Hello!

 

So I ordered a Dobyns Fury from Amazon and the 2nd from top guide was bent straight instead of at an angle, having a small crack where the guide meets the rod-- returned it and got a new one, no issues but after getting out of  a kayak (3rd time using it) and being careful with it, I had noticed another guide being bent straight/cracked-- and the one below that slightly cracked (was not before, so something had to have happened) - Are these guides known for being weak?  I am having it replaced again and man is this annoying-- I have it in a rod sleeve at all times in car and in my room when not being used.

 

Anyone else have this same issue at all, at least with the spinning?

 

Thanks!

One of the Fury casting rods I got from TW had a bent guide with cracked epoxy. Almost guaranteed to have happened in storage or shipping. Amazon would be even worse with storage and shipping. Some people say their rods from Amazon come in hard tubes, others say they come in flimsy cardboard. Not sure how your rod came. Either way it's guaranteed that Amazon doesn't store rods how we would expect reputable tackle shops to store them. Eventually you'll get one that isn't messed up, or you can send it back for a refund and spend a little more from a reputable tackle shop. I highly doubt Dobyns makes their stuff cheap and messed up out of the factory. Problems I've had are the messed up guide on one, a bad bend in another, and reel seats not fitting Pflueger reels (however this was a Pflueger problem as the feet weren't consistent from one reel to the other, getting Daiwa Legalis reels fixed that issue). I'd say the bend was also a storage issue from TW. Aaron Martens has some information out regarding this. No rod is perfectly straight, but it shouldn't be noticable at a glance. This rod was. He says - and I agree - that if a rod is left to lean against something, or left at a bend, over a period of time it will take to that bend. These are just issues with ordering online. Some people are lucky, others are not. However I will say that I've never had issues with rods by other companies when ordering online.

Just now, Glaucus said:

Either way it's guaranteed that Amazon doesn't store rods how we would expect reputable tackle shops to store them.

Make sure you order from a 'drop shipper'...someone besides Amazon who fulfills the order. That's how I ordered all my rods from Amazon - all came in a hard tube with plenty of air-bubble filler to protect the rod.