I've been eyeing up the Mudhole All In One kits as a place to start my rod building hobby.  The trouble is, I don't know enough to know if the kit is good or not.  Mudhole has a pretty good reputation, so I'm assuming it's decent, but what do the more experienced out there think?

 

I'm thinking about this one:

https://mudhole.com/products/all-in-one-spinning-rod-kit

Mudhole quality is fine.

 

I'd be asking if you want a foam grip or not? And a medium blank?

 

$200 is a bit steep, but I see it comes with rod wrapping tools which are needed of course- unless you already have those. If you do have them you can get rod kits cheaper.

 

My last spinning rod kit came from Get Bit Outdoors for under $50, but I also bought a discontinued made in USA blank 7' MHF. The blank was like $23 and kit $20. And no tools, no epoxy, and no thread because I have that already. Get Bit allowed me to choose the type of grip I wanted either full or split for same price.

 

Ask yourself if you want foam or not. I'd go with cork myself, but to each their own. Maybe you can ask Mudhole to swap it out if you wanted something different? Unless that is what you want. You may be able to get them to adjust components to get closer to the rod you really want rather than settle on just what is in the kit shown here.

 

Just make sure you are getting the components you really want before committing to a kit like this.

 

I'd also consider getting more epoxy than what this kit shows. And I see a roll of tape which is used to center and fill void under reel seat. There are other newer products that do this job much better than tape. Its like a foam, but it can be reamed and shaped as needed and epoxy flows through it for a much better reel seat epoxy attachment to blank. Make sure to back fill each end as you don't want reel seat wobbling or having any side to side play on either end. (I am not a fan of tape method.)

 

And one last thing... I spine all my rods. There are those who say don't spine and build on straightest axis, but I am not one of those. My rods are all spined how Gary Loomis teaches it. But again, to each their own. It will work fine either way. Just different opinions on how to build a rod.

 

Custom rod building is fun and rewarding. I am sure you will enjoy doing it. Both MudHole and Get Bit OutDoors sell various kits and very different blanks for sure.

 

 

Agree on the cork vs. foam.  You can easily build from wood a wrapping "station;" I used my homemade one for many years.  Same for a drying motor/stands/setup.  

 

But yes, Mudhole is a good company and an all in one kit might be the best way to get your feet wet.  

 

One thing to keep in mind is that Pro Kote wrap epoxy takes a long time to set, so don't get impatient-let it cure fully, might take an overnight + a day depending on conditions.  It is a good product, just takes a long time.

That is a solid starting place.

For the same price you can take their online class which includes the materials in the kit minus the alcohol burner.  Class has cork grips and choice of casting or spinning rod.

10 minutes ago, MikeK said:

That is a solid starting place.

For the same price you can take their online class which includes the materials in the kit minus the alcohol burner.  Class has cork grips and choice of casting or spinning rod.

Solid advice....18 karat.

 

@MontanaBasser If you do this and still want the alcohol burner...I will send you mine. 

5 hours ago, Chris Catignani said:

Solid advice....18 karat.

 

@MontanaBasser If you do this and still want the alcohol burner...I will send you mine. 

Will do.  

It was good. The tools are good. Only thing I hated was the reamer. The cork grips

came “pre-reamed” already. If buying new cork grips for future builds, the reamer provided was too big. You have to step up the reamers for cork and this one is not good for new cork blanks. Does that make sense?

I have a very similar kit minus the rod and have been using it for a few years. They work really well.

Buyer beware!! The start up cost are low but after you order 12 blanks and guides the cost go up quickly! Also check out North Fork Composite for blanks.

@Chris Catignani is a good dude

@MontanaBasser I started building rods just a couple years ago, the kit will also come with the added assurance of fitment. No guessing or forgetting to order a piece or whatever, its all there and is confirmed to go together. Maybe you could save a few bucks piecing it together yourself, but I was burned doing that even being advised by the retail associate putting my order together. They messed up and recommended the wrong butt cap.

Definitely shop around though too

https://voodoorods.com/products/complete-rod-kit-spinning would still need the supplies but this might help you build something more precisely what you're looking for