Just watched the latest Carpology YOU TUBE product review (NASH powered barrow thingy) and these are all advertisements for company products, devoid of any real assessment of what's good and maybe what could be improved on. Yes you don't need to watch them but come on Carpology don't frame these as reviews if it's really a endorsement of the major brands whatever the quality of the item - end of rant!
In reply to Post #1
It's been happening for 25+ years.
Never ever see a bad revue of any tackle in any of the mags.
Bad revue = no advertising money.
Until forums cam along I thought I was the only person who bought rubbish tackle that had been praised in magazines.
It's been happening for 25+ years.
Never ever see a bad revue of any tackle in any of the mags.
Bad revue = no advertising money.
Until forums cam along I thought I was the only person who bought rubbish tackle that had been praised in magazines.
In reply to Post #1
You only just realised
I've never seen them test a bad product apparently
You only just realised
I've never seen them test a bad product apparently
In reply to Post #3
I actually bought one of their so called excellent products advertised, which turned out to be complete manure
Sat on the fence for a few days, till someone in here gave humpty dumpty a nudge ... nuffin´bu´shi`te 
I actually bought one of their so called excellent products advertised, which turned out to be complete manure
Sat on the fence for a few days, till someone in here gave humpty dumpty a nudge ... nuffin´bu´shi`te
In reply to Post #2
Yes the mags have just been printing press releases and calling them 'reviews' for years, same with Carpology etc but in video form. Simon Crow goes into it on his latest Carp Cast interview, tells it as it is.
Yes the mags have just been printing press releases and calling them 'reviews' for years, same with Carpology etc but in video form. Simon Crow goes into it on his latest Carp Cast interview, tells it as it is.
In reply to Post #5
The last negative “review” I heard was on the carp fishing podcast when they talked about worse purchases. The issue is companies only review what they are sent for free and how many people reviewing are paid by the company. From what it sounds like now is that nothing gets fully field tested anymore other then bait
The last negative “review” I heard was on the carp fishing podcast when they talked about worse purchases. The issue is companies only review what they are sent for free and how many people reviewing are paid by the company. From what it sounds like now is that nothing gets fully field tested anymore other then bait
In reply to Post #1
I watched a Preston vid about their new feeder reels which are apparently years in the making and development.
A genuine contender against Daiwa and Shimano.....Had one in my hands yesterday...absolutely pants.
How do they sleep at night...nestled up on your hard earned cash.
I watched a Preston vid about their new feeder reels which are apparently years in the making and development.
A genuine contender against Daiwa and Shimano.....Had one in my hands yesterday...absolutely pants.
How do they sleep at night...nestled up on your hard earned cash.
So I see Nash still haven't sorted out the wheel spinning activity yet, kin jokers
A mate bought one of those Nash barrow's and f..ked it off quick sharp, bought a decent one instead, Prestige's 2020 24v number, no more wheel spinning bulls-hit.
A mate bought one of those Nash barrow's and f..ked it off quick sharp, bought a decent one instead, Prestige's 2020 24v number, no more wheel spinning bulls-hit.
In reply to Post #5
And they often only do these "reviews" for companies that advertise with them, so they are milking their own cash cow.
giving their mates a reach around
And they often only do these "reviews" for companies that advertise with them, so they are milking their own cash cow.
giving their mates a reach around
I only usually buy sober purchases once fully researched on forums such as this.
I thought the review was very informative. It showed you that the barrow needs pushing if you get any amount of mud and snow
In reply to Post #11
I really do like Carpology, but as a youngster I was definitely guilty of thinking 'if it's in the magazines it must be good!' 🤣🤣
Can't necessarily blame them though, tough times for printed mags as it is, so to start losing potential income by upsetting brands probably isn't the way to go
I really do like Carpology, but as a youngster I was definitely guilty of thinking 'if it's in the magazines it must be good!' 🤣🤣
Can't necessarily blame them though, tough times for printed mags as it is, so to start losing potential income by upsetting brands probably isn't the way to go
In reply to Post #1
Carpology? Worst mag on the market - under exposed pictures and text so small, you need magnifying glass to read it. Reviews? You'll never see anything negative and in some cases, utter BS. I can recall their review of a Trakker cradle unhooking mat - saying it was 'compact and portable... easy to pack down...'. It's the size of a small child when packed down and packing it away - you have to wrestle it to death, just to get it in its bag. No mention in their review that you can't seal the stuff ack properly, so if it's not stored upright, the boot of your car gets a good soaking. Having said that, they're all the same, Total Carp? Total Crap! NEVER buy an angling product based on a magazine review.
Carpology? Worst mag on the market - under exposed pictures and text so small, you need magnifying glass to read it. Reviews? You'll never see anything negative and in some cases, utter BS. I can recall their review of a Trakker cradle unhooking mat - saying it was 'compact and portable... easy to pack down...'. It's the size of a small child when packed down and packing it away - you have to wrestle it to death, just to get it in its bag. No mention in their review that you can't seal the stuff ack properly, so if it's not stored upright, the boot of your car gets a good soaking. Having said that, they're all the same, Total Carp? Total Crap! NEVER buy an angling product based on a magazine review.
In reply to Post #12
Can't necessarily blame them though, tough times for printed mags as it is, so to start losing potential income by upsetting brands probably isn't the way to go
That has been the way for years.
Some magazines don't make money from sales, but from advertising.
Personally I have given up reading magazine reviews, I prefer long term test results, usually learning more from forum answers.
However there are times when even those need to be taken with a pinch of salt; knowing some anglers are 'sponsored' or 'field testers', or things like line, for some reason not everyone gets on with a particular brand.
That last comment is not being difficult, but many, many anglers got on with Big Game. Myself and a couple of mates found it was awful. I could not get on with Ultima lines, yet I have a mate who swears by them, he can't get on with Gardner Pro.
Can't necessarily blame them though, tough times for printed mags as it is, so to start losing potential income by upsetting brands probably isn't the way to go
That has been the way for years.
Some magazines don't make money from sales, but from advertising.
Personally I have given up reading magazine reviews, I prefer long term test results, usually learning more from forum answers.
However there are times when even those need to be taken with a pinch of salt; knowing some anglers are 'sponsored' or 'field testers', or things like line, for some reason not everyone gets on with a particular brand.
That last comment is not being difficult, but many, many anglers got on with Big Game. Myself and a couple of mates found it was awful. I could not get on with Ultima lines, yet I have a mate who swears by them, he can't get on with Gardner Pro.
In reply to Post #14
Yeah I agree entirely mate. I used to get caught in the trap of changing hooks, bait etc, you name it, by what the magazines said. I soon learnt to stick with what I know works and only ever change now if I am struggling on a new venue and there is a clear reason that it's something I need to change.
Yeah I agree entirely mate. I used to get caught in the trap of changing hooks, bait etc, you name it, by what the magazines said. I soon learnt to stick with what I know works and only ever change now if I am struggling on a new venue and there is a clear reason that it's something I need to change.
I think anybody who is an advertising agent for a certain company needs to be taken with a pinch of salt? 
Let's be fair though, how many people would have a sponsorship from a company and say there products were crap
Same with the mags, it's the ads what probably keeps them alive!
As already said, you want totally unbiased reviews, one word, honest!
I have had some proper crap over the years
Mass produced overpriced Chinese crap the majority of it, trying to cash in on the working man, there ain't many bank tramps that can afford it! The working man is the target audience, he's the one with all the £
Stick to the reviews and tackle section on here or listen to your mates or other anglers is my advise. Only one test for tackle and that's time and the feedback on here is generally good
While ever there are sheep and the gullible they will keep throwing stuff at us, stupid rig bits through to £1000 tents that are going up and up and up!
Let's be fair though, how many people would have a sponsorship from a company and say there products were crap
Same with the mags, it's the ads what probably keeps them alive!
As already said, you want totally unbiased reviews, one word, honest!
I have had some proper crap over the years
Mass produced overpriced Chinese crap the majority of it, trying to cash in on the working man, there ain't many bank tramps that can afford it! The working man is the target audience, he's the one with all the £
Stick to the reviews and tackle section on here or listen to your mates or other anglers is my advise. Only one test for tackle and that's time and the feedback on here is generally good
While ever there are sheep and the gullible they will keep throwing stuff at us, stupid rig bits through to £1000 tents that are going up and up and up!
In reply to Post #8
does your mate know it can be controlled to go at any speed depending how far he pushes the lever..
does your mate know it can be controlled to go at any speed depending how far he pushes the lever..
In reply to Post #17
He sent it back after loading it up and finding it didn't have the guts to shift his gear. Ditched it for the Prestige one that I mentioned which has got a soft start that doesn't wheelspin and now he's happy.
He sent it back after loading it up and finding it didn't have the guts to shift his gear. Ditched it for the Prestige one that I mentioned which has got a soft start that doesn't wheelspin and now he's happy.
In reply to Post #18
hence why I said can be controlled by the lever. i.e. thumb control.
hence why I said can be controlled by the lever. i.e. thumb control.
In reply to Post #16
I understand what you are saying, but at the same time I have been sent or given tackle by manufacturers and given honest appraisals and test results back to them. Manufacturers include Gardner, Ultima (the rep wasn't too happy with my report on their line), Solar, Daiwa and Rod Hutchinson.
To be fair to Gardner, I have never had a bad hook from them, and the Pro line in dark or light I still use.
Daiwa, obviously I used and recommended Sensor brown for years.
Solar 101's are one of my current patterns, and RH, again, not had a bad product.
I could not be so polite about other manufacturers!
I understand what you are saying, but at the same time I have been sent or given tackle by manufacturers and given honest appraisals and test results back to them. Manufacturers include Gardner, Ultima (the rep wasn't too happy with my report on their line), Solar, Daiwa and Rod Hutchinson.
To be fair to Gardner, I have never had a bad hook from them, and the Pro line in dark or light I still use.
Daiwa, obviously I used and recommended Sensor brown for years.
Solar 101's are one of my current patterns, and RH, again, not had a bad product.
I could not be so polite about other manufacturers!
In reply to Post #20
They probably all work on some kind of feedback system. I will use the word, “field testing” lightly. Once a product is on the market they will not want any negative feedback or the truth that a product is crap publishing, it could clog the warehouse,,they have to shift it / sell it!
The whole market has been saturated with Chinese crap for a while now and every man and his dog is trying to cash in on it, easy money £
To be fair though, between all this mass produced crap there is some decent gear, with carp tax if you are prepared to pay out for it, again, genuine and honest feedback helps to point you in the right direction
Give me a honest review anyday, if something is crap, say it is, but give the reasons why!!!
They probably all work on some kind of feedback system. I will use the word, “field testing” lightly. Once a product is on the market they will not want any negative feedback or the truth that a product is crap publishing, it could clog the warehouse,,they have to shift it / sell it!
The whole market has been saturated with Chinese crap for a while now and every man and his dog is trying to cash in on it, easy money £
To be fair though, between all this mass produced crap there is some decent gear, with carp tax if you are prepared to pay out for it, again, genuine and honest feedback helps to point you in the right direction
Give me a honest review anyday, if something is crap, say it is, but give the reasons why!!!
In reply to Post #21
I think you are right... In a lot of cases (obviously not all) it's not necessarily a case of carp tax, just a case of paying for quality
I think you are right... In a lot of cases (obviously not all) it's not necessarily a case of carp tax, just a case of paying for quality
In reply to Post #21
You won't see honest reviews anymore unless you use forums or go onto Facebook and read the comments sections.
Do they even do comparisons anymore? I last saw one in TC about stoves, and it showed that the NGT stove was better than the Ridgemonkey one in regards to gas usage and boiling times. This will be as close as you'll get to seeing a bad review.
You won't see honest reviews anymore unless you use forums or go onto Facebook and read the comments sections.
Do they even do comparisons anymore? I last saw one in TC about stoves, and it showed that the NGT stove was better than the Ridgemonkey one in regards to gas usage and boiling times. This will be as close as you'll get to seeing a bad review.
In reply to Post #22
I don't doubt that mate, there are some quality products amongst all this mass produced crap. The only thing I can say to that is, that is for the angler to make that judgement. I will say this though, for the odd few quality products there is a load of mass produced crap, similarly priced, and that's whats wrong!
Same with bait, somebody will be knocking up a quality bait with a passion and somebody will be selling the equivalent of sawdust for the same price!
Long live independent and honest feedback
I don't doubt that mate, there are some quality products amongst all this mass produced crap. The only thing I can say to that is, that is for the angler to make that judgement. I will say this though, for the odd few quality products there is a load of mass produced crap, similarly priced, and that's whats wrong!
Same with bait, somebody will be knocking up a quality bait with a passion and somebody will be selling the equivalent of sawdust for the same price!
Long live independent and honest feedback
In reply to Post #24
The cool bag one was a good example of how useful those tests were. They had done the same test a year before and the Nash was one of the worst performers, so they changed the design
A good guide for buyers, and useful feedback for brands
Its a shame if they've stopped doing them
The cool bag one was a good example of how useful those tests were. They had done the same test a year before and the Nash was one of the worst performers, so they changed the design
A good guide for buyers, and useful feedback for brands
Its a shame if they've stopped doing them
In reply to Post #26
many moons ago, carpworld used to have a section on tackle sent to them to review that was 'pants'. It seemed to be an honest review of how the items failed to live up to their expectations. The series/section did'nt last long....I presume that the advertisers kicked up a stink and threatened to pull the advertising unless the reviews appeared more favorable. I'll stick to forums and word of mouth for reviews or tackle guides.
many moons ago, carpworld used to have a section on tackle sent to them to review that was 'pants'. It seemed to be an honest review of how the items failed to live up to their expectations. The series/section did'nt last long....I presume that the advertisers kicked up a stink and threatened to pull the advertising unless the reviews appeared more favorable. I'll stick to forums and word of mouth for reviews or tackle guides.
In reply to Post #27
Agreed. Think magazines etc are good at seeing what is out there but rarely if ever will I purchase without either seeing the product or getting some independent reviews either from friends, on here or from people on the bank
Agreed. Think magazines etc are good at seeing what is out there but rarely if ever will I purchase without either seeing the product or getting some independent reviews either from friends, on here or from people on the bank
I can give a 2 year review on the Nash barrow. cant fault it,apart from the price but aint all Nash stuff over priced. It gets through thick mud and snow easily. battery lasts ages. pulls a good load and doesn't wheel spin like has been said. will only spin if holded back from the handles what I expect most power porters would do with a light load. also being luckily enough to leave it safetly outside all year at my club lake with just a cover over it, nothing has rotted or broke off.
Notice on carpology latest “review” on some mega bright headtorch lots of comments pointing out they are not reviews.
In reply to Post #22
Trakker stoves!
Trakker were selling tackle branded stoves which were exactly the same as the Web-Tex Warrior military graded stoves for £30.
The Web-Tex version was £18!
How can you review and justify that?
Trakker stoves!
Trakker were selling tackle branded stoves which were exactly the same as the Web-Tex Warrior military graded stoves for £30.
The Web-Tex version was £18!
How can you review and justify that?
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