New 'high end' centrepin from Edward Barder

[Tigger]

If that costs £800 then the price of mine has just gone through the ceiling....if I ever make any more

 

I thought the next one of your masterpeices had my name deeply embeded in it

[gozzer]

That reel is ugly. If I saw a photo of it without the Barder name attached I'd have assumed it was another new £50 cheapy on the market!

 

Mat

 

 

I have to both agree, and disagree with you Mat.

 

I too think it looks "ugly", one of the worst looking cps I've ever seen.

If I'd seen it without the 'name', I would have thought much less than £50.

 

John.

[wunwetfoot]

Hi again Rusty,

Sorry for the delay, with reference to Chris Lythe's reels, they really are worth the money and beautifully engineered to absolute perfection but I'm not so sure about the delivery times involved.

Over two years back I discussed my requirements with Mr. Lythe and placed my order with him after discussing and accepting his 2 year delivery times.

Very shortly after, I was discussing business with another well known angling personality to whom I mentioned my recent order with Chris Lythe. His immediate response was " Well, I hope you have more luck in getting yours than I have had with mine!".

I did some research and found several disparaging articles concerning his delivery times, I took these remarks with "a pinch of salt" and wondered if it was just a case of sour grapes.

I spoke with Mr. Lythe and expressed my concerns. Was my 2 year wait going to turn into 5 or more? He couldn't answer.

He explained that he didn't seem to have as much time as he would have liked and also that he already had a substantial backlog of orders to complete. I understand and fully appreciate the time, care and attention to detail that goes into the making of his reels and believe me, I would dearly love one but I couldn't see that an unknown delivery time was warranted.......I wanted a reel I could use, not be just a design on an order sheet somewhere, I withdrew my order.

To all you lucky "so and so's" out there that already have yours, hang onto them! I'm quite envious!

 

 

Mr. Barder's reel, well, what more can I say. I don't think that it's a case of various parts being sourced in and assembled at all. The whole reel is made to a very high standard indeed. It's just not for me! (even at half the price!).

 

Rusty, save some pennies for one of his rods! They are amazing! I'm fortunate enough to have had two built by him, a Chris Yates Merlin and a Barbus Maximus II. The "Barbus Max" is a rod really designed to sit in a rod rest although I do occasionally "roll" with it for a short while.

The "Merlin" is really my favourite (go on....treat yourself!). I use mine for long trotting after Dace as well as for Chub and Barbel. It will definately still tame a 20lb+ Carp (should you ever need to get one out of your swim!)

Obviously it is a bit heavier than a carbon lightning conductor but I use mine all day trotting without any problem and it has a beautiful action for those 1lb Dace at 40 yards! It's a real dream to use, if you've never used one, you couldn't pass comment, you just wouldn't understand!

 

Phone..Hi

I'm not really sure what you are asking. I think the reel is designed, along with input from other like minded anglers, by Mr. Barder and has been made to his very exacting specifications (perfection is his middle name!) by an outside Engineering Company (I have my suspicions). I don't think he has the room for the equipment in his workshops. It's certainly not just a case of someone "riding high" on his shoulders.

His rods are truly magnificent and he well deserves his world renowned reputation (and being a very modest man, he also speaks very well of a couple of rodmakers on your side of the pond!)

[Rusty]

I spoke to Chris Lythe today and my reel is in the next batch to be produced which will commence after Christmas, four months after that it should be finished, that'll be three years and two months then

 

The two piece Merlin is one I'd go for but I thought there was a waiting list for those too...I've got two years in my head somewhere? Might have to call him.

[Tigger]

I spoke to Chris Lythe today and my reel is in the next batch to be produced which will commence after Christmas, four months after that it should be finished, that'll be three years and two months then

 

The two piece Merlin is one I'd go for but I thought there was a waiting list for those too...I've got two years in my head somewhere? Might have to call him.

 

 

Chris, don't hold your breath m8 I orderd two long trotters over 3yrs ago now and a spitfire and another 1915 (or two lol). I reckon it's gonna be quite some time yet before they materialise. I do give Chris a ring now and then just to see if he's still alive and kicking . He does have other work to do and it often puts a stop to his reel making.

I think if I where after a bespoke pin within a reasnable time scale then i'd have a chat with Gary mills. I have a couple of his Fred J Taylor pins (specialist and trotter) and in all honesty their pretty much as good as a pin can get. I think he'll make you whatever you want also so the reel would be taylor made . I've noticed that I don't seem to get any line stick with the F J T's which must be down to the fact that they have 16 line pillars instead of the usual 12.

[Rusty]

Well I spent a couple of hours at Edward Barder’s premises today and I have to admit that having seen the reel in the flesh I’m very impressed, the photos just don’t do it justice. It’s very light and turns with no effort at all, the machining is equal to that of Lythe’s reels or any other centrepin I’ve seen and some of the design features are very clever. It is a bit of a Plain Jane but also quite elegant in some ways, not elegant enough for me to part with £800 but if your pockets are deep enough you won’t be disappointed.

 

The reason for the visit was to look at a Merlin 11’ Avon rod, probably the most suitable rod of his range for trotting. I couldn’t stop drooling all the time I was there, it’s a fascinating workshop, a lot smaller than I expected and only two people manning it, Edward and Colin. The rod itself was jaw droppingly beautiful, I’d expected that and also expected it to be a bit hefty and floppy but it was neither of those. Of course it was heavier than a carbon equivalent but it was as straight as an arrow….that is until the creator held the top ring with a very nervous me at the other end. Bending the rod as far as I dare revealed a through action not dissimilar to my Harrison rod.

 

Unfortunately (or fortunately) this was a customer’s rod in for a ring replacement so wasn’t up for grabs. I now need to decide whether to pay half the price in advance and wait with fingers crossed for two years…so so tempting.

[JV44]

Well I spent a couple of hours at Edward Barder's premises today and I have to admit that having seen the reel in the flesh I'm very impressed, the photos just don't do it justice. It's very light and turns with no effort at all, the machining is equal to that of Lythe's reels or any other centrepin I've seen and some of the design features are very clever. It is a bit of a Plain Jane but also quite elegant in some ways, not elegant enough for me to part with £800 but if your pockets are deep enough you won't be disappointed.

 

The reason for the visit was to look at a Merlin 11' Avon rod, probably the most suitable rod of his range for trotting. I couldn't stop drooling all the time I was there, it's a fascinating workshop, a lot smaller than I expected and only two people manning it, Edward and Colin. The rod itself was jaw droppingly beautiful, I'd expected that and also expected it to be a bit hefty and floppy but it was neither of those. Of course it was heavier than a carbon equivalent but it was as straight as an arrow….that is until the creator held the top ring with a very nervous me at the other end. Bending the rod as far as I dare revealed a through action not dissimilar to my Harrison rod.

 

Unfortunately (or fortunately) this was a customer's rod in for a ring replacement so wasn't up for grabs. I now need to decide whether to pay half the price in advance and wait with fingers crossed for two years…so so tempting.

Just do it you know you have no will power once you have looked at something....in fact the only person i know with less will power not to buy is me

...you only live once an all that and the way its going it may arrive earlier than the Lythe ,Go on pay the deposit jump in with both feet and in a couple of years time you will look like a Chris Yates on the bank .....but only if you order a de rigeur Cane landing net as well....make some home made floats jobs a goodun and the bank account is empty ....i love spending other peoples money.....see you tomorrow mate

[philocalist]

Mixed feelings about this one: I was able to play with one of the reels for a while on a recent visit to the workshops ... it IS gorgeous - WAY nicer than the photographs appear, and actually a very attractive, understated reel when you actually see one - there is something very 'timeless' about the design.

Needless to say, the quality and workmanship appear faultless - it's a seriously nice reel, but I feel £800 will be a stumbling block (unless you are a Barder 'apostle' - not necessarily a bad thing! ), particularly when you can get something from the same manufacturer (but without the 'Barder' name), arguably of the same quality, for half the price: the reels are being manufactured by the same people who do the Kingpins - (confirmed) - (which are VERY nice reels in any event!)

 

That said, having seen and actually handled this reel, there is definitely 'something' very appealing about it, and yes, I DO want one!

Edited November 21, 2012 by philocalist

[philocalist]

Oops - duped!

Edited November 21, 2012 by philocalist

[Phone]

All,

 

I guess the reel can be equated to my wife's Fabergé egg. A rather expensive toy that's kept in the bank box. I could never figure that one out. No one views it execpt around easter. I can't even figure out how to fill it with candies.

 

Phone