Well I may not be the best fly fisherman around but one thing I do know about is reviewing items. For the last 5 years I have traveled the UK working as a " Mystery Buyer". My job entails buying products from shops, stores and Etailers. I then report on the quality of product and service.
I have no association with any manufacturer, supplier, shop or store and my opinions are my own unbiased thoughts on the products and services I purchase or use.
Over the last couple of years there has been a massive increase in Etailing which should have been great for the consumer by reducing prices. Thats all well and good if you are an expert and know the ins and outs of the product you are buying. One thing is for sure if you buy from an Etailer you will miss out on personal service and you may even be lied to and well and truly tucked up!
I know of quite a few Etailers who exaggerate both the price and performance of their products and an easy way to assess the quality / value of an item is to check with your local shop and see if it is actually available on the High Street. If its not and its so good ask yourself why no shops are stocking it. The chances are that your local dealer doesn't stock it because there is no real value at the price it is being offered at.
Ok and so to my first product. This is a knotless tapered leader currently being offered on Ebay by a number of Etailers who all claim that it was specially manufactured for them by a leading line manufacturer. The price of this leader is between 80pence and £1 depending on who you buy it from. It is obviously not specially manufactured for anyone and in my opinion is a cheap Chinese import.
In my opinion leave them alone head down to your local shop and buy a good one. In the long run a £2.99 - £3.99 leader will give you far better service and value for money.
Watch out for more of my reviews over the next few weeks as I buy and test more equipment not from an experts eye but from the eye of your average fly fisherman