Leatherbarrows rod building

[richk]

Originally Posted by Woody123

Actually I am thinking of buying more carp tamers in 31/2 lb test curve.....I like the 23/4 lb so much.....that will cost me about £300.....anybody want to buy 2 refurbished rods?

Not at those prices

[fatboyslim]

Totally gutted for you pal

Surly there must be something you can do, I hope you told him to stop work on the rods pronto till you get back in touch.

The next thing I would be doing is going to a solicitor ( a lot do a free night where you can ask advice etc ) and just find out where you would stand if you were to walk in and take your rods back. You would probably have to pay for what he has done so far but as you have said you can get the job done cheaper else where

Its just a thought but it is what I would do, the mans extracting the wee out of you

Good luck which ever way you go

Now i'm going to throw a spanner in the works here and go against the general feeling that old Col is on the rip-off.
Taking the prices from the Snags link earlier lets say that you have SIC's on the rebuilt rods with a gunsmoke Fuji seat, a slim duplon handle and a stainless butt cap. The sum of the parts would be £88 per rod, that leaves £82 in it for Colins labour and whipping thread and varnish etc.
Now how long does it take Col to knock-up a rod. From scratch with new blanks i'd reckon a couple of hours at a guess. With old rods he has to spend time stripping them down then sanding them to an acceptable standard for rebuild, that obviously takes more time, how much i've no idea but an extra hour would probably be a conservative guess, maybe a couple of hours would be nearer the mark, i'll stick with just an extra hour.
So thats 3 hours labour which gives Col 27 quid an hour for his labour per rod.
Now correct me if i'm wrong, bearing in mind Col has done work for me in the past so I know how good he is, is Colin Leatherbarrow not one of the finest rod building craftsmen in the business?? I think he is for sure, he's a man who could hold his own with any other rod builder in the country, one of the best at what he does without a doubt.
Is having a master rod builder do work for you worth 27 quid an hour? Dead right it is and the knockers are very wrong for suggesting it isnt and saying the man is a rip-off merchant.
Another slant on it is the price people pay for car mechanics. Vauxhall will relieve you of nearly 50 quid an hour to work on your car, and for that you may get some spotty little grease monkey doing the job...that puts it into perspective a little.
Stop winging about the price, get the job done and pay the man the money he no doubt will have earned.
Why is it everyone wants something for nothing....

[rogue trader]

Originally Posted by Woody123

Actually I am thinking of buying more carp tamers in 31/2 lb test curve.....I like the 23/4 lb so much.....that will cost me about £300.....anybody want to buy 2 refurbished rods?

depends wheather they still look like twigs with reals atachted

[Woody123]

Finbar I hear what you say....however just for the record Colin isn't sanding the rods completely and he told me the basis for his prices is £20 per hour.......(considerably less than a lot of people earn)...I have calmed down now and I think the reason I was so upset was that for that sort of money...... £170 per rod.....I could have got perfectly acceptable new rods.....anyway having thought this all through I think that I was being unreasonable....I went to him after all.......so therefore I will take my medicine and pay the man what he asks........but in the future I will look more carefully at the financial aspects and weigh up the pro's and con's before jumping in with both feet....a lesson I should have learnt at an early age, instead of now......still I suppose that is all part of my charm
Let us end this thread now and take from it all these valuable learnt lessons....I must be getting soft in my old age

[diggerman]

the bottom line is do you want your rods made up by an expect then you should expect to pay
let me put it another way take your car for an oil change and fluid levels and they will charge you a ton or more so chill mate i have hand made rods and they still feel special when i use them dont beat yourself up

[MANAGER]

Originally Posted by Woody123

I think the reason I was so upset was that for that sort of money...... £170 per rod.....I could have got perfectly acceptable new rods.....
anyway having thought this all through I think that I was being unreasonable....I went to him after all.......
so therefore I will take my medicine and pay the man what he asks........but in the future I will look more carefully at the financial aspects and weigh up the pro's and con's before jumping in with both feet..

Well said, take it on the chin eh?