The Hook & Hackle Company

In my post about the 5wt I wanted to build, I mentioned that I bought a St. Croix Legend Elite blank from The Hook & Hackle Company (http://www.hookhack.com/).

My blank arrived today - it shipped Tuesday via UPS. It was packaged in bubble wrap and shipped inside a section of Schedule 40 PVC Pipe! Talk about secure packaging!

As an added note they have several sales going on St. Croix rods & blanks right now, until Sept. 15th I think, so I would say if you've been thinking about buying a St. Croix rod or blank, I'd highly recommend you give them a try - and hurry!

REC

I received all the components ordered from REC (http://www.REC.com) yesterday. This shipment was packaged with shredded paper inside a triangular tube of heavy cardboard & taped all around with heavy reinforced tape.

I asked them if they could expedite my order on Tuesday morning, I promptly received a reply that their standard lead time on fabricated components like reel seats & rod cases was 7-10 days, but they would see what they could do to speed that up as much as they could. My order shipped the next day, I had it yesterday, and at no additional cost.

Not only that, all their components are top quality, and worth every cent. The Curly Koa reel seat insert is dark Koa heartwood, the figuring is deep and well defined - it changes & shifts appearance when you move it like one of those holographic 3d pictures. Just gorgeous!

This kind of attention to detail and customer care often seems so rare these days that I had to make a point of telling everyone what great service I've gotten from these two companies. Highly recommended, 5 stars to both!