I saw a post on a Facebook group the other day that got me thinking.
Then I received a pm on here asking similar questions that got me thinking even more….
Its very difficult to obtain a normark rod for the right money if you really don’t know what you’re looking for. Some are worth £30 and others over the £500 mark but unless you’re clued up enough to spot the right things it could land you with a very expensive mistake.
I’m going to fill this thread with some things to look for regarding the 3 commonly known float rods which seem to be the most sought after when we discuss normarks.
I’m not an expert but I’ve researched this heavily, owned and used plenty over some time and I know enough to put a brief buyers guide together. Anything that doesn’t read right please feel free to comment and put it right.
One thing that remains simple when we discuss the commonly known normark float rods is there is 3 models and that never changes.
Microlite (light action)
Titan (alrounder medium action)
Avenger (stepped up action)
The differences between them vary from era to era but as a rule of thumb it’s around 15% more stiffness in the middle and lower part of the blank as you step up to the next model.
I haven’t used every one so again if there is an era where it’s significantly more or less than this please say. Certainly on the 2000 range it’s around 15%
The mine field starts when we discuss eras or model ages etc.
Starting off in the early 80’s till the early 90’s we have the originals or mk1’s or early models as they are often referred as. It was something like 81-90 but I don’t know exactly and it’s not important here
These rods had unmistakable features to identify them. First off full cork handles and sliding bands. Duplon and locking reel seats didn’t come onto normarks until the 90’s
All the guides were double legged and interestingly the length of the rod in inches and no of sections was displayed as part of the model number on the blank.
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These are not too bad regarding being sold with the dreaded normark short tip section. However it does happen and the best way to check on one of these older versions is to put it together and measure the entire rod. Within a couple of mm (allowing for any spigot wear) it should measure what it says on the blank 156 inches in this case with the microlite.
Tip and middle sections lengths should be the same but on these earlier ones it’s not as reliable to determine a loss as it was on the later models.
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Value…. These are my opinions based on both research and what others have currently sold for.
The early mk1’s tend to fetch similar amounts despite whether it’s an avenger or titan etc if it’s full length with original bag in decent condition like above then expect to pay around £100-150 depending on how clean it is.
Into the early 90’s and the team 2000 was born. These are the ones that get the biggest mention because they jumped decades ahead when they were first released. Nothing else around was remotely like them and loads were sold over a 8 year period i believe.
Buying them today requires some thought, knowledge and research.
First off the Titan while highest in demand is by a mile the most common and least valuable out of the 3. There’s many variations of the 2000 range in the respect they were changed slightly as they progressed throughout there era. Luckily I’ve never personally seen a fake but I have seen models modified and it needs to be observed.
They started life with 2 double legged rings on the butt and one double legged on the middle section. The rest were singles and all were silver Fuji titaniums.
These had duplon for and rear grips with gold hooded reel seats made by Fuji.
A very brief period between handle changes happened where a small number of rods were made with all single guides even on the but. These are rare and collectors will pay more for full single legged models to bridge gaps.
After this came the later models which got full cork handles with cork ips reel seats and black guides.
One very important thing to note is the tip guide. If the guides are titanium, the tip guide was a leg less guide and no whipping. Like this
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It wasn’t a great guide in my opinion because it caused creaking noises when playing fish but that’s the original guide on earlier models. If you see a whipping behind it then it’s good reason to investigate further.
Later models with black guides got better reinforcement on the tip rings and these didn’t creak
Look out for wear to the gold reel seats on the early ones. Heavy used models have practically no gold left and are almost all silver. It’s a good way to tell if it really has “only been used twice”
Gold seat shown here with slight wear to the rear hood. Front one totally unworn
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Tip breaks and short tip sections are very common on the 2000/1000/3000 range of rods. As I go through the others this applies to all of them to prevent me repeating myself.
Do not buy a team normark without first confirming if it’s short or not. After that it’s up to you but the price is massively reflected
Firstly you can’t really determine this from guide spacing because they vary from 95mm to 110mm so don’t do that.
Normark team rods were all built within a couple of mm so that the very end of the tip guide lined up with the very end of the middle section. Any more than 1-2mm and it needs further investigation. If you are judging this from photos in an advert ask the person to demonstrate this by putting all the sections against a hard straight edge and send clear photos to show the sections length. Like so
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You can also confirm this by putting the rod together for a total length
View attachment 29460but it’s not as reliable because a fraction of joint wear on both sections can make afew mm difference on the rod length in total. The middle and tip section measurements being equal is a more reliable way to find out. I’ve personally never come across one that’s more than a couple of mm different in the team *000 range.
This needs to be well looked into over any thing else. Check its full length.
Finally something to note on the team 2000’s.
2 foot extensions were available as extras for titans and avengers at 13ft to make them 15ft
Personally I didn’t think they were great on the 2000’s but they do add value if buying one and the seller is adding it to the rod.
2000 values…….? Tough one but assuming it’s full length and in good used condition and the most common 13ft versions
Microlite £300-400 no extension
Titan….£250-350 with extension £300-400
Avenger £350-450 with extension £500-£700
14ft a little more and 12’s a little less but these weren’t extendable I don’t believe.
Now moving on during the period when the 2000’s were being produced they introduced a budget friendly version a little later on came The team 1000.
I’ve never fished with one but I’ve had a waggle. I don’t know how many if any variations of them were done but they were still a diamura blank. Slightly more through actioned. Less tippy and less prone to breaks. These are quite safe buys compared to 2000’s so long as you still do your checks and don’t pay 2000 money for them.
They got standard Fuji sic rings, and a silver hooded Fuji reel seat. Great rods still high quality and still fetch money. However you shouldn’t be paying any more than 150-200 for a team 1000 unless it’s in unused collectors condition. I’ve got no more to add on these. Feel free to fill any blanks.
In 1998 the 1000/2000 were stopped being produced and we say goodbye to the last of the “normark” normark microlite.
In 1999 the team 3000 was born. Titan and avenger only. And in 1 configuration. These are the very last of the normarks designed by Geoff Salisbury but they were not the last to be made on diamuru blanks.
Buying a 3000 takes as much care as buying a 2000 in the respect that the tips are incredibly fine and most are now short. They were designed as long rods and made on slightly stiffer blanks because every 3000 was supplied with a 4 sleeve rod bag and 2ft extension which worked incredibly well with the stiffness added to the rod. These fished at 15ft absolutely superb and if you find one without the extension it is not complete.
They changed like the 2000 did but over a very short time as they were only produced for 1 year
Early models had full single titanium guides Fuji gold hooded seats. 3000’s never had any double legged rings
In the middle of their era they got a small change to a carbon reel seat with the gold hoods and these are super rare.
then later models like the 2000’s they went black guides, full cork and ips seat.
The titans are the easiest to come across although by no means are any of the 3000’s easy to find.
The team 3000 rods were stopped being made in 2000 and are the rarest production normarks to find today with so very few sold. Especially the avenger.
Value on these depends very much on the persons knowledge of normarks as there are people out there that don’t believe the 3000 to be a genuine normark rod on the Japanese blank.
To some people they are worth very little. £150-200.
However to the educated normark person these are an incredibly rare and sought after rod. The original RRP them in 1999 was £459.00.
Nowadays I’d say Titan 3000 £350-450 and avenger 3000 being as rare as it is £450-550
Your not being ripped off paying that sort of money for excellent complete examples like this one.
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