[mike_r]

As a recent convert from being primarily a Sage guy to a now Loomis fan, I am curious about brand loyalty from the very source of these fine rod manufacturers. Here in the southeast US, Loomis has Very little presence in comparison to Sage in terms of fly rod availability in shops. Sage rods can be found anywhere on our local rivers in the hands of many a fly fisherman both novice and guide alike; not so with Loomis.

One thing that I have noticed, if E-bay is any kind of gauge to measure trends, is that seldom do you see G.Loomis fly rods come up for re-sale. You do see a slew of used Sage rods however. I am curious how the actual sales compare in the PNW, and how "loyal" those customers are to their favorite brand of the two mentioned. Obviously folks just seem to hold on to their Loomis rods. What are the biggest factors affecting your decisions to buy a Loomis over a Sage and vice/versa?


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[veilside180sx]

There are A lot more Sage rods sold vs Loomis. Just by the shear numbers you'll see more Sage rods on the secondary market.

 

[Matthew LeBret]

I Have Zero brand loyalty, I find an action of a rod and I base it on that. Don't get me wrong both have some true gems in their line-up.

So many great rods out there to just stick with one brand! You find more Sage rods on Ebay because the newest "nano technology" has been replaced by "kinetic nano technology" all within a year or 2. Now you have fly shops stuck with a surplus of an obsolete product that they are needing to sell. Just as the fly shops get rid of the nano technology on a secondary market here comes Mr Rep waving the latest n greatest Kinetic+ nano rods.

A lot has to do with people buying before trying. Just because your buddy likes it doesn't mean that rod is meant for everyone

 

[Porter]

I think G.Loomis has a big gear/bait division and a lot of their advertising budget goes toward that customer base. I think the same could be said with St.Croix. St. Croix puts out some nice fly fishing products but also a big gear/bait mfger. Sage has mostly been and is now strictly fly fishing, they ended their association with other types of fishing many years ago and are exclusively fly fishing. Products come and go, fly shops change what they carry every so many years it seems. Why a fly shop carries galvan reels for ten years then drops them and starts carrying another brand I can't say, but probably has something to do with business and/or personal relationships in the industry. Sage might be considered by some to be top dog but that could all change in the next five-10 years. Out there somewhere is a young dedicated individual with a bit of Rajeff, Green, Seim, and Bartschi plus a bit more that will rock the fly rod industry ...... right?

 

[Stonefish]

Have and use both brands and like them both. Have had good customer service from both as well when needed.

I agree with Porter. Loomis has a huge presence in gear rods and puts most of their advertising energy into that market segment.
It is my understanding that gear rod blanks are still available from Sage should someone want to have one wrapped up.
SF

 

[Old Man]

I've got 2 GLoomis rods. I like what I have. A GL3 that I have had for over 25 years and a GL2 which I bought when I retired. I do like their warranty service. But I haven't had to use it in over 10 years. Is it still good or is it changed now??

 

[Steelhead]

I'm a Sage fan first but ultimately will buy the best rod after casting them. Actually ended up going with a Scott Radian after casting it size by side with Sages X's and the latest Loomis

 

[Nooksack Mac]

What should brand loyalty even mean? Rod companies win our loyalty by the excellence of a specific product. Then, instead of keeping it in their product line, they drop it and introduce a new series with glowing but vague promise of bigger-better-faster performance. If you want to buy a rod like your favorite, you have to chase it through ads, eBay, and pawnshops, or go broke buying the new models from the brand to which you remain loyal. It's like trying to recapture the essence of your first girlfriend.

 

[coachbarak]

Scott won me over the first time I fished my A4. Every Scott I have fished now is above the former for me. Sage and G Loomis both make fine rods, but I haven't cast or fished a Scott fly rod I didn't like.


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[veilside180sx]

My personal beef with Scott is them not sanding the blanks. It's a lazy approach imo.

 

[coachbarak]

I personally like the unsanded look, classy looking to me


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[Jonathan Tachell]

Sage.

 

[Steelhead]

I personally like the unsanded look, classy looking to me

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I like the unsanded blanks as well. But I also like the colors Sage uses.

No one should judge a rod by the color of its blank but by the content of it's cast.

 

[coachbarak]

I like the unsanded blanks as well. But I also like the colors Sage uses.

No one should judge a rod by the color of its blank but by the content of it's cast.

In that case...I love the way Scott rods look...but I'm a fanatic on how they fish!!

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[nb_ken]

My first fly rod was a Loomis Premier that I bought at a pawn shop. Sport consumed me so I got a couple of GL3s, then upgraded to a Metolious, and finally a GLX Streamdance.

I fished with that GLX probably 40 days a year for 10 years. Loved that rod. I was definitely a Loomis evangelist. It got stolen. In the process of replacing it (long story) I ended up with a Sage Z-Axis. Wow. Not long after, I replaced the GLX too.

Now I got both in trout weights. Seems like I reach for the Sage more than the GLX.

I'm kind of a gear junky. I buy and sell used stuff and cycle rods through the quiver all the time just to see how I like them. I've owned rods from pretty much every manufacturer. I've got 5 that will probably never get sold. 2 Loomises, 2 Sages and a BVK.

So between Sage and Loomis, it's a tossup. Other than that 1 TFO, I've never found anything that came close. (At least for my casting style. I owned a BiiX that was amazing, but I could never quite keep it dialed in.)

 

[Kyle Smith]

I used to think I was a Scott guy. It turned out I just hadn't found the right Sage rods yet. Now it's a couple of each, with a Hardy, a Winston, and a Burkheimer in the fancy part of my collection. Then a mix of Redingtons and random old glass rods fill the IKEA metal trash can rod container in the corner.

Sticking to one or even two rod companies sounds so boring.

I really want another Burkie.

 

[shotgunner]

Variety is truly the spice of life!

Gave up on the newest - bestest - lightest - fastest - latest - greatest hype a few years ago and have not looked back.

Many marketing tactics seem so totally transparent ..and yet they work.

 

[A.A.]

Scott won me over the first time I fished my A4. Every Scott I have fished now is above the former for me. Sage and G Loomis both make fine rods, but I haven't cast or fished a Scott fly rod I didn't like.

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My first fly rod was a 6 wt Scott SAS (first of the A series rods). I broke the tip after about 8 years of light use. The lower ferrule was also cracking. They rebuilt the rod and it is the worst fitting ferrule ever and the two upper sections are super heavy now. The second section is as thick as the butt section. The rod weighs a lot more than my $75 7 wt redington red fly that has a fighting butt. The rod's not worth fishing. I recently cracked the lower ferrule on my 7 wt Scott A2. It works for now but won't be good for long. I'm debating if it's worth the $70 they charge to fix it. I have a loomis streamdance 4 wt, a sage vxp 6 wt, a sage one 7wt Spey, and a meiser 7 wt switch and I love them all. I'll never buy another Scott. And I used to love them and say they were my favorite until I needed their customer service. Brand loyalty is earned.

 

[coachbarak]

Well I've fished 8 different Scott rods and I've enjoyed each one of them. To each their own I am sure. The Scott Flex is one of the best rods I've ever used.


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[Steelhead]

My first fly rod was a 6 wt Scott SAS (first of the A series rods). I broke the tip after about 8 years of light use. The lower ferrule was also cracking. They rebuilt the rod and it is the worst fitting ferrule ever and the two upper sections are super heavy now. The second section is as thick as the butt section. The rod weighs a lot more than my $75 7 wt redington red fly that has a fighting butt. The rod's not worth fishing. I recently cracked the lower ferrule on my 7 wt Scott A2. It works for now but won't be good for long. I'm debating if it's worth the $70 they charge to fix it. I have a loomis streamdance 4 wt, a sage vxp 6 wt, a sage one 7wt Spey, and a meiser 7 wt switch and I love them all. I'll never buy another Scott. And I used to love them and say they were my favorite until I needed their customer service. Brand loyalty is earned.

Glad I have a Scott Radian 6 weight instead of the vxp. I say that after owning a vxp 690 for 3 years and enjoying fishing it.