He holds this opinion on all fishing gear, he’s frugal so he tries to justify it by saying there are no differences in quality which is quite clearly not true. He says my perception of Gamakatsu/Owner hooks is “subjective” or my opinion and I call bogus.

I have see Mustad, specifically the Ultra Point Grip Pins that are actually dull and cheap feeling out of the package.

Can anyone show me a peer reviewed or official study or any data showing that Gammy, Owner and other premium hooks are in fact superior in quality and sharpness? I feel like it’s easily observable but he’s so stubborn.

TBH my experience with Mustard hooks has been quite good. I am currently looking at a pair of Mustad KVD Elite Short Shank Triple Grip treble hooks, size 4, that helped me land over 100 prespawn smallies and several muskies, and they didn't bend a bit. I did sharpen them a few times, but that's about it.

Owner and Gammy are premium hooks, but you're not slumming it with the other two.

I fish quality JDM hooks. So I'd like to think I know what good hooks are.

I have fished VMC often. And I didn't miss fish with them. That is to say my hookup ratio and my catch ratio seemed unchanged vs. the others. I think they are quality.

Some of their tactic specific hooks continue to be held in high regard.(VMC Neko hook). And Mustad is currently my favorite Neko weight (screw in).

So I'd agree with your buddy. It's not necessary to spend a bundle to catch fish. There are so quality offerings for reasonable money.

And in my opinion, I think virtually any hook on the market will easily pierce a bass' mouth.

Most of if not all of my hooks are Owner, Vmc and Gamy.

If there's a significant difference in quality and sharpness, I'd like to be educated and willing to listen.

Gamy is my go to when i need a hook for something. Across the board they make a fantastically sharp hook that holds its point and sharpness well in every application I’ve tried. A couple of their hooks are truly scary sharp- the g-finesse trebles are one. That said, VMC neko hooks are a beauty. I have the gamy stinger and the VMC neko in the box and I’d say the VMC is sharper. Both are more than enough to get it done.

I easily prefer VMC to owner. Owner isn't even on my radar when it comes to hook brands any longer.

That said what does it even matter to you what the guys opinion is of owner hooks. Seems a bit petty.

My favorite swimbait hook is a Mustad... and I'm not frugal !

Owner and VMC for me. VMC redlines are pretty good hooks.

I started fishing only Gamakatsu. After many years of fishing Gama, Owner, and VMC my hook drawer is overflowing with the VMC bulk packs and some Owners I got on sale. I find zero difference in hookup ratio although my lizard brain seems to feel like the Gamakatsus may stay sharp a bit longer. I disagree with you but I'm glad you have found hooks you have true confidence in. I promise not to post a thread about our disagreement. 😉

7 hours ago, QUAKEnSHAKE said:

That said what does it even matter to you what the guys opinion is of owner hooks.

Hey brother, my wife and I have nearly divorced over a paint color and whether it had more light gray in it or more light green in it. Sometimes you just have to put the gloves on and go a few rounds.

Tell your buddy if he learns to sharpen hooks - they can all be the sharpest hook. Every company ships out a hook that can catch a fish and every company ships out dull hooks. Every companies hooks will get dull after you set the hook on a fish or two and then you need to either have deep pockets or a basic skill that every angler should possess.

Once you can sharpen a hook to surgical sharpness - doesn’t really matters whos favorite shopping brand wins the contest. The person with basic essential knowledge and skills (sharpening a hook) will win no matter what.

16 minutes ago, BigAngus752 said:

Hey brother, my wife and I have nearly divorced over a paint color

With mine it was over which direction the toilet paper comes out of the holder.

I prefer to go for the combo platter ~

Mustad & Gamy Magic Eye.

Owner ST-35's are a big player for me as well.

No experience with VMC.

A-Jay

The problem with VMC isn’t necessarily the sharpness. It’s the quality of the metal itself. If you look at a VMC hook the wrong way, it will bend and straighten out.

That said, Gammy all the way.

Owner and Gamakatsu are my go-tos for sure. Pure sharpness is not always my determining factor. For sharpness, any of the "coated" thin wire hooks have been good, whether it's the Gamakatsu Nano Finesse trebles or the Ryugi Pierce, if I'm fishing finesse I want hook that will grab instantly with minimal effort. But for power fishing or heavy cover, I don't care as much, the hook integrity and features matter more to me.

One example is the Trokar or Owner "cutting point" hooks. Sharp AF, but the tips roll, and they literally "cut" through the fish, leaving a bigger hole in their mouth they can more easily shake the bait with. I'd go with a traditional hook that's less sharp all day over those. And we can all agree that a thinner hook will be sharper and penetrate more easily but if that means I'm bending out hooks that does me no good. As far as the major brands go I have no issue with Mustad or VMC, I think each company has unique series of hooks good for different situations. I am quite fond of the VMC bladed trebles for certain baits. Mustad I like the grip pin series for punching.

I mainly use vmc redline or fusion 19... I think the sharpest hook on the planet is trokar thought...

I had Owners, Gama's, Mustad, Eagle Claw, VMC through the years.

They all work, but I'm partial to Owners and Gama's, as mention keeping them sharp is key and I carry a small file with me in my vest.

Sorta another case of Ford vs Chevy, you use what you have confidence in.

The hooks today are so good compared to yesteryear. I prefer hooks with conical points or chemically sharpened. It’s more about the hook design rather than a specific manufacturer. With that, I have hooks by Mustad, Owner, Gamakatsu, Hyabusa, Decoy, BKK, VMC, Ryugi, Robo Worm and 6th Sense. They each have a design that stands out and each are high quality.

23 hours ago, Jar11591 said:

The problem with VMC isn’t necessarily the sharpness. It’s the quality of the metal itself. If you look at a VMC hook the wrong way, it will bend and straighten out.

That said, Gammy all the way.

It's interesting you said that because I have almost the same issue with Gammy's not bending, but breaking. I've broken at least three 2/0 and 3/0 EWG Gammy's and I don't have what would be called a bone jarring hookset. It baffles me. More baffling is that I haven't had that problem with other brands. I'm at a loss.

Nothing like comparing a Cadillac to a Benz.

What size fish are you guys catching that bending hooks is suck a concern?

I fish mainly VMC because that is what is available locally and I’ve never had issues including on 36”+ northern pike 2 mph river current.

On 4/21/2026 at 7:08 AM, Pat Brown said:

Tell your buddy if he learns to sharpen hooks - they can all be the sharpest hook. Every company ships out a hook that can catch a fish and every company ships out dull hooks. Every companies hooks will get dull after you set the hook on a fish or two and then you need to either have deep pockets or a basic skill that every angler should possess.

Once you can sharpen a hook to surgical sharpness - doesn’t really matters whos favorite shopping brand wins the contest. The person with basic essential knowledge and skills (sharpening a hook) will win no matter what.

Is there a “BEST” file to buy to elevate our skill level with sharpening. I’m sure I can buy a lot of different files but there is always the ONE that beats the others. What say you?

I haven’t bought tons of different hooks but the sharpest hook I have ever come across, straight out of the packaging, Fusion 19.

@bartnc37 A teener striper bent out a 4/0 dirty jigs Matt Allen head, but I was fighting the fish from a dock surrounded by dock pilings and had no room to let it run. Still landed the fish and the hook bent back no issues. Pretty sure those heads use a Mustad ultrapoint hook, but it might be a VMC these days.

I've also had no issues with VMC, the redline flipping hooks will stick you if you look at them funny, and I landed a dozen bass using their new GT heads on an a rig this weekend.

1 hour ago, Peacedivision said:

...I've also had no issues with VMC, the redline flipping hooks will stick you if you look at them funny, and I landed a dozen bass using their new GT heads on an a rig this weekend.

Same here.

I've been using VMC for years and never had one bend on me. I've never had to straighten one, replace one because it was bent, nor have I had to sharpen any of the VMC hooks.

I really like VMC Drop Dead weighted hooks. No doubts about them at all.

On 4/22/2026 at 9:38 AM, bartnc37 said:

What size fish are you guys catching that bending hooks is suck a concern?

I fish mainly VMC because that is what is available locally and I’ve never had issues including on 36”+ northern pike 2 mph river current.

This fish bent out multiple Gamakatsu EWG trebles on a jerkbait. It's been a few years but IIRC 3 of the 5 hooks that were in her were bent out.

I have since switched to Mustad 1x strong 2x short and have no issues.