megabass quality going down?

[dcxxxhc]

Hi Everyone,
Just wondering if anyone has been irked as of late (past couple of years) by somewhat inexplicable shortcomings in megabass quality. In 30 years of fishing I think I can remember one or two rod breaks... Recently though it has been my tomahawk hien, f7-711X, Kirisame, Silver Shadow, Spin Drive, ... I have had several lips break off of vision 110 practically out of the box. This weekend after a couple 2 pounders my magslow fell apart in my hands. I fish recreationally and typically keep my tackle in showroom condition. Any thoughts?
John

[MondayMonkey]

I only have 6 megabass rods, most purchased in last 4 years, ranging from a solid tip UL to a hefty frog rod. I fish them decently hard but I'm also very careful with them when it comes to storage or any time they're not in my hand. I have not had a single issue and couldn't be more pleased. But to be fair I haven't experienced the older MB rods. My Phase III Elseil circa 2012 is the oldest MB rod I own.

When it comes to lures I'm a bit of fanboy. The vast majority of my collection are Megabass (something in the neighborhood of 150 hard baits at this point. I've only ever had to replace 1 lure based on damage. It was a Pop-X I loaned to my father who proceeded to bounce it off the boulders along the shore over a dozen times that day. In my region a 5lb bass is a large fish worth bragging about so my lures take a long time to wear down.

[bronzefly]

I haven't experienced at all what I perceive as a quality decline in Megabass products overall. I've been fishing their rods, among many other brands, for a long time now. The Tackle Trap has been a dealer for many years now too, so I see a lot of them. While I love the aesthetic of some of the classics, the overall build quality, attention to detail, performance, and what makes a Megabass rod a Megabass rod remain strong. Breaks happen with all rods from time to time for a variety of reasons, but I don't see anything abnormal with Megabass at all.

I recently had a magdraft (same basic design as the magslowl) that was chewed apart in a day, but the number of fish I caught on it was more than worth the price. It is after all a soft plastic swim bait. It's not intended to last as long as a hard bait.

Regarding their hard baits, I haven't had issues with the 110 bills myself either. I fish them a LOT in the winter, both old straight eyes, and current, fresh from Japan models. I don't bounce them off rocks or docks, but I hear that can have an impact I've caught a good many fish on the new Diamante, I-Jack, and even the Noisy Cat... all those new baits are very, very high quality, durable, and I plan on continuing to fish them.

[Pen3]

I still have some old rods that date back to 2004 as well as 2015 and only had 1 breakage, but that was the tip getting caught in the back of my SUV. No problems with the lures department either, but one broken bill after casting it onto a boulder, not surprised. Only complaint would be that some of their new lures ('14+) come with lower quality hooks compared to their older ones.

[paul19057]

IMG_1710-1.jpg (58.58 KiB) Viewed 5954 times

I fished with Gary on lake champlain a couple weeks ago and he was throwing the magdraft and it held up quite well with smallmouth bass , lots of smallies .
Then he met a northern pike , one for the fish gods.
Paul

[389Maverick]

...and even the Noisy Cat..

That's one lure I've strayed away from only because it's oriented for cats...I'd actually love a bass version, maybe just changing out the back hook to a treble hook?

I do love the funky flippers, but the added blade on the Noisy is very appealing to me.....and probably the fish

Do you fish them for bass?

[dcxxxhc]

I kind of figured as much...not ready to jump ship. Over the past 15 years I have slowly shifted to using Megabass exclusively for everything. I know its one sighted, but so far so good. The catalog of offerings from them has become so vast, I think it has me wondering if corners get cut to keep up with production. I had been considering one of the ARMS lineup until A megabass rep told me that most people who purchase don't actually fish it

[bronzefly]

I kind of figured as much...not ready to jump ship. Over the past 15 years I have slowly shifted to using Megabass exclusively for everything. I know its one sighted, but so far so good. The catalog of offerings from them has become so vast, I think it has me wondering if corners get cut to keep up with production. I had been considering one of the ARMS lineup until A megabass rep told me that most people who purchase don't actually fish it

The Tackle Trap has gotten quite a few ARMS rods for guys, the Super Leggera models most recently, and I don't know of any one of them that isn't being fished. I fish mine as often as I can, but I generally don't take them out on the boat unless I'm alone. That's when i'll break out some of the "super special" stuff

That's one lure I've strayed away from only because it's oriented for cats...I'd actually love a bass version, maybe just changing out the back hook to a treble hook?

I do love the funky flippers, but the added blade on the Noisy is very appealing to me.....and probably the fish

Do you fish them for bass?

Yes, they're a lot like a jitter bug and I've loved those baits since I was a child. The way it comes, it's surprisingly good around cover, but adding a true treble to the back does increase hook ups. You can also add one to the front, but it changes the sound of the bait. I've caught bass in all three configurations. It's a very fun bait for me!

lots of smallies

Lots of them That was awesome!!

[aussiebasser]

Yeah, no one uses Arms rods.
]

[Redlinerobert]

no issues here either.

I was fishing my personal private pond a year ago with my first Gen Diablo Sb. Accidently smacked the dock with the rod on a cast and thought I had cracked the rod for sure. Not even a dent.

[Teal101]

I've only broken two, a XX Stinger Shot and XX Amart Flip. Both were my fault. The rest have held up very well to abuse. MB America was very quick on warranty turn around and I had each rod back within a week of shipping it.

[triple_illusion]

I'll call it like I see it, and agree with the OP that their quality is going down. Lures are now being made in Vietnam, and that sure as heck irks me! It seems to be the inevitable end of all companies in our global economy. I don't like it one bit. Hate to say it but not even the almighty WPII is made in Japan.

[389Maverick]

Had a few issues with the first gen XX, something about the epoxy/glue inside the blank drying up, you could hear bits and pieces fall from one end of the blank all the way down to the other. MB took all the right steps to make it right, to this day, all my rods are XX’s with the exception of the Mat Bucker (still an MB rod).

As for lures, had one issue with paint flaking after one outing, once again, MB made it right and exchanged it for a lure of my choice. Was probably a lemon.

I’m happier than a tick on a fat dog when it comes to Megabass!

[spookybaits]

Never had issues with any of my phase 3, x4 or earlier rods.
No issues with the megabass lures, but majority I use are visions & soft plastics. I'm more of an Imakatsu guy.
I'll have to look at my man boxes & see where they're made, and keep an eye out from now on.

@OP definently not trying to discount what your saying, just sharing my experiences.
I'm all for people speaking out when they notice QC issues, particularly when something like change of manufacturing location or process is involved. It's how wrongs get righted and it benefits all of us as consumers.
If I was you, I would write letters(emails) to both USA megabass & Japan megabass(with pics if you have them), let em know your observations & share your concerns.
I think that's the best way to insure QC is kept up to standards, especially when it comes to a brand you love and want to continue supporting.

I agree with Triple illusion in that it's the norm these days, companies resting on their name while cutting corners to increase profit margin, rather than making strides to improve quality & durability. It spans all products and countries. Look how sh*tty Levis jeans are these days. Or home stereos. Or vehicles. Or tools. On & on.
Best we can do is call em out and let our wallets speak by supporting companies that focus on quality over quantity.

Sorry for the rant. It's just an issue that really matters to me, and it's especially bothersome when it's a company I like.

[Fishing4Fun]

I will 2nd the issue of object(s) rattling around in some of the Orchi XX rods. My Shakeyhead rod has done that since the day the tube arrived at my door, but it doesn't have an impact on how it fishes. Haven't contacted MB about it but I have only hear good things about their customer service.

I have stopped buying their jerkbaits but their topwaters have always been of great quality and fish catchers. Mine were purchased in the nifty hard plastic "mini display like boxes" vs the packaged variety. Not sure if the latter is the one some are saying are of less quality.

I am not an Exclusive MB user like some but I see no reason at this point to shy away from any of their offerings...