Sage S3 Vs. Winston BIIx

[zblink1888]

looking just for a comparison between the two and any info or opinions on how the companies are with service and warranty

[Troutfitter]

S3 is a Scott product I believe. Scott, Sage & Winston all have similar lifetime warranty. Sage is the best with quick turn around of repairs. Scott & Winston are smaller houses with longer repair times for major repairs.

Sage & Winston are on good footing in the business world but Scott is barely hanging on at the moment... remember your lifetime warranty is only good if the company still exists.

Winston is a stickler about warranty registration so make sure you send in your card. Sage is more lax but this can change so it is good policy to make sure you register.

The three rods I suggest you pursue are the Sage XP, the Sage Zero Axis which is replacing the XP, and the Winston BIIX which is a great rod in its own right but much different than the Sages so make sure you cast it.

I prefer either of the Sage rods over the Winston for my own use as even though they are all fast rods... the Sages have much more power for long casts and handling sinking lines.

Call me at the store if you would like even more detailed info, or if you would like to cast the Sage or Winston.

[JACHARBO]

A little off-topic - but I LOVE my 4wt Sage SP bought a few years back. You can pick up a used one very reasonable on Ebay - may even be a few "new" ones still floating around. Never had an issue requiring interface with the company.

[flygirl]

Life is toooooo short....BUY THEM BOTH !! :lol:

[Smoked Trout]

zblink1888. What line weight are you considering?

[zblink1888]

i was thinking either a 7 or 8 wt

[Smoked Trout]

I own 2 BX II rods a 3wt and a 6wt and have cast the S3 in a 5wt. I have not cast these rods in the line weights you are looking at but, will give you my observations.

The Winstons are great rods, very light, fast but, not super fast or stiff. They have a sensitive soft tip that complains if you over line them. They are a pretty rod and over all workmanship on them is superior, arguably the best in the business for a major production rod maker. I believe the 7wt and 8wt BX II rods would make good salmon and steelhead rods particularly when casting floating lines. These rods may also be a good choice for inshore salt water fishing i.e. bone fish, red fish, snook and small tarpon. I do not feel the design of these rods lend themselves to typical New England salt water fishing where strong winds and heavy shooting heads are often the rule.

I have much less experience with S3 rods as compared to BX IIs but, I’ll give my observations. I cast the S3 5wt., it was a very good looking blue rod with Scott’s patented ferrule system. The S3 series is fast action, actually fast to the point of stiffness. I was looking for a trout rod and the rod was way too fast for my casting stroke and too stiff to protect light tippet. On the other hand, I would consider the 7 wt rod for small mouth bass and light salt water applications and the 8 wt rod schoolie stripers and inshore fishing mentioned above. They should have enough backbone to lift big fish and carry full sinking lines.

Hope this helps.


Regards,


The Smoked Trout