Sampo, Inc. was established in 1948 by Oney Johnson in Daly City, California.

An avid angler, Johnson had for years been devising a way of preventing line twist. His introduction of ball bearing swivels would change the face of fresh and salt water fishing forever.

Sampo (Norwegian for "wonderful thing") swivels were soon the rage of the fishing fraternity. During those early years, demand would sometimes exceed supply, keeping the small manufacturing facility operating at full capacity.

In 1957, Johnson sold Sampo, Inc. to Jerry Butts and Jack Spriggs. They moved the company to its present Barnevold, New York location.

Spriggs and Butts recognized that the market for Sampo swivels would continue to increase. They invested heavily in state-of-the-art tooling and machinery that not only kept the orders filled but also allowed for expansion of the product lineup.

Sampo remained a "hands-on" enterprise. Spriggs and Butts would oversee every facet of the operation from purchasing, to printing, to packaging. Adhering to the strictest of quality control standards put Sampo eons ahead of the few competitors in the industry.

States current president and CEO Brian Butts, "Quality is what made Sampo the world's leading swivel manufacturer. No corners are ever cut and not even the slightest of details overlooked. Our commitment to quality never wavers. We gained the trust of fishermen by providing them with the finest and best performing products their money could buy. And we will always stand by that commitment!"

Brian is the son of Jerry Butts and literally grew up in the Sampo factory. At the age of 16 he was working in the plating room, eventually learning every phase of the Sampo operation He began attending the American Fishing Tackle Manufacturer Association trade show in 1970, representing Sampo to national and international buyers, distributors and dealers.

Under Butt's watch, Sampo continues to reign as the world's number one manufacturer of premium quality swivels.

Sampo ball bearing swivels come in 7 sizes and 20 snap/ring options. These are available in either the standard bright nickel finish or the less visible black finish.

Also available are stainless beads and rings, beads and rings with a Coastlock snap, and the Muskie, Black Beauty and Steelheart leaders.

"Sampo is all about superior quality", says Butts, "that's how we want it, and that's the way it's going to be!".