CRB Power Wrapper Gen 2

[GClev]

I just received the new CRB RBS Pro Gen 2 power wrapper kit from Mudhole a few days ago. I have used Gen 1 for years and love that thing with all its attachments and cool features, so I was eager for Version 2.0. Mistake. After the unboxing I fired off email to Mudhole. They replied and said I'm wrong, except maybe the eyebolt problem. Here's my half nasty comments penned extra special for the Bloody Decks rod building community.

1. NO TENSION ROD. The tension rod is like having four hands and makes it soooo easy to start a wrap, cut a string, add a thread, tie a knot, start a fade, add a beauty ring, drink coffee, answer the phone, take a pic, write a nasty assed review, and generally go hands free without losing a wrap or missing a beat. Once you learn the tension rod, there's no going back. Without it, back up even one-eighth of an inch everything goes loose for at least 6-8 turns. Well fuck that. Who else relies on a tension rod almost every moment of the wrap process? Sean at mudhole thinks no one needs a tension rod.
2. The power cord from the foot pedal to the motor is 58" long. They're sending an extension cord or I'm going to grow a ten foot leg.
3. The foot pedal is an ON/OFF switch only and has NO rheostat, NO speed control. In my mind, that's a product killer, a non-starter. Again, Mudhole says I'm wrong. One speed and one speed only is enough. Change it with the knob on the motor or nothing. If I'm working on the tip of a 10' rod, I need a 9' arm.
4. The eyebolts in the thread carriage have always been crappy. The inside circumference is ridged with tool marks and wrecks threads. I filed and polished mine to a mirror finish. I don't expect them to be replaced by Mudhole with polished bolts, but I do expect the crappy interiors to be mentioned in the instructions. If you do what I did, wreck two rods before figuring it out, you'll be very unhappy.

I went straight to the source and voiced my criticisms. They were met with some half rude feedback that I should learn how to wrap rods his way. Uh? No. If I were new at rod building and bought this kit, I'd hate it even more. It's a middle finger to the new guy.

Am I being petty? Or is this thing crap in a box? Not that it can't be fixed, but seriously I don't want to have to re-learn rod wrapping by taking two steps backward. It's obvious that Mudhole did NOT have an independent focus group critique their product before the fact, and I think they're going to get a lot more complaints than satisfied users they way it is now. I told them that they're going to confuse any new guy who buys this kit and sour everyone on the product out of the gate. What about YOU?

Ten foot leg. Nine foot arm. Who are they kidding?

The pic shows the way I use a 4-bobbin with the 2-bobbin. The four spool carriage in back feeds the tension rod in front. Works great. Up to 6 spools ready to go.

One thread

Two thread

4 more

The Gen 1 wrapper wasn't just good; it was great. Boy, did they fuck up a good thing.

Gibbs's rule #51 - Sometimes you're wrong. Am I wrong?

Focus Group? Huh? You guys are mine. Focus.

 

[swami 805]

No speed control on the pedal with a 58” cord? WTF?
Doesn’t sound like a well thought out machine, maybe if it’s your first one you wouldn’t know any better so they figure they can get away with it a lot of the time
Kind of what you get from a bean counter not a guy wrapping rods

 

[plj46]

You should have known better just by looking at that thing.What a contraption.Glad I bought the Alps.

 

[FreeJustInTime]

I prefer the tension rod when wrapping multiple threads so I drilled the hole and added it. I also shortened the tension rod to work correctly. When doing single thread, I have preferred the Alps carriage.

 

[Wendell Fox]

View attachment 1451402I prefer the tension rod when wrapping multiple threads so I drilled the hole and added it. I also shortened the tension rod to work correctly. When doing single thread, I have preferred the Alps carriage.

This CRB thread device is what I use for my tiger wraps. I attached it to my Alps track and run all the threads through the center I bolt. Otherwise I'm strictly an Alps user.

 

[GClev]

Before I write a snarky review on Mudhole's site I'd like to collect a bunch of individual comments on the following, so if you read this I'd appreciate it if you'd consider and comment on all of these.

Wrapping without a tension rod, especially, your knots, fades, beauty stripes, saw blades, etc. How hard is it to unwind a half turn without a tension rod? Who builds detailed custom rods without one?

Wrapping one or two threads with this bulky 4-spool carriage in front ( Tiger wrap excluded of course). Is it in the way? The Alps thread bobbin is tiny by comparison.

Wrapping with only an ON/OFF foot switch and adjusting speed at the motor base with your hand. I really dislike this. How much do you depend on speed control with your foot?

The 5' foot cord was just stupid. They offer a 5' extension now and I think it's still way short. How long does the cord to foot control need to be?

After messaging Sean at Mudhole, he gave me a polite middle finger. His email says basically this is they way I wrap rods and you should too. My middle finger won't be as polite. I bet he actually uses the Alps too.

 

[Capt Richie]

Before I write a snarky review on Mudhole's site I'd like to collect a bunch of individual comments on the following, so if you read this I'd appreciate it if you'd consider and comment on all of these.

Wrapping without a tension rod, especially, your knots, fades, beauty stripes, saw blades, etc. How hard is it to unwind a half turn without a tension rod? Who builds detailed custom rods without one?

Wrapping one or two threads with this bulky 4-spool carriage in front ( Tiger wrap excluded of course). Is it in the way? The Alps is tiny by comparison.

Wrapping with only an ON/OFF foot switch and adjusting speed at the motor base with your hand. I really dislike this. How much do you depend on speed control with your foot?

The 5' foot cord was just stupid. They offer a 5' extension now and I think it's still way short. How long does the cord to foot control need to be?

After messaging Sean at Mudhole, he gave me a polite middle finger. His email says basically this is they way I wrap rods and you should too. My middle finger won't be as polite. I bet he actually uses the Alps too.

made in China ? by Non American Tackle

 

[FreeJustInTime]

Before I write a snarky review on Mudhole's site I'd like to collect a bunch of individual comments on the following, so if you read this I'd appreciate it if you'd consider and comment on all of these.

Wrapping without a tension rod, especially, your knots, fades, beauty stripes, saw blades, etc. How hard is it to unwind a half turn without a tension rod? Who builds detailed custom rods without one?

Wrapping one or two threads with this bulky 4-spool carriage in front ( Tiger wrap excluded of course). Is it in the way? The Alps is tiny by comparison.

Wrapping with only an ON/OFF foot switch and adjusting speed at the motor base with your hand. I really dislike this. How much do you depend on speed control with your foot?

The 5' foot cord was just stupid. They offer a 5' extension now and I think it's still way short. How long does the cord to foot control need to be?

After messaging Sean at Mudhole, he gave me a polite middle finger. His email says basically this is they way I wrap rods and you should too. My middle finger won't be as polite. I bet he actually uses the Alps too.

I believe the tension rod is completely user preference.
My Alps foot pedal is used to control speed. I never turn the knob. But that’s how I’ve learned.

I believe the foot pedal cord should extend the length of the provided base section plus ~3ft because it still needs to reach the floor.

 

[GClev]

made in China ? by Non American Tackle

You avoid the questions. Focus. All Batson products, Alps and Forecast, are made in Taiwan and the Rainshadow blanks in mainland China. The fish don't give a shit.

 

[Darrin Heim]

made in China ? by Non American Tackle

Thank you Capt. Richie.

You are correct a Non American Tackle Product....

You avoid the questions. Focus. All Batson products, Alps and Forecast, are made in Taiwan and the Rainshadow blanks in mainland China. The fish don't give a shit.

My opinion is in agreeance, fish don't give a shit.

They don't even care that all three separate companies mentioned(MH, AT, & BE) are American Companies regardless of where the products they sell are produced.


Regarding the wrapper, I personally wouldn't be satisfied. I understand all too well that its extremely hard to satisfy all needs and styles remembering back to working on the original Pac Bay Rodsmith machine in the early '90s. Which eventually evolved into AT & BE's machines, later to be updated and upgraded to what I think are excellent units that I am satisfied with using(Alps/BE features as well). I can tell you there were issues to address and overcome for sure. If it were me I'd take it beyond whom ever you corresponded with to get satisfaction, particularly since these are not inexpensive units.... I would assume they, like most companies in the business of servicing consumers, would take the opportunity to rectify the situation.

Respectfully,

Darrin Heim
American Tackle Company

 

[Capt Richie]

You avoid the questions. Focus. All Batson products, Alps and Forecast, are made in Taiwan and the Rainshadow blanks in mainland China. The fish don't give a shit.

As a American I do !!! doing business with a country the steals from us is never good is it !..Buy what you like,,I have no problem with other country's Just China , North Korea & Russia ...

i take way to much pride in my work to use those products ..

Why do business with people who hate us?

 

[SergeyS]

I'm a beginner and have only used the Alps power wrapper so I don't have any experience with the tension rod, but I have seen a few very experienced builders make quick and detailed work with it on the Renzetti and it seems like a good feature to have. What's more confusing is that the rest of the wrappers they sell highlight it as a feature so for it to be omitted must mean it was either a mistake to begin with or a way to save money. Anyone new buying a machine and getting into it would probably learn to use whatever they got either way.

I haven't been able to figure out how to take advantage of the foot pedal yet, I find myself turning the rod by hand more often than not. From a component sourcing standpoint they would probably have to go out of their way to find a pedal that only works on/off so maybe there's something else going on here.

There's nothing more annoying than thread breaking or fraying especially when it is due to the product and not user error. Replacing them with an insert guide would probably be practical.

As a American I do !!! doing business with a country the steals from us is never good is it !..Buy what you like,,I have no problem with other country's Just China , North Korea & Russia ...

i take way to much pride in my work to use those products ..

Why do business with people who hate us?

Some of the most beautiful rod building parts come from China in one way or another, there's no reason to judge a product by the country of origin over the quality. I don't think people in China conducting business hate you nor any American or otherwise for that matter. Luckily there are always alternatives like Alps that give the market some diversity.

 

[swami 805]

Seems like we always have some boogie man every few decades, it’s china now. Americans want stuff cheap so china is happy to feed it to us.

 

[Capt Richie]

Seems like we always have some boogie man every few decades, it’s china now. Americans want stuff cheap so china is happy to feed it to us.

your'e so right ..American Mfg ran to china & we became the Walmart country..Now China is a threat to America & not to say they have forced labor camps...
As Americans we need to send a strong message to China & American based company's ..cut ties with China or we wont buy your product...
Asian Company's are just that & not American based ...

 

[GClev]

Please try to keep on topic. Going so far outside the fishing zone and into politics serves no one well. Another time? Another Place?

Thanks to Darrin Heim, Vice President of American Tackle, for responding.

Sergey, thanks for some erudite analysis. I like the way you think.

 

[FreeJustInTime]

Saw on FB someone stated that if they turn the speed knob to the fastest setting, their foot pedal would control speed. Someone else also mentioned they cut in a foot pedal from the gen one model.

 

[GClev]

Someone on FB might have been wrong. The Volt and Ohm meter say so.

Mudhole sells the American Tackle foot pedal for $53.95. It's a YDK model YC-50 that's also used on the CRB Gen 1 and some Brother sewing machines. I found two gently used for ~$18 each on Ebay.

 

[LanceV]

Hello all, this is my first post. In regards to the new CRB wrapper. Got in line and prepaid for this unit. Received it on the 27th of December. First thing I noticed was the short cord to the foot pedal what the @#$& ! Second I also was under the impression the foot pedal would be able to control the speed along with dial nope! I called Mudhole and was told they would send out an extension for the pedal. The foot pedal looks identical to the foredom pedal which is a variable speed pedal. Im not sure if this is the same pedal but there really is no difference between the two. Anyway they had me send the pedal and motor back and was told the same about the foot pedal off/on switch. Tucker and Tyler the two guys I talked to were polite and understood my problem with the setup. Sending it back to mudhole and gonna get the Alps. Hopefully mudhole can address these issues because it could be an awesome wrapper.

 

[LanceV]

Hey GClev just saw your post. With those foot pedals would you be able to control the speed on this unit?

 

[GClev]

American Tackle version comes in white. Somebody up vote this thread please. I need the points. Hey BD, send me some swag! I think I just voided the warranty.

 

[LanceV]

Awesome. Is it easy to wire I noticed they have an outlet plug on the ebay ones does it need rewiring?

 

[GClev]

Snip at the Brother plug. Strip, add shrink tube, solder, shrink the tube. I'm waiting for Amazon to deliver black 2-wire 15' extension cords to complete the pedal change. For your video I just did some cut and paste.

I get the feeling that no one at Mudhole actually used the wrapper kit before they shipped it.

I also add a strip of closed cell foam (pipe insulation) under the pedal for softer starts and make full speed intentional, not accidental. Without it, it's just too easy to push a little too far and spin too fast.

 

[LanceV]

After looking closer figured it was easy. Thanks

 

[Capt Richie]

How is it better than the PacBay one ?

 

[GClev]

How is it better than the PacBay one ?

It isn't. It's the same YDK used by Alps/Forecast/AT/CRB gen 1. Made in Taiwan.