American Tackle WFS Uplocking Fly Reel Seat – Exotic Wood Inserts

I felt the manufacturing of the product was spot on. Good quality materials and nice edges. The finish had some issues. It look as if the epoxy from the upper seat dripped down onto the handle and had pit marks in the wood. I would have sent it back and when I have done this in the past, Mudhole has done great about sending me out a new one. I didn't have time with this build, it was a custom rush job. so I was able to sand it down and refinish it on my own. I might have just been a fluke error.

I was surprised at the thinness of the metal and the faux appearance of the wood. However the upside is it in combo with the grip it is super lightweight. I would buy it again.

The only thing is I wish the wood looked a bit more real ( or was real. Not sure what that would cost though! It could also be the wood grain I choose). Otherwise, it fit well and I’m sure it’ll work fine as long as I did everything right!

Great looking Reel seat, metals a little thinner than I thought but still very functional

I like these seats and will use in future but was disappointed in the last one, hence the 4 star. I like that the bottom is a cap so you can ensure that the blank end is properly placed. I think the slight extra weight is worth aesthetic value it provides to the rod. I used one on a 5 wt rod last year and extensively fished it on a Montana trip. Banged it on float boats and held the reel-real well! Just used two others on 3 wt rods with composite handles. Super easy to mount and room on end to build up with tape to fit in the cutout of the half well. My disappointment was in the last one I used. I just could not fit is well on the rod and checked inside (see photo). There was a blob of glue inside which I removed with a file. That was not a big deal, but I should have looked at it closer. The ridge that fits in the half well was slightly warped. Not sure if the glue blob had anything to do with it or the apparent lack of quality control. I mounted the seat and then the handle. I noticed the warp then but it was too late to do anything but proceed. After the epoxy set there was a slight area of noticable masking tape but I was able to color it with a black pen and push up on the collar. Its fine but I will definitely look at any seats closer in the future.