SFR "Premium" purchases you found to be "worth it"

Sorta fishing-related
Evan B

Evan B

Bobber Downey Jr.
Staff member
Admin
Could be fishing/outdoor related or not.

We're always talking about and looking for bargains. But what about the other end of the spectrum? What have you splurged on that you would do all over again?

I have way too many to list... but a recent one, and the one that inspired me to start this discussion was this here Benchmade Meatcrafter. Had my eye on them for a while because they are exactly what I've been after for carking out tuna and halibut.

Turns out it's everything I hoped for. Despite its unassuming appearance (I went for the more utilitarian handle vs something that looks fancy), this thing has justified its seemingly ridiculous $350 price tag.

11/10, would buy again.
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(Benchmade, if you're reading this, since you're a PNW company, we would accept you as a business supporter)
 
Buying a power tilt outboard the last 20 years whenever it was time to repower one of my small skiffs.
Spending $600 on a portable medical grade air purifier.
Buying hand shaped surfboards from the best in the business.
Surprising my wife, daughter and granddaughter with a Hawaiian vacation two months ago for just the three of them, including pre-paid spa days and an ocean view suite. They loved it.
 
Spent my first 10 years of spey fishing with Echo rods. Great value, but once I bought a Meiser I replaced them all. Steelhead is just a casting game now so might as well enjoy that aspect as much as possible.

Bootfoot waders. I've been milking a pair of G3s for about 10 years now. Can't imagine winter fishing without them.

A good down sleeping bag. Nothing like being good and toasty camping in the cold. Currently have a Big Agnes 0.

Patagonia clothes. In the 90s I lived next to an outlet and still have a bunch of gear from then. Their underlayers and wet wading gear is second to none and the longevity actually makes it a good value too.
 
Russell said:
Recently bought a pair of Crispi Colorado hiking/hunting boots. Have never had a more comfortable boot and the quality is excellent. We’ll see how they hold up
Click to expand...
Relatable. I got some Lowa Tibets and they're so worth it. But I'm also a huge running shoe geek so appreciating quality footwear is very much my wheelhouse.
 
I normally don’t pay full price for high end rods. I wait for them to go on sale when an update occurs to purchase.

I’ve bought two full price Scott Centrics though and IMO, they are worth the money.

I also like my Boston Whaler Montauk quite a bit even though I know there were cheaper options out there.
 
Any of my Bauer Rogue reels, every time I peel line off one it brings a satisfying smile to my face. Just so silky smooth and solid feeling.

I recently had to send one back to Bauer, due to some neglect on my part. I must’ve failed to properly rinse one of the Rogue 3s after beach fishing and the spool bearings fused to the shaft. It still worked fine but I could not remove the spool for the life of me. Bauer had it for months, and even they were about to give up on it and offered me a new one at a generous discount.

But someone there wanted to try and save it, and built some clever custom tool that enabled them to press the spool off. They did a full rebuild and sent it back free of any charge. I was thrilled and am now a Bauer fan for life.
 
Right off the top of my head is definitely fishing related....

May not seem like much by today's high end rod standards, but springing for 2 custom Steffen Brothers glass rod heavyweights ($800 and change each) is some of the best money I've ever spent on fishing stuff. My 8' 8/9wt is the most used rod in my quiver currently (and it probably isn't all that close) & my 7'9" 10/11 is so damn versatile and punches far above it's weight.

🍻

edit: I think I need pics....

10/11
IMG_20250727_141922.jpg

8/9
IMG_20260601_073336.jpg
PXL_20260623_192453704~2.jpg
 
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