I am looking to replace my shimano sahara 2500 fb (and possibly shimano sahara 4000 fb as well) as they are finally dying.
I have been fishing them in the surf for several years and have been very satisfied with how they have performed, but the newer versions have gone up quite a bit in price and no longer come with a spare spool.
I have taken them apart and cleaned them many times but I think they are finally done.
I am on a budget, so, just wondering what relatively cheap spinning reel would be the best value.
Looking to use them for 6lb - alb line generally.
Thanks a bunch for all of the help.
Hi, You might consider the Penn Battle and I believe the Battle II series. I have a couple of the 5000's which is much larger than your looking for, but an excellent reel. The BTL II 1000, 2000, and 2500 are listed on Scotts and retail for $99. These are the little guys. Seen them on ebay for in the $70/75 dollar price range. Great value. Scotts has the specs by the way.
Good luck, .. Lou
Hard to beat this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-DAM-Quick-110-Ultra-Light-Fishing-Reel-/281666468108
Or better yet, This;
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Dam-Quick-221-Metal-body-spinning-reel-made-in-West-Germany-/231523970068?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35e7e76c14
Or one of these:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Penn-Spinning-Reel-Model-430ss-Made-in-USA-Excellent-Working-Condition-FISHING-/171761261330?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27fdc4db12 :)
~A~
WOW, that 110 ultra light looks like a bargain!
Either one of the Quick Reels are Very Good. I have a 430SS & I paid 1/2 what he wants. Going to be good Snapper Reel [Baby Blues]
Mike
Unfortunately --
The medium to small Quicks will not hold up in the Salt -- in no time, they will be ruined -- particularly in the surf.
The only Quick for the Salt, would be a 270 Super -- which is a fairly large reel.
I might consider a simple old school Penn -- like a "7" series in whatever size you desire.
Or one of the Penn Battles, as indicated earlier.
The less unneeded parts, the simpler the design utilizing a worm drive -- and perhaps a manual bail pickup.
Metal parts are better than graphite -- in surf and salt conditions.
IMO.
Best,
Fred
if your really on a budget shimano sienna are good if you want something better than sahara on that price range then the saros is good too.
- newer get a Pflueger President. Not meant for salt but with the right lube and oil service it will hold up very well
-older Penn 720.
If you got a new Sahara will your existing spools still fit? I've got a couple of Sahara's I use in fresh water but I think my son used the 2500 for surf fishing too.
I think okuma is the best bang for the buck for under $100 reels. The ARB is a pain to service, but the reels are well built, and the perceived quality far surpasses their price. If service and longevity are an issue, m first recommendation is the fin nor lethal series, probably a 40 size for what you are looking at. The side plate comes off without removing the rotor, and they are strong, simple, and easy to work on. Not as smooth as others, but wont leave you cussing when it comes time to service it either.
I cannot recommend old discontinued reels (as fine as they are) unless the poster specifically says he is happy to scrounge parts and deal with the idiosyncrasies of mechanical dog ratchets, extra weight and slow retrieves.
For a small reel for the salt nothing will live longer than a 710Z or 430ss in direct proportion to your care of the reel and willingness to find parts.
BUT, they are heavy, clunky reels that will make a Sienna seem like uber tech silky smooth from the 21st century...o wait :D.
I am gonna go with Handi2's recommendation of the Quantum Cabo's in the small sizes. No experience yet with the small Lethals from Fin Nor, but the highly variable quality of the big ones has me shy. Even Okuma is a contender.
Fact of the matter is that you cannot improve on Shimano's, Daiwa's or Penn's offerings either. They are all inexpensive reels built to a price but very smooth and fun to use for a time.
You will know if and when you are ready for old school. I still admire my 710z and can't bear to part with the last spinning reel I would ever need....but I always reach for something else for superior fish-ability.
Penn 710Z for the Zombie apocalypse though! :D
I would recommend Daiwa's Black Gold series. I would say same caliber as Penn' original SS series and still build today.
Quote from: Bryan Young on April 21, 2015, 07:00:35 PM
I would recommend Daiwa's Black Gold series. I would say same caliber as Penn' original SS series and still build today.
I agree, but I do like the spool shaft on the Penn ss a little better. Both will work forever, if you treat them as you should.
John was right about the vintage reels being a little heavy, but the 420ss, 430ss, 714Z or 716Z are not that heavy. The problem though would be trying to find parts. With that said, I'm seeing many parts listed on line lately... I do not have that problem ;D.
Sal
Thanks for all of the recommendations so far.
I would definitely like to stick to a modern/current reel.
Have not used any of the smaller daiwa black golds, but used to service them for a party boat that used the larger ones as rental gear and they were always getting stuck. Granted, this was rental gear.
So, it sounds like shimano, daiwa, penn, quantum, okuma, and pflueger and the brands to consider?
Anyone care to comment of the pros and cons of each?
Lets say I'm hoping to stay in the sub $50 range.
Thanks again.
P.S. MarkT: I do not know for sure, but have assumed that my old spools will not fit on any of the new models.
I have used the Daiwa Exceler 3000 and 3500 for 9 years. Still going strong though I have not caught anything over 5# with them. Was about 65$.
For light surf fishing in Florida I use a Daiwa ss 2600 with 20lb braid. It is a great casting little reel. One of the smaller models could be a good fit
These used to be a good value, but not anymore, I've seen new ones sell for close to $200.
All of these are new and very hard to find, somehow the smaller 420ss is more valuable.
These are great 6 Lb reels with a gear ratio of 5.1:1
(http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g431/pescatore1/025_3.jpg) (http://s1101.photobucket.com/user/pescatore1/media/025_3.jpg.html)
(http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g431/pescatore1/029_2.jpg) (http://s1101.photobucket.com/user/pescatore1/media/029_2.jpg.html)
Sal
A year or two ago AT was recomending a Daiwa Sweepfire 4000 as a throw away when it was worn out. They were only 20-25 dollars, worked good, & when they finally broke down or wore out they were to cheap to bother trying to fix them. Just toss them & get a new one. Just install CF washers from Dawn & you are good to go. RUDY
Quote from: Alto Mare on April 26, 2015, 01:25:56 AM
These used to be a good value, but not anymore, I've seen new ones sell for close to $200.
All of these are new and very hard to find, somehow the smaller 420ss is more valuable.
These are great 6 Lb reels with a gear ratio of 5.1:1
(http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g431/pescatore1/025_3.jpg) (http://s1101.photobucket.com/user/pescatore1/media/025_3.jpg.html)
(http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g431/pescatore1/029_2.jpg) (http://s1101.photobucket.com/user/pescatore1/media/029_2.jpg.html)
Sal
You wouldn't happen to have an extra 430ss cover for sale would you, the one I'm working on is missing it's decal. Aloha!
No I don't, sorry. I should have grabbed a dozen when I had a chance. :-\
Sal
Quote from: RowdyW on April 26, 2015, 01:49:56 AM
A year or two ago AT was recomending a Daiwa Sweepfire 4000 as a throw away when it was worn out. They were only 20-25 dollars, worked good, & when they finally broke down or wore out they were to cheap to bother trying to fix them. Just toss them & get a new one. Just install CF washers from Dawn & you are good to go. RUDY
O yea, we had a whole thread or two singing the praises of Sweepfire Baby! a miracle of tool and die for $25.
Those old 430SS reels are terrific...fishing 6lb test you probably would only have 1-2lbs of drag...with a drive train that would last 200 years at those loads.
;D
Thank you for all of the help with everything guys.
Looks like I am taking Alan's philosophy of cheap/disposable spinning reels.
I will probably go with something like the shimano sienna because it looks like my old spools might fit.
Thanks again.
Forget about interchanging parts on different models from Shimano or Daiwa, New model, new design & no interchange of parts. Not like Penn reels. The Seinna has a lot of plastic & is not a good choice. I got my Sweepfire on ebay, maybe they are still available. I loaded mine with 30# braid & it hasn't broken yet. Dawn at smooth drag has CF drags for it & if the reel breaks down just remove the drags & put them in a new one. You will not wear out the drags. I just checked ebay & there are lots to choose from. Just look up Daiwa Sweepfire & take your pick. RUDY
Yeah, the Daiwa Sweepfire or Surefire, and Okuma has a $20 spinner as well. Hard to beat.
I hate you guys; thought I had finally settled on a decision.
In all seriousness though, I really appreciate all of the help and information.
The top three reasons I had previously settled on the Sienna are as follows:
1) I am under the impression that the Sweepfire has some back play in the handle (not an instant anti-reverse). The Sienna is suspposed to have the "supper stopped feature" or whatever it is called. Might just be my personal preference, but handle back play bothers me.
2) I actually stopped by Big 5 and tried one of my old Sahara spools on one of their Siennas and it seemed to fit. Looked kind of weird, especially because the drag nob seemed to sit really low, but the spool turned and the drag seemed to work.
3) I actually posted this same original question on on anothe forum (SCSF) focused on surf fishing in southern California, where this reel will be used mostly, and they seemed in pretty strong support of the Sienna as far as these budget reels were concerned.
Now that I am undecided again, I have a couple more questions.
What are the major issues with more plastic in the reel? I know it isn't as strong, but am I really going to be taxing the reel fishing 6-8 pound line (maybe 10-12 pound spectra)? The plastic seems like it might also have the advantage of not corroding.
Also, out of my price range, but the Stradic seems to have a pretty strong following for quality and durability, including in the surf environment. I would assume that all of these Shimano spinning reels have pretty similar designs, which would lead me to believe that the main differences are just the materials used. Is this correct, or what are the main differences between these reels?
Finally, are their any major design differences between Shimano and Daiwa that are significant? In general, SCSF seems to suggest Shimano as the best bang for your buck for these cheap spinning reels. Just wondering if there are any major advantages of Daiwa or if the Sweepfire just happens to have better components for its price range?
Thanks again for all of the help.
There really is little to differentiate among the less expensive reels. All of them are built to a highly competitive price trading one positive for another negative etc. People end up happy when the negatives matter little and the positives are in areas important to them.
Plastic for perchin' and such in the CA surf is perfectly fine. In general, a metal body is more rigid and helps internals last longer. Its not going to make much difference perchin'. Corrosion is the bigger enemy.
But, you will have no corrosion concerns with any of your reels if you pre-lube and service them regularly. If you don't one trip to the beach and then neglect can ruin $1000 reels.
Pay particular attention to line rollers and handles and where the handle mates to the main gear. Crack it regularly and get marine grease on the internals.
Stradic is very good but Spheros would be a better choice in a premium surf reel as it is sealed from saltwater intrusion. If dropped in the sand you can rinse your Spheros in saltwater to clear it and get back to fishing. Never do that with a Stradic.
With smaller spinners, more plastic is not necessarily an issue since the stresses and drag settings are lower, so frame flex is less of an issue.
If you want the instant anti-reverse in a "disposable" Daiwa, it's the Crossfire--one step up from the Sweepfire. $25 at Big 5 when they put them on sale. Do the pre-service maintenance and you'll be fine for years. Have a 3500 for over 6 years that's still in service with out issues. If you want to spend the extra $10 (and I didn't), chase down a set of CF drag washers for it. Move them over to the next Crossfire when it's reel disposal time.
BTW, I'm "Amadeus" on SCSF. Over the years, I've observed a high level of Shimano "mantra" over on SCSF; if nothing else, it makes the Shimano Marketing dept very happy...
Fishboy,
I like surf fishing in Socal for Perch and Corbina. I use a 30+ year old Shimano FX170 Graphite $17.00 spinner (something like that) that has a rear drag system with 6# line on an experimental 8"-2" composite rod of the same age and it works FANTASTIC for ultra lite surf fishing!!!!!!!!!!! The reel has one bearing and the rear drag is PLENTY for 6#. I replaced the woven cotton drag with a modified ht-100 w/cals grease. Since the drag is "internal" to the "rear" body of the graphite frame; it handles water intrusion well. Also, when Im doused by a wave and the reel gets wet; I recover as quick as possible and shake the water off the reel and keep fishing. BTW, when I did a post on what drags to use to replace the woven drags in the cheap spinner; I got feedback about what am I doing with a "rear drag" spinner. Well, it works FANTASTIC for ultra-lite surf fishing that I do.
Ive two other reels for this line test: Penn 430, and Daiwa Capricorn 2500a. I thought I would use these over my old hand-me-down $17 rear drag spinner. I find myself reaching for the old cheap spinner every time. No worries about service (just service after use) or replacement. Those other two reels are TOO NICE to subject to the surf. Also, Im a believer in several Daiwa products and am very much in favor of Alans cheap Daiwa recommendation. Spend the rest on a KICK BUTT EXPERIMENTAL ROD.
Leo
The newer black golds are good reels in my opinion but they are not cheap. The screws on them looks like they were made for a transformers kids toy. Mine is working good now (its new)and the line winding on the spool is the best I've seen but I don't know how Its going to hold up.
For a bang for the buck reel (for the surf) I would go for an Okuma RageII or Cedros. All metal and very tough. I have them in several sizes although my go to spinning reel is the RageII 40 size. The Okuma Trio (cheaper) in smaller sizes is also worth considering - I have the 20, 30 and 55 in the Trio.
speaking of best value, in general: BUY WHEN THE BUYIN' IS GOOD -- NOT, WHEN NEEDED IN A HURRY!!! i.e., just about any reputable brand $100+ reel bought at <50% MSRP will be better than any $50 reel, provided that size/weight/features match intended use & intended rod
Im a budget guys so, I know what you talking about.
take a look to the okuma avenger reels you can find them for $30 every day on fleabay, I have one that its being used by my kids and still going strong since 7 years
for my shore fishing needs of triggerfish, spotted baybass, corvinas and small sierras are pretty good