I'm needing help deciding on 3 spinning reels. Only requirements are durability & they produce 15 lbs. of fishable drag. Not wanting to spend a lot. Used reels are fine These will be for friends & clients.
People I'd rather not fish my personal gear ...Jeff
I would vote Penn Spinfisher series. I tried a lot of reels fishing off beach and these seem to hold up the best. The bonus is if the do break they are simple to fix and most parts are readily available.
Used are also pretty cheap to purchase
To get better deals look at yard sales, flea markets, and local craigslist. Most of my first generation reels I purchase for around 10-15 dollars each. Try local tackle shops a lot of time they will have used reels that people left because they need servicing or repairing but the customer doesn't want to pay the cost of service. Patience is a virtue because the market on reels fluctuates from week to week. Believe it or not I have also found reels at Good Will stores.
There is a local tackle shop called Gator Jim's in St Pete FL who sales take offs at a really good price. Take offs are reels that came of combos where the rod was broke, so they have no box. His stock changes from week to week. He used to ship reel and may still do that. The reels are really cheap and he stands behind them. Give him a try his number is 727-363-0900
To be more specific I need to know what model of reels fit my criteria.
I'm pretty lost when it comes to spinning reels & what ones do what well & have a history of being durable.
750 or 7500ss would be my choice.
Fin Nor lethal, 60 size would probably be adequate. Aluminum frame and rotor, strong drag, and very easy to service(side plate comes off without removing rotor). I have an older sportfisher 60 thats my offshore loaner reel. Regularly gets fished at 15-20 lbs of drag, and holds about 250 yds of 65 lb braid. And its under $70 new from here: http://www.srmo.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=Q104165&Category_Code=FIN-NOR-REELS
Most manufacturers make competent reels, once you consider the price point. I prefer an aluminum frame, and usually rotor, with the exception being Shimano reels. Most other manufacturers graphite frame reels are not particularly stiff, and flex a lot under load. Shimano's graphite frames are pretty stiff though, actually feel sold like most others aluminum frames. At a budget price, you are going to get crap gearing. This is pretty much universal, but as long as you arent using it as a winch, you should get acceptable life. Almost universally, everyones spinning reel makes a significant amount of drag. Typically its far in excess of what the rest of the reel can survive for any appreciable period of time.
If you want a tank, and dont mind clunky, check out the Fin Nor Offshore. Ratchet a/r and stainless main and pinion gears make it strong as a tank. Its about as refined as one too though. They can be had under $100 new from the site I linked to above.
Nice reel for the money. ;)
I've got a friends Fin Nor Lethal that I joked I would never give back. I was impressed with the inside of this reel for the money.
However there seemed to be an issue with the stem breaking on them. I only fished it twice.
The newer version is different but I guess has the same stout drag & internal parts.
For under a $100 New this may very well be what I'm looking for.... Jeff
The smaller size Lethal reels have been great for me. The 4000 size will handle any Red Snapper. The finish on them hasn't changed in almost 5 years of use.
Quote from: Rivverrat on August 19, 2017, 10:19:55 PM
I've got a friends Fin Nor Lethal that I joked I would never give back. I was impressed with the inside of this reel for the money.
However there seemed to be an issue with the stem breaking on them. I only fished it twice.
The newer version is different but I guess has the same stout drag & internal parts.
For under a $100 New this may very well be what I'm looking for.... Jeff
I think you are referring to the Lethal 100. Its an entirely different animal than the smaller ones. The brass main and stainless gearing are a big upgrade from the smaller versions, which use a brass pinion and zinc alloy main gear.
I think the smaller ones are perfectly capable reels when used within reason. The reels are cheap, and parts are even cheaper. I have the Sportfisher 60, which is the predecessor to the lethal. Thats my offshore loaner, but I use it any time I want something smaller than the lethal 100 or saltist 6500h.
4 of my 6 spinning reels that see regular use are Fin Nors. I think they offer a lot for the price, and dont see getting much more out of any other spinners until you are looking at reels 3 times the price.
Thanks ! I"ll look at these smaller models. These reels will not see any where the same amount of use my Andros or various Penn reels do.
Quote from: Three se7ens on August 20, 2017, 01:33:10 AM
I think you are referring to the Lethal 100. Its an entirely different animal than the smaller ones. The brass main and stainless gearing are a big upgrade from the smaller versions, which use a brass pinion and zinc alloy main gear.
I think the smaller ones are perfectly capable reels when used within reason....
As an owner of TWO LT100's configured for 80lb and 100lb with the highest drag used so far has been 23lbs measured, mine are still intact though the largest fish to date have only been about 45lbs, and I do not recall anything about the reel during that fight that would lead to a stem failure. I suspect that for some of the guys who did have their LT100's break that it was their first large spinner, and if they happen to fish their spin setup like a conventional at the wrong moment under heavy load (e.g., trying to crank on the lift, aggressive tightening the drag, or hitting reel on the rail) it throws the stress levels over the top and SNAP!
My other suspicion is a possible material variation in the casting of bodies that resulted in production batches with weaker stems. As I recall, Fin Nor was having issues keeping the LT100's in stock in 2015, so with the LT's being produced in China and pressure to meet demand, a lapse in QC can't be ruled out given past anecdotal observations across the industry. It appeared that the broken ones happened mostly in 2016. Mine are from 2014 and early 2015.
After John T. posting about this issue with the 100 model I decided to be more careful with the reel. However like I said Ive only fished it a couple times. But after looking into the lethal series I'm thinking a couple of these along with some old DAM Quicks I can fulfill my need for loaner reels... Jeff
Alan Hawk in his review of the Lethal 100.... For what ever it's worth
" One of the scenarios I see happening is that you'll begin to see an influx of "reports" about the Lethal 100 supposedly failing, along with photos and videos of broken reels to increase the effect. Creating such a mess won't cost much money since 11 Lethals are still cheaper than a single high end reel, and anyone who believes that this reel could hurt their sales in certain market segments wouldn't have a problem consorting efforts by associates and sponsored people to exhibit a bunch of them broken all over the web. I know it's a horrific thought but I have seen what some people in this trade are willing to do when it comes to making money, to the point of committing criminal consumer fraud at times."
Well one spinner down & two more to go. This is a 7500ss.
Never used still in the box. Just did a quick service on it & I don't believe the handle has been turned much if at all on this reel.
I might of paid tad bit much. Especially for a loaner reel for friends when they come out with me. However I'm happy with it.... Jeff.
Adam, I believe this is one your looking for.
The 7500 and 8500 use the same body. The 8500 has a bigger spool and rotor.
Daron, I had always thought that but never checked to be sure. My dad reminded I had one these reels years ago. It lived a short life from my abuse. I think this reel based on looking at it's innards & testing the drag, will live a very long life fishing 40 - 50 lb. line at no more than 15 lbs. of drag.
I have few of the 8500's. They are nice with the extra capacity.
I noticed line capacity isn't a lot on this reel. Enough for "most" fishing I do.
Daron, will the 8500 spool fit on the 7500 ? ....Jeff
5-7 years ago the industry was blown away when the battle came out as Penn's $100 spinner
they absolutely creamed shimano at this PP at that time
(battle 4 prob one of their highest selling reels of all time)
NOW, Daiwa has IMO raised the bar much higher for a single benjamin with the new BG
all the other MFR's are scratching their heads ??? ??? wondering how they can top that
the BG is arguably equally as iconic as the good old SS
Quote from: Rivverrat on August 25, 2017, 02:51:38 PM
I noticed line capacity isn't a lot on this reel. Enough for "most" fishing I do.
Daron, will the 8500 spool fit on the 7500 ? ....Jeff
Only if you change the rotor too.
And the bail wire is larger also
24-750 vs 24-850
The 8500 is a whole different animal.
One of my favorites.
Rotor, spool and bail.
The rotor keeps the dogs enclosed on this one.
Quote from: fishgrain on August 25, 2017, 03:26:19 PM
5-7 years ago the industry was blown away when the battle came out as Penn's $100 spinner
they absolutely creamed shimano at this PP at that time
(battle 4 prob one of their highest selling reels of all time)
NOW, Daiwa has IMO raised the bar much higher for a single benjamin with the new BG
all the other MFR's are scratching their heads ??? ??? wondering how they can top that
the BG is arguably equally as iconic as the good old SS
I agree with your assessment of the Diawa BG. After spending time looking into it a bit when you take into account overall function, provided drag & durability one would be hard pressed to do any better than the Diawa BG's for the money. However for my use I do like the Penn SS models better.... Jeff
The one thing that bothers me about so many of the daiwa reels is the a/r bearing location. Most other reels put the a/r bearing in the middle of the pinion, but Daiwa's are on the end of the pinion, exposed to anything that gets under the rotor.