offshore innovations spreader bar

[ragingbull]

Has anyone used these spreader bars over the last year? I have had a set for a few months and suddenly the ring that separates the bars just cracked. I went back to Off the Hook where I purchased them and spoke to Chuck. He let me know that the company didn't have any answers for him other than I could afford to buy another one. I guess I could but that seemed to be a little weak. Chuck replaced the bar with a Tournament Cable bar so I'm fine now, Thanks to Chuck. Just thought you guys should know what's going on.

[Ilurk4Info]

Ragingbull,

Is that a Spreader Bar you're talking about or a Dredge?

[pitch bait]

[QUOTE=ragingbull;234385]Has anyone used these spreader bars over the last year?

This question would have been great to see what kind of feed back you get. Then, when and if people respond you could have stated your expereince. Negitive feedback draws negative comments. They are on the board a Pm to them might have gotten you a new bar. Do you know if the bar was stepped on, or if it maybe was corroded due to lack of proper maintenance or washing. Do you connect your snap swivel directly to the ring where it could have worn on it? When I pulled bars I always made a bridle around the bar so I was pulling on a solid piece of mono from my crimped loop 10" in front of the bar to the hook bait behind the center chain. Never was there anymore pressure on the bar then its own weight. PLease dont take this the wrong way I have had my share of tackle failures and always went to the manufacturer myself. This way they hear it from me, the guy that it happened to not a second hand story. I never had a bad experience, not always did I get a new product because sometimes it was my fault, but the situation always got resolved and no ones feelings or buisness was hurt. Again please dont take this the wrong way but there are more professional ways that this could have been addressed.

[alltackle]

Has anyone used these spreader bars over the last year? I have had a set for a few months and suddenly the ring that separates the bars just cracked. I went back to Off the Hook where I purchased them and spoke to Chuck. He let me know that the company didn't have any answers for him other than I could afford to buy another one. I guess I could but that seemed to be a little weak. Chuck replaced the bar with a Tournament Cable bar so I'm fine now, Thanks to Chuck. Just thought you guys should know what's going on.

I call BS on this one.

The Offshore Innovation Bars are top quality and I personally know they company stands behind their products 100%.

[OffTheHookB&T]

Just to clarify, Raging Bull had a Offshore Innovations Dredge failure. I told him that we had dropped that company and it would be hard to get him a replacement quickly, as he was fishing the next day. SInce, he's a regular customer we took care of the problem with a dredge from stock.
As for the OI dredges, there seems to be a problem with the center hub corroding and eventually breaking. This might be preventable by spraying the dregde heavily with WD40 or CorrosionX after washing and drying.

[jwalker]

I Echo Keith's sentiment exactly..

I have personally witnessed how Offshore Innovations handles customer service issues and it is TOP-NOTCH and timely.

The post I read says nothing about Offshore Innovations knowing about the issue and saying THEY could/would not handle it. Read and research carefully as there is always MORE behind every story and situation.

[OffTheHookB&T]

PitchBait,
Ragingbull doesn't really know the boards, his only dealings with the product have been through me and since I am no longer a dealer, he was just trying to see if this was a common problem. As for your questions about how it was rigged, it wouldn't have mattered as the folding dredge failed and now opens and closes freely.
AllTackle and JWalker, this was simple miscommunication on my part to RagingBull, I didn't tell him Offshore Innvoations wouldn't take care of the problem, just that it would take awhile and he needed a replacement quickly, as I am no longer dealing with OI, I gave RagingBull a Tournament Cable Tech Dredge. Nothing against Offshore Innovations customer service, earlier in the season they replaced a dredge for me with a similar failure.

[Deep C]

As most of you know... I make lures... I make them to catch fish and only on the rarest of occasions have I ever gone out of my way to tout anothers product. My original mambas were world reknowned for spreaders. I got to play with many by different makers and riggers over the years. I no longer have them available due to problems with my old supplier. I came up with a smilar MAmba2 this year but its a shade large for the bars.
I stumbled onto the Offshore Innovation bar this year... The Match the Hatch model to be precise. Did everything I could to find fault and bottom line is not only couldn't I find faults but it outproduced a bar I made for my own use at a two to one ratio... I hammered two big eyes as well as numerous yellow and long fins all using 50w with 60lb gear this season. I have not found a single place on it that even remotely concerns me. It to me is one of the very best I have ever had the pleasure of dragging behind me.
With that being said. I have read of instances where people had an issue with a component and the company has stepped right to the pump and sent out new ones. I got one of their poons a while back and asked how to rig the dart and they offered to send me a rigged dart free of charge. That is stand up stuff! This is not just a regional thing. I was in Grand Slam B+T in Riviera beach yesterday. I saw them sending out two dredges with a customer. We got talking about how he rigs them for sails then ventured off into other areas. He went on to tell me he has six of them now. He went on further to expound on the service he got from them when he was new to the dredge game.
I'm not gonna comment on the validity of the first post or not. I just relayed first and second hand knowledge I have had with the product and its manufacturers... As for dredge failure I have only had one dredge fail on me. Made by another manufacturer. In fact it failed the first hour of the day. Out of decorum I won't say who the manufacturer was but they refused to replace it. They wanted parts back and there were none left to hand back... Unless he wanted my string...

[Ilurk4Info]

As a fisherman who just wants to get the straight story about a product, I don't think it's going to be found in this thread.

The only ones responding are people with what I think is a biased opinion. Dealers who sell the product and have it in stock and people that get free product from the manufacturer for promoting the product.

How is the "Average Joe" going to get reliable information about a product with a potential problem if this is all we have to read?

[alltackle]

As a fisherman who just wants to get the straight story about a product, I don't think it's going to be found in this thread.

The only ones responding are people with what I think is a biased opinion. Dealers who sell the product and have it in stock and people that get free product from the manufacturer for promoting the product.

How is the "Average Joe" going to get reliable information about a product with a potential problem if this is all we have to read?

I see your point.

I am sure there are many Average Joe "users" of these bars on this board and I invite them to this thread for their unbiased input. The proof is in the pudding.