Tfo Axiom 6 Wt - Replace Or Keep Re-warranty?

[duanec]

hey-

1 year ago i purchased a tfo axiom 6wt as my 10 yr old sage vps was in for a broken tip [user error]. i needed a good value stick & fast as i was heading out on a trip for a week, also i had been looking for a good second rod for a bit. i cast a few other at the time [loomis, reddington, etc.] and for the $$ was impressed by this rod. it also had a different action than my vps, and i found i cast it very well.

 

on it's frst outing the tip section broke off. i thought hmmm maybe something i had done - never having owned a 4 pce before...maybe a didn't ensure it was tight & the tip got loose. so anyways i warranty replaced it and away i went.

so a couple weeks ago the tip section broke again while i was landing a fish.

this is now the 4th time i have broken a tip section of this rod.

wtf?

the only times i have ever needed to replace something on my other rods has been my own fault, but this rod has now cost me @ hundred bucks in warranty charges and i can se no reasonable explaination as to why.

not a happy camper.

n e ways, the shop did call springbrook and explained my situation, and said i was not happy. springbrook has offered to credit my original purchase price. a complete replacement axiom is also on the table.

that's all good, and i truly don't want to be an ass about this with anyone, but here's the thing:

-i actually liked the tfo rod and cast it well, but i'm quite frankly a little gun shy after it's durability performance

-the axiom series has gone up in price since last year [huh?]

-i'm into this rod for the orig. price plus my warranty charges now - i coulda stepped up a price point at the time and got something else, but chose this one for the bang for the buck [ha]

-i know that this rod gets good reviews and i liked it and all, but part of me thinks enough is enough, and get something else.

 

right now i think tfo needs to step up a little bit more than just offering a replacement, but i doubt that is in the cards.

 

i'm flummoxed. do i:

take the money and run away and buy a different rod [and walk away from my 100 on warranty charges]?

take a replacement and hope that i don't have another run of whatever bad things have happened to this one? if i do and it breaks again, i keep throwing the $30 warranty charges at it?

 

what would you do? opinions? advice? sage wisdom?

 

 

[darrinhurst]

I currently have three TFO Signature Series rods, 1 2pc and 2 4pc. Other than the tip of the 2pc breaking somewhere between buying it and bringing it home, I have never had an issue with any one of them.

 

Maybe the problem wasn't with the tip sections but the second section down that held the tip sections. Not a rod builder, but it had me thinking about it being the wrong diameter, etc.

 

Anyway, I'd take the replacement rod and see if it happens again. Have you heard of this being a problem with other Axiom owners? If not, it may have just been one of those one in a million things.

[cdock]

Could simply be a bad rod period. Perhaps the other sections is where the real problem lies. There is no 100% quality control for anyone so it could be just one of those odd balls that got through. I would take the replacement and if that one gives you problems then go for the refund.

[cdock]

Haha I didn't see FNG's post. Could saved me some typing.

[scorpiondeathlock]

I have tfo axiom 6 wt with fighting butt. Had it for less than a year but rod is prob two years old. The person i bought it from gave it to me with a broken rod tip. Well actually it was the second piece that broke right at where it joins. This is my new bow river hunter and have Thrown huge streamers and nymph rigs with it and never had a prob. My two cents.

 

Cheers,

scorpiondeathlock

[ÜberFly]

Duane,

 

You are making big bucks now, take the $ and buy something better!!

 

P

 

 

[duanec]

Duane,

 

You are making big bucks now, take the $ and buy something better!!

 

P

baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!

[duanec]

Well actually it was the second piece that broke right at where it joins.

 

funny that's where mine has broken this time.

huh.

 

[headscan]

take the money and run away and buy a different rod [and walk away from my 100 on warranty charges]?

Run away and don't look back. TFO has horrible quality control from what I've seen with my own eyes. A rack full of supposed 9' rods that varied up to a couple inches in length. Guides spaced apart at varying distances from one rod to the next. Misaligned guides. I hear lots of stories about TFO rods breaking, yet I don't hear that about any other rods. Like you pointed out, you could've bought a "premium" rod for the price of you TFO plus the $100 in warranty. Eventually you'll have yourself a $600 TFO rod.

[dutchie]

my choice would be take the money , my advice would be try to come up with the extra coin and get just a better rod , you can get a really great used rod like a top end sage or ovis , my choice would be a winston for way less then half price ,

if you need help in finding one i can send you in a good direction to go looking , nothing wrong with a second hand rod , i have even got them with the blank warranty cards not even filled out , you can get some great deals on a rod if your not in a fast rush to have it

 

some guys buy them to have as a back up rod for a special trip, when done they just sell them

[Taco]

Take Dutchie's advice is what I'd do. I haven't paid new market value for a quality rod or reel in yrs

[reevesr1]

I actually haven't bought used fly rods, but it sounds just like the used golf club industry. Lots of people buy stuff, try it out and either don't like them or, more commonly, buy the latest greatest version when it comes out in their unending quest of the technology that will solve their perceived problem. Which is perfect for those of us who are cheap, and don't mind something that someone else has rarely used. Hooray for ebay!

[Guest Sundancefisher]

Run away and don't look back. TFO has horrible quality control from what I've seen with my own eyes. A rack full of supposed 9' rods that varied up to a couple inches in length. Guides spaced apart at varying distances from one rod to the next. Misaligned guides. I hear lots of stories about TFO rods breaking, yet I don't hear that about any other rods. Like you pointed out, you could've bought a "premium" rod for the price of you TFO plus the $100 in warranty. Eventually you'll have yourself a $600 TFO rod.

 

I have 7 TFO rods, Ti, TiCR, TiCRx's. Only tip or piece that ever broke was the one that the wife broke during our last move. I did however break the tip off of my Sage Xi2 on the 4 cast of the first day of my first ever bonefish fishing trip... YIKES.

 

I would suggest you also look at your casting technique and the flies you are using. In discussions with my salty guide he thought that I may of clipped the rod with the fly while casting. Sometimes the slightest ding of a fly can make for a nasty weak point. The blanks are actually very brittle...especially the stiffer the blank. The coatings should provide some protection but that could be your problem...

 

I am guessing you are not dry fly fishing with that rod and maybe casting split shots, streamers etc.

 

Get another full rod and be glad you didn't bust a Sage...the warranty cost is getting close to triple that of the TFO's and here at least you can get same day service.

 

IMHO.

 

Sun

[duanec]

I would suggest you also look at your casting technique and the flies you are using. In discussions with my salty guide he thought that I may of clipped the rod with the fly while casting. Sometimes the slightest ding of a fly can make for a nasty weak point.

yup - i have done that before, that's what i suspect did in my vps a year ago - a huge streamer collision and a few casts later, snap. that's understandable.

but that's simply not been the case with this tfo.

[Guest Sundancefisher]

yup - i have done that before, that's what i suspect did in my vps a year ago - a huge streamer collision and a few casts later, snap. that's understandable.

but that's simply not been the case with this tfo.

 

hmmm.

 

Given there has not been a huge out cry insofar as a fatal rod defect/manufacturing flaw...is it possible where you are storing the rod may be scratching it or putting undue pressure on the tip...like when jamming it in a tube? Maybe you have a big lead headed streamer stuck at the bottom of the tube?

 

Otherwise...maybe there is not as much bend allowed in the blank before the brittle breaking point is reached. Maybe you just can't hold the fish as high as one normally would.

 

I would still try the lemon angle and get a completely new rod. Let us know if you do and how it fares.

 

Cheers

 

Sun

[Bobr]

I have 3 TFO rods, all 2 pc. I do not have the Axoim though.

I have broken the tip twice on the 5wt, but just before that I heard the dreaded "tick" of the split shot bouncing off the rod.

 

I don't go out very often, maybe 5 - 6 times a month in the warmer months so my usage may not compare to yours.

I have never had a problem with the TFO's I have that I didn't cause myself and I've beat these guys up quite a bit.

Yanking out a snags, dropped on the rocks, digging the tip in the dirt while stumbling through the trees etc etc.

 

Personally I happy with their durability, but in your case I'm not sure. I can see technique being the issue a couple times but 4 times sounds like a lemon.

I would take the replacement only on the condition that you can return it for a refund, or get any replacement pieces for that rod free from now on.

 

Good luck

[duanec]

Given there has not been a huge out cry insofar as a fatal rod defect/manufacturing flaw...is it possible where you are storing the rod may be scratching it or putting undue pressure on the tip...like when jamming it in a tube? Maybe you have a big lead headed streamer stuck at the bottom of the tube?

Otherwise...maybe there is not as much bend allowed in the blank before the brittle breaking point is reached. Maybe you just can't hold the fish as high as one normally would.

I would still try the lemon angle and get a completely new rod. Let us know if you do and how it fares.

so i ate the 100 in warranty charges i've had over the last year and got a full refund for my original purchase price [note the axiom has gone up in price since i purchased]. i doubt i'll ever purchase another tfo product.

whatever.

with the proceeds i purchased a 'never seen the water' 6 wt sage fli and lamson reel w/ line and rio versatip. private sale online.

should have it in a few days.

new toys, i can't wait to play with them.

[Teck71]

Take the new one if that breaks take the cash get an Amundson. (your welcome Jack )

[dutchie]

dune

IMHO ,you made the very best choice in switching rods , plus now you have a new toy , i can't see you breaking as many tips with it , some people are really hard on gear , not saying you are , let us know in a few months how your maken out , i have seen and heard alot of them TFO rods getting broke , and most seem to be the tip part ,

 

what the heck , you went through a few and only cost ya $100 , enjoy the new outfit and i wish you many good days with it ,

 

i really like sage rods ,next best rod to a winston WT or DL4 , i think the best sage rod they ever made was the SLT line , i like my rods with a bit of soft tip , not like these broomsticks they making today , but the newer rods sure can cast a country mile ,

 

and a good choice for a reel , i use lamson litespeed in the guide model finish for reels in my drift boat when i take people out who don't have there own outfits , never had any trouble with them and in 3 years and the finish still is good , and these rods and reels get tested lots ,

 

i don't know what they did for a finish on the reel but it's super tough and don't chip or ding up , sorta like the spray in truck bed liner i have in the pickup ,