New Baby - She's an Angel !

[readyfisher]

A Hardy Angel2 TE in 4/5wt. that is. And what a beauty. Although not made in England , the example is perfect. I was a bit put of about Hardy moving the factory to Korea ; the quality is still there. I had the Rio Windcutter 2 line in 5 wt. spooled on , and it fit's the bill. I tested it with a Sage 7 1/2 ' 4wt. , a Sage 9' 4 wt. , a TFO TiCR 9' 5wt. , and a Sage SP+ 9' 5 wt. rods. The Sage SP+ 5 wt. seemed the best , and casted the best distance and straightest line.

[Flyjunkie]

Those "modern Hardy's" they combine the best of Both worlds.. They look very Modern, but combine a Classic look about them that I find likable..
Besides the Drag system is pretty * good.....

Enjoy, You'll really like the Angel...

[flybob]

OK, I'll be honest, I bit!

Nice addition to the family, congrats!

Bob

[Eric]

Very nice looking baby!!!!!!
Eric

[FlyFlogger]

And I thought I would at least see the "Hardy Girl" or something Now that's what I wanna see...

PerryC

[gabe]

so who do i have to get pregnant to produce babies like that.
congrats to the new addition.

[readyfisher]

Speaking of the "Hardy Girl" , I heard from the Hardy USA rep at Pasadena last winter , that the company had shot and made into a poster , a swim suit edition of Miss Hardy. Never was , and never will be released. * ! Seems as though , she is a married lady from Eastern Canada. Ontario ? Does anyone know where you can buy the posters that were released ?

[FlyFlogger]

Rdfisher,
Not meaning to hi-jack your post, well not too much anyways , you planning on coming down for the Pasadena Show in 2010? We could take the tubes out in the bay near the house the day before and you could see if you liked it B4 getting one.

[castaway]

Very interesting.... Some Hardy products are still at least claimed to be made in England... take for example

This Angel fly reel...same product... but very different... take a close look.

http://cgi.ebay.com/HARDY-ANGEL-2-3FW-F ... 27acaf67a2


I would be curious if there is a price difference between the model you purchased and the model I posted... there are a few slight differences.. besides the "made in England" badge.

1) on the back of the reel - on the upper part - yours is ported, the made in England version is not
2) The color
3) the counter balance weight on the front of the spool
4) what is the drag like on yours? is it the same?
5) the color of the knob
6) your knob is attached with a * - the made in England version is a rivot.
7) on the back view of your reel - the screws that are visable through the ports... yours are flat head - the made in England version is different... maybe rivots, or allen key - cant tell.
8) the post on the bottom of the back of the reel - yours is cut away, and on the made in England version it has 2/3 stamped on it.

Yours is sweet... but now you have to get the made in England version as well... I want the made in England version....

But most important... is the Drag the same?

[castaway]

Wait... I think I figured it out.

Pre-2008 models vs. post 2008 models

mmmm pre-2008. I might have to sell something.

[briansII]

She's a beaut!

Call me old fashion, but I like the "new" Marquis or LRHs. I like the old ones too, but not their price.

briansII

[readyfisher]

The Angel2 I have is no doubt made in Korea , but so are my Echo2 and TFO rod's , both good products. A "Made in England" Angel is going to run about $750 and hard to find. The latest copy from Angler's habitat in Caldwell,Idaho $399 for the Angel2 TE. Google " fly fishing rod forum" and go to clarkclassicflyrodforum and them to the Classic Reel sub-forum. I have a similar post there. Another guy answered my post with some pic's of the "Made in England" Angel reel in the 3/4 , 11/12 , and the 2/3 Featherweight. You can see the different parts and compare. All that said , the present Angel2 is a very nice , well built reel , and certainly a looker.

[readyfisher]

To further answer Castaway's questions: 1. The upper backside is ported;lighter weight ? 2. The color is same , although the model on ebay is the regular model , mine is the TE , and is a little bit different from the non-TE model 3. The newer version does have a counter weight. improvement ? 4. As far as I know , the drag is like the one on the Hardy Ultra-Light Disc Drag reel. I believe it is a disc type using Rulon as the drag plate material. 5.and 6. The knob on the first model is plastic , the newer model is metal attached with a reverse thread *.Better ? Worse ? 7. The screws under the drag adjustment are round , not flat ( just checked) I consider that better as rivets can only be removed by drilling out to remove 8.The bottom is a cutaway , again lighter weight. In my view , the only real difference is that "Made in England" stamp which speaks towards it's value as a collection reel , not how it works. If the difference in price is worth it , go for it. Can you get one (Made in England) for $399 ? If so , let me know and I'll get another one of another size.

[Pete]

First off let me say, she's a beaut and will look good on whatever rod she's wearing.

Now, not to sound like a pompus butt but: Are Hardy reels really worth the price? Or is alot of it name? Kinda like Sage. Granted a great product but, you are going to pay extra for the name. And yes, I do own a Sage. I am not a reel junkie so I am not in the know on Hardy. I just know they are expensive and look well made. Its just an honest question and not intended to start the great debate.

Pete

[castaway]

Pete,

Depends on how you look at it. Is a stick used to catch small trout worth 500 or more?

I guess the closest thing I can compare it to would be some people love of classic cars or baseball cards... Some collect, some collect and drive, some like to show off...

I am a reel junkie... and the only thing that stops me from dumping a lot more money into my passion is the fact that I have bills to pay. Is it pointless? probably.. so is stamp collecting, driving a classic car (why? the new ones work better), and dare I say.... spending countless hours building bamboo rods

It is very satisfying to find the perfect reel, that balances well, looks great, and functions even better - its a hard thing ot find... I am always on the look out.

Currently I am trying to find the perfect reel for my 3wt 7'9 st. croix SVIII green blank with rust brown thread, rosewood insert, and gold hardware... A small Hardy Golden prince (3" lightweight version)or a Orvis CFO trout bum special would be perfect... but my last bit of sanity tells me NO!

Too me some reels look like art, and I would have no problem displaying them like art - just as some people like paintings or whatever.

I mean who can argue... Functional art?
http://www.fiberglassflyrodders.yuku.com/topic/10606

Makes Hardy look like small fries/


If I could... this would be at the top of my list... well, right behind the green anodized hardy lightweight with the gold foot and gold hardware... now that might be the prettest thing I have ever seen

1) hardy green princess
2) st. george jr. reel
3) this CFO

http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=72ta

although I wish it was a click and pawl drag and not a disc..

like this.

http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx ... at_id=7642