Cheap Chinese hooks?

[Gray Ghost 0]

I am a novice tier, as novice as can be. Working on building a tying kit. 

Acquired these hooks through Temu, which for those of you not familiar is a Chinese marketplace similar to Amazon. You can buy and pay in dollars with a card, and they ship your items by Chinese/US mail. Takes a few days longer than Amazon but cheaper.

So I purchased these hooks (see pic):

Quantity 50 size 12 nymph hooks "Goture" brand

Quantity 50 size 10 dry fly hooks "Goture" brand

Price for 100 hooks total was $4.27 including shipping (which was "free") and tax.

So that's cheaper than you can buy premium brand hooks in the USA, and even cheaper than no name hooks on Amazon.

My question is, in what way(s) would you predict the quality of these would fall below more expensive hooks?

J

[chugbug27 0]

I too tried some Chinese made ebay hooks just to see, a few years back now (mine were called Eupheng, I think) and found the ones I bought to be very, very soft. Wholesale Fly Co is still selling hooks at 100/$7, and those are good. There are other trusted "off-Broadway" type brands as well at under $10 for 100... (Risen is one, there are several others) 

[ScienceGuy141 0]

Personally, I wouldn't use the cheapest hooks I could find. There are good value hooks out there like Chug mentioned. You don't need to buy the most expensive ones, but buying the cheapest sounds like asking to lose a 20+" fish because of a hook breaking. 

[FIN-ITE 34 0]

You need a hook to practice on, so I would say use the hooks you have and as you progress in tying, start buying better hooks. And don't worry about losing a +20" fish because of a bent or broken hook as it happens with quality hooks as well, just not as often.

[niveker 0]

 

Less than $5 for 100 hooks is a good deal, I would definitely give them a shot.  It they work out well you'll have saved lots of money over the years of tying.  

I always go for the less, but maybe not the least, expensive hooks when I can. I have not had any major problems, including a good number of the Eupheng hooks that Chug mentioned above.  I really like some of their wide gaped and their curved/caddis style hooks. Sierra (I think that's the name) is another less expensive brand I use.  And my local shop has a house brand that he sells, not sure of the manufacturer, which are pretty good in some styles.  $3/25 pack, buy 3 get one free, so essentially $9/100.  

Some of the issues you may run into with less expensive hooks are softer as well as brittle wire, which can lead to bent and/or broken hooks (not always a bad thing when it happens on a snag), and dull points.  Quality control can be an issue: slightly deformed hooks, eye rings not fully closed, etc. 

With my experience those issues have been infrequent and not common enough to offset the cost savings. I tie mostly for panfish, bass, and trout.  Its a different ballgame for those who tie for large fish and the salt.

As far as the "loose the fish of a lifetime" reasoning.  Well, that happened to me a few years ago in while camping in Vermont,  so I don't have to worry about it any longer.  Not due to cheap hooks though, but cause I was completely unprepared for such a large fish in that small, narrow run.  My young daughter, who was playing in the eddies just upstream from me, learned to curse like a sailor that day.  

I think, though,  as you tie more and more, you'll come to prefer a certain style and/or brand of hooks, regardless of cost.

 

 

[cphubert 0]

When I started tying Mustad was the standard that hooks where judged from, today the choice is amazing- I look for style first (dry streamer nymph etc.) size, there is no ISO or any other standard across manufacturers - then price per 100. True some hooks are tempered or forged differently than others causing soft or brittle conditions and quality is a problem across all brands. I am less worried as I tie mostly for myself now, when I tied for others, quality was my first concern if I lose a nice fish from quality issues, I might consider it a long-distance release. Additionally, I think a lot of branded hooks may be made in the same Chinese factory as the bargain hooks. just my 2 cents.

[mikechell 0]

I buy the $4 a box (50 or 100 hooks) aberdeens from Walmart, so I don't think they come much cheaper than that.  All my rods have 10# tippet mono, and I've rarely bent open a hook.  Are you guys really able to bend open a hook fighting a fish on your2# and 4# tippets?

[cphubert 0]

58 minutes ago, mikechell said:

bend open a hook

I have had them break while fishing, while pinching the barb and in the vise. I would preferer a hook that is "softer" and bends a little

[ScienceGuy141 0]

15 hours ago, niveker said:

 I always go for the less, but maybe not the least, expensive hooks when I can.

Agree 100%. Maybe the hooks you got will be fine. My experience has been I've gotten burned when I bought some of the cheapest hooks I could find - broke in the vise, dull, bent open, eyes not closed, poor finish and rust on them in the package, etc. But to answer the original question, consistency is probably the biggest difference between the cheapest hooks and middle of the road hooks. The most expensive ones aren't functionally any better imo, you're just paying for the name. To me though, its worth it to spend a few extra cents above the cheapest hooks to lower my chance of having a hook malfunction after investing the time and energy to hook into a nice fish. 

[gillage 0]

5 hours ago, cphubert said:

I have had them break while fishing, while pinching the barb and in the vise. I would prefer a hook that is "softer" and bends a little

These are my biggest issues with using the cheapest hooks.

[gillage 0]

4 hours ago, ScienceGuy141 said:

...To me though, its worth it to spend a few extra cents above the cheapest hooks to lower my chance of having a hook malfunction after investing the time and energy to hook into a nice fish. 

Agree 100% and would add................or the time and energy to tie a nice fly

[niveker 0]

11 hours ago, mikechell said:

Are you guys really able to bend open a hook fighting a fish on your2# and 4# tippets?

Not often, but yes, when trout fishing.

[Gray Ghost 0]

OK! Thanks for the thoughts and experience. Given that I am a novice tyer maybe its better to learn tying on cheaper hooks. My average fish is a tiny bluegill anyway so I am not very worried about the hook breaking. Probably would break the tippet first like one poster noted.

 

[flytire 0]

you wont have any problems with those hooks on bluegills

[mikechell 0]

6 hours ago, flytire said:

you wont have any problems with those hooks on bluegills

Or on any trout less than 3 pounds or so I'd bet ... but I do catch bass in the 5 to 9 pound range once in a while.  It's not the size of the fish that's in my question, though.  I watch these videos where someone is playing a fish to death on 2# or 4# tippets.  A metal hook isn't weaker than a light tippet, right?  If you're using 6#, 8# or 10# test tippet, then the strength of the hook might come into issue.

I do understand the comments above for those who smash barbs or go for bent back profiles etc.

My questions are not intended to insult anyone ... just curious as to what would actually bend or break a hook?  And is the hook weaker than the mono lines we use for leaders and tippets?