[Simon L]

Gents, looking ahead to next season, and the long winter inbetween, i need to continue to research reels. There have been several threads on the topic over the past few months, and for me, it's only resulted in additional confusion. I 'know' that my Technium is gonna die next season, so i need to start thinking about what'll be next.

Shimano: Lot's of posts on these reels have questioned their gearing & ability to stand-up to salt-water use. So, how much is fact & how much is fiction. In the real world, what sort of life-span are you all having from your Shimano reels (how many seasons has your reel 'actually' managed so far)? For this, please only post 'fact' . . . your actual reel life-span so far (with any relevant additional info on how you care for it, how many faults encountered along the way, etc..). Also, at what point is it not worth paying any more for a Shimano . . i.e is it worth spending the extra for a Stella versus a Twin Power versus a Stradic versus a Technium, etc.... ?

Diawa: I am not totally tuned-in to their range yet. Am i right in thinking that the main sensible choices by Diawa are the Certate & Branzino, with the Saltiga's being silly-money ?? Are there others in the range that are worth seriously considering? Again, for these reels, what are the real-life experiences of life-span based on actually use by people on here?

Van Staal: It seems that these will last & last. But, just how big a compromise is the smoothness & line-lay? Is it 'that' bad, and is it an issue in real-life lure fishing. Also, is their durability as good as is indicated, and at what price (in terms of maintenance) ?

Others: Are there other really good alternatives that we are largely over-looking. Quantum, Penn, etc. . . . .

Appreciating that much of the choice ultimately comes down to personal preference, my aim here is to try and get to the bottom of what should i / we realistically expect. Should i be buying a reel with a view to chuck it in the corner after 2 years, and renew / upgrade . . . . . my strong suspicion is that that could well be the case !! The choice then becomes, "how much do i want to spend on that reel-bling ?" . . again, a personal choice.

For my contribution to the discussion . . . i have a Technium 4000. I bought it around 12 months ago (i think). I've used it for light beach work (up to 2oz in the surf), and for all my plugging work this year. I give it a quick wash under the tap when i get back from a sesh, and i leave it to dry before putting away. It started stiffening-up recently, and i dropped it over to Felindre, where they changed a bearing FOC. It is not as smooth now as it used to be, and on the last outing, i could again feel a roughness that i suspect to be gear-related. So, i strongly suspect that i'll get about a season & a half out of the reel (without going in for a 'major' overhaul). I paid about £110 for it.

 

[dai56]

Plenty of reading for you HERE Si
I went for the salina after much reading good and bad reports
My mega~lite's nice the spool's not braid friendly but line lay is best drag i have ever found
My F303 braid friendly spool but not line lay jerky drag
the salina seems to get nicer with use so far i cant fault it i have the 45 and it's a touch bigger than i wanted but so sweet to use
Rovex duren nice cheap little reel with cracking line lay

Remember if you need one reel to do it all your going to be spending a lot but if you do as i do and keep a reel for each rod you won't need to spend as much
Happy hunting dai

 

[Simon Clapham]

Si, I have a couple of stradics, an abu 803(?), a tacklesmart superdoper and the VS100.

The tacklemsart jobbie is exactly what you expect for £15; line lay is poor, quality/number of bearings is poor, drag is worrying, roller on bail doesn't roll....but it did the job, just, although I won't be buying another.

The abu is a little grindy after two seasons, decent line lay, but suffers with corrosion on the body (and I wash all my kit down after every trip!), roller still rolls I think :?: Not likely to get another

The stradics......a world of difference.......the 5000FB is fantastic, line lay very good with the reverse cone, bearings like silk, no corrosion externally!, looks the dogs but its got a single handle and looks fairly big. Its never let me down to date, but with the soakings I get, it wasn't going to last very long internally as its NOT waterproof. The 4000FB came along due to its size and double handle (not that this makes any difference I feel), gearing has already been replaced once and its in its second season. Felindre do a great job though. Expensive for 'just' a reel with good smoothness and line lay

The VS, no issues so far and its had some beatings. Its not the prettiest some think, its fairly stiff to wind but you soon get used to it/forget about it(it is a sealed system so it should be tight), the line lay looks awful but I've never suffered with wind knots or tangles, the titanium roller rolls freely, not any heavier than my stradics, you can get a DIY service kit (relatively straightforward it seems....if John Morgan can do it!!) or send it back(but I won't be risking this!), ITS WATERPROOF and you begin to use your rod as a wading stick which provides heaps of safety comfort , smooth drag. Expensive, hell yes, but worth every penny

 

[Alex Jordan]

For me it will always be you get what you pay for - topline Daiwa and Shimano are excellent, VS and ZB are in a class of their own and are a specialist tool - there are some very very good Daiwa and Shimano mid range reels that will do an admirable job but don't expect them to survive more than a couple of seasons hard fishing even with TLC ...

That said for trying skishing I am thinking about using a cheap 30 quid reel and using it like a disposable - a couple of dips over the season then retire it ... no point spending the earth for something that will not get used as much ...

 

[Mark Sleep]

I cannot resist the temptation any longer. I intend to buy a VS100 next month. I am going to use it when wading on the shore, and when I am on the kayak, and I may even try some skishing - when the water warms up again of course. I love the idea of being able to completely submerge it without hassle. Now to find a site for the best price. Any ideas? Dont want to hijack so if anyone knows of any good deals, please pm me.

 

[Nick Phillips]

Has anyone checked out all the stuff on 'You Tube' about the Daiwas and top line Shimanos.
Its entertaining.

 

[Mike Kennard]

I have used Daiwas for quite a number of years now. Although not in the salt, freshwater match fishing gives reels a proper work out when you are catching carp into double figures. No problems with gearing or bearings after that. In fact the reels were very smooth and reliable.
I always try and buy the best I can afford when I have the money knowing that it has to last for a LONG time. For my 'pre braid' plugging I used Daiwa SS Tournament spinning reels. I fished with a guide in Florida who had six on his boat. He said he fished about 250 days a year and had the same reels since they first came out about six years or so earlier. They were battered and bruised but were still working.
I don't use the same reel for all my bassing. I enjoy using different rods and reels for different types of fishing but all my reels are Daiwa and all have been problem free. They are well looked after though.
More a case of if you have confidence in one manufacturers reels why change?
Not sure if that helps or not.

 

[Mick Ward]

Thats a fair enough point Mike, I asked the guys at Ultimate why some of them use Shimano and some use Daiwa, they basically said its personal choice and said that Daiwa had better gearing and Shimano had better bearings. I feel the lure world is screaming out for a range of waterproof smooth Japanese reels, could you imagine if you only had to buy one reel to last the rest of your life that wasnt a VS or ZB. I'd buy one.

 

[Vidar Thomassen]

I feel the lure world is screaming out for a range of waterproof smooth Japanese reels, could you imagine if you only had to buy one reel to last the rest of your life that wasnt a VS or ZB. I'd buy one.

Mick, I could not possible agree more