Bought a brand new 6'8" MH this afternoon at Cabelas.  Real NICE, this will be great when I team it up w/ my Cumara 6'8" Med, extra fast baitcast rod.

I didn't notice till I got home this evening that from the top & going down about 8" on the blank there is a small paint chip.  It's less than 1/8" in length, but you can see that the upper coat of the paint is gone & the bare graphite underneath is showing.

Should I be concerned about this or is there a way to fix this?  Or should I just bring the rod back to Cabelas & exchange for the same rod w/o the defect?

I'd say play it safe and just return it if it's not too much of a hassle to you. Better safe then sorry. If you pay $200 , you should be 100% happy with it and no concerns.

Take it back! There could be damage to the blank.

Don't take any chances on it, take it back and when you get the replacement in your hand inspect it before you leave the store... But then again that should be a no brainer for anyone buying a new rod OR reel.

Good Luck & Tight Lines!!!!

Take it back!

deffinatly take it back you never know what coulda chippped that paint and it had to impact the graphite im anal about buyin rods from stores i will look it over a mill times then do it a few more times after i buy it before i leave the parkin lot

I did do an overall inspection of the Cumara rod.  I mainly check if the rod is spined right & if the guides are inline.  I also looked at the blank but did not notice the paint chip.  The lighting insde the store wasn't all that bright, plus is was very busy inside the store.

It wasn't till I got home & wiped down the rod using water & a clean cloth & really looked at the rod w/ better lighting that I saw the paint chip.  I'll tell you I was upset somewhat cuz I spent that $200 & from looking at it at the store it looked perfect.

I know that I've bought reels & rods, checking them out as best as possible at the store, only to find out at home that there was a flaw that I did not see or hear or feel.  In regards to hearing & feeling that would be w/ reels.  It feels & sounds smooth till you get it in a quiet room, like my fishing room you notice the flaw.  Had that happen w/ a Shimano Stradic 2500FI reel.  All seemed wonderful at the store till I tried it out at home.  There I noticed that the bail arm was rough feeling & when you crank the arm, there were some rough spots.  I brought that back & got the Saros 2500 & been very happy w/ that reel.

I called Cabelas & they are holding another Cumara 6'8" MH spinning for me.  So the one I have now is going back.  Thanks guys for your help!