and...
and...
and...
and...
and...
There are many more complaints like these all over the web concerning Australian bought reels, but I think you got the idea. The symptoms described are the exact ones in the recall, identical to what's in the emails of my Australian readers, which should leave no doubt that the statement from Daiwa Australia is bogus and that apparently they are the only ones spreading "false and misleading information".
I can't just close the article here since it would be way too short, so let's juice it up with more dodgy "official statements" that were made in response to something I said in days gone by.
Following my critical review of the 2013 Stella SW (SWB), a floodgate of garbage swung open, as I'd expect when I point out serious faults in the star reel of the world's biggest tackle maker with the vastest network of retailers, associates, sponsored charters, and affiliate sites. It was all out hysteria from all directions, complete denial that there are any issues, with the majority of it focusing on the most serious issue which is the rotor play. I picked this one example of an "official statement" made by Shimano's people on a popular forum
Such an eloquent fella, displaying great knowledge of the subject and top analytical thinking, along with such scientifically accurate terms as the "correct jig". Not really, rather the same old predictable, unimaginative, mindless dreck and ad-hominem typical of his oleaginous ilk, which I had predicted in the review, topped with the suggestion that if Shimano's engineers design and test a product there will never be a fault in it. Too bad Boeing didn't let Shimano make their Dreamliners whose engines are failing and batteries are igniting. That dude seems to imply that all companies fail except Shimano. At any rate, this statement is an authoritative and definitive denial of the presence of any issue. Guess what happened next? Yep, my readers started sending me complaints, and the web became scattered with thing like these
and...
and...
and...
and...
and...
Just a few samples of the many I collected. Sure enough, Shimano eventually had to acknowledge the problem in a post they made on their FB page in response to yet another fisherman telling them that he verified that the play exists on several reels. Here is that exchange
What they said was true indeed, and Shimano Japan has apparently acted and addressed some of the issues highlighted in my review. At the nearest opening I'll test newer reels to verify this and potentially revise my recommendation accordingly. What's important here though is that the initial "official statement" was obviously untruthful, and it's ironic that it was quashed by yet another "official statement", although this one we had to pull out of them.
I should probably stop here, but wouldn't it be such a shame if in 15 years of doing reel reviews all I had to show for it is only 2 magical "official statements"? Let's keep going...
A couple of years ago Canyon Reels were selling a spinner which they claimed had a Japanese made frame, American parts, and was assembled in the USA, but I posted a warning that it was in reality a rebranded shelf reel 100% Chinese made and assembled. In response to my warning, our dear friend the "official statement" reared its head. And like Daiwa, they too used the word "rumour". Man, I'm such a prolific rumour-monger!
I then had to source my own blank reel directly from China, and did a part-to-part comparison in a review that you've probably seen HERE, proving beyond any doubt the actual origin of Canyon's reel and seding yet another official statement 6 feet under.
I really should stop now, but since I have about 30 minutes to bedtime of which I only need 10 to floss and set my mouth on fire with that Listerine thing, I'll carry on.
In 2008 I reviewed the Tufftackle Diablo reel (HERE), allegedly a Stella/Saltiga slayer which the company claimed was assembled in Australia from "Australian and imported" parts. I found it to be a rebranded shelf reel 100% made in China, whose incredibly low quality makes it one of the crappiest objects I've touched to this day. That was the prelude though, not the main feature. A few years later that same company released another reel called the "Brawn", which I sourced and tested, then in a response to a fisherman's inquiry I posted a straightforward evaluation highlighting its faults and praising its strengths. Here it is
The official statement this time was pretty huge, but here is the bit that summarises the company's take
I was apparently lying, making things up, and none of the faults I spoke of were real. Well, except that soon afterwards people who bought those reels started posting photos showing the exact problems that I warned about;
Here is the faulty line roller angle from a complaint posted by a French angler on a saltwater fishing forum in France.
Then an Aussie fisherman posted this on an Australian form after the weak stem which I warned about broke off.
Sadly the company seems to have gone, and there are a few posts on the web from Brawn owners trying to reach the company for repair and warranty claims but can't find a way to do so. Tufftackle may no longer exist, but its "official statement" has achieved immortality.
I still have a little time, how about another round? Final one, I promise!
A year ago I reviewed the Penn Spinfisher V. Among the issues I found were some big discrepancies between advertised weights and actual ones, and I also criticised the "watertight" claim and said that by design these reels are not watertight and can never be. The official statement soon followed
They claimed that the weight difference was due to extra grease (!!) and that the reel was indeed watertight save for a few faulty ones. I would not let that go unchallenged, and I responded by ridiculing that grease claim and showing that the amount of grease needed to make up the weight difference was impossible to fit inside the reel. Here is my response
Finally they gave up and published the following
An acknowledgement that the advertised weights were indeed wrong as I originally said, and they proceeded to change the listed weights of all reels to match my findings.
And later on they revised the "watertight" claim to become just "water resistant"
This is the original packaging with the "watertight" claim
And this is the updated one. Both packages are of the regular Spinfisher V reel, not the live-liner version. Another official statement hits the dust.
Now let's talk. I did not publish this because I'm upset with any company or hate any brand. On the contrary, some of the brands mentioned here are regularly featured on my top picks' page. The point of this article is to eradicate that aura of credibility that often surrounds anything a company says in an official statement, because at the end of the day these are words said/written by humans no different than anyone else, and they can be wrong, confused, unaware of all the facts, or even motivated by malice. Always use your common sense and question everything, and never take any claim at face value just because it was spoken with authority. Trusting a source is no longer an option in our intellectually and morally bankrupt world, so make sure to pick your vigilance along with your keys and wallet every time you walkout of your door. I mean this both literally and figuratively.
