blakjack23 wrote:I didn't assume you cared.
tj1004 wrote:No one whines about the Escalade sharing a platform with a Tahoe. This is the exact same thing.
That actually isn't the exact same thing. Sharing platforms is fine, obviously the 50MG7 shared it with the 50E, and others shared platforms as well, without any whining. If Chevy tried to put a new grill on a Blazer and call it the new Tahoe and get rid of the Tahoe altogether, then people would whine too. That would be the correct comparison here.
As a business decision Shimano's move makes sense to me. They do well in the lower priced market and will probably continue to do well with the average angler who buys one or two low/mid priced reels a year and doesn't know the reels were just "re-aligned". Shimano just kind of took a step back at the enthusiast level, but I'm sure they will come out with something higher end soon to fill that higher price gap.
I totally agree with blackjack.
I know we are not an easy crowd to please, but we are certainly more informed than the average guy, Are we reel designers? No. Are we fishing tackle marketing managers? No. What we are are customers and as such we have a legitimate right to voice our opinions, that is what this forum is all about.
Last year it was Daiwa who was critiziced for not bringing over any of the latest and greatest reels and only presenting a low-medium class reel, this year they did certainly bring the high end stuff (at a high price).
What Shimano did is totally understandable and it is driven by bean counters: re-brand a reel and charge more for it and improve on an entry level reel and call it the Curado, their bread and butter. The "true" chronarch will be missed, but it is a reel that was developed for the US market any way (no JDM counterpart).I was hoping to see the new generation of Calcutta DC, Scorpion DC (Call it the chronarch if you want) or the metanium DC but all that I am seeing is a way to charge more for the same product without calling it a price increase (wise marketing move).
Time will tell which company is right on its approach.
Mundo