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Closing it's doors, it seems. Testimonials from people who have had them for 50 years and never needed another. Sadly, that is probably the problem, right there, with people these days who will throw away a circular saw because it is cheaper to buy a 'new' one than sharpen the blade on the 'old' one.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gordie
If you want, I'll copy and paste the article.
Hmm, sad that quality suffers. Cheers John.
The Alvey my father gave me for my 15th birthday in 1961 is still going strong.
Alvey Reels Australia closing down
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Alvey keeps anglers hooked
QUEENSLAND manufacturing icon Alvey Reels, which once boasted its fishing equipment was so strong it never needed replacing, is shutting its doors after almost a century in business.
Alvey, based at Carole Park in Ipswich and founded by Charles Alvey in 1920, announced on Wednesday that sales of its reels were now so low that they could not generate the income required to keep the business growing.
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Alvey Reels Australia closing down | The Courier-Mail 25/7/17, 6)10 pm
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Alvey was founded in 1920.
Alvey, owned by Charles’s great grandsons Bruce and Glenn Alvey, had been hit by growing sales of cheap imports in recent years.
“Our loyal and skilled staff have kept the quality of our products very high and we are proud of this reputation as being the toughest reel on the market,” Bruce said on the company’s Facebook page.
“So I would like to sincerely thank all our staff, many who are very long- term employees, for their support even now during this very sad time as we wind the business down.”
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Bruce Alvey made the announcement on Alveyʼs Facebook page. Picture: Jono Searle
The Queensland National Trust has listed Alvey as an icon of the state along with the Fourex man and the Ekka.
Operating from a small workshop at St Lucia, Charles Alvey originally produced about 20 reels a week and would catch the tram into Brisbane to deliver them to the warehouse.
Charles brought his son, Ken, into the business in the 1920s as custom grew.
Ken, a qualified pattern maker and draftsman, helped the business ramp up production and marketing efforts.
When Charles died in 1945 aged 80, his grandson Jack joined the company.
Some of the original equipment used in Charles Alvey’s day is still used in the factory, which employs 26 people.
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Some of the original equipment used in Charles Alveyʼs day is still used in the factory, which employs 26 people.
Bruce Alvey noted in a 2015 interview with The Courier-Mail that the company is so old that its original advertising slogan “It’s the Alvey reel that fills the creel” is not readily understood today by modern anglers. A creel is a wicker basket used to hold fish.
But despite its iconic status, times had become increasingly tough for Alvey.
It faced a variety of headwinds, including cheap imports from Asia, rising manufacturing costs, the economic downturn and restrictions on recreational fishing.
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Alvey Reels founder Charles Alvey.
“This is probably the toughest time we have ever experienced as we face the rising costs of manufacturing, labour and rates,” Bruce Alvey told The Courier-Mail in 2015.
Alvey credited the longevity of the family-run company to the quality of its products, with everything from the smallest nut to the largest component still manufactured in-house.
The design of fishing reels has not changed as much as the materials. The original Alvey reels were made of timber rather than steel or plastic.
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The Queensland National Trust has listed Alvey as an icon of the state.
But Mr Alvey noted that the obsession with quality may have come back to haunt the company. Unlike most modern products, Alvey reels tend not to have an in-built obsolescence.
“We have probably made our reels too well over the years,” Alvey said.
“We have people using the same reel that their grandfather used. We really want them to buy a new one.”
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Ken Alvey was brought into the business in the 1920s.
Within an hour of Wednesday’s Facebook post it had attracted more than 600 likes and more than 500 comments.
Readers expressed sadness over the announcement, with many customers praising the products.
“A very sad day indeed when a product is too good and doesn’t need replacing for generations. All the best guys,” one reader said.
“That’s sad news I still have heaps of em they are great reels. Thanks for providing a great product,” wrote another.
Another customer said: “Your product was so good I have never had to replace one. A really bad irony. I still love your reels and thanks for making them for us.”
Another customer said they still had an Alvey reel from 50 years ago.
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Alvey Reels Australia closing down | The Courier-Mail 25/7/17, 6)10 pm
“I have bought these Reels for 50 years, still have the first one and it is still working extremely well. They are the best reels for our conditions. Very sad,” they wrote.
Brisbane's iconic XXXX brewery under threat
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Quote:
Originally Posted by johntins
Apologies for the formatting. Bit busy with other things to try and fix it.
Nice job anyways. My computer literacy stops at Atari so it's better than I could do. Apologies to those that couldn't open the link.
Damn shame, it's the only reel Dad and Mum used for beach fishing.
The biggest drawcard for the Alvey was that it could hold much more line than a conventional eggbeater back in the day.
However the eggbeaters got bigger and cheaper also with the introduction of braided line these eggbeaters can now hold hundreds of meters because of the thin diameter compared to mono.
The Alvey's also had a problem with the line twisting up if you didn't use a swivel on you rig or the swivel got twisted up somehow.
The eggbeaters and overheads are so much easier to use and you don't need to have a super long beach rod to get a good cast with them so this is probably why very few fisherfolk buy the Alvey's anymore.
I stopped using Alvey's on my fishing rods in the Eighties But the Alvey deck winches will be hard to replace.
We used to watch the guys using Alveys on the beach getting all twisted up, especially if casting a retrieving quickly like when the tailor were running. Led them to get the name Idiotwinders. I have had an Alvey Luderick Special on my Blackfish rod for twenty years and it is still going strong.Quote:
Originally Posted by trout1105
Sad to see another Aussie Icon Brand going under.