On 12/18/2025 at 1:46 PM, Micro Module Police said:

If its not a shimano or a daiwa, its not worth a cent. Of course there are exceptions, especially for SW, but in general, i don't know why one would bother on any other brand when you have quality low end, great mid range, and excellent high end from both companies.

Tell me you live in a bubble without telling me...

Had a winding check on an Essence break loose after a few outings.  I didn't want to chance voiding the warranty by fixing it myself, as I thought there was a fair chance of another defect rearing it head with the way the check was glued in.  I sent it back in mid-March and figured I'd have it back in before the prespawn wraps up in shallow lakes, which is the latter half in April.

I got a notice from Justin, saying they received the rod and that they would go over it to ensure it a defect and fix it ASAP.  He made a comment, commending me on how I take care of my gear because the rod was in mint condition.

A few days later I got an email confirming that it was a defect and the rod would be fixed for free and shipped back to me promptly.  After a few weeks had gone by I contacted them again asking about the rod status and was told "If it's not shipped this week, it will be shipped early next week."  That was a game of tag that lasted until July, when I finally got the rod back.  Getting the rod back was the good news.  Whoever packed the rod, just stapled card boats over the tip and thew it in the tube without sufficient padding, immobilizing the rod or using the plastic sleeve to minimize and scratching or scuffing that may occur during sipping.  The rod just bounced around over the 1200-mile trip from Florida to my house.  

Needless to say it wasn't in "mint" condition anymore.  The stripper eye took a beating, knocking the insert loose and he blank had a bunch of scratches in it. 

I emailed Ark again and let them know what had happened.  This time I talked to a guy named Louie. He said it shouldn't have ever happened and he was sorry and all that.  He offered to send me a new rod, but I was so disgusted with Ark I didn't want it.   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

1 hour ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

Tell me you live in a bubble without telling me...

Sure, i live in the best bubble on the market. Why would i move out of it, and get into inferior products? I don't have time nor money to waste on that.

 

1 hour ago, Micro Module Police said:

Sure, i live in the best bubble on the market. Why would i move out of it, and get into inferior products? I don't have time nor money to waste on that.

 

You mean the FW bass fishing bubble?  Or the Daiwa Shimano fanboy bubble?

1 hour ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

You mean the FW bass fishing bubble?  Or the Daiwa Shimano fanboy bubble?

You can't be both, a shimano and a daiwa fanboy. That's like mixing water and oil.

4 minutes ago, Micro Module Police said:

That's like mixing water and oil.

you mean like a vinaigrette dressing? <teasing> 

I'm quite sure it's fair to be impressed by design, execution and function, as logic to stick with a favorite platform.  

 

You don't become a fanboy until brand name alone causes you to exclude everything else in spite of logic.  (even refer to logic as brainwashing...hmm...)

 

Knowing why something is best for your use never precludes having room for other fun toys.  

 

16 hours ago, Micro Module Police said:

You can't be both, a shimano and a daiwa fanboy. That's like mixing water and oil.

Very little difference between Daiwa/Shimano supremacists, or any kind of brand glazer for that matter. Pretentious and dismissive of any quality item or product, lest it have Shimano or Daiwa written on it. In their mind, nothing   

1 hour ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

Very little difference between Daiwa/Shimano supremacists, or any kind of brand glazer for that matter. Pretentious and dismissive of any quality item or product, lest it have Shimano or Daiwa written on it. In their mind, nothing   

What do you mean "in their mind"? That's factual information. If other brands offered anything on par or better, they wouldn't be a side dish. And there's a big difference of Shimano/Daiwa, and brand loyalists in other markets such as cars, watches, etc. Those other markets have high competition of a lot of different brands that offer top quality, while in fishing, those side brands don't even design their reels for the most part, let alone being able to manufacture them. So what exactly are you supposed to expect from that? Nothing. Not expecting this to change for the next 20 years either. Side Dish Brands like 13fishing, Ark, etc will rise, go under, and be forgotten, while Shimano/Daiwa ain't going anywhere, and are only improving *for the most part* with every generation. 

1 hour ago, Micro Module Police said:

What do you mean "in their mind"? That's factual information. If other brands offered anything on par or better, they wouldn't be a side dish. And there's a big difference of Shimano/Daiwa, and brand loyalists in other markets such as cars, watches, etc. Those other markets have high competition of a lot of different brands that offer top quality, while in fishing, those side brands don't even design their reels for the most part, let alone being able to manufacture them. So what exactly are you supposed to expect from that? Nothing. Not expecting this to change for the next 20 years either. Side Dish Brands like 13fishing, Ark, etc will rise, go under, and be forgotten, while Shimano/Daiwa ain't going anywhere, and are only improving *for the most part* with every generation. 

The view that one or two companies will always be the best is not good for any industry. My current arsenal covers a full range of manufacturers (Shimano, Daiwa, Okuma, Kastking, Ark, Abu Garcia, Kistler, Piscifun, Pflueger, Quantum, Lews, and 13 Fishing) just to name a few. I have models that range from a Piscifun Torrent and Abu Garcia Max STX to a Steez A2 and 25 Antares. For anyone to say that Daiwa and Shimano are the only two reels that are good is detrimental to competition between manufacturers and give Daiwa and Shimano no reason to put their best foot foward. Prime example, Shimano currently sells the FX, Sienna, and Nexave at three different price points. All 3 reels are basically identical. They have the same guts except the FX has one less bearing. They charge roughly 25 bucks for the FX, 35 bucks for the Sienna, and over 50 bucks for the Nexave. The only differences between the Nexave and the two other reels is the Nexave is blue, has one more bearing than the FX, and has a different handle.  If Shimano has no problem trying to get one over on their entry level equipment what are they willing to do to the diehards that won't look at anything that isn't Shimano branded? I have no issue saying there is no difference in quality and performance between a 13 fishing Concept A2, Tatula 100, Shimano Curado MGL 150, and Okuma Hakai. I would add the Hakai is the easiest casting baitcasting reel I have ever used. It beats the crap out of my Antares, Calcutta Conquest, Steez, Zillion, and other higher end reels I have for ease of setup and the ability to bomb a wide range of lures without using my thumb during the cast. It also is one of the most powerful reels I own and reels hard pulling crankbaits with ease. Plus it's extremely light due to the magnesium frame. As much as it pains me to say it the Ark Gravity 8 is as good as my Zillion SV. Was it as good out the box, no, but with a grease job and handle replacement it's fantastic. The problem with Ark is their customer service and lack of grease in their reels. It's not uncommon to get a bone dry Tatula so... I think anyone that is not willing to try new things only to bash anything that isn't branded Shimano, Daiwa, or whatever their favorite brand might be is bad for discussion and does nothing but push people away that may not be able to spend that Shimano or Daiwa tax. Their are plenty of reels from other manufacturers that can provide just a good of service and at times better value for money.

21 hours ago, CaughtMeABiggun said:

The view that one or two companies will always be the best is not good for any industry. My current arsenal covers a full range of manufacturers (Shimano, Daiwa, Okuma, Kastking, Ark, Abu Garcia, Kistler, Piscifun, Pflueger, Quantum, Lews, and 13 Fishing) just to name a few. I have models that range from a Piscifun Torrent and Abu Garcia Max STX to a Steez A2 and 25 Antares. For anyone to say that Daiwa and Shimano are the only two reels that are good is detrimental to competition between manufacturers and give Daiwa and Shimano no reason to put their best foot foward. Prime example, Shimano currently sells the FX, Sienna, and Nexave at three different price points. All 3 reels are basically identical. They have the same guts except the FX has one less bearing. They charge roughly 25 bucks for the FX, 35 bucks for the Sienna, and over 50 bucks for the Nexave. The only differences between the Nexave and the two other reels is the Nexave is blue, has one more bearing than the FX, and has a different handle.  If Shimano has no problem trying to get one over on their entry level equipment what are they willing to do to the diehards that won't look at anything that isn't Shimano branded? I have no issue saying there is no difference in quality and performance between a 13 fishing Concept A2, Tatula 100, Shimano Curado MGL 150, and Okuma Hakai. I would add the Hakai is the easiest casting baitcasting reel I have ever used. It beats the crap out of my Antares, Calcutta Conquest, Steez, Zillion, and other higher end reels I have for ease of setup and the ability to bomb a wide range of lures without using my thumb during the cast. It also is one of the most powerful reels I own and reels hard pulling crankbaits with ease. Plus it's extremely light due to the magnesium frame. As much as it pains me to say it the Ark Gravity 8 is as good as my Zillion SV. Was it as good out the box, no, but with a grease job and handle replacement it's fantastic. The problem with Ark is their customer service and lack of grease in their reels. It's not uncommon to get a bone dry Tatula so... I think anyone that is not willing to try new things only to bash anything that isn't branded Shimano, Daiwa, or whatever their favorite brand might be is bad for discussion and does nothing but push people away that may not be able to spend that Shimano or Daiwa tax. Their are plenty of reels from other manufacturers that can provide just a good of service and at times better value for money.

My view will change when another company comes by, and begins offering quality reels that aren't made in a country with poor quality control. Some people don't care where their reel is made, i do. If Porsche decides to create fishing reels with the design of their cars, and they're all made in Germany, i'd be the first one in the line, and if they're as good as the big two, it'll be a company i'll support. But all those BassPro brands, they're simply nowhere near as good as Shimano and Daiwa, so why would i bother? I am not against other brands. What i am against is inferior products, which all of those other brands are.

3 hours ago, CaughtMeABiggun said:

The view that one or two companies will always be the best is not good for any industry. My current arsenal covers a full range of manufacturers (Shimano, Daiwa, Okuma, Kastking, Ark, Abu Garcia, Kistler, Piscifun, Pflueger, Quantum, Lews, and 13 Fishing) just to name a few. I have models that range from a Piscifun Torrent and Abu Garcia Max STX to a Steez A2 and 25 Antares. For anyone to say that Daiwa and Shimano are the only two reels that are good is detrimental to competition between manufacturers and give Daiwa and Shimano no reason to put their best foot foward. Prime example, Shimano currently sells the FX, Sienna, and Nexave at three different price points. All 3 reels are basically identical. They have the same guts except the FX has one less bearing. They charge roughly 25 bucks for the FX, 35 bucks for the Sienna, and over 50 bucks for the Nexave. The only differences between the Nexave and the two other reels is the Nexave is blue, has one more bearing than the FX, and has a different handle.  If Shimano has no problem trying to get one over on their entry level equipment what are they willing to do to the diehards that won't look at anything that isn't Shimano branded? I have no issue saying there is no difference in quality and performance between a 13 fishing Concept A2, Tatula 100, Shimano Curado MGL 150, and Okuma Hakai. I would add the Hakai is the easiest casting baitcasting reel I have ever used. It beats the crap out of my Antares, Calcutta Conquest, Steez, Zillion, and other higher end reels I have for ease of setup and the ability to bomb a wide range of lures without using my thumb during the cast. It also is one of the most powerful reels I own and reels hard pulling crankbaits with ease. Plus it's extremely light due to the magnesium frame. As much as it pains me to say it the Ark Gravity 8 is as good as my Zillion SV. Was it as good out the box, no, but with a grease job and handle replacement it's fantastic. The problem with Ark is their customer service and lack of grease in their reels. It's not uncommon to get a bone dry Tatula so... I think anyone that is not willing to try new things only to bash anything that isn't branded Shimano, Daiwa, or whatever their favorite brand might be is bad for discussion and does nothing but push people away that may not be able to spend that Shimano or Daiwa tax. Their are plenty of reels from other manufacturers that can provide just a good of service and at times better value for money.

Very true.  1 or 2 brands controlling an entire market isn't good for the consumer.  Instead of making the best product for a given PP, they only have to put a reel out with a slight advantage over the competitions reel, or even reels in their own lineup.

Never had an Ark reel, but the BOGO forced me hand into trying their BFS reel.  I wasn't expecting much too much in terms of refinement.  They claim it can cast down to 1/64, but so long as it could sling 2 or 2.5 grams total it would be worth it. 

Not only did it cast better than I had hoped, but the reel runs ridiculously smooth.  It's just as smooth as my Met Bs, especially my JDM Met, which came bone dry and with a janky bearing.  I expect the Ark BFS to degrade a bit as far fluidity goes, but only time will tell. 

 

So in summary it was noisy out of the box and you were upset that you missed their bogo sale? I've bought a Daiwa that was noisy out of the box...having said that Daiwa is still one of my favorite brands. I also prefer Shimano for spinning reels and don't really buy anything else these days but having said that I still disagree w/ the notion that these are the only two reel manufacturers out there that are worth anything. Case in point one of my favorite setups right now is my jerkbait rod and the reel is a Lew's Custom. It's the previous gen and I got it for just under $100 brand new. Got the rod a while back for $130 so the entire setup was about $100 less than the price for that Expride that everyone seems to think is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I don't throw a ton of hard jerkbaits and didn't think it would be worth it to spend top dollar for a rod and reel but I do have some more expensive stuff and this setup is honestly right up there with the best of them. Yes I would probably have been about as happy with an SLX 70 or a Tatula 80, but I do own reels in both of these lines and would say the Lew's Custom Pro is on par with those two and I've been very happy with it. 

 

In summary it sounds like you were expecting a full refund but their warranty policy doesn't seem to say they would do that? Glad you got it working anyway but this does happen and it isn't just with reels from Ark. I also personally don't own any reels from Ark but this wouldn't really sway me one way or the other although it does sound like they could have been a little more clear and straightforward and also offered an exchange as an alternative instead of just reading you their refund policy. Then again it sounds like the customer service person you spoke to might have been new.

 

I also think it's worth checking out new reels from time to time and not limiting yourself to one vendor / brand. Unless you are talking about spinning reels. Then you should just buy Shimano.

46 minutes ago, Brian11719 said:

So in summary it was noisy out of the box and you were upset that you missed their bogo sale?

I knew about the BOGO sale when it was happening, but had no reason to buy a reel until after it was over. (I got a new rod.) I only referenced the sale becuase my out of box eperience felt like a reel half the price. My issue is that a reel that is almost 300 bucks shouldn't need serving and replacement parts out of the box. It's a great reel now. I might be tempted to buy more at BOGO, but we'll see after the season is over. I just know I'll be replacing the handles and servicing them out of box. I am also saying that their customer service is lack luster. I remember Debo on YouTube had a similar experience with them on a rod warranty. Seems like you buy Ark products knowing you will not have much service after the sale.

Bashing brands who aren’t Googan got through the “filters” again…

Hands down the worst customer service experience I have ever had in all my years of buying fishing stuff, ARK... 

 

I ordered directly from them at full price two of their highest end spinning rods, both had substantial issues, to include the cork was like rotten and wet for some reason as if the rods had been under water with the plastic still on the cork and was literally crumbling apart on both of them as I removed the plastic wrap, sent photos, was told to send them back to be replaced "I asked for a refund instead they were so bad, the blanks were horribly crooked, etc...", I did so, packaged in the exact same tube they shipped them to me in using all the same packing materials.

 

UPS snapped the tube in half on its way back to them, UPS stated that there wasn't enough space between the rods and the sides of the tube to be eligible for an insurance claim, I shipped them exactly how they were shipped to me mind you in the same thin tube they sent them to me in...

 

In the end, the guy at ARK literally laughed at me like it was funny I had just lost $700.00 plus the $60.00 or whatever it cost to ship the rods back. 

 

When I asked about making a warranty claim through them, he said warranty claims were only for customers and because I had initially requested a refund instead of replacement, I wasn't a customer... He of course said this in the most cocky manner one could ever do so in. I have never seen a staff member so cocky and rude for absolutely no reason. Like he took pleasure in my loss. The money means little to me, but his attitude has always stuck with me... 

 

First and last dealing with ARK, I won't even do business with anyone that sells their stuff... 

Shimano reels, Edge Rods,,,,,,done.

Issues, resolved and done.

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