Black Pearl Sickles

[Fatman]

I was SHOCKED!!!!!! yesterday while pouring jigs!!!!!!. I was using the Matzuo Black pearl's I recently purchased and every single one fit perfectly in the molds!!!!!!!!! Either I got lucky or hopefully they've listened to us and picked up their quality control!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kind of wondering if that's why there was a shortage of hooks!!! Has anyone else noticed this?????

 

[Ron Don]

Don't get your hopes up! Ha! Chunked several today while pouring with broken points. But had the same thing happen with some #1 eagle claws.

 

[AtticaFish]

I don't pour my own and really don't go through ALL that many jig/hooks but....... so far i have a much higher preference for any black nickle or black pearl hooks when it comes to quality. I'm more concerned about strength and long term durability then shank to eye leg lengths.

 

[Fatman]

Only had 3 mis-formed ones out of the ones I used Ron and that's a first, usually have 10 for 500 so tht's going down too!!

 

[LedHed]

I use the BNs (from Matzuo) for personal jigs - seems the QC is a little better.

 

[Fatman]

Sure hope the rest of them are like the first batch!!!!!! It really makes it nice not pre-fitting them!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Ron Don]

I just don't understand the whole prefitting hook thing. Why not just do it while pouring? If they don't fit your mold put the hook in a different container. Just seems like a waste of time putting a hook in a mold and not pouring lead on it!

 

[Fatman]

I do it days before I pour. Basically the same amount of time either way, I hate putting a hook in a mold only to find it doesn't fit right when I'm pouring, especially if I'm pouring horse heads!!!!

 

[Hawnjigs]

Personally, I too find it less stressful & maybe more time efficient to pre-sort & repair hooks prior to pouring. Otherwise, for example, a single twisted eye can sneak by & flash a whole 7-8 head pour set. EZer to sort off grade hooks than deal with off grade heads.

So, stock up the sweet batches FM cuz the next one might be a lemon. Sickles are like that - best not to get your hopes up.

 

[Fatman]

Hopefully by the time I need more they'll have everything worked out with QC!!!!!!!!!

 

[redman]

Seems to be a big problem with #4's. Everyone has a little different story. I was able to score a box of 1,000 #4 sickels in bronze. Jest of everyone 's story is trouble getting the cargo off the ship and to the retailer. May be a customs issue of some sort.keep your ears open. Truth will come to the serface sooner or later.

Redman

 

[Fatman]

This is the answer I got from Capt Hooks when I wrote asking them about hooks breaking at the 90 degree bend

"We sell millions a year and we get a few complaints on them but it’s that way with any hook. "
Kris

Sent a message off to Matzuo about tempering and breaking at the 90 degree bend so we'll see what they come back with!!!

 

[Fatman]

Okay I'm totally surprised - I sent the message out last night to Matzuo and I got 2 replies from 2 different people. One of them was the
General Manager Matzuo America!!!

Here's the replies I got!!!

Doug,

Yes we had a problem with one style size of our Sickle Hooks weeks ago. If you have a question or concern please contact Matzuo and we will replace all your hooks in question.. from what I've read on several boards it's the #4 black chrome

I have one question where did you purchase your 2,500 hooks and what size?Capt Hooks

Again if you find a problem with our Sickle Hooks please contact our company.

Terry Hansen
General Manager Matzuo America
402-494-3009


Doug:

Can you send me your phone number so I can call you.
I would like to find out about the hook you have.

Don Hoben
Matzuo America
303-808-0899
[email protected]
925 W Kenyon Ave Ste 16
Englewood, CO 80110

I have them in 2, 4, and 6 and like above all the posts I've seen around point to the 4's. If you have something different send them an email.

 

[AtticaFish]

Confused.......... did you send them an email because you knew someone who had a hook break at the bend or was it your hooks? If it was not the hooks you have in your possession, i don't understand what good that would do you. This thread was started because you received boxes of GOOD hooks - correct?

Hooks break. If i had problems with a certain brand or model, just don't use it anymore.

No need for the double post - i removed the other

 

[Fatman]

After reading here and cc and the link to the TFF forum post I took a couple of each head that I poured and tied them to a line to see if any would break on either the bends or from inside the head and they did on the #4's. I tried this after I had sent the emails, so I'll update him with it.

Based on what Terry posted to me I bought my #4's in late February so it's around the time they were having trouble with as he put it "one style size of our Sickle Hooks weeks ago"

The 2's and 6's seemed fine. Like everyone else I like the sickles but if I got a bad batch of #4's I'd like to get them replaced so I don't have that problem when I go to fish them. Plus I think it was great that they contacted me!!

 

[Shoemoo]

Since you got the guy's attention, you may also want to mention the varying leg lengths that make them hard to fit into molds. People have been complaining about that as long as they've been available.

 

[Fatman]

Got another reply back from Don Hoben at Matzuo confirming that it was the Black Chrome #4's that they were having trouble with. If I hear anything else I'll post.

" The only hook we have seen some problems is the 4. The factory are running a new batch.
Now we should have them in 4 to 6 weeks can you use another color?

Sent from my iPhone
Don Hoben

Don Hoben
Matzuo America
303-808-0899
[email protected]
925 W Kenyon Ave Ste 16
Englewood, CO 80110

 

[flounder pounder]

After reading here and cc and the link to the TFF forum post I took a couple of each head that I poured and tied them to a line to see if any would break on either the bends or from inside the head and they did on the #4's. I tried this after I had sent the emails, so I'll update him with it.

Based on what Terry posted to me I bought my #4's in late February so it's around the time they were having trouble with as he put it "one style size of our Sickle Hooks weeks ago"

The 2's and 6's seemed fine. Like everyone else I like the sickles but if I got a bad batch of #4's I'd like to get them replaced so I don't have that problem when I go to fish them. Plus I think it was great that they contacted me!!

Guess that is the closest they will come to seeing actual water as well. Just cant see going through all those steps of prefitting each and every hook to a mold for that is double the work no matter how you do the math, if you have it in the mold why not just pour the lead. For pouring lead at another time just makes it double the work and allot of wasted time and energy. Also since they are sold my weight and not an actually hook count you will always end up with defective hooks in the batch that is just the nature of the beast and that is why you usually end up with more than a 1000 hooks in a box when they are package by weight. Odds are that if you pull the defective hooks out you still ended up with damn near a 1000 good hooks when you are all said and done with the box.

Question would be is how do you think they perform there QC when packaging the hooks, do you actually think someone sits there and looks at every single hook that goes into the box, no gonna happen I can tell you CAPT HOOK has no intention of doing that and he probably packages them by weight as well.

 

[crappiecripplerjigs]

Gotta agree with ya FP. Seems like a time waster to pre-sort 1000 hooks. If they don't fit, toss to the side and move on. If you get flash, melt the lead off the hook with a quick dip in the pot and start over. As for QC, they are making several thousands of hooks and they won't all be perfect. Nothing about any manufacturing process is perfect. Customer will always have a few bad ones when dealing with that kind of volume. Ten bad hooks in 1000 amounts to about 30 cents. If I pour 3000 heads and lose $1 on bad hooks that's not bad.

 

[Fatman]

Flounder no one said you have to sort them, I said that's what I do and that was with the red sickles. The black ones I poured all fit with no problems except for the 4's breaking and if they'll replace them GREAT!!!. Better to get them replaced then have one break on a nice fish. I don't pour jigs or tie jigs every day so when I sat and sorted them that was my choice - and how I do it, nothing says you have to.

I have plenty of jigs poured and painted on size #4's so no problem, And yes they'll get fished just like they did last year!!!