My 2 cents,
The Redington Predator is THE choice for anyone just getting into the sport. It's built for salt water, casts almost as well as a top of the line Sage , costs a third as much and is backed up by the best customer service in the industry. Redington rods are great fishing tools, plain and simple. Why do you think Sage bought them?

I've fished a lot of different brands for a lot of different species in North America, the Caribbean and here. The Predator is one of the best rods I've fished. Add the killer price and it's a no-brainer.

Also, for someone just starting out, as he or she progresses, they may very well upgrade to a Sage One, Salt, Method etc. They're then left with the Predator as a reliable, awesome backup rod.

bass-ist wrote: Further Last week I spent a fair amount of time casting a Redington Torrent (7wt). Man what a sweet stick. A better caster than the Predator and with plenty of grunt. It doesn't have the oversized guides like the Predator or the carbon fiber weave around the ferrules but it does have an anodized real seat. It comes in at around the same price as the Predator but might please those looking for a more traditional feeling blank. Yet another reason to look no further than Redington.

Tore wrote: ...just be aware when buying rods etc. with lifetime warranties that they normally only apply in the country they were bought. Meaning if you buy it overseas and you break it you'll have to send it back to where you bought it or direct to the manufacturer. Any savings made on the purchase will be eaten up pretty quickly. The main purpose of tightening such schemes is of course to look after our local retailers and the customers who buy new gear in NZ. It's he only way if we are to make these products available to shops and customers in NZ. And to keep the shops alive. Which is pretty much equal to keeping the sport alive...

To give credit where it's due Tore I don't think there is as much motivation to do this with the brands you deal with. Looking on ebay in the UK a redington predator is 150, compared to an airflow Bluetooth nano at 99. The redington is 50% more expensive, fair enough it's a better rod. Looking on trademe here in NZ both rods are priced at 399.99, the same price. Which is why I agreed with Milsy that airflow doesn't generally offer good value if purchased here in NZ.

Why is a Rio Flyline from the states Retail online $80.00 US[$90.00NZ}[on average]

cd rods used to have a good range of rods but i havent seen them round for quite q while. i think they may have left the flyfishing business

The thing is there is some NZ made tackle like CTS rod blanks: made right here in Auckland who also makes the blanks for Epic (also an NZ company) customisable to an absolute infinity, and judging by the price of a blank a custom rod wouldn't cost more than a high end import but quite ironically you hear more about it on the American forums than here!!!

At the end of the day I don't see the savings on imported stuff justifying the worry about "whether it will arrive" or "will I get pinged for GST" etc. So much easier buying off the shelf- instant gratification and no pacing the floor for a week wondering when your order is going to be delivered.

Millsy wrote: If you have ever owned a custom rod and been down the road of needing it repaired, you will soon discover it will likely cost more than a "run of the mill" rod to repair.

True words there Millsy, please don't ask me how I know :(