I don't scrimp on leader hooks or swivels. I have had the cheap crap let me down. I had some 100lb crane swivels pull apart on the weekend when used on 50lb braid and resulted in me losing a couple of good fish, this won't happen again. I won't buy cheap reels either they just don't last.
Come to think of it there isn't much I scrimp on fishing wise.

 Difficult to chose one thing but I always have good quality sharp hooks. if I've had a big day fishing I throw the hooks away and use new ones for the next trip. Even constant baiting will blunt the hooks without catching a fish & when a big dhuie comes along I want that hook to set.

one thing i cheaped out on is leader rarley and gangs but wen i do it ussually mean i get the big one run and bust me off :(

on toilet paper - best advice my mum gave me when I left home. 

Rest are all to important when you have the real deal on the other end. I believe swivels, leader and hooks are more important than the broom stick and winding thingy (although I dont have cheapies here, just dont have all the flash ones - reels range in price from $400-one stella, rods all $300+).

Neels

 Not fishing related, but I hate cheaping out on work tools and materials. I used to work for this old school mother of all tightasses and I frickin hated it. Sometimes you just gotta spend money and you always get what you pay for. 

I guess the same thing can be said about fishing gear. Fork out the bucks up front and you really appreciate the difference between quality and the dregs.

I generally don't cheap on any of my own gear but ive always got a box of cheap shit on the boat for those who don't bring enough of there own gear! Owner hooks are to expensive to give 20 away each trip. Oh and steak no cheap steak haha

Learned the hard way...cheep gear = quality lost fish

Time and time again i have had hook straighten, pulled all on big fish, and its always the cheepers stuff that catches you out.

 never go cheap on line, weather it be mono or braid.got some cheaper rods for ones that are for occasional use but got the good gear for everyday. terminal stuff , you gotta use decent stuff.

But when anyone says, Mustad, owner vs gama and Black magic. I find all off these excellent, but only if all chemically sharpened, and that is the only hooks I use. I consider all off the Chem shapened brands above superior.

 Only thing I never scrimp on is the terminal tackle (business end of the set up). Quality rigs, quality "new" chemically sharpened hooks every trip. My rods and reels however are very cheap in comparison to what others fish with. I find that good servicing of your gear and correct technique in battling the fish will result in very very big fish being landed quite easily on quite cheap gear. The only fish I think I have ever lost due to gear failure have been where I've managed a nick in the end guide of my rod and on load up it pings the line at the rod tip.

If anyone has seen the "Doubleflex" Vid that Tapout and I did a few years back will know how a less than $20 outfit can cope with a massive fish with the right technique.

Marlin & GT fishing are the exception.

hooks and leader no cheap

there are some good quality cheap reels around though

everyone who owns a stella is a tosser (this could be funny)

i once caught a robinson sea bream approx 4 kg from the shore at rotto on a $20 service station combo the reel blew up in 2 seconds and i ended up hand lining him in with 8lb line

caught him he tasted great

 I wont skimp on rods reels and line but the good old swivel is one I dont mind swapping for cheap. I have used the sunarmi brand for quite a while now and havent lost a hooked fish yet through failed swivels. I may loose them through bad technique or just not a good hook up but the swivels havent let me down.

Watched a mate pull in a 15kg Dhu on Sunday with his 10 year old Penn 330 with the braid down to the mono, mate me cringe but he landed the fish...

Never scrimp on the wire that stops the anchor rope shackles coming undone,  because if they do.....   no more boat, and maybe a long swim back to shore....

 ive always done well with the oldest of squid jigs and the egi squid trend i find interesting at most , but having said that i have spent good coin on the flash squid jigs and even though im telling myself as im going through the till im more attracted to this jig then the squid will be i still buy it.  i was taught some "rules" to follow as a kid by an old bloke in esperance and theyve always paid off. but when it comes to hooks im a strong believer that you shouldnt scrimp and swivels and line are just as important.