These guys look as though they are out to shake up the tackle market
Rods http://www.alekasports.com/gb/category/102/fly-rods (http://www.alekasports.com/gb/category/102/fly-rods)
Reels http://www.alekasports.com/gb/category/104/fly-reels (http://www.alekasports.com/gb/category/104/fly-reels)
Lines http://www.alekasports.com/gb/category/112/fly-lines (http://www.alekasports.com/gb/category/112/fly-lines)
Boxes http://www.alekasports.com/gb/category/112/fly-lines (http://www.alekasports.com/gb/category/112/fly-lines)
Etc., Etc., Etc., ..............
Looks quite good gear too :shock:
Interesting looking gear Donald. At under 70 quid it might be worth buying that 4 pc. 9' #4 weight rod just to see what it's like.
Nice looking reels and inexpensive lines too. :8)
looks awfully familiar but perhaps they just got the same web designer in...
http://www.soniksports.com/ (http://www.soniksports.com/)
I seem to recall had a similar 'Introductory' offer of half price tackle. I got an SK4 to try it out but it really didnt suit my casting at all.
Quote from: Otter Spotter on March 05, 2012, 03:39:22 PM
looks awfully familiar but perhaps they just got the same web designer in...
http://www.soniksports.com/ (http://www.soniksports.com/)
I seem to recall had a similar 'Introductory' offer of half price tackle. I got an SK4 to try it out but it really didnt suit my casting at all.
That's exactly what my first thoughts were, they also appear to support the very same angling bodies. Not sure what to make of it, I guess the prices are reasonable though.
Saw the adds and instantly thought of Sonik.
Pretty easy to set yourself up these days , they have a trade show in China with loads of unbranded clone gear just pick what you want and give them a logo to stick on it all.
Good enough gear but my worry is that it will eventually put all the Western companies to the wall , me Im saving for another Norwich.
Quote from: shad on March 05, 2012, 10:10:08 PM
my worry is that it will eventually put all the Western companies to the wall
that has already happened for the most part.
Sonik are based in England
Sonik Sports Limited
Riverside Business Park
Coniston Court
Blyth, Northumberland
NE24 4RP
United Kingdom
and Aleka are in Pennsylvania USA
ALEKA SPORTS LLC (US)
929 SOUTH HIGH STREET
WEST CHESTER, PA 19382
UNITED STATES
but also have a place in Northumberland
ALEKA SPORTS (UK)
HIGHFORD, MITFORD
NORTHUMBERLAND, NE61 3PJ
UNITED KINGDOM
Our pal John in NZ has a reel that came as part of a deal with a rod.
It is labelled "Fenwick" and is identical in every respect to the old Snowbee Classic. Only the decal is different.
You can get more or less anything built to any specifications you like in China, Taiwan and other places. They also have a very large selection of "standard" stuff and they just put a logo on it for you. Some of it is very good and some of it is rubbish. A very great deal of the tackle on the market today comes from there.
TL
MC
Quote from: col on March 06, 2012, 09:08:57 AM
must be a bit like hardys /greys , if thats the case the aleka stuff looks a good deal!
The main difference is actually in "marketing" and the price markup. I wrote a series of articles about that, here's one which may be of interest;
OK. As a matter of interest, I just got back from a tackle shop where the owner imports some of his own stuff. I was asked to help out with fly-rods, as these are not his strong suit. He usually buys his rods in 100 lots, ( this is usually the minimum order for most factories in Korea). Firms like Zebco, Reddington, Browning, and quite a few others, buy practically all their stuff there.
Occasionally the factories send new models for review, and of course hoping for an order. One particular rod model, which we looked at last year in October, was very nice, but I was not happy with the rings ( guides). I don¦t mind helping this guy out, as he does a lot for some of the local clubs, and he is active in getting youngsters into angling. He also gives the clubs very good discounts.
This rod costs 8,5 US $ ( which is quite expensive actually) ex-factory normally. ( For 100 units, if you buy a lot more then they are cheaper). The factory agreed to use our specified Fuji guides, instead of the ones they were using, a slightly different cork handle, a Fuji reel seat, and the silk-screening was a little more expensive. He was also obliged to take 300 rods as a minimum order.
After some negotiations with a couple of other tackle shops, ( 300 rods of one model is a lot) the owner agreed to take 300. We just checked them this morning. The rods are quite excellent, and the total ex-factory cost was just over 13$ inclusive. Transport is a fairly large factor, and he paid 416 US $ for air freight.For just this one shipment. With larger shipments, one could disperse this cost more effectively, but he only has a small shop.
He will doubtless advertise the rods somewhere ( I don¦t know anything about that price wise), and he has to store them, sell them, etc etc. The final, retail price in his shop before tax ( at 16%), is 225 US $ apiece. Inclusive tax
261$ . Most of which is indeed profit. His investment comes to a total of about 4500$ ( excluding storage, shop
rent, advertising, employee costs etc etc). And his gross is 78,300.00 $ ( before tax)
He could sell them a lot cheaper, but as he told me, if he sells them below the price of rods of comparable quality, ( and they are actually of very high quality), he will not sell many, as people then imagine that they are "cheap" rods.
(Ignoring the fact that he will sell 200 rods to other shops, as this gets too complex, and assuming he sold them all himself)This is, theoretically at least, and ignoring some factors, a net profit of 67,500$ ( before tax). This is for one rod model. Much the same applies to many other tackle items. All prices are in US$. Hooks, swivels, and a host of other items, have even greater mark-ups. Top quality hooks for instance, as good as anything else on the market, ( mainly Japanese) can be got ( dependent on size etc), for as little as 3$ per thousand. These are invariably repackaged, ( the packaging costs more than the goods), in tens etc, and sold for several dollars a packet. Indeed, some packaged packets of hooks cost more than a rod ex-factory!
Of course, he has cut out the middle man, which would otherwise reduce his margin considerably. Nevertheless, the whole thing is a most excellent investment. As long as he manages to stay in business!
The rods mentioned, when compared to others, even from well known "makers", are superb quality, and cheap at the price. This is only one "isolated" example, and I am perfectly well aware that not all tackle dealers are rolling in money. They are also obliged to carry ranges of things which are nowhere near as profitable, and 300 rods are not sold in a day, ( except maybe by Cabelas etc) It still makes one think!
TL
MC
Quote from: col on March 06, 2012, 09:08:57 AM
must be a bit like hardys /greys , if thats the case the aleka stuff looks a good deal!
Same thoughts exactly and going from what Mike has just said, seems to me that just as in everything else, there comes a point in tackle evolution where the budget brands catch up with the top of the range.
Obviously the cheapest rod can never match the most expensive and to keep costs down there will be a few cutbacks on reel seats etc,. but spend a few pound more and you are getting an equally good rod for a fraction of the price.
Mate of mine who worked in the tackle trade used to argue that you weren't getting a lifetime guarantee with an £80 rod :roll:
If you take a hardy > mid range loop > budget end unbranded they all do the same thing. The actual blank itself can and will most likely be of similar quality assuming you choose the lower end stuff appropriately. As Mike has mentioned with guides, the big differences between low end stuff and high end stuff are fittings and tolerances. One of the loop designers I was speaking to at the kelso fair a couple years ago said the main difference between their cheap rods and more expensive rods is exactly that, tolerances of how straight the guides are aligned for example and quality of fittings.
Most brand name gear is made out east so if you carefully select you can likely pick up identical gear at bargain prices.
That's the logic, now whether someone takes a pride in the added perceived quality in high end gear or enjoys brand loyalty etc is a totally different aspect which is totally up to them.
Another thing thing that can be missed is you are actually paying far more in real terms for this cheap gear if you look at the overall picture.
Next time you buy food, fill your tank with petrol, buy heating oil for your house,or pay yet another massive hike on your gas and electricity bill remember it's all related to the price of oil and the main reason oil is super expensive compared to what it once was is because of massive energy demands from places like China that was not there before they started flooding the market with cheap consumer goods. This was predicted decades ago, you do not need a degree in economics to understand why.
There is no such thing as a free lunch, one way or another you will pay.