NRX not aging well

[jeb]

I have a few NRX's and use them a lot. My 873CRR recently had an issue where one of the recoils broke where it goes into the wrap, one leg of it. So it was still attached, but one side was open. So my dealer sent it off to Loomis and I get it back 3 weeks later. I compared the fixed guide with the others and realized this rod is not aging well.

Fixed guide
Old guide

Not sure why the blank above the guide looks rough. It's not. Just an odd reflection or something. Most of the other recoil guide wraps look similar to the old one. So I'm starting to wonder if this rod is going to stand the test of time like my old GLX's have. Not looking too good at this point, that's for sure. I almost exclusively throw 1/2-3/4 ounce c-rigs on this rod, and throw them a lot. 2 of my other NRX's have some similar delamination of the epoxy.

The coating on the rods is not standing up well, either. Here's an example of that. I don't baby my rods, but these get looking ugly FAST. Faster than any of my GLX's or Dobyn's.

Rod coating

Repair job is far from attractive, either. And it looks like the threads have faded a little on the old ones, too. Boat is stored in a fully enclosed garage.

[civicrr]

holy horrible guide wrap & finish Batman!

I've noticed some yellowing on guide finish on my NRX flyrods. I wasn't sure if it was my imagination or not. Guess I wasn't imagining it. Jeb is that one of the first NRX rods? Just wondering if they are still using the same finish or have gone to something else.

[Pin]

I noticed that on the "fixed" guide, there seems to be extra epoxy that made its way in between the recoil wires, and also inside the "ring" where the line flows through. On top of that there seems to be gaps between the thread wraps. Not what you'd expect of a $500+ stick.

[Native]

Three freakin weeks and that's the best they could do?? Christ that's ludicrous!

If that had been my stick and they returned it to me in that condition I'd have sent it back AFTER having contacted a few management types of over there to give them a piece of my mind. When they saw the finish deterioration they should have repaired it or replaced the rod also. The epoxy shouldn't delaminate if the blank surface has been prepped properly.

You may want to consult with Bantam1 in the Shimano Support Forum and find out who to talk to over there at G. Loomis. He'll point you in the right direction if you need it. Best of luck with you efforts.

Curious to see how this plays out since I have the exact same rod, new rep's sample, and I hope this isn't a reoccuring theme with ALL NRX rods as time goes on.

Tim

[Mags00]

I like Native probably would contact Loomis and try to climb the ladder of people to get to at least someone who will be able or willing to truly help. I don't the the epoxy will be an issue but it looks shoddy and the finish in no way should do that unless you managed to get a solvent or a mixture on it that could possibly cause that.

Best of luck with whichever path you chose to take, after 3 weeks I don't know how I'd react especially since they are $500 rods (roughly...)

[MondayMonkey]

That really sucks the ray of light you can hang on to no matter what at least is the wild card. If it gets bad enough use the wild card and then just sell the brand new rod and buy another brand of your choice. Just make sure the buyer knows the wild card has been used.

[jeb]

I've tried to work with Loomis, but it's impossible these days. You can't call them anymore, you have to call Shimano. And nobody I've ever talked to at Shimano knows anything beyond what is in the catalogs about Loomis rods. You can actually tell they're reading from the catalog. And that's the person who was suppose to know something about Loomis rods! Sadly, this is just the state of affairs at ShimLoomis these days. They actually charged me $15 for the recoil repair, on top of the $20 "warranty" fee to fix it, believe it or not. My dealer got them to drop the $15.

Yes, that was glue extending into the recoil guide on the fixed guide. I had to use a knife to get it out of there. Nice, huh? And it is not an early rod. Actually, all 5 of my NRX baitcasters have been replaced at least once each because of manf defects (foregrip splits, handle glue let go, breakage, etc). So all of mine are later models, and all show the same battle scars. Actually, the scar in the picture is hardly the worst of it. The finish seems very soft.

Heck, with their quality and fit and finish issues, I'm happy just to get a rod that basically works from them these days. The quality control on Ugly Sticks at WalMart is better than Loomis these days. Damn shame, too. Used to be such a great company. The NRX's are wonderfully sensitive, but I am looking to try some of Gary Loomis' Edge rods in the near future. Maybe that will the next direction for me.

[jeb]

That really sucks the ray of light you can hang on to no matter what at least is the wild card. If it gets bad enough use the wild card and then just sell the brand new rod and buy another brand of your choice. Just make sure the buyer knows the wild card has been used.

Yep, that's what I figure, too. If it gets bad enough, I'll use the WC and figure out what to do from there.

[cjtoad]

Re: Blanks without coating exposed to UV rays?

by jeb » Sat Mar 02, 2013 7:07 am

I have no idea who is right, but I for one am happy they take steps to protect the blanks from any possible UV damage, which is the bottom line here, afterall.

What happened to the special UV coating, looks like it's peeling off to me!!!!

[jeb]

I agree. It does look that way to me, too. At this price point, you'd sure expect a lot better. Love the sensitivity and fishability of the NRX's, but the rest leaves much to be desired.

[BASSLAYER]

Pretty hard for an epoxy or paint to be impervious to boat rash.

[aeronut]

My old Glx rods holding up well also. My 10 year old st croix avid crankbait rod needs a rewrap but 10 years I can live with that.

[Bantam1]

OK I am going to break all of this down for you. The damage to the finish and guide is more than likely from your boat rod locker. This is why we provide a rod sleeve for storage that does not hold moisture. Contact damage to the rod blank will crack the finish and allow air pockets to form. Then it flakes off the blank as you pictured. We can make a more durable finish, but it will make the rod heavier and deaden some of the feel. Unfortunately we cannot use ground up unicorn horn to protect the rods.

Rods sitting in a damp rod locker is just as bad as leaving them sitting in the sun. They will change color and the epoxy will become cloudy because of the cracks to the epoxy. This allows moisture into the epoxy. Wipe your boat down with a white towel and toss it in the rod locker. See what color it turns...If the guide frame broke it tells me the guide was damaged from going in/out of the rod locker or some other non fishing related damage.

The thread wraps are held to a QC standard of 1/64". Just about every rod on the market with a similar color (dark blank and light wraps) has this same finish. The dark blank with light wraps will show the gaps. GLX used black wraps on a black blank, or green wraps on a green blank for example. This helps hide the gaps. This is a production rod and not a custom wrapped rod. A custom builder can take more time to ensure there is zero gap. Our people are wrapping hundreds of rods per month. The slight gap in no way affects the performance of the rod. The reason the NRX costs so much is the guide train and the blank material. The NRX material costs about 3 times as much as our other materials.

G.Loomis employees and Shimano employees are all on the same phone system. We have multiple call centers. You have a valid complaint about the excess epoxy on the guide. This should have been caught before the rod went into the drying chamber. I can send you a shipping label to return the rod for repair.

[jeb]

My rods do not live in a rod locker. I park my boat in an enclosed garage and leave them on the deck. I should post some pictures of the rest of the marks on the 873. It's my dedicated c-rig rod, as I said, and the c-rig weights have raised hell on the finish. I have much older GLX's I'd used for years, along with other brand rods also used for dedicated c-rigging and none of them show anywhere close to this level of scarring.

I figured the weak coating had to do with weight concerns. Me thinks they went a little too far in thinning the coating. I have one green NRX baitcaster, an 854. It does not seem to show as much scarring, but I don't use it as much. Maybe the glossier finish on those will stand up better over time.

[cjtoad]

They will change color and the epoxy will become cloudy because of the cracks to the epoxy. This allows moisture into the epoxy.

Epoxy gets cloudy because the wraps aren't sealed correctly and water gets under the epoxy into the threads. I've got ten year old rods that sit in a wet nasty metal rod locker getting their butts kicked everyday I fish and the wraps are as clear as the day they came off the drier. Plus not all epoxies are created equally. Just ask any builder how many epoxies they've tried before they settle on one they like.