Quote:
Originally Posted by CR Yaker
You get what you pay for on those Ugly Stix. They can't take a beating at all. Easily broke the end off one rod in less than 4 months. The other the braid wore a grove into the the eye tip and thus would weaken the braid so that it broke, again 4 to 6 months.
I won't ever use them again. My Shimano's never have issues, but at three times the price. Love em
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From my own experience and from the vast majority of people's reviews online, taking a beating seems to be what Ugly Stiks do best.
I have a 12 year old freshwater 6'8" M Ugly Stik and it still works fine. During the first years of ownership, I used that rod a lot and I was not gentle with it. I've hit it on things multiple times and now it's my loaner rod so it's always getting abused.
I also have 2 Shimano Crucials which I'm way more careful with. One has broken twice and the other once, so 3 replacements from Shimano in the last 4 years. My "Lifetime Warranty" that I thought I was paying for when I bought these rods have also magically disappeared. I love my Crucials; they are sensitive and light but durability is definitely not their strong point.
Obviously my statement above doesn't apply to all Shimano rods. Shimano makes a ton of different rods for lots of different purposes and lots of different price points. Even my own experience with my old freshwater Ugly Stik is not exactly applicable to a discussion on a modern Ugly Stik Tiger rod but the general consensus on Ugly Stiks seems to be they are really tough.