Cheap reels vs quality reels

[Three se7ens]

Let me start this off with the purpose of this post. It's not about what reel is best and what's worst. I'm stuck with an engineers mindset, and I keep finding myself digging deep into the most minute details of everything that I find remotely interesting.  Fishing and especially reels, and to some extent, rods has taken over more of my life than I'd like to admit. I get stuck looking for the perfect rig that I can afford. Well, it doesn't exist. I want a stella on a budget that puts a spheros into the "do I really need that" range.

That being said, there are 2 questions to this post I'd like to hear some opinions on.  First, what are the reels that truly stand out within their price range?  Second, at what point does that price range matter. Stella's are great, but if its unusual to hook a fish that can wreck a penn battle, why spend 10-15 times as much?

I guess this all boils down to one question, at what level of fishing does the benefits of high end hardware outweigh the costs?  I have seen alan recommend very cheap spinning reels with the caveat that its cheaper to buy new ones when those break than buy a higher end one to begin with.  But I don't like to lose fish either, I battled a 9' tiger shark for 4 hours on a graphite frame okuma spinning reel because I wanted to win.  And I did win.  But that did make me realize the importance of tackle suitable for what I may catch.

[jonathan.han]

There's a reason. The reason is they all will suffer from corrosion out of the box. The labor is high and the parts are even higher. The drag systems are usually all the same from a manufacturer for their "cheap reels" to their top-of-the-line ones. The only difference is in the gears, at best. Remember, moving parts break the most. Less moving parts, less failures. Spinning reels are by design all the same. The only difference is going to be in materials that gears are made and a bit better quality control. But even then, they break.

Look at the serious surfcasters, they don't buy Stellas. When you pound the water everyday, you realize the fluff from advertising and marketing campaigns. Serious fish require serious reels. A spinning reel for tuna and amberjack is going to get run through it's paces. I don't care if it's on a Youtube video. They don't show you the durability testing.

[BMITCH]

Where to start.... I think the question shouldn't so much be how much, it should be where and what. As far as spinners, less moving parts= less to go wrong. Just recently I looked at the post(I don't know who originally posted it) about the Van Staal tear down. I never realized how few moving parts these really have. Beautiful design. Cost... Not so great. Then you look at ana older spinner from penn, say a 704 series. Same thing, few moving parts. Only difference is the penn will need much more to maintain. For us here this = joy. Same for conventionals. You can buy an excellent reel right out of the box for a couple hundred dollars. Or you can build a Tank ( thanks Sal ) for that same money and have the satisfaction of knowing you caught fish on something you made.
  So I think it's more of a question of what you may encounter on an average day. If that fish of a lifetime bites will you have a decent chance to land it (never bring a knife to a gun fight) and how much satisfaction will/do you get from going through your own gear. If your like most here and afflicted with this reel addiction you already know the answer.

[Newell Nut]

Over time I have noticed that buying too cheap will cost you in the long run. There is a middle ground somewhere that we can find that is very reliable. The main thing is having the equipment matched to the style of fishing that you are going to do to start with. I have friend that makes a living surf fishing commercially with Penn Force 8000s that are not top of the line but do the job.
The party boat that I fish on uses the discontinued long beach 65 and they work and can catch a big fish. They are very simple reels but not a reel that I would personally use but they work. Penns are reliable but too heavy in my opinion for the way that I fish.
I am the Newell Nut for a reason. I love the Newell design and it is very tough and light and is a lifetime reel when washed after use. You will find that most quality reels will last a very long time if kept clean. I work in quality control and in the nuclear industry so you can imagine how I take care of my stuff.

Find the tech aspects that work for you and find the budget that works for you and keep it clean. Most expensive a lot of times is the cost of the flash and bells and whistles that fail. There is some very nice middle ground. Many here take inexpensive Penns and turn them into tanks that can't be found in a store but are lifetime reels when kept clean. I have very old Penn Spinning reels that still run like new. Some people could destroy a Stella in a season. I have rambled on here so hope you see my point.

[Jeri]

Hi,

In looking at your two questions, it very much reminds me of how we deal with a good proportion of our clients in our shop. We run a custom rod building shop, and invariably we get clients coming in to ask for advice on a new rod – the first question is usually – 'what do you want the rod to do?' And from there we take the whole development of the rod forward, and the usual aspect that is most important is that it must be good for a middle range of fish, but not too light to disintegrate when a bigger specimen is hooked.

This very much relates to reels as well, if you are only spinning for the odd trout, then light weight and other attributes are going to be priority, if tackling heavy weight tunas and the like, then drag and gear strength are going to be higher on the priority list. It is all very much a case of being honest with yourself as to exactly what you list as the priorities.

I have a very old Penn Spinfisher – one of the originals made in the USA, built like a brick outhouse – I also have one of the latest Shimano Ultegras, a very refined piece of kit. Both have their applications, if I were to be trolling and short casting for Tarpon, I wouldn't take out the Shimano, but off the beach looking for distance surf casting, I would certainly leave the Penn at home.

Something that we have found with the recent increase in use of fixed spool reels here in southern Africa in our surf fishing, is that the strength of the main shaft is a huge issue – as with the increase in drag capabilities the next point of failure is the main shaft bending, destroying bearings and housings in the process. So, strength of main shaft has been shown as a potential weak point in a lot of reels from the cheaper end of the ranges.

Apart from this obvious 'horses for courses' comment – it is very much a case of looking and assessing what you are looking for the reel to do, and perhaps buy from the upper side of the middle range, for at least you will know that the components are of better quality than the cheaper, and more consumable models. After that as is often the case, it is how you look after it, washing, cleaning and a modicum of maintenance goes a long way.

Hope that helps.

Cheers from sunny Africa

Jeri

[Makule]

First, what are the reels that truly stand out within their price range?  Second, at what point does that price range matter.

As has been suggested earlier, your foremost criterion should be, "what do you want it to do", or "what do you want to catch with it".  Once you know that, you'll have eliminated perhaps 80% to 90% of what's available.  This will have carved out the size (line capacity), gear ratio, overall durability and quality that you will be considering.  From there, you go to whether there are any special features you prefer.

I need to haul loads for my work, so I choose a truck.  Eliminated 90% of all the vehicles out there.  The loads are light to medium so I don't need anything heavier than a 3/4 ton truck.  Eliminated another 5%.  My experience causes me to prefer Chevy so that eliminates another 4%.  Then it comes to creature comforts and others options.  By that time, the basic truck is decided.

Same thing with reels.  Purpose and size, brand preference based on experience, and then options.  I have not used any of the new large spinning reels so take these comments with that in mind.  When I did use large ones, the two were Luxor and 488 Mitchell.  Luxor was a workhorse, and was strictly a tool.  No bling about it, absolutely nothing fancy.  Did a great job, but was slow (part of its strength).  The Mitchell 488 was a bit fancier (not much), faster, and not as strong.  The speed was  better for my use, but the gears would strip.  When Diawa came out with their GS series, I used the 90 and was pleased with it.  Strong, faster, but corrosion was a bit of a problem.  Line capacity was also not as much as I would have liked.  Then the flood gates opened and everybody and his brother started making large spinners, and the race was on.  For brute strength, I'd guess that nothing would beat an old Alcedo.  Built like a tractor, and weighed as much.  With upgraded drag disks, probably could handle anything within the line capacity.  Consider that in the 1970s those Alcedo (the really big ones) were selling for $100.  Not many people had them, few people even had heard about them.

Your quandry can be simplified, if you follow the basic steps mentioned.  Focus on purpose/use, needed/desired features, then on preferred brand.  I think when you have done that, you'll have figured out the reel to buy, regardless of price.  Yes, quality remains long after price is forgotten, but higher price doesn't necessarily mean better.  Sometimes higher price means higher price to catch fishermen who think more expensive is better.  If you  have an engineer's mindset, then you must think like an engineer who can determine what is important in the design of the reel, the materials used, what's important and what's just sales fluff (lot of that to cover up for weaknesses).

Today, my preference is for conventional reels, even if I have to cast light baits.  Some of the specialty reels do a good job at it.  For a lure of about 3 ounces (or more), I'd probably use a 4/0 Senator.  But that's just me.

I did not offer any specifics (except for the oldies that you likely don't want), but perhaps if you could more specifically detail your criteria, then perhaps someone more experienced with modern high powered spinners could make more specific suggestions.

[basto]

I go on a 7 day reef fishing charter once a year and the reels I take on these trips, which  are expensive reels, I take because I like using them, BUT,I also take a couple of cheaper backup reels that I can depend on if something breaks on my expensive reels.
I can rely on these spare reels because I have used them a lot and never had a problem.
They are the Shimano TLD Star drag 15/30 and 20/40 and a Banax SX5000 spin reel.