Yes we all have different experiences. I bought a set of 3 of the 6000's for my 10ft rods based on recommendations on here, which ultimately turned out to be a mistake for me.
On several waters they were fine, but on waters where tough weed conditions were encountered, they were not, having insufficient winding power and the whole reel body twisting badly when winding through weed.

As a cheap reel for non demanding fishing, they are fine and I am sure there are many happy owners, but seriously, when compared to some of the so called "elite" rubbish, for example my Daiwa Basias or Shimano C14+ long casts bait runners, or in fact any of my smaller mid priced feeder reels, there is no comparison as the bail arm action, drag, winding smoothness, build quality differences etc are clear to see.

Switched to 10ft retractables this year and not looked back. Initial reason was for easier transportation in the car and this still remains today.
I tend to fish close in or use a bait boat where allowed, so no issue with casting. At first I thought they would be an issue where I fish that has expansive reed beds around all swims, but so far I have not had any significant issue to land fish.
Once I found a rod that meet my action requirements, I dont see myself rushing back to my 12ft rods any time soon.

Based on feedback on this forum I bought 3 Okuma inc 6000's for my 10ft retractable rods. On first use, they seemed to be ideal and nice reels, but all that fell apart when I fished a very weedy lake. They really lacked winding power when bringing fish through weed, with the whole body of the reels bending and twisting.
So the Okuma's are back on the garage shelf to gather dust and my Basia's are back on the rods, which feel great.

I am not one to normally get involved in a hook bait debate, but I have used many hook baits over the years and have caught fish on all of them and blanked on all of them.
The main theme of this thread is about the cost of hook baits. In particular there are comments regarding the cost of The Baitroom products compared to others.
I have mostly Specialized Hookbaits tubs and a couple of tubs from the Baitroom, the latter of which are many years old. I can't say one has performed better than the other or in fact better than many of the cheaper options on the market supplied by the main boilie producers(Which could just be my lack of angling skills, waters I fish or limited bank time)

So to put some perspective around the cost, The Baitroom tubs are £45 + postage and you get around 60 baits and a booster bottle and Specialized hookbaits you get around 30 baits for £23 + Postage, so in terms of cost per bait, they are about equal.

So better to compare cost per hook bait than cost per tub.

I have one and completely agree with the comments below.

Deeper Chirp+2 and a Vulcan 2 with GPS is a good combo. The std sonar is ok in some waters/circumstances, but it really struggles in anything below 4ft, especially when weedy.

Recently ordered some leads from Fishing Leads UK. They arrived within a few days of placing the order and look as good as any lead I have purchased before.

In reply to Post #49
Been sitting on mine all this week in the heat, never noticed any difference in heat retention to any other chair I have or owned before.
It remains comfortable, even if it takes a bit more of a push to get out of it

In reply to Post #1
I have bought a few retractable rods over the past year.
A set of Sonik Xtractor 1.75lb Avons have been excellent, a really nice action and a joy to play fish up to around 20lb without issue.
I then bought a set of ESP Quickdraw 4k 3.25lb, but moving from a very weedy venue to a weed free venue I decided they were much stiffer than I needed for the new venue.
I then purchased a set of Sonik Xtractor Custom 3lb as availability of 2.75lb retractables seemed to be rather limited, a dying breed as higher and higher test curves seem to be the norm.
The 3lb Xtractor Customs seem spot on for my needs with a good compromise of casting and fish playing action.
However if the Quickdraw 4k rods had been available in 2.5 or 2.75lb at the time, one of those would have been my choice as all my fishing tends to be close in and no more than 60 yards.
Apart from the ease of transportation for retractable which is well documented, these 10ft rods have performed excellently and my Century C2 2.75lb 12ft rods have remained in the garage and unlikely ever to get used again.


Looking back to when I started fishing, carp rods were 10ft, a few around 11ft and a typical non SU test curve was 1.75lb, perhaps the reason why 10ft rods(retractable or 2 piece) feel so "normal" for me. If distance fishing is not required then the extra 2 ft just wobbles around or catches in bushes or trees.

In reply to Post #1
And not forgetting the original 12ft Century C2 2.75lb rods.
Can't say I have used a 2.75lb rod with such a nice action. Plenty soft enough to be a dream to play fish with, but bend progressively into the butt when some power is needed.

Can't comment on wall thickness, but light in the hands and easy to cast accurately.

In reply to Post #9
No problem.
If it helps, I also have this chair which is also very comfortable and a lot easier to get out of quickly when needed and better than all the various chairs I have owned over the years.

https://www.solartackle.co.uk/products/chairs-bedchairs/sp-recliner-chair-mkii-low

So I would think that this( with legs extended) or the higher version should be on your list.

https://www.solartackle.co.uk/products/chairs-bedchairs/sp-recliner-chair-mkii-high