MRG

If you are looking for real 80s retro gear, Mitchells, original Cardinals and Ambassadors are not what you want. These reels were out long before the 80s - the Mitchell 300 was introduced during the post war era of the late 1940s! I retired my Mitchell 300/Conolon rod in the early 80s and moved on the the Abu Garcia 753 & 754 reels mated with Berkley Lightning rods (back when they were considered high end). The 753/754 were OK, but not that great so I soon moved on the the reintroduced Japanese Cardinal 3 & 4 reels. They had a few quirks but overall were very good reels. I still keep them maintained and fish them occasionally just for old times sake. Then I was turned on to Shimano by a friend... and I've been a Shimano fan boy since. I soon bought various Bantam/Magnumlite GTX & Speedmaster casting rods and reels. Now, I'm sure others will disagree, but in my opinion, I really think Shimano was years ahead of their competition during this period. It was during this time Shimano rose to where they are today. I still keep some of my 80 Shimano gear in operating condition and enjoy taking them out on occasion. I had a few other non-Shimano combos during this time. One that is still in the garage is my Ryobi T1 and Berkley Series one rod. This was a pretty slick combo at one time. I don't fish this one any more, the gears go too rough for me. Nonetheless, the T1 was a very innovative reel. Anyway... there's my .02

That's BS. I'd go back to the store and stand my ground until they exchanged the reel. Tell them everyone on the internet says their return policy is a bunch of crap.

Not that it matters much after a model is completely redesigned, but I have a couple of older JDM Nachi reels that, while not that high in the Shimano line up, are really good smooth reels.

Again, it's all a question of where and how much it is used. I have way too much gear and don't spend nearly as much time fishing as I'd like to. I tend to rotate my gear, because why have all that stuff if your not going to use it. So, in my situation, I'm not putting lots of time on my gear. I also flip the line when it starts getting ratty. Given my scenario, I probably get 5 - 10 years out of my braid.

I pretty much stick to Shimano with some Daiwa. However, last year my son bought me a Carbonlite 2.0 baitcaster. So far I'd give it an A+. It casts well, reels in smooth & looks pretty too. Though I'm not crazy about BPS constantly pushing out the good brands in favor of their Johnny Morris stuff, I can't complain about this one.

Always happens to the rods you really like. The not so great ones hang around forever.

I was looking over the Pure Fishing site recently and feel like in general things are confused there. I feel like they are not playing on the strengths of their various brands - at least based on my aging frame of reference. Though I've never had a Pflueger, I was perplexed and dismayed that this brand had risen from the ashes only to seemingly fall again. At the same time they are pushing Penn low profiles??? I'd also like to see higher end Berkley rods. Does nobody remember when Berkley rods were some of the best out there? In my opinion way too much emphasis on ABU Garcia rods. I could go on and on... Must be a bunch of Millennial newbs running the marketing show over there who don't understand the historical meaning of their brands.

6lb Yo Zuri Hybrid works for the lakes I fish. I fish it on a 1000 size spinning reel and 7' medium light rod. I like the light set up for Senko's.

I started serious fishing in the mid 70's going to my buddy's cabin way up in NW Ontario. Up there I quickly figured out you weren't to be taken seriously as a fisherman without a Garcia Mitchell 300. For Christmas '76 I got my new pride and joy Mitchell 300 and Conolon rod (still have the reel). This outfit served me well and I became a Garcia guy for the next decade or so. In the mid '80s I had a fishing buddy who was a big Jimmy Houston fan and had a couple of Shimano rigs. At the time I was still fishing my ABU Garcia stuff (754s and the like...) and borrowed his Magnumlite XL Fightin' Rod spinning combo while fishing with him. At the time, I didn't like most Japanese stuff, and wanted little to do with brands like Shimano. As much as I hated to admit it, his set up fished like a dream compared to my crap. It was truly an epiphany. I soon after went out and bought myself a couple of Shimano Magnumlite XL Fightin' Rod/Reel spinning and casting combos. I've never looked back. Been a Shimano guy ever since, at least for reels. I've used other brands over the years and still have some ABU and Daiwa gear in the mix, but, by far, Shimano has been my mainstay ever since trying my buddy's combo back in the mid-80s. Every now an then I will break out the old Fightin' Rod combos for a day's fishing. Though I've got some pretty good newer gear, my old Shimano's still hold their own well.

Often spinning reels have shims (they look like very thin washers) on the main drive gear. If you didn't replace the shim(s) in the same manner as from the factory, the gears will feel rough.

You may not get to a Chronarch, but you can make it fairly close to a Curado G by replacing the drive shaft pushing, upgrading the handle knobs and handle bearings. BTW, there's a lot of Citica/Curado G haters out there - don't listen to them. They're actually pretty good work horse reels that hold their own well on the water.

I've been loyal to Shimano for about 30 years now. I've bought some other brands over the years, mostly Daiwa and ABU, but the bulk of my purchases have been Shimano. Overall, I have to say that I've been most satisfied with my Shimano reels over the years. IMO, they have been doing a lot of things right for a long time.

That 10 degree magnetic brake system may be tricky to dial in. I guess I can look past this minor shortcoming since this reel has so many other high end features such as hydrographic printing. Hydrographic printing is important on a reel like this, as you would not want the prestigious Shiscambo name to wear off.

The Ci4 has Ci4 and the FJ has Hagane... tough decision.

Apparently, I'm not the only fool who takes apart anti-reverse bearings...