Any experience with these??

[BMITCH]

Wondering if anyone has held,used or even seen one of these. They look nice if they exist?
http://fortitudefishing.com/reels.pdf
Bob

[Shark Hunter]

Those looks Awesome! I think the Ultimate reel would be a Titanium 12/0.
Lee, to the Batcave!

[CroMonty]

There was a lot of talking about that particular reel in one topic on Stripers, but I don't recall anyone claimed seeing that reel in live?!

[BMITCH]

Yeah, I have this reel book marked in my favorites and revisit it from time to time. I can't even find a contact for them. Looks nice though!! 

[saltydog]

Be nice but I think it's a spoof, no contact and no pricing. The price is probably a couple of grand anyways.

[DaBigOno]

Here's a another link

http://www.fortitudefishing.com/products.html

Beautiful reel!  in $400 to $500 range using mostly Titanium that is supposed to take the maintenance out.  Where's the fun in that?

[Robert Janssen]

Well, it hasn't happened yet. The pictures are all computer generated graphics, and afaik nobody has seen one.

So see it as an entreprenurial affair. These things take time. Maybe it will happen; maybe it won't. I don't know the fellow m'self, but applaud the thought and effort.

.

[BMITCH]

I'm thinking that the $400-$500 price range will be very difficult to stay with.

[johndtuttle]

A new reel is more than an idea.

It is a culmination of actual fishing experience, engineering, field testing and then bringing the product to market with technical support, years of parts availability and customer service. A little history of success is not a bad thing either as well as deep pockets to bridge some of the lumps during the start up.

Starting off with what appears to be a Titanium clone of a Van Staal means that the line lay will be sub-standard as well as casting. Then, it would be interesting to see how they protect the bearings from corrosion. At those price ranges we are talking sealed spinning reels. Lots to go wrong there without real experience in getting the formulations and tolerances right on the myriad of seals required and to still have a fishable reel (ie not too stiff). If the main gear and pinion are also titanium then I would expect the feel to be extremely harsh. In the vast majority of reels the choice of two different materials for those two is essential for a quiet and soft feel in the hand (see pretty much everything from $100 to $1000).

This is especially true of spinning reels that require mating of gears at 90 degrees as compared to conventional reels that are in parallel. I'm pretty sure even solid stainless is softer than titanium (?) which is never used for both main and pinion.

You really need the whole package to get me excited. Penn, Shimano, Daiwa, Van Staal, Zee Bass are just that. Just simply beautiful machinery engineered just right with all the bugs sorted very shortly after introduction with years and years of parts support going forward.

TL;DR: I would check back in 3-4 years and see where the market stands with these guys and their product. It will be either the talk of the town or nonexistent . No need to rush into anything.

best regards

[MFB]

It looks like it fell out of the ugly tree & hit every branch on the way down. Ascetic's aside would be dubious about design & build quality Penn, Shimano & Daiwa spend millions on research & development every year. I would own a Stella, Saltiga or a Torque spinner over one of they are all known quantities.

Rgds

Mark     

[BMITCH]

Mark, I kinda like the look kinda like a VS of Z. Less is more in this reel IMO.
John, your 100% correct. Let's see in a few years if this ever sees the light of day. I didn't think about the gear mesh. Ti. Would be harsh I would think. I'll keep my eyes open for this one.
Thanks,Bob

[philaroman]

I'd guess the website is for the benefit of prospective investors -- not, customers.  It could be something real in early planning stages, but a scam is more likely...  I'm not seeing Fortitude Titanium ANYTHING, for sale ANYWHERE -- you'd think something simple, like gaffs or wire leaders, would be out on the market w/ positive reviews, long before reel blahblah.

don't remember where I read this, but as I recall:  the tackle industry has been looking into [mostly] titanium reels fo a while; retail cost would be >$2000 -- not, <$500; and none of the established Big Boys want to be the first (high investment / small market)

[orlando miguel]

i already asked them for prices and specs they didn´t have on their site back then , they proposed me to import it to Portugal (my country), however they where suposed to be for sale in november 2013 , so far nothing came to the stores .
they claim it´s out there , some of the greatest captains in the US  are landing fish on them , and i keep looking for anything about it on the internet ,
i´m still hoping it´s the real thing , i´d love to own something like this reel , but nothing shows up so far.

i don´t know if it´s a skam , it seems more like someone had an idea , made a project and everything you can see on their site , but stil doesn´t have the money to go thru and start producing the real thing.

[Three se7ens]

Bearings aren't made from titanium. It's just not hard enough. A titanium frame would weigh about 50% more than aluminum. Titanium is only moderately hard and strong. Sure, it's pretty hard compared to 316 stainless or 6061 aluminum, but it's mechanical properties are well below most heat treatable steels, both stainless and carbon.  Titanium is a fantastic material for extreme corrosion resistance and high heat tolerance. Neither are an issue in fishing reels.

It's a scam at worst, or a pipe dream at best.  That reel would be a 40 oz hunk of mediocrity that costs far more than a Stella or saltiga.