems like a real(pun intended:biggrin

good price.

swirlchaser · Mar 10, 2009

Looks alot like a Colton, selling on Ebay right now for $50-$60.

Colton CRG-I 5/6 Weight Fly Reel - NIB - eBay (item 190290749584 end time Mar-09-09 17:58:03 PDT)

swirlchaser · Mar 10, 2009

BigCliff said:
Frank has given you good advice.

Given that you would be a new entrant to the industry, I would do one of two things to get your product moving: Make the design unique and distinctive, or get a known expert to endorse them.

There are so many reels on the market right now its silly, and you have to do something to set yours apart, from a product development standpoint. I think there are basically three ways to do that: make it the best thing available at a Mercedes (not Maybach) price, make it aesthetically or functionally unique, or make it an outstanding value. Since you're trying to break into an established market, I think uniqueness will be your key.

Here's an example, though from an established mfg-

I'm sorry, marketing or not the new Galvin is a nice looking reel. I can see the UPS guy dropping one off at my house real soon...

)

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