What are your top saltwater spinners based off performance, durability, easiest to service, etc.
I'll leave out the "easiest to service" but I really like the Quantum PTS 80 I use offshore. Also the Daiwa Saltist's I used for the last 4 years with no problems at all.
You didn't mention cost, you will get a few different answers, you'll need to decide for yourself afterwards.
These are reasonable as for affordability, I personally would recommend the Penn SS series, the700 and Z series are older and a little rougher, but will never let you down as well.
Good luck!
I totally agree with Sal. As a diehard fan of vintage reels, I'm devoted to the original metal-bodied line of Skirted-Spool Penns: 850/750SS, 650SS, etc. Never had the slightest issue with one, and even landed a 50 lb YFT on my 750SS. I'll be taking it with me next month to throw poppers. :)
~A~
Another vote for the Penn SS series & the Z series.
The 7500ss, 8500ss & 9500ss are great for boat or surf, as are the 704z & 706z.
Alan Hawk rates the 704z third in his top picks for general use SW spinners in the $100-$250 range.
He also rates the Penn Battle third in general use SW spinners under $100.
Yeah, I'm a Penn fanatic, they are all I have, SS series, Z series, Battle & Senators (special/original).
Leaving aside discontinued or used reels...it depends on what you are after and what you are fishing for and where.
The only ones that are delicate surgery to work on are the Baitrunner/Live Liner type reels as that mechanism is decidedly tricky.
All the rest are really no trouble, small fiddly parts sometimes but not rocket brain surgery.
After that if you look at them dollar for dollar then the ones that cost the same start looking remarkably the same. If a reel costs a little more then it's a little nicer etc. This should not surprise us as they are all made in the same offshore locations, more or less.
After that, the availability of parts and the reputation of the manufacturer goes a long ways with me. If you take a flyer on a new introduction then it's nice to have some deep pockets behind it rather than a fly by night operation.
Daiwa, Penn, Shimano for me. I've got different ones from each of them. They'll be around.
i have several Shimano Stradic FJ's that I really love. I don't ever see myself dropping $1000+ on a reel, but was interested in hearing what the folks who religiously work on reels assessment of the current spinning options.
For spinner reviews, you should check out Alan Hawk's spinner reviews.
http://www.alanhawk.com/reviews/lists.html (http://www.alanhawk.com/reviews/lists.html)
I've checked his site a ton. Some of his reel review links dont work for me. Plus I'm sure there are spinners he hasn't reviewed that folks on here really like.
Quote from: gatrapper on June 07, 2014, 05:21:48 PM
i have several Shimano Stradic FJ's that I really love. I don't ever see myself dropping $1000+ on a reel, but was interested in hearing what the folks who religiously work on reels assessment of the current spinning options.
Yea, I did a service tutorial on the Stradic and they kinda have that price point sewn up. Penn doesn't have an offering there and the Stradic is nicer than the comparable Daiwa Saltist, unless you need a very fast retrieve.
It really comes down to needs for a particular fish/style of fishing.
I love the Stradic, but it hates the beach etc.
My favourites are my Daiwa Sol 200 for casting very light lures on 10lb braid and my Daiwa Catalina 4500 for casting medium lures on 50 lb braid. For bigger lures and jigs I like my Saragosa 14000f and Fin Nor Lethal 100.
I also love my Penn 6500SS, but have retired it because I consider it not replaceable now. It now resides with my other irreplaceable classic and vintage reels.
Quote from: ChileRelleno on June 07, 2014, 04:40:13 PM
Another vote for the Penn SS series & the Z series.
The 7500ss, 8500ss & 9500ss are great for boat or surf, as are the 704z & 706z.
Alan Hawk rates the 704z third in his top picks for general use SW spinners in the $100-$250 range.
He also rates the Penn Battle third in general use SW spinners under $100.
Yeah, I'm a Penn fanatic, they are all I have, SS series, Z series, Battle & Senators (special/original).
don´t know about the others , but the battle 4000 is one of the reels i used for seabass , over here they don´t guet biguer than 12kg and are hard to find hover 4kg , the reel andles this sized fish without a problem , what i totaly hate and that is the reason why i got it to the shelf instead of the beach , is that it has a realy BAD issue with braided lines , it just keeps making knots every where , i totaly wasted 3 diferent braid lines of diferent diameters , from 0,12mm to 0,18mm and 0,25mm it simply has a terrible line lay .
it´s curious , before fishing it , it really didn´t seem to have such bad line lay, it was almost perfect, only had a little gap in the botom and on top , nothing serious i thougt, and there whent several 29€ lures launched to infinity and beyond ...
stellas for me :)
2008 models
FinNor Offshores and Stradic 4000's the older the better
I love my fin nor spinners. I've seen a lot come and go, and I keep going back to my sportfisher and lethal reels for bang for the buck. They are solid, well designed, and the cost cutting doesn't affect structural integrity or mechanical strength. They aren't the smoothest or most refined, but they are reliable, trustworthy, and easy to service. And in the case of the lethal 100, built like a tank.
I think it depends on what saltwater is where you the angler are! I had enough of the deep blue during my 4 years in the Coast Guard. Where I live saltwater is inshore, flats, and river mouths. I have the need for long casts so older Penn's really don't work besides throwing lures all day long I want something bass tackle light and easy on my old bones.
I'd love a small sized Van Stall but can't see spending that much money for a reel made in china. Shimano's poor customer service and lust for changing models every 2 years keeps them out of my boat so its Daiwa for me. Sadly modern design Penn's are only rebadged Pheluger's and as near to disposable as they come. Anyway saltwater is different for everyone and if the weight of what I'm throwing allows it I'll use baitcasting before I pick up a spinner.
Quote from: orlando miguel on June 08, 2014, 02:10:54 AM
Quote from: ChileRelleno on June 07, 2014, 04:40:13 PM
Another vote for the Penn SS series & the Z series.
The 7500ss, 8500ss & 9500ss are great for boat or surf, as are the 704z & 706z.
Alan Hawk rates the 704z third in his top picks for general use SW spinners in the $100-$250 range.
He also rates the Penn Battle third in general use SW spinners under $100.
Yeah, I'm a Penn fanatic, they are all I have, SS series, Z series, Battle & Senators (special/original).
don´t know about the others , but the battle 4000 is one of the reels i used for seabass , over here they don´t guet biguer than 12kg and are hard to find hover 4kg , the reel andles this sized fish without a problem , what i totaly hate and that is the reason why i got it to the shelf instead of the beach , is that it has a realy BAD issue with braided lines , it just keeps making knots every where , i totaly wasted 3 diferent braid lines of diferent diameters , from 0,12mm to 0,18mm and 0,25mm it simply has a terrible line lay .
it´s curious , before fishing it , it really didn´t seem to have such bad line lay, it was almost perfect, only had a little gap in the botom and on top , nothing serious i thougt, and there whent several 29€ lures launched to infinity and beyond ...
Be sure you aren't overfilling the spool. Number one cause of windknots.
best
when i fished 33 years ago, my money was on the zebco cardinal 4 and 7 great reels, everything was aluminum, stainless steel and bronze, easy to service , rugged and water proof. the drag control was on the rear of the reel, if you had to adjust the drag, your fingers wouldn't get tangled in the line
I still have my Cardinal Harry! Those were Cadillacs back in the day! Its on a Nice Fenwick Rod.
Quote from: Three se7ens on June 08, 2014, 03:34:26 AM
I love my fin nor spinners. I've seen a lot come and go, and I keep going back to my sportfisher and lethal reels for bang for the buck. They are solid, well designed, and the cost cutting doesn't affect structural integrity or mechanical strength. They aren't the smoothest or most refined, but they are reliable, trustworthy, and easy to service. And in the case of the lethal 100, built like a tank.
x2 I couldn't have said it better Adam ;)
My favorite spinner is my stradic ci4 4000. I use it for light inshore fishing. It is amazingly small and light but capable if I hook into a 25lb fish. I love everything about it except for the price but in my opinion it's worth it. The worm drive oscillation system makes the reel super smooth. I wish they made it in larger sizes though.
I like the Penn SS series also. The best being the 650. It is big enough for most fish and light enough to cast easy. The HT-100 drags will take a line screamer without heating up too bad. They are easy to service and you can usually pick one up for around $50 used gently.
I'm glad you like the SS models as well, but I don't think you'll find any 650SS gently used for $50 :-\. In case you do, stock up on them and I'll take them off your hands ;D.
I am gradually assembling a complete lineup of SS reels, but it is a S-L-O-W process. So far I have the 420, 430, 550, and 750... all in new or almost-new condition. Sometimes they can cost a pretty penny, though. 8)
~A~
I use Saltists, Fin Nor Ahabs and now the new Saragosa all heavily (like 2-5 times a week) - Had Bryan give a few a super tune up and they all are up to match any fish - from Weakies to offshore tune
I just got an 850ss last week for $45 it needed a line roller to make it look new. I will keep my eyes open for a 650ss for you. There are a couple of 6500ss on CL and a ton of 113h's.
fsrmn , you did great with that 850SS, I have many of these SS models.
I'm not putting you on the spot or anything like that, but if you do run into some 550SS-650SS-750SS or 850SS gently used for $50, just grab them... if you don't mind, I'm sure me or some other members will take them from you.
I see a lot of bad ones for sale, as stated above, they need to be gently used and with one zero ;).
Thanks!
Sal
Sorry for deviating from the original topic, please members carry on with your suggestion on the best choice for saltwater spinners.
Sal
Will do. I sent you a pm with a recent listing. I will check it out and let you know. Season is over here in "God's waiting room" so the listings slow down some.
After reading Alan Hawk`s review on FinNor`s Lethal 100, I really don`t know why some of us are so afraid of "made in China"
My best conventional reels are Chinese made.
Basto
I read the posts again and didn't notice anyone mention China :-\. If you're talking about my comment of having one zero instead of two, that is only to take the guess work out of having brass gears.
Quote from: Alto Mare on June 16, 2014, 01:56:47 AM
I read the posts again and didn't notice anyone mention China :-\. If you're talking about my comment of having one zero instead of two, that is only to take the guess work out of having brass gears.
No Sal, I was commenting on the last post from 0119. Sorry.
Basto
Yes Basto you're right, I see it. I had it too fast on rewind ;D.
I still use the old penn spinners. I have a few ss reels I still use the 750 ,550, 420. I bought these new in the 80.s but lately have had some minor problems with the bails during use. I have since gone back to using the older 700 Z reels a 704 ,710, and 722.. Yes they are heavier than the more modern models available but are tanks. These old reels are about as easy to maintain as jigmasters and just as durable . the only issue is to flush out the rotor cup and rinse the spool after use very easy to do .They may not be as smooth as the newer stuff but I have never had one fail on me. Doug
The Lethal 100 pulled in a 10-15 lbs yellow with no problem. Lots of cranking power.