Piscario Reels.

[Shropshire Lad]

Titanium pins costing £900 that last a lifetime, um I have an early Allcocks flick em that is still going strong, spins like a dream no wobble or play I was born in 1969 and this reel is easily a decade older i will probably still be using it in 20 years oh and it cost me £30 and is way better looking than both these reels.

[Wallys-Cast]

Titanium pins costing £900 that last a lifetime, um I have an early Allcocks flick em that is still going strong, spins like a dream no wobble or play I was born in 1969 and this reel is easily a decade older i will probably still be using it in 20 years oh and it cost me £30 and is way better looking than both these reels.

[Willsmodger]

I started this thread out of simple curiosity,and the overall impression I'm getting is there's not an awful lot of love for the Piscario reels.

It's been pointed out a £30 Marco Cortesi will do the same job just as well, and here we have an Allcocks Flick 'em over 60 years old and as good as the day it left the factory.

I would hate to jinx them but I have bodings, four of them actually, about the future prospects of this company. Let's hope I'm wrong and their order books are overflowing.

I suppose the veterans are from the days when no one had heard of the concept of built in obsolescence.

There's almost certainly no truth to the rumour that when the cave paintings at Lascaux were discovered, amongst them was a handprint, a rudimentary drawing of a bison, and a Mitchell 300.

[Kev D]

I expect that reel making is a sideline to an engineering company. If they make them to order or in limited batches they could snag a little niche in the market . It only takes a select few to covet the combination of exclusiveness, use of technology and a valuable metal .
I'm not keen at all on the reels ,it has nothing to do with their price . But hopefully enough folk will see them as things of beauty and fuel the venture.
I believe the Lascaux rock art actually depicts

20201004_193152_resized.jpg

a Black Prince. The artist realized immediately the hideousness of his creation and had the cave blocked, but not well enough.....

[Mole-Patrol]

So that is why all the Black Prince reels have a groove in the bail arm. They are thousands of years old.

Regards titanium; I had a few cameras with bodies made from that metal and they scuffed very badly. I wouldn't want a reel made out of the stuff.

[Duckett]

I started this thread out of simple curiosity,and the overall impression I'm getting is there's not an awful lot of love for the Piscario reels.

It's been pointed out a £30 Marco Cortesi will do the same job just as well, and here we have an Allcocks Flick 'em over 60 years old and as good as the day it left the factory.

I would hate to jinx them but I have bodings, four of them actually, about the future prospects of this company. Let's hope I'm wrong and their order books are overflowing.

I suppose the veterans are from the days when no one had heard of the concept of built in obsolescence.

There's almost certainly no truth to the rumour that when the cave paintings at Lascaux were discovered, amongst them was a handprint, a rudimentary drawing of a bison, and a Mitchell 300.

I suspect you are wrong. There is an additional market for upmarket centrepins. It’s in the USA and Canada. It’s a very big market and it’s where Kingpin sell most of their reels. Take a look at their latest offering:

https://www.kingpinreels.com/shop/zodiac-500

The new Kingpin Zodiac 500 is even priced in USD but in GBP it’s almost the same price as the Pescario. I can only see 3 differences. First, Kingpin already have a track record of success in the largest centrepin market in the world. Second, they have experience and a reputation for quality and reliability that dates back decades. Third, well, let’s be honest, their ‘pins are a hell of a lot prettier than the Pescarios!

Phil

[Mole-Patrol]

I think that you are right Duckett.

There is a great demand for certain models of the Hardy Silex and top end centrepins by American steelhead and salmon anglers used for what they call 'mooching'. About ten years ago Okuma brought out a reel in the UK called the Trent. It was very similar to a Sheffield but had a one-way disc drag like a salmon fly reel or multiplier. In the States and Australia they called it the Sirata. Over here it got off to a bad start as some people slagged the reel off without ever using it let alone understanding it. There were all sorts of rumours going around forums about angler's fingers being broken whilst trying to adjust the drag and reels being faulty so anglers supposedly quickly sold them on (rather than take them back to the shop for a refund which is the logical thing to do). So the reel got a bad reputation and sales weren't good in the UK.

But in the States they couldn't get enough of them and when Okuma upgraded the reel to make it a silent check they didn't bother launching the new model the DRII in the UK and concentrated in America where they upped the price to almost double and sold as many as they could make. Current listing is $300 - $400 whereas you could pick Trent's up for £80 a few years back. The Americans are also buying into other classic British centrepins too.

[Kev D]

So that is why all the Black Prince reels have a groove in the bail arm. They are thousands of years old.

Regards titanium; I had a few cameras with bodies made from that metal and they scuffed very badly. I wouldn't want a reel made out of the stuff.

Anthropological archaeologists think the groove in the bail arm was inflicted before the prototype reel was sealed in its tomb. Much as much as expired gladiators had their throats cut as a precaution against them rising from the dead.
Unfortunatly Intrepid , Morrit and Co thought it was part of the design.
Interesting about the scuff -ability of titanium Clive
If the P reels suffer similarly it might make them even less viable because l would've thought it is their high tech percieved perfection that will attract customers. A few scuffs would be heartbreaking!

[Willsmodger]

The artist realized immediately the hideousness of his creation and had the cave blocked, but not well enough.....
[/quote]

Thanks. That evokes fond memories of my dad, for the Black Prince was his reel of choice.

When I got into fishing, I bought a Ryobi closed face reel, and gave it to him. From then on he used it for everything.

After he passed, my brother restored his fishing box, and posted pictures on his Facebook page. Beautifully done and obviously very touching.

The Ryobi is there. Along with a Rapidex for some reason. I think my brother was trying to suggest the era he was from, Mr Crabtree and all that.

I'd never actually seen dad using a pin. One time on the Severn he had a go with my rod, which had my Adcock Stanton on it. I remember him looking at it and saying "the bloody things alive!"

All the best.

[Willsmodger]

I started this thread out of simple curiosity,and the overall impression I'm getting is there's not an awful lot of love for the Piscario reels.

It's been pointed out a £30 Marco Cortesi will do the same job just as well, and here we have an Allcocks Flick 'em over 60 years old and as good as the day it left the factory.

I would hate to jinx them but I have bodings, four of them actually, about the future prospects of this company. Let's hope I'm wrong and their order books are overflowing.

I suppose the veterans are from the days when no one had heard of the concept of built in obsolescence.

There's almost certainly no truth to the rumour that when the cave paintings at Lascaux were discovered, amongst them was a handprint, a rudimentary drawing of a bison, and a Mitchell 300.

I suspect you are wrong.

Let's hope so. I'm supportive of any new manufacturers who try to bring new reels to market. They may not to be everyone's taste, but it's encouraging, and who knows? They may diversify and start making reels out of this new fangled aluminium stuff.

It's interesting you mention the American market, as I've long held suspicions that the Marco Cortesi's and their innumerable look alikes were originally for the American market. Just that we Brits got in on the act as well.

Just like a Swedish closed face reel, that I'm pretty sure was originally designed for spinning.....