What makes you buy one reel over another

Started by Backwater Outfitters, September 22, 2017, 07:51:15 PM

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jzman

I look if the reel has a tutorial  here 8) and see how hard it is to maintain.  I mostly buy Penn and Daiwa reels.

I like Penn reels because you get the best bang for your buck.  The reel I'm talking about are Fathom series star and ld drag.  Con is pure fishing is some where in Iowa.

Daiwa because they're local (15 miles from my house) which make warranty and parts a breeze. Also, they take a long time to change their lineup of conventional reels (at least for the sealines). And if the model design does change, most of the time parts interchange from older to newer model.

The nice thing about living in SoCal is that most of the rod and reel companies have their U.S. HQs here.

MarkT

I have most brands... Abu Garcia, Accurate, Avet, Daiwa, Lews, Okuma, Penn, Pro Gear, Shimano. I pick the best available for the Hole I'm trying to fill at the time.
When I was your age Pluto was a planet!

Cor

Aesthetics means very little to me, I buy a reel on functionality and have a pretty good idea of my precise needs.

For about 15 years I bought only one type of reel, Daiwa SL50SH and that was a very good strategy for me.   I had lots of interchangeable parts, I could service that reel in 20 minutes, they were durable and strong.
In those early days we also had very limited choice in reels here.

From about 2005 onwards I started to fish a bit differently and there were so many different reels on the market and I acquired some other reels.
Cornelis

Backwater Outfitters

So, to me it looks as if most of us have a since of loyalty to the reels that first brought us to the sport. I find it interesting how marketing works on our intellect to try and get us to buy a certain brand. I have been guilty of succumbing to their tactics I admit. For me, I just haven't seen the need to venture out of my comfort zone. I do favor the new Abu Garcia reels, mostly because I feel familiar with them. I wouldn't mind having some shimano's but not sure why. I live in South Texas and Shimano has been a popular reel for this area.  Maybe that's why I feel like I need to have one, so I can fit in with the crowd. Not sure but I sort of feel like it doesn't matter what brand you decide to go with. They can all be comparable to each other dollar for dollar, size for size, and ratio to ratio. As I have grown in the sport I have learned to look for certain things in a reel. I'm going to look at the number of bearings, ratio, size and how it feels in my hand. The Abu's fit the bill for me, for now anyway. No, I'm not a big time professional by any means but man the stories I can tell and I'm thankful for those.

oc1

#19
I like the smallest and most comfortable reel that will get the job done. The ones that hold up and are not destroyed by occasional neglect or abuse become favorites.
-steve

SeaBush

#20
My favorite make is avet, simple service, rugged, good performance, not extravagantly priced. Biggest flaw in my opinion is insufficient lube and grease from the factory--easily managed with a pre fishing service (including greasing the drag with cals).

That said I'm only familiar with SX through HX, can't say I have ever looked inside the bigger reels.

For spinner, daiwa BG SW for compromise of price and performance.

Daiwa and shimano both make nice star drag reels, I'm happy with both.

CB

Keta

Quote from: SeaBush on February 14, 2018, 07:27:45 AMThat said I'm only familiar with SX through HX, can't say I gave ever looked inside the bigger reels.

The EX 30 is somewhat of a PIA to get the Bellville washers in place but the EX series is stronger and easy to work on.  A EX30 would work for sharks and I have seen thresher and salmon shark off the CR when fishing on the Manaki and Ms Behavin.
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I have all of the answers, yup, no, maybe.

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Nasty Wendy

I look at the specs of all the reels available for fishing the technique/species.  Then I look at reviews of the reels that are spec'd closest to what I feel is perfect.  Then filter by price and that's how I choose.  I've gravitated to the now out of production Fin Nor Santiago conventionals and Off Shore spinners.  They rank extremely high in ALL my categories and perform perfectly for me.  The only spec they don't do well in is weight but they make up for that and then some in the price.

I'm also a big fan of the Shimano Spheros fb spinners which are lighter than the Fin Nor OFSs but don't use a large underspool drag washer which is something I like.   The Penn Spinfisher V is another I like especially the Live Liners.
Hi I'm Clay.
Lets raise our children to be Super Fishermen not Superficial men and women.

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sharkman

For me I look for quality feel, longevity, availability of parts, and ability to service.  I didn't include price because I have found high price doesn't always equal high quality.

steelfish

well Im a tackle Ho,  so, I like to buy reels just "because" dont really need an excuse  :P ;D ;D ;D, I like to buy them test them and keep them or sell them.

I have in my arsenal many brands like abu garcia, penn, shimano, okuma, daiwa, van staal, Plueguer and off-brands like Omoto, Rovex, Tica, from time to time I found a really nice one and it becomes a keeper the rest I just sold them to buy new ones, use them one season or two and if it dont fill the requirements to be a keeper is sold.

some of my current keepers are daiwa saltist 20h, okuma komodo 364, Penn Baja Special, Shimano gold trini 16, Shimano calcutta 400TE, okuma Mak15 and all my abu garcia 5500, 6500 and 7000 models, van staal vs275 and my penn 320gt, penn squider 146, etc, etc (etc list is pretty long  ;D)
The Baja Guy

wfjord

#25
I'd say performance, solid dependable construction, simplicity and comfort are the elements I want in a reel. I've stayed with my old reels from the late '60s, '70s or '80s, because they're solid and have lasted 30+ years and I still enjoy using them.
For freshwater I'm probably fondest of using my early Shimano Bantams and smaller 1st generation Penn Spinfishers --the same ones I've been using for 35+ years, plus more than a few more I acquired on the 'bay. I also like my old Ambassadeurs.  Back during the years I fished saltwater I mostly used Penn reels --various SS & Z Spinfishers, No.9, 113H & 114 and more recently a 140 & Mag 10, but also used a Shakespeare Sigma Supra 080 and Diawa Sealine 47H which I liked quite a bit. Those reels have held up a long time, and since discovering this website I've learned to maintain them and make them work as good or better than when they were new.

I can't say I won't buy a new model reel.  Recently I was in a tackle shop giving serious thought to a Shimano Chronarch and the smaller Penn Battles.  But, there are still a lot of fine vintage reels out there that keep catching my eye and wallet and that makes it harder to pull the trigger on a brand new store-bought reel.

Benni3

Pflueger for small game because there light weight,,,,and the reels built here with custom parts,,,like the 9/0 Uncle sal built  ;D

Rivverrat

What makes me buiy one reel over another ?   Well to start with it's not being a Shimano is a start.  Second is durability of it's performance & parts availability. I've never owned a reel that I fished that didnt at some point need parts... Jeff

Decker

I buy the reel on eBay that has a price lower than what I could sell it for, in case I don't want to keep it.

philaroman

Quote from: Decker on February 15, 2018, 08:16:59 PM
I buy the reel on eBay that has a price lower than what I could sell it for, in case I don't want to keep it.

ditto...  plus, cheap parts/repair reels that I know to contain UNOBTAINIUM ;)