xxjoker122 Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 Hello everyone.I am looking to buy a new reel this week and i am stuck between the sustain fg or the cI4. In your opinion which one is better performance wise? I will be paring it with a 6'6 medium/fast action gloomis lmx. Quote
skeletor6 Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 The sustain is going to have more features, but is priced considerably higher. If I were you I would check out the Stradic FJ and compare that against the Ci4. The stradic fj is loaded with features as well and I believe has a better price to performance ratio over the sustain. It can easily be had for $135 and it is ridiculously smooth and high performing. If you are stuck on the sustain and want to compare it against the ci4, the sustain is going to beat it in most aspects besides weight. The ci4's main advantage is how light it is. I would take the ci4 if you are looking for a very light reel, otherwise, go with the sustain. I do not personally own the Sustain I have just heard excellent reviews about it. Just when comparing feature to feature against the FJ it is hard to justify the price gap IMHO. Both reels will be extremely impressive. I have the FJ and the Ci4 and I could not see any reason once-so-ever to get a nicer reel. These reels are extremely high performing. The stradic fj actually performs better than the ci4 IMHO, but the weight of the ci4 works out extremely well in balancing out my NRX. Perhaps you should place each on your rod and see which one feels better.... Quote
fishingman88 Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 I love the CI4 just for weight purposes. However, I will agree that the Sustain FG is technologically superior IMO. I have used both and would probably pair the CI4 with your G. Loomis rod Quote
thehooligan Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 I have the stradic 1000fj, ci4 1000 and sustain 1000fg. There all amazing reels, but when it comes to the money the stradic fj is amazing. Its 7.5oz's, has x-ship, and i believe it has the rapid drag like the sustain has. The ci4 1000 is 6.2 oz's, thats amazingly light, very smooth, i use that as my dropshot/shakeyhead reel. The sustain is 6.5oz's, also has xship, rapid drag and it just an awesome reel. I dont know what your budget is, but on ebay the fj usually goes for $135, the ci4 goes for $169, and the sustain can be found for $230-260. I stil love my ci4's but since ive used x-ship its hard to go back. I have three spinning combos, if i could do it all over again it would be three stradic fj's. Hope this helps. 1 Quote
skeletor6 Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 I have the stradic 1000fj, ci4 1000 and sustain 1000fg. There all amazing reels, but when it comes to the money the stradic fj is amazing. Its 7.5oz's, has x-ship, and i believe it has the rapid drag like the sustain has. The ci4 1000 is 6.2 oz's, thats amazingly light, very smooth, i use that as my dropshot/shakeyhead reel. The sustain is 6.5oz's, also has xship, rapid drag and it just an awesome reel. I dont know what your budget is, but on ebay the fj usually goes for $135, the ci4 goes for $169, and the sustain can be found for $230-260. I stil love my ci4's but since ive used x-ship its hard to go back. I have three spinning combos, if i could do it all over again it would be three stradic fj's. Hope this helps. Nice post.....the money speaks for itself on the fj. By the way Shimano added x-ship to many lower priced reels as well. The ci4 does not have this feafure, but its weight is very nice. Theres an even larger discrepancy on the 2500 sizes. Only thing I don't like about the ci4 is the handles. But that is preferential some may love them 1 Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted March 12, 2013 Super User Posted March 12, 2013 I'd recommend utilizing the TW Demo program. You could actually fish both reels for a week - Tough to beat a try before you buy side by side comparison. I'll warn you in advance however, last time I did this, I eventually bought both reels . . . . A-Jay Quote
thehooligan Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 Nice post.....the money speaks for itself on the fj. By the way Shimano added x-ship to many lower priced reels as well. The ci4 does not have this feafure, but its weight is very nice. Theres an even larger discrepancy on the 2500 sizes. Only thing I don't like about the ci4 is the handles. But that is preferential some may love them Yea its funny what everyones preference is. I love the ci4 knob, id like that on my sustain and stradic. Id even prefer it on my baitcasters. Its funny how some people hate the eva, i love it, lol. Quote
mod479 Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 Having fished 2 sustain FGs, 3 ci4s and an FJ last season, maybe I can provide a bit of insight for you...Keep in mind I only have one season on this gear. But I fish a lot. First off, If you just want something lightweight......go Ci 4. Don't worry about the frame flexing, you're fishing bass with it. I've caught pike/steelhead/salmon on mine, no binding, no problems...with any of the 3. Truly best bang for the buck in my opinion. If you want something noticeably smoother and light, get the Sustain. Some guys might say, its just an oz of weight difference, that's true, but when faced with choosing a reel for a rod, I go with how they balance together...not colors, not matching brand name, just functionality and my own preference. X-ship is a great feature, when you fish reels with and without the feature back to back throughout the day, you do notice. If you can afford to go the Sustain route, I say take it...It's light like the Ci4 and smooth/powerful like the FJ. The FJ is your best route if you want to stay within a tighter budget for your setup. It's smooth, has X-ship, and I like the iridescent paint on it. I can say it didn't feel right (to me) on most rods until I tried it on my Loomis 822S. Perfect combination, balanced, not really a lightweight, but that's where it resides. edit: should also note, none of these reels had any mechanical issues all season long. Just lube and screw the maintenance port back in. Quote
Super User J Francho Posted March 12, 2013 Super User Posted March 12, 2013 Mechanically speaking, the Sustain has a more elaborate spool support system and a more precise drag. Otherwise, both use virtually the same internals. Quote
xxjoker122 Posted March 12, 2013 Author Posted March 12, 2013 Thanks everyone for the advice :)I plan on getting the stellla sometime down the road but as of now my budget is $400. Quote
thehooligan Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 Get the sustain if you have $400, you'll love it. Quote
xxjoker122 Posted March 12, 2013 Author Posted March 12, 2013 Having fished 2 sustain FGs, 3 ci4s and an FJ last season, maybe I can provide a bit of insight for you...Keep in mind I only have one season on this gear. But I fish a lot. First off, If you just want something lightweight......go Ci 4. Don't worry about the frame flexing, you're fishing bass with it. I've caught pike/steelhead/salmon on mine, no binding, no problems...with any of the 3. Truly best bang for the buck in my opinion. If you want something noticeably smoother and light, get the Sustain. Some guys might say, its just an oz of weight difference, that's true, but when faced with choosing a reel for a rod, I go with how they balance together...not colors, not matching brand name, just functionality and my own preference. X-ship is a great feature, when you fish reels with and without the feature back to back throughout the day, you do notice. If you can afford to go the Sustain route, I say take it...It's light like the Ci4 and smooth/powerful like the FJ. The FJ is your best route if you want to stay within a tighter budget for your setup. It's smooth, has X-ship, and I like the iridescent paint on it. I can say it didn't feel right (to me) on most rods until I tried it on my Loomis 822S. Perfect combination, balanced, not really a lightweight, but that's where it resides. edit: should also note, none of these reels had any mechanical issues all season long. Just lube and screw the maintenance port back in. thank you for the help Quote
xxjoker122 Posted March 12, 2013 Author Posted March 12, 2013 Get the sustain if you have $400, you'll love it. Can it be used in salt water? Quote
Diggy Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 Not sure where you are but if you have a BPS outlet, you can get a sustain for 200 if in stock. My friend picked up 1 and 3 stradic fjs. Fjs were discounted nicely 105 to 115 but Ebay was slightly higher. I was amazed when he sent the pics with the tags. 1 Quote
thehooligan Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 Not sure where you are but if you have a BPS outlet, you can get a sustain for 200 if in stock. My friend picked up 1 and 3 stradic fjs. Fjs were discounted nicely 105 to 115 but Ebay was slightly higher. I was amazed when he sent the pics with the tags. d**n, thats some good prices... Quote
thehooligan Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 Can it be used in salt water? Yes, so can the ci4. Quote
xxjoker122 Posted March 13, 2013 Author Posted March 13, 2013 Not sure where you are but if you have a BPS outlet, you can get a sustain for 200 if in stock. My friend picked up 1 and 3 stradic fjs. Fjs were discounted nicely 105 to 115 but Ebay was slightly higher. I was amazed when he sent the pics with the tags. bass pro shop is 3 hours away from me, which is a good thing because i wouldn't have money for food if it was close lol Quote
Diggy Posted March 13, 2013 Posted March 13, 2013 d**n, thats some good prices... The stradics were discounted depending by size Quote
Capt.Bob Posted March 13, 2013 Posted March 13, 2013 best prices I have ever seen on new Stradics or Sustains! I sold the CI4 a year ago when I bought my first FJ, sold my Sustains also they were FD's and replaced them with FJ's!! The Sustain as others said is a Stradic with a bearing supported spool, never used it but may be smoother on running fish, other than that it's a Black Stradic, with the same drag that adjust a little different. In my opinion you have to spend $600.00 bucks or more to get a spinning reel that is as tough and smooth as a Stradic FJ, and the Sustain just gives you a choice of a different color. Quote
mod479 Posted March 13, 2013 Posted March 13, 2013 Thanks everyone for the advice :)I plan on getting the stellla sometime down the road but as of now my budget is $400. Hope you have a better idea of each reel based on everyones responses, really you cant go wrong whichever route you choose. I want to go Stella too eventually, maybe if one ever surfaces in the flea market..... Quote
xxjoker122 Posted March 13, 2013 Author Posted March 13, 2013 just ordered a sustain fg3000 from bps, hopefully its packaged better then the rod i got Quote
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