Penn - quality control issues

[fishfinder]

I was looking at the new Penn rampage 15ft 9ins rod today. I tried to put the three sections together but the middle section would not slide into the butt section. The top section was fine though.

 

i asked to see another one and this time the tip section wouldn't fit! I managed to get a useable rod together by mixing the sections from both rods!

 

2 out of 2 rods unuseable - 100% failure rate = very poor quality control. Not what I would expect from a rod costing £130!

[Worms]

You don't suppose somebody had already tried them and then mixed them up putting them back do you?

[Phone]

Fishfinder,

 

Turn her over!!!!

 

I think commercially manufacturered rods run that risk from the factory. They used to keep 3 piece rods together with a small rubber band for transit. Your experience was not uncommon in the 80's, even for higher end rods. Did you check if there were any identifying markings? I tend to agree with Worms. After all, they were made originally in ONE piece then cut.

 

Phone

[Steve Burke]

Phone, in the UK many rod sections are made on different mandrells with each section therefore having a different taper. Often each section is made of a different material or combination of materials as well. This is far more common in the UK as many of our rods are long compared to the US. This design can much improve the performance of a rod.

 

As the blanks are rolled by hand each one is slightly different. So it's important to match the sections up to the right rod. In this particular case something appears to have gone wrong, either in the factory, in transit, or at the retailer.

Edited April 3, 2013 by Steve Burke

[Worms]

I must admit that my experience of Penn tackle is limited but I have bought a Powerstix Pro 13' surf rod and a 460L Slammer reel over the past couple of years. I have to say I've been very impressed with the quality.

[fishfinder]

They came straight from the box delivered from penn that morning so nobody had the chance to open the rod bags. I was the first person to look at them.

[Phil Adams]

I think penn may have had some issues since becoming part of the pure fishing umbrella. Im sure some of their reels aren't what they used to be.