Falcon rods= Made in China

The HD rod is made in China. That sucks. thats all

What isn't made in Asia anymore?

never heard that before.

Yes the new HD rods are made in china but they will still have fuji components.Falcon is a great rod and they are doing this to get the cost down on a very good entry level rod.

Too tell the truth, I haven't ever heard of the HD series. Where do they fall in the Falcon line up?

They are the new entry level rods should be before the originals as far as price goes.

http://falconrods.com/index.php/rods-reels/rods/hd.html?SID=2c1944276e9f97c57faf8b1c1a4e546d

lots of good rods are made in China. The Shimano Crucial is a good example of a quality rod that is made in China.

I dont care if they're made in the North Pole, Falcon rods are absolutely incredible!

I've always used Falcons because I could support something produced here in the USA.

I'm sure that Falcon will still be a good rod, as many others are that are produced in China, but what happens to the people in Oklahoma that made these rods. Did they go to China to retain their jobs?

I understand the economics of production costs vs profit - I sell a crankbait box that was made overseas. It's just disapointing when another MFG decides to outsource production to a foreign MFGer!

Is St. Croix still made here in the USA?

-Alton

i believe just that line up is made there to keep that particular model very affordable...but still engineered by falcon...This correct?

My Falcon Rods are Made in USA by a Chinese fella, just kidding!!

I hope they dont start production oversea's. Seems like lots of things everyone thinks is USA made ends up being USA engineered, Chinese made.

whats the cost on these new rods

Most I've seen are 69.00 and i think its for all models

to my knowledge all falcon rods from the low rider on up are still made in broken arrow, its just the rods below the lowrider that are china made, and imo falcon is the only rod i will spend my money on outside of loomis! excellent rods, and great customer service is all i have ever experienced from falcon!

Lizard,

I hope you are right - I don't think there is a better rod on the market and they do have awesome cust. serv. I just hope they still are madein OK, USA!

-Alton

sometimes getting things made overseas is the best bet for some companies, yes it is a very unpopular decision and Falcon will probably take a lot of [censored] for it but the companies that get their rods made overseas are doing it with the intent of making a great rod at a great price.

everyone that loves their loomis rods but want to give a company [censored] for taking business to china needs to break their loomis rods and throw away all your curados, both of which come from overseas

Santa does good work

that does suck i really want to buy american when possible.

Allow me to offer this. There are some venerable American rod companies that are importing rods from China, and are also making rods here in the USA. It depends on how willing you are to pony up the $$$ for an American made rod as to which rod series you�ll buy.

St Croix Avid, and all the Legend series rods are American made in Park Falls, Wisconsin. The Mojo Bass series are manufactured in Mexico, and if I remember correctly the Triumph series are made in China.

I suspect that this is just the same sort of thing that Falcon is doing.

TFP

Most rods are made in china. Blanks-china Cork-Indonesia reel seats/eyes-japan... But they get the rod shipped over here and they put eyes on it and call it American made

There are OTHER high end rod companies that have their entry level rods made in china. Owners will tell you that and tell you why because of economics. I know of one company that sells a rod here in america retail for $179.99 and it is made in china...

Dont blame Falcon, blame our over-reaching and burdensome tax policy and environmental regulations here in the US.
The polititians think businesses will just magically absorb the ever increasing costs to do business here.
Business people know business, and how to turn a profit (the goal of any business) and labor costs overseas are alot lower. Unfortunately the Chinese government is more business friendly than ours is.

Got to disagree with you on the part about the Chinese govt being more business friendly unless you are talking about being friendly when you buy from them. Try to sell them something. Their attitude changes in a hurry.

In many many cases it is cheaper and easier to import stuff because our govt does not charge the same taxes on imports that other countries do. We let companies from other countries sell stuff here with minimal import taxes imposed, but let companies here try to sell in other countries and they get charged huge taxes. Lets put equal taxes into play and see how much cheaper it is to buy imported items.

american rodsmiths, castaway, kistler, carrot sticks, a bunch of these rods shops have rods built in China. They have to keep cost down with todays economy. It does not mean the rods are not quality built, they just cant afford to have them made over here and still make money.

+2

This goes for just about every industry out there not just the fishing industry.

The only Falcon rod series that will be made in China is the HD series. All the Originals, BuCoo's, Lowriders, Coastals, Caras and Experts willl still be made in the USA. The only reason the HD's are made in China is too keep the retail down in a struggling economy. The HD series is $69 retail and has a very aggressive warranty. St Croix, Shimano, American Rodsmiths, BPS, Castaway, Kistler, All Star, Duckett, E21, and Eagle Claw all are either made purely in China or at least one series within the brand is made in China. If you want to buy an American made product, you still have plenty of options with Falcon.

Like has been said already. They are not making any of the CURRENT models that have already been made in Oklahoma in China. Nobody in Broken Arrow Oklahoma is losing their jobs. The ONLY rods that are being made in China are a NEW series of rods called the HD. Like also has been said, they are an entry level rod with high quality components for a lower price point. If you want to continue buying great American made rods just keep buying the Lowriders and Caras that you have always liked. If you want a low priced but still quality rod then look at the HD Series.

Worked in a show store when in college years and years ago in Florida.....old men would come in wanting "an American shoe"....so you'd show them the shoe then they would moan and complain about the price....so you would show them a comparable shoe made in China and probably 8 out of 10 times they would buy the cheaper shoe.

That's what is so frustrating about this site. For weeks and months now, all we read about on the TFF is how great the Skeet Reese rods and Carrot Stix are. Some people even claim they are the best rods they have ever used regardless of the fact that they are made in China. Then, Falcon has one series made off shore and all the sudden that is a big deal to people. Just a funny observation to me.....

I dont think they all are

I just wish all these China crybabies owned their own business. It's funny how all these guys cry because products aren't cheaper then when a company is trying to stay competitive in a struggling market, someone cries foul. I'm curious, what rod company out there doesn't have Chinese products. How about that Ranger your drive OP, is it 100% American? What I think is really funny, everyone howls about buying American, yet the leading importer to the US is having a very rough time with their vehicles and one of the culprits are parts made right here. The products they aren't importing aren't having all the same problems. That is an interest observation too.

Well said!

Everything in this country has some tie back to china in some way im sure. Falcon is a great Rod and a great company and i put no blame on them from choosing China as a manufacturer of the bottom line rod. I have no doubt that they did there research and made a good business decision. Perhaps they crunched numbers and just cant find a way to make it worth their time to make these low end rods here in the US. Paying the workers 15 bucks an hour working say 2 hours per rod start to finish. Ive never seen the manufacturing line at Falcon but im sure if they could have done it here they would have. In america where the average worker is clearly paid more than the average China worker, it is probably costing Falcon more than 69/rod to manufacture here.
Just my opinion none of this is fact

They are right it is just the HD series all the other models are still USA made.

I talked to a guy not too long ago who is a custom rod builder. He told me that several companies who have rods made in asia actually spend more money than it would to actually have them made here. The problem is they cant find Americans that will pay as much detail to a product that asians do. I didnt really know what to say to that comment. True or not I found it interesting.

St. Croix... made in good ol' Wisconsin

Guess you didn't read the post.

Coming from a guy who should know. And some of you are getting close on the concept that some rod companies import components and assemble in the good ol' USA but how many actually make their own blanks?

There's a whole bunch of rods today built today in China. I can show you a rod built in China and a rod built in the US and bet you can't pick out which is which. Rod quality is determined more or less by the quality of the components used and not by who is putting it together. Quality control in China has gotten to be excellent when compared in years past. I don't think Falcons are built in Broken Bow and they never have. They are built in Harrison Arkansas. I would almost go out on a limb and say that every rod you buy at Academy and >95% of all the rods sold through BPS, Cabelas, and Gander Mountain are built in China!

I never worked for a rod company but I have worked for a Japanese company in the USA. Most of the time we would run the line over here, get all the problems associated with the production line worked out and then ship the whole line overseas or to Mexico. Our machines and everything. We would re-assemble the line and start making the products. We could have 50% bad products form overseas, sort them until we had enough good products to make shipment and still come out with a pretty good profit. VS if it were 100% American made. There is no OHSA in China or Mexico. It is very hard to make a profit for an American manufacturer if it is 100% American made. In a nutshell, we design it and have it made by the lowest bidder.

Please let me expand just a little on that subject. Some companies own their own mandrels and someone else wraps graphite or other material over them and they then become that companies specific rod. And some companies own only the propietary rights to the graphite or how it is spun and they still employ somone else to actually spin it onto the mandrel. Most of which is done overseas.

I used to have ALL my rods hand made by custom rod builders and they did an awsome job. It is an art!! But even at cost it was SPENDY! And even at that ALL the components were ( you guessed it) Imported!

All I am saying is that all they are doing at Falcon is offering an entry level rod at a competitive price for the market that ask for it.

Sorry to rant but I think the heading of the post is what got me. BTW all my rods now are 100% American made FALCON!

Correct, all Falcon rods except this new entry level rod are made in Arkansas, not Broken Arrow. Broken Arrow, Ok is Falcon's HQ's. Falcon's blanks are all made in Arkansas as well.

Z21 and others,

Thanks for clearing it up. I appreciate the info and I'm glad Falcon will still have rods mfgrd in Arkansas.

I certainly understand the econimics of having items produced overseas and brought back here. I know there are also ALOT of good products produced there - just because the product is stamped "Made in China" doesn't mean it's a "lesser" product. I think alot of people, myself included, like to support a company that still produces their product here. I know I support alot of companies that have product made overseas, as well.

Thanks for the Falcon info, guys.

-Alton

Boy have I got egg on my face.

Allow me to correct and clarify:
Mojo Bass rods, AND Triumph rods are BOTH designed in Park Falls and handcrafted in Fresnillo, Mexico.


St. Croix is very upfront about this, and to their sources of components.

If you have ANY question as to the point of origin, and/or the componets just go to the St. Croix Freshwater Rods Site. Click on the rod series that you�re interested in, and you�ll find information as to the point of origin, and components information near the top and on the left side of that rod series homepage.

You�ll find one of these two stamps:



TRIUMPH� SALTWATER CONVENTIONAL & SPINNING RODS are stated as being imported, and there is no other specification.


The rod series that are from Mexico are: Imperial, and Rio Santo fly rods; Mojo Bass, and Triumph rods Freshwater rods, Mojo Surf, and Triumph Surf Saltwater rods.




All other St. Croix rods have Park Falls, Wisconsin as the point of origin.


Currently none of the freshwater or fly-rod series of St. Croix rods are made in China.


TFP

I saw the HD rods back in January at the OKC Boat Show. They were obviously high quality and well made. I would buy one over a BuCoo, Original or Low Rider.

Got a $15 composite rod that I would bet is not american made. Coupled with a Chronarch, it is and has been my spinnerbait rod for 15 yrs. The finish is a little worn to say the least but it still is thrown EVERY trip out and has made thousands of casts. Still going strong.
I'd love for everything I own to be made in the US but, bottom line, is that I want something affordable and reliable. IF it isn't made here, I'm still gonna use it. I think "hating imports" went out the window for most a long time ago.

I don't usually bump threads, but when i do its for a reason.

Bought a falcon coastal the other day at academy and i ASSUMED it was made in america.

I get home, rip the cardboard thing they staple around the pole hoping for "MADE IN USA" and i keep looking... those tricky bastards put a made in china sticker on the butt of the rod.

To conclude, it looks like falcon is sending more production over seas... :-(

1st post?

that HD rod is a piece of carp! I bought 2 when they 1st came out and they both broke into pieces the 1st hour of use on hook sets.

I reported this months ago, but had my post deleted by a mod.

Falcon's own customer service rep says they(people at falcon) refer to the HD rod as "Hardly Durable".

Falcon rods are my favorite. I've had excellent durability with them. I will pay extra for made in USA.

came across this thread on a google search, but thanks for the welcome anywhoo.

I have to disagree with you on the quality of the Falcon HD rods. I have three of them (2 7ft MH, 1 H), and love everything about them. They have become some of my favorite rods to throw. They are a great quality at an affordable price. The next time I get a chance to buy another rod I will for sure consider adding another to my collection.

to the TFF.


But I do see where wingem got the idea, I was thinking the same thing.

i guess i love rods made in china.


anyone wanna send thiers to me pm me

most are still made in USA, but at the time this thread was started, only the HD was made in china. Now they have 3 lines of rods being made in china(HD, Coastal, and Cara).

The rest they boast about having "made in usa" blanks.

Buy all you want of em! I can only tell you from my experience that they are a POS. Wait til you set the hook on a nice fish and they snap into 3 pieces. I stand by my statement. I own other falcon rods that are great, but I would NEVER suggest for someone to purchase that HD rod just to save $40. You get what you pay for bud. That is exactly what the Falcon customer service rep told me too. They agree that the HD rods are carp.

+1 Great Rods..

This is a Falcon Rod thread not a St. Croix thread....

This thread is kinda silly. Most reel's are not manufactured in the USA but ya'll get into such an uproar if the rod isn't. How many are gonna stop using revo's or shimano's?

I tell you what I find funny about the TFF. One week people are posting about how Dobyn's Rods are the finest rods on the market........ (Korean Made), Garcia Veritas are awesome....... (China made), Duckett rods are the lightest rods ever....... (China made), Shimana Cumara are great rods..... (China made), Skeet rods...... (China), Carrot Stix......... (China).........SEE MY POINT!!!

The rod market has been driven more and more to overseas production for the plain and simple fact of trying to offer a value packed rod at an affordable price. This forum is full of people constantly complaining about how much rods cost now. Then when factories produce select series of rods that are made overseas to make a quality product at an affordable price, the company is criticized. What do you want guys????

Falcon is still the same family owned company it has always been. They just chose to produce the HD and Coastal series overseas to hit a lower retail for the consumer. ALL the Cara T7, Cara Reaction, Cara McClelland series, BuCoo, BuCoo Micro, and Lowrider series are and will continue to be made in the good ole USA. Dollar for dollar, guide for guide, Falcon is still the best value on the market in a fishing rod!

Amen!

All falcon Caras, Low Rider, Original, and Bucoo are made in Arkansas, Including the blank. They also make a majority of the Coastal from my experience with them.

I think z520 is correct

true statement for THOSE model rods. A falcon HD rod IS NOT a good value at ANY price if it breaks into 3 pieces the 1st time you set a hook on a fish.

What is the confusion here? Is there no communication in this forum?? LOL

I own several falcon rods, 4 cumaras and several G.Loomis. all of which are great rods.

The HD falcon rod is a piece of sh1t!!! I don't care what freakin country its made in.

You an put the name Falcon on a turd, but it will STILL be a turd.

Hard to believe Power Tackle was not mentioned here! Everything made in the USA/Texas except the Fuji parts. Yes they are costly! I build my own rods for me and close friends, when someone asks me to sell them one I recommend PT because I can't build it for what they sell them for! Just saying

divide and conquer. Every one likes to banter, complain and whine as we race to the bottom.

If I am not mistaking, TFO Rods are based in Dallas. I have heard they are good rods.

Based in Dallas.....made in China

I checked their web-site. I could not find where they were made. Thanks for the info.

St criox rods are either made in USA or mexico

Z520 is correct, although not much fun because he keeps bring facts and reason into the thread.

I like my Falcon rods.

LOL. Just stating the facts!

Make sure they don't put lead in it. LOL!

What does "Made In USA" even mean anymore?? It used to mean that a skilled craftsman spent countless hours to produce something made out of only the highest quality materials. What you recieved for your dollars not only looked like quality, it was quality.

This is just not so true anymore. That is not to say that it doesn't exist but it is way more rare then we are led to believe today. Like has already been pointed out on this thread, even the majority of products claiming to be Made in the USA are made from cheap manufactured parts from overseas just assembled here in the US.

I don't care what you buy today, you will be hard pressed if it doesn't have something manufactured in china in it. Even the beloved Skeeter on this site I'll bet has parts made in China. Hell it's not even an American owned company.

Just curious...what about now. How do you say they compare with Duckett?

As a custom rod builder you nailed it on the head. There are just a few blanks available today that are pressed and rolled here in the USA. Just a handful of options for handle material (most of which is american grown hardwood, which isn't a very popular option). Just one option for guides and reel seats.. which limits you to just a few options, and spending a minimum of around $450 retail for the parts alone.

Besides most of us want some imported components on your rods such as Fuji guides, AAAA grade cork? not grown in the USA, quality flexible epoxy? manufactured with raw material sourced outside of the USA, you want to try and find rod wrapping thread with USA sourced materials? not going to happen... you get my point.

Cheers to Falcon offering so many quality products that are hand crafted by Americans. If it bothers you, don't buy the HD simple as that.

This is bs they are sold at walmart so they must be american or the owners are on welfare

absolutely, there's some industrious bastards over there... I have no problem using them if falcon has found the upper level of craftsman ship over there................

I never think that "just cause it's made in china it must be junk" isn't true...

OTOH, falcon does make a big push to say "made in america" ... maybe what they mean is "assembled in america"

I am pretty sure if they are saying made in America, then it's made here. I don't forsee them making a mistake like that

China sucks.

What Loomis rods are made over seas?

The G models lol

Shimano owns them. I'm sure a few rods are still made in Washington. But not all.

You're kidding right?

What factors does the Commission consider to determine whether a product is "all or virtually all" made in the U.S.?

The product�s final assembly or processing must take place in the U.S. The Commission then considers other factors, including how much of the product�s total manufacturing costs can be assigned to U.S. parts and processing, and how far removed any foreign content is from the finished product. In some instances, only a small portion of the total manufacturing costs are attributable to foreign processing, but that processing represents a significant amount of the product�s overall processing. The same could be true for some foreign parts. In these cases, the foreign content (processing or parts) is more than negligible, and, as a result, unqualified claims are inappropriate.


so therefore..... the blanks and guides cost far less than the assembly labor costs in the US, golden...


It's all in the fine print. https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/complying-made-usa-standard



how about 18 TONS of blanks for 35 bucks? Think that qualifies as "negligible"? Probably so.... http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/20....tAluV5&s=p


how about 10,000 meters for 21 cents? http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Fi....tAluV5&s=p

meant to reply to this...

and "fine print" was set up in legislation to let "advertising" skirt all sorts of "rules"

trust me.. I'm an expert on this one.......

You dug up a 5 year old post and responded to a guy who has not been on the TFF in 4 years.

Just an FYI.

^^^^ Lol, priceless.

After reading the fine print it appears there are many legal loopholes to skirt the rules now of days.........

Great rods at a great price.

If they were 100% made in the USA you wouldn't like the price and they probably wouldn't survive as a company.

Most models. Clear as mudd now.

"Quality has always been at the bedrock of the brand. �Early on we knew that if a customer broke a Falcon rod it would be tough to restore that angler�s confidence,� he said. The finest components like Fuji and carbon fiber materials�even when they cost a little more. With USA blank production and assembly on most models, tight controls are in place at every step."

heII the new 4th of July shirt I just bought,..you know the one,
flags and banners,...red-white-and blue. Made in Malaysia...

I had a warranty issue a couple of years ago and it took almost 2 months for them to replace it
on a Carrera because the blanks were back ordered. The rep told me at that time that Falcon bought their blanks and just added the guides and handles, they did not make the blanks. I sense then switched to TFO which in my opinion is a much better rod anyway at least the warranty is.

Yes, St Croix rods are still made in Park Falls Wisconsin. St Croix also has a plant in Fresnillo, Mexico (St Croix own) for production of Mojo and Triumph rods.

Are you plugging St. Croix? This post is over 5 years old!

Closer to 12 years old! Check the OP.

St Croix sucks. There’s a plug for everyone. They’re like fishing with three pairs of gloves on.

Overly burdensome environmental regulations...you mean the laws that ensure we have clean water to fish in?

The economics of American companies moving production to China is for one thing and one thing only: To maximize profits. The end.

What are the most sensitive worm rods for under $200?

A used $300 rod

A high end StCroix rod with your gloves off.

Shoulda voted for Trump. Easy…. I’m JK……sort of….

Right!!

I don’t know. I have over 40 of those “Chinese” Falcons in my boat and storage closet. I feel everything on them that I can feel on my $600 Japanese rods. I have no problems ordering another 40+ for this year. Hahah. Mine retail for $129 each, across the lineup.

In 2015 I had dozens of StCroix rods. They were not good. End of it.

First I call BS. Second stop ordering commie junk. Unless, you are

Falcon rods used to be great. They jumped the shark and quality did as well. Very hard to beat a St Croix victory rod now.

I have 6 St Croix rods & love em...It's a personal preference thing...