cm10lber Posted October 28, 2015 Report Share Posted October 28, 2015 Has anyone purchased any unpainted bodies from Shelts? I purchased my first order from him. Seems to be a reall nice guy, got my order in short time considering it came from China. They seem to be good blanks however I was excited to start painting as soon as I got them and never checked to see how they run in the water. I have another order coming this week. Hope they all run ok.. Half are already painted. Again hes a really nice guy, messaged me to make sure I received them and if I was satisfied. Just curious if anyone purchased from him. I will refer him once I check how these run. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aulrich Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 I am pretty sure I just bought their reef runner clone off ebay. I won't have time to paint or use it before freeze up though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centigrade Posted November 13, 2015 Report Share Posted November 13, 2015 He is really friendly. Yet i have had issues with a few of his lures but i will try to refrain from slandering his name because the majority of other models have been good. I have been talking with a few others who have dealt with him and they are having problems with the same lures. He had asked me to test the lures and i have had to modify a few with no positive results. I had to weigh each lure and found a few grams difference between white and clears, then he stated and only then that he took them apart and there is no weight in the white lures vs the clear. Yet they aren't listed differently online. Also on his website you can write reviews but the have to be approved by him first so don't use his website to validate his lure quality. I'd like to hear more from others who have bought from him, but thus far my experience has me looking to other suppliers like Cedarcreekoutdoors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cm10lber Posted November 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2015 I received my last order and all was good. . My experience has been all positive and I would not hesitate to order from him again. In fact I know I will be ordering again. I havent used the white version of the rattle bait yet but will test it tomorrow. I did get a message from him last night asking if I would test and get back with him. I am certain that if there is any problem with them he will correct it. Hope this helps others if they are looking for any of the blanks he carries. I think what I like most is that he is quick to ship, quick to reply to any questions I may have and also to make sure I am happy with the products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom1441 Posted November 16, 2015 Report Share Posted November 16, 2015 I got my buzzjet Jr. from him I'm not happy with the quality at all. Bad spot on each of the bills, and not sealed around the hook hangers 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish_Hacker Posted November 17, 2015 Report Share Posted November 17, 2015 I've never ordered from them but I was noticing some of the baits are quite a bit lighter than the actual bait. Example is the Spook 4.5" replica is .05 oz and a Zara Spook 4.5" is .75 oz.. of .25 is quite a bit for this to be the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DingerBaits Posted November 17, 2015 Report Share Posted November 17, 2015 I have never ordered from him. I wrote him a email asking him to change his fat poppa photo on his website. No response. It is a picture I personally took and he took it off my website with out my permission. I don't know how his blanks run, nor does it really matter to me. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish_Hacker Posted November 19, 2015 Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 I have never ordered from him. I wrote him a email asking him to change his fat poppa photo on his website. No response. It is a picture I personally took and he took it off my website with out my permission. I don't know how his blanks run, nor does it really matter to me. I saw that Fat poppa photo and noticed that to be familar. After you mentioning this, I totally recall it. Ethics are really important to me and if this doesn't get fixed, I will never deal with them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DingerBaits Posted November 19, 2015 Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 There are a lot of things that involve ethics with a business. I don't care that they sell the same product (only the fat poppa) that I do, it's just don't be lazy and take a picture for yourself. Even if it is a drop ship company. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel1 Posted November 21, 2015 Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 love shelts eason is excellen to work with and stand behind whats he sell,best bulk baits out here hands down .the fat poppa is unreal and fish killer,we have managered stripers,hybirds,and largemouth on them so far, the dt-10 is excellent medium divers,the little john is run really well and get bit ,tight lines .i will definitely buy again, 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Vodkaman Posted November 21, 2015 Popular Post Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 Daniel - Usually when people join TU, they either introduce themselves or ask a question. You sign up and post two recommendations for Shelts within 3 minutes. If I was a cynic, I might suspect that your real name is Mr Shelt, but of course, promoting your own products in the forums would be breaking the site rules, if you had time to read them. Dave 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohawkman Posted November 21, 2015 Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 Seems a little "fishy", Dave. I found that way too funny. Probably the bourbon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SugarHillBaits Posted November 21, 2015 Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 Pretty sure that is Mr. Shelt if you message him and ask those questions on each bait you get the same response word for word seems odd!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohawkman Posted November 21, 2015 Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 If that is Mr. Shelt, wow! No class or dignity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted November 21, 2015 Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 Just another reason not to use his service in my opinion. Dave 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish_Hacker Posted November 21, 2015 Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 (edited) If Daniel1 is Shelt themselves or self, I think maybe he should just follow up with questions or reply to pending inquiries. As a business or of the such, the best customer service is to follow up and commit to customer service. This builds trust and creates the possibility of more sales. The Fat Poppa image request is not a big deal to change and if a mistake was made or taking shortcuts or integrity was waivered at the time, they "Shelt" can correct that and come clean/restoring positive image. To just ignore it and go on trying to push product and possibly defend themselves here is just not good behavior to take to build a positive reputation. Many people here and everywhere take social, ethical .... responsibility seriously. Shelt - to be correct positive and inclusive in your trade amongst bait sellers can be very good business for you. To build that relationship and to create good ethics to the business can promote positive business to the bait trade and rest of the bait sellers. I used to be afraid to order blank baits from these who knows who they are companies. I am somewhat comfortable now being I have ordered from a few. I am always looking for something new and only know of the handful of sellers that are listed as information on this board. I have ordered from China also. The ones I have communicated and done business with have been great to work with and have built trust with me including the one company from China. I am really sorry to see Shelt take this approach if it is really how I'm seeing it. I've never heard of Shelts until reading this thread. I would have ordered from them for sure but after this, I just can't compel myself to do business with Shelt. Edited November 21, 2015 by Fish_Hacker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted November 21, 2015 Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 (edited) Customer service, ethics, etc.. has no place in the conversation as none of it matters in respect to the product that is being offered. These are knock off low end junk baits manufactured in the cheapest methods available (labor, tooling, quality control, etc...) to fit the desperate and overwhelmingly need of so many to save a penny at the expense of the final product. They sell because simply they are cheap and many lure makers justify the use of such product solely on that reason. Edited November 21, 2015 by Travis 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cm10lber Posted November 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 Just for my knowledge, I was under the assumption that most if not all blanks were coming from another country, mainly China. I have only been painting for almost 2 months now and have tried to research this as best as I could. I have asked some ebay sellers, custom lure painters, painters selling on social media sites that are advertising custom painted baits for sale if they were ko and if so were they imports. Most if not all ( cant be sure anymore) have replied with a yes, that they were imported. Im not trying to create any hard feelings or point fingers or anything like that. Im only trying to gain knowledge of where to buy the best blanks. If most (if not all) lure blanks are imported then can someone please explain the difference in a quality blank? Im guessing that all the ones sold in the USA that are imports have been checked thoroughly for decects, that they run straight,, etc. therefore are of better "quality" ? For someone new to the hobby as myself this can be a bit confusing. I was also told that if there are blanks made in the USA that are not ko's then you would have to buy in bulk (meaning a few thousand dollars or more) just to be able to purchase them. But then again I have also been told that even the name brand lures are all made in another country and are in fact "imports" themselves. Again, you can see how this can be a bit confusing to someone new at this. Im just trying to gain some knowledge here and trust this site tremendously. Thanks and hope this is making sense. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted November 21, 2015 Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 I don't know exactly who buys what from where, but I do know some sellers have more consistent, higher quality, better performing blanks than others. I would guess it has something to do with how much they pay for their stock, and where they get it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted November 21, 2015 Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 (edited) Just for my knowledge, I was under the assumption that most if not all blanks were coming from another country, mainly China. I have only been painting for almost 2 months now and have tried to research this as best as I could. I have asked some ebay sellers, custom lure painters, painters selling on social media sites that are advertising custom painted baits for sale if they were ko and if so were they imports. Most if not all ( cant be sure anymore) have replied with a yes, that they were imported. Im not trying to create any hard feelings or point fingers or anything like that. Im only trying to gain knowledge of where to buy the best blanks. If most (if not all) lure blanks are imported then can someone please explain the difference in a quality blank? Im guessing that all the ones sold in the USA that are imports have been checked thoroughly for decects, that they run straight,, etc. therefore are of better "quality" ? For someone new to the hobby as myself this can be a bit confusing. I was also told that if there are blanks made in the USA that are not ko's then you would have to buy in bulk (meaning a few thousand dollars or more) just to be able to purchase them. But then again I have also been told that even the name brand lures are all made in another country and are in fact "imports" themselves. Again, you can see how this can be a bit confusing to someone new at this. Im just trying to gain some knowledge here and trust this site tremendously. Thanks and hope this is making sense. Nothing wrong with your inquiry. You had a question and you will get a lot of different responses. My point is a lot of guys know what to expect when buying from some places and to expect anything different besides what you really paid for is . First when it comes to repaints it is very easy to source blanks that are in my opinion very inferior products compared to the bait they knock off. Very, very, few exceptions. Some are of sufficient quality that they make good solid bait as some guys deal with better sources and have higher quality control. Others just push whatever they get sent. From my experience I would rather have 1 of the original repainted than 2 of the "custom" completed knock offs, and half dozen (or more) unpainted blanks. Most of the blanks I bought from various sources ended up as key chains. I do think stuff has gotten better as some guys have a better standards for the product they sell. Country of origin doesn't necessarily matter as US does its fair share of putting out garbage also. Frankly it is what the masses want....and guys are just supplying the demand. Edited November 21, 2015 by Travis 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish_Hacker Posted November 21, 2015 Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 (edited) love shelts eason is excellen to work with and stand behind whats he sell,best bulk baits out here hands down .the fat poppa is unreal and fish killer,we have managered stripers,hybirds,and largemouth on them so far, the dt-10 is excellent medium divers,the little john is run really well and get bit ,tight lines .i will definitely buy again, I looked at Shelt's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sheltfishinglure and saw this quote by a Watt Keller.. ( I took a screen shot ). Does it look familiar? What Daniel1 wrote is exactly the same. So Watt Keller and Daniel1 and Shelt is all the same person. I guess his baits run everywhere and all over the place. Edited November 21, 2015 by Fish_Hacker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 Don’t make the mistake of thinking that everything that comes out of China is crap, absolutely not true. With four times the population of the USA, once an agricultural nation, but is now an industrial world powerhouse. Still a fairly new industrial nation so they still think that they have to copy everything. They haven’t figured out yet, that copying is harder than designing from scratch. But, with a strong schooling system, the next generation are going to blow you out of the industrial waters. The main differences between USA production and Chinese production is labour costs and ethics. Being largely a nation of copy artists, there is little room for a strong code of ethics. BUT, ethics are a personal thing and there are a lot of Chinese companies who will strive to give you satisfaction. I know this, because the product that I am designing is entirely manufactured and sourced from China. It just requires research, visitations and talking to other customers, the usual stuff. Visiting is your problem, but you can expect to receive samples, even if you have to pay the postage. The problem with lure body production, and this is not just China, is that the people running the design and processes are not lure designers and so do not fully understand the requirements. A material spec can change, the exact ball size may not be available, already the functionality of the bait has dramatically changed in balance and performance. If you send a lure and request a copy in plastic, you will receive the precise shape, but nothing else is going to match; density, balance etc. You will receive the same nonsense you will get from any production company in the USA or any other part of the world, except from China it will be cheaper. Another thing, if you buy your lure bodies from China or from a company that imports from China or India or Pakistan or anywhere outside the USA, you give up your right to take part in BUY AMERICAN discussions. You no longer have a say in economy arguments, you are not allowed to beat the drum for 'support our industry' causes any longer. Basically, you have sold out your country and you have to accept this fact. I am not preaching to you, I sold mine out a long time ago. Dave 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cm10lber Posted November 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 Don’t make the mistake of thinking that everything that comes out of China is crap, absolutely not true. With four times the population of the USA, once an agricultural nation, but is now an industrial world powerhouse. Still a fairly new industrial nation so they still think that they have to copy everything. They haven’t figured out yet, that copying is harder than designing from scratch. But, with a strong schooling system, the next generation are going to blow you out of the industrial waters. The main differences between USA production and Chinese production is labour costs and ethics. Being largely a nation of copy artists, there is little room for a strong code of ethics. BUT, ethics are a personal thing and there are a lot of Chinese companies who will strive to give you satisfaction. I know this, because the product that I am designing is entirely manufactured and sourced from China. It just requires research, visitations and talking to other customers, the usual stuff. Visiting is your problem, but you can expect to receive samples, even if you have to pay the postage. The problem with lure body production, and this is not just China, is that the people running the design and processes are not lure designers and so do not fully understand the requirements. A material spec can change, the exact ball size may not be available, already the functionality of the bait has dramatically changed in balance and performance. If you send a lure and request a copy in plastic, you will receive the precise shape, but nothing else is going to match; density, balance etc. You will receive the same nonsense you will get from any production company in the USA or any other part of the world, except from China it will be cheaper. Another thing, if you buy your lure bodies from China or from a company that imports from China or India or Pakistan or anywhere outside the USA, you give up your right to take part in BUY AMERICAN discussions. You no longer have a say in economy arguments, you are not allowed to beat the drum for 'support our industry' causes any longer. Basically, you have sold out your country and you have to accept this fact. I am not preaching to you, I sold mine out a long time ago. Dave That was very well said Dave. I still have to ask though.. how do I know that what I get is from America? All these blanks that are being sold all look alike. Withouth having the proper knowledge and testing equipment to weigh it, plastic density, etc etc I would have to go by their word. I still havent found any blanks that I feel comfortable in taking someones word that its made in America and not imported. Especially when Im told its almost impossible to purchase them without spending a few K. Do you know of anyone that is actually selling blanks not imported? I have purchased blanks few times in my short time with this hobby and even the ones Ive purchased in America are imported but the shipping was much quicker (so far). Just trying to figure all this out and find a supplier I know I can go to and trust for my future needs. Thanks all for the replys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 (edited) Cm10lber - I am not the person to ask. But, I am sure there are one or two suppliers that might be supplying all American product. You will have to expect to pay a little more of course. It would be wonderful if there were local producers and people were prepared to support them, but too mony of you guys are prepared to sell your souls for the cheapest available. Amplify this attitude throughout all purchases and you will start to see why your economy and industry are in such trouble. Personally, I am happy with this situation. I live in Indonesia, and when the day comes, and I enter into business using local labour, trained to my standards, you will not have any moral issues about doing business with me. My opinion is that; if the product is available at home, you do not go abroad for a source. BUT, if the BIG money men in corporate America won't follow this nationalistic policy, then why should the working man be expected to. It all comes down to personal morals and ethics. Dave Edited November 22, 2015 by Vodkaman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 When the jobs that pay enough to allow Buy American to be possible are overseas, the US consumer is faced with only being able to afford cheap imports, and it's a vicious cycle. Buy more imports, kill more US jobs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
