Here I thought Rapala was synonymous with quality – My how things have changed

It looks like they are stepping up. They responded to my email first thing this morning with this –

Scott,
Thank you for your email and your feedback. When these lures are placed back into a sealed tackle tray after use and exposed to direct sunlight/heat for a length of time, the combination of moisture, heat and a closed box will create a significant amount of pressure. Another cause of this is leaving the lure on the dashboard of your vehicle. Extreme heat causes air to expand inside and seams to split. As these lures are made of a plastic material, the below issue will happen. We suggest storing such items away from direct heat and sunlight so that this will not occur. This is not considered a manufacturer’s defect.
With that said, please send them in to our warranty department. We will replace for you.
Happy fishing!
Rapala USA

Well, there ya go.

Noice

That is good to read BoatsHateMe.
The rapala BX minnows are made of balsa wood.

My daughter opened a box of flickers Tuesday that was sitting on my seat and says “HHOT”.

Box wasn’t on chair more than 5 minutes.

I grabbed one and was surprised!

Under a white towel they go!

Surprised I’ve been lucky thus far, but I tend to keep them out of the sun. Will do a better job at that now.
Thanks for sharing OP!

Bam! Nice recovery, Rapala.

Michael C. Winther wrote:

my bet is that it was caused by too much heat from direct sunlight on that clear plastic lid.

this is a not uncommon occurrence with plastic muskie cranks, i’ve lost a few Depthraiders. with the larger size, i suspect it’s even easier for the sides on big baits to warp like that.

I’ve had the same, w/muskie baits and standard size cranks as well. Common theme to all was exposure to the sun in the box. The inside of the crank is sealed, when the air inside them expands it swells the baits and occasionally bursts a seam. I can’t speak for changes up or down in Rapala quality, but I can speak from experience I’ve learned to keep my plastic crank boxes out of the sun for any real length of time.
Sorry this happened though, that’s expensive!

mplspug wrote:

Are there any brands that still use balsa wood? Does rapala have any models made out of balsa wood anymore? I have some 1″ sinking raps I used for bluegill that I think are balsa wood, maybe. But I don’t think they make them anymore.

Plenty of balsa still happening at Rapala. Original Floating, Jointed, Shad Raps. And the entire BX series is balsa on the inside with a more durable exterior.