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Thread: Orvis made in England Battenkill Bar Stock Reel and Spare Spool

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
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    Louisville
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    38

    Default Orvis made in England Battenkill Bar Stock Reel and Spare Spool

    Lots of reels on the board lately, so I'm offering this one as an alternate to the Ross that I recently listed. I definitely need to thin the proverbial herd, but will keep whichever doesn't get spoken for first. This is another excellent reel in my opinion and experience, and is in excellent shape. It's a disc drag reel from when Orvis was producing them in the UK, before eventually shifting production to Asia.

    Both reel and spool will come with backing, and on one I will include a used but good condition 5 wt. SA Mastery GPX line (no loop) in willow color. In addition to the original boxes and paperwork, I will also provide the original foam and synthetic sheepskin clamshell case. Orvis rated this reel as being for line weights 5-7, but it is exceptionally lightweight (great for today's lighter weight rods), so in practice I used it for 4 and even 3 weight rods as well. Selling all for $175, including shipment in the continental US.

    As noted in my post with the Ross reel, I have been a very long time member despite a comparatively low post count, so I am more than willing to do a video call of some sort or anything else you'd like to do to reassure you that I am who I say I am and that we can both feel confident about each other following through on their commitments.

    As I mentioned in the other post, I've been buying and selling on this and other forums for over 20 years without incident, until one very recent transaction where the "seller" never followed through despite having received funds from me, so I understand and respect any skepticism and will do whatever is needed to address any concerns.

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    Last edited by John_N; 12-28-2022 at 07:12 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Sebastian, FL, USA, Earth
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    Default

    Over the past 50 years, there is always that "go to" value fly reel.

    We sold hundreds of these fly reels.

    Back then I believe they were ~$129.95 usd and the best fly reel for the money.

    The joke was that thousands of them went right onto top-of-the-line Sage fly rods, even in Montana.

    Some time ago Orvis bought the British Fly Reel Company so they could build their own fly reels.

    I think many of the Orvis fly reels are made in South Korea now.
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Louisville
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    Default

    Thanks Bill, yes, mine actually went straight onto a Winston initially. I think the pricing when I bought them toward the end of their run in England was a fair amount higher than that, but I likewise perceived it (then and now) as an exceptional value. I was never 100% sure of the relationship between Orvis and that UK factory and didn't want to risk accidentally misrepresenting it in my original post, but you seem to be confirming what I thought was the case: Did Orvis in fact own that factory? Was there also some relationship between that particular factory and Hardy or was that urban legend?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Sebastian, FL, USA, Earth
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    Some years Orvis had Hardy make their CFO series which was their top-of-the-line fly reel for trout.

    The British Fly Reel Company made reels for many other companies like Cortland and Orvis.

    I believe Orvis actually bought the British Fly Reel Company that made a lot of their mid to low-end fly reels.

    Many years ago, Shakespeare made some of Orvis' fly reels, like the Medalist but slightly different.
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Sebastian, FL, USA, Earth
    Posts
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    Default

    Here is an article about Orvis selling British Fly Reel and taking it to China in 2004.

    https://flyforums.proboards.com/thread/17278
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    TN
    Posts
    51

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