FROSTBITE RODS

[Sparkle]

Gotta say I'm not too impressed with the quality of these Frostbite rods. I ordered two Mr Bigs in the Twilight series for Lakers. This series comes with a reel seat and stainless steel guides. I'm not a fan of the tape a reel to the rod . One of the two rods showed up with the tip guide broken(repaired guide myself). The construction quality is poor and rough least to say. On both rods various guides are crooked . I know its only a $80 rod. But with all the FrostBite hype you would think Aaron and Alex would put out a better quality controlled product. Time will tell how these rods function.

[Coosangler]

They are great fishermen .....
Sub par businessmen....
I buy custom rods from a local bait/ archery shop "John's" in groveton
Around $50 each and I'm really happy with the 42" medium laker rod I got last year and the 36" medium light all arounder I picked up recently
I heavily prefer to inspect the product before I buy...
I'll even pay extra
If I picked a lemon it's my bad

[esox_xtm]

"Only a $80 rod"? Everything better be perfect for that price. Might not be the toppest end components but the guides should be straight, not broken, reel seat better be aligned and secure.

Really though considering, doesn't come as a surprise to me.

[Sylvanboat]

"Only a $80 rod"? Everything better be perfect for that price.

Damn right.

[Ice_Fly_Guy]

As a guy who occasionally builds and sells a custom ice rod, that really grinds my gears. $80 is about what I'd charge for a basic rod with mid level components.  I, and I'm sure others who do this, take painstaking efforts to make sure things are lined up and looking sharp.  Companies like this should be put on blast.

[Sparkle]

As a guy who occasionally builds and sells a custom ice rod, that really grinds my gears. $80 is about what I'd charge for a basic rod with mid level components.  I, and I'm sure others who do this, take painstaking efforts to make sure things are lined up and looking sharp.  Companies like this should be put on blast.

Well said blakemohr!!! Its disheartening. All a guy wants to do is support a fellow fisherman in hopes they succeed and reach their goals. You would think they would live up to their end of the bargain and provide a good quality controlled product . Lesson learned.......

[the force]

I recently got a smokeshow and a digger, both twilight series. Used the smokeshow yesterday and really enjoyed it, nice length, soft enough tip handled rainbows really well (it’s hard to say as a fact but my gut feel is it helped my 4 and 7 year old keep fish pinned while using barbless hooks). Also like the size of the guides, a little wider than most which should help with freezing tight. For $70 CAD I’m happy.

If you have a local rod builder support them for sure but glad to give these guys my money vs a fenwick through cabelas. 

[Coosangler]

Dang! Nice pile! Call frostbite and get those kids sponsored...lol

[the force]

Lol, no doubt. Usually only take a couple but fun to stack them up with the kids once in a while and run a batch to though the smoker.

[TheJigginJerk]

Where are the Frost Bite rods made? In the US or are they made in China like all the Googan baits crap?

[kpd145]

I have a digger and a deadbolt.

So far so good, build quality seems good, all guides were lined up. I've caught some decent fish on them already

I'm not impressed with the customer service or shipping at all. My orders will sit close to a week before being shipped, if I even get a shipment notification from them.

[hnd]

I know its only a $80 rod.

um....only 80 doll hairs?  screw that.  you can buy custom rods for that.  i'd return that garbage.  And I got no beef with frostbite or their owners. 

[Inabell]

I've a Smokeshow. Fit and finish are good. I ordered on a weekend, shipped on Monday and had it by Thursday. No complaints for $65 shipped.

[TheJigginJerk]

um....only 80 doll hairs?  screw that.  you can buy custom rods for that.  i'd return that garbage.  And I got no beef with frostbite or their owners.

$80 for a tiny little rod that I assume is made in China seems like a rip off. For that price I’d go with something made in the US.

[Hatandboots]

My newest rod from them had some slightly twisted guides, but other than that I've had no issues with the 6 rods I own from them. Maybe this most recent batch had some QA issues. Did any of you contact them?

They are hardly garbage, still the best rods I own. You do have to deal with some slow shipping on orders from them to get them for sure though.

[TheJigginJerk]

Why are you guys OK with a rod that came damaged or with twisted guides? These are supposed to be high end rods. They should be perfect. It’s not some cheap $20 rod from Dicks.

[Hatandboots]

5/6 of mine are perfect. The 6th has one guide that is slightly offset from the others, but not enough that it hurts its usability in the least bit at all. It only matters for aesthetics. If I was upset I would contact support and ask for a new one, as anyone in this chat can, and they would probably help out, especially for something broken. I think declaring Frostbite rods garbage is dramatic and silly.

https://fishfrostbite.ca/pages/warranty-policy

[HWeber]

I'm usually willing to defend frostbite but they've been sending rods out that shouldn't have made it past quality control. They don't have the reputation to continue selling trash like clam and some larger companies have gotten away with

[struckus]

I have a slapshot from last year and a drench from this year..they are both nice but the slapshot had a subpar end eyelet that I had to solder shut..wasn't a bit deal but noteworthy..they both handle fish well and I have been impressed witht hat aspect of them..really love the drench as a deadstick rod..

[Ice_Fly_Guy]

This is why companies get away with this stuff.  Just continue to shell out the $ and shrug your shoulders when there is an obvious flaw.

[sparksNfishing]

Has anyone had issues with the guides not being aligned on the spine very well?

[waterlike]

Has anyone had issues with the guides not being aligned on the spine very well?

Yes.  On two different rods.  I had the titanium guide dipstick.  not aligned well at all.  Supposedly They will fix it if you contact them as soon as you recieve it.  I never did because I bought it at the end of season last year.  They said they fixed quality control issues in a video they released last year.  Not so I guess.  Ive also had issues with the final guide on two different rods not being soldered all the way, there is a small space in the loop that the line sometimes slids through and comes out of the guide.  I think this was on the meatlocker. 

[TheJigginJerk]

You shouldn’t have to repair a brand new rod or anything you buy new. People shouldn’t accept that kind of crappy product. They probably pay $5 for these rods from some Chinese factory and resell them for $60 to $80. It sounds like you can get better quality out of a $10 HT rod.

[BUCKSKI]

As a part-time rod builder, unacceptable. Umm the reel seat and guides all align before the epoxy. The "custom" rod building fad is annoying, $100-120 for a custom ice rod is about par, but who does Tennessee handles? Just quick and easy, but not of the highest quality.
Check these out for fastening your reel to the handle w/o a seat. https://sportsmensdirect.com/shop/cold-snap-reel-wraps/
Use two of them.
Build your own stuff and you will enjoy it more. I caught a 24 laker on a Frankenstein rod (tip and butt from two broken rods)-- the rod cost me epoxy, 1 guide and some thread for wraps.. I like a super stiff rod for fishing blades in 90 fow.

[TickleStick]

I would pass on anything frostbite.

For $80 there is a lot of good rods that will not have crooked guides or reel seats.

I also don't care much for the googan squad.

[Coosangler]

We all wanted Frostbite to Excell...
These "2nds" should be deeply discounted and labeled as such
The reason this happens is because you are trusting them to buy unseen,  by the time you get it, you don't want to send it back.... And it still catches fish... So you keep it ...
They should just send you a new one and say keep the "2nd"  for the hassle... Makes no sense to ship it back anyway...
I'm gonna send them a letter
Hopefully they will get better

[esox_xtm]

Drinkin' the kool aid...

[sparksNfishing]

We all wanted Frostbite to Excell...
These "2nds" should be deeply discounted and labeled as such
The reason this happens is because you are trusting them to buy unseen,  by the time you get it, you don't want to send it back.... And it still catches fish... So you keep it ...
They should just send you a new one and say keep the "2nd"  for the hassle... Makes no sense to ship it back anyway...
I'm gonna send them a letter
Hopefully they will get better

I haven't heard of anyone being requested to sent their defective/damaged rods back. I've had some replaced at the mere mention of an issue. Not even requesting a new one, but just mentioning an issue. I am very happy with their customer support. I wish there were no issues though. They aren't the most expense but pricey enough. I reason buying them and other makes/gear with deciding to not get take out. For 2 large pizzas, wings and some pop it cost $65 to my door. I enjoy it for a night (with some regrets) and maybe some lunch, but i get to enjoy a $80 rod for years.

[remyjames23]

I bought a drench this year and it shipped with a break in the fiberglass below the top eyelet. I contacted them and it took 4 days for them to ask me for photo proof, and then another 4 days to ship a replacement. I was happy with the service but not the rod quality. The quality is decent but it seems thrown together and not 100% perfectly lined up. I spent $50 on the cheaper model with a reel seat, I would never pay more for a tape on reel seat even to get better guides. I am happy enough with the rod but wont be buying again.

[TheJigginJerk]

Sounds like some real quality control issues going on and idiots in the shipping department that are packing up broken products. How hard is it look at the item before you stick it in the box?