Baitcasters - A View From A Guy Who Services Rods And Reels

[Sam]

Took three rods to my friend, Wayne on Monday and visited with him as he moved the bait holders on two rods to another location on the rods.

 

Wayne services rods and reels and he is an honest guy who does not get sponsored or paid by any company.

 

So I asked him for his thoughts on the inner workings of baitcasters since he had just completed servicing a Shimano Curado and a Penn saltwater reel.

 

I ask him from time to time this question as he has seen the inner workings of various reels go down on quality over the years.

 

Wayne told me he likes the Shimano and Lews. They are made with quality parts (meaning less plastic) and they should last you for a long time before breaking down.

 

We have polls on which rods and reels we like most; guys will swear by their favorite brands; and we all have good and bad experiences with varous equipment. However, I think it will do everyone well to ask a person who services and repairs rods and reels for their input on which ones are made the best and which ones will perform the best for the longest period of time.

 

Just a thought for all you guys who want to buy the best products on the market.

[CiMo]

If I ever happen to be passing through that way might give him a visit, should anyone who goes just say sam sent us?

[Fishwhittler]

 

Wayne told me he likes the Shimano and Lews. They are made with quality parts (meaning less plastic) and they should last you for a long time before breaking down.

 

 

Shimano designs their own reels; the present Lew's does not.  The clutch design in Lew's reels is exactly the same as that used by Abu Garcia, BPS on their Pro Qualifier and Johnny Morris Signature baitcasters (not sure about the Extreme), and by Pflueger in their metal-frame baitcasters.  The Penn Sargus and Pursuit baitcasters also have the same nylon plastic clutch.  Those reels are all different models from the same company.

 

Incidentally, you actually don't hear a whole lot about the clutch in those reels breaking.  Much more common are problems with metal parts and springs wearing out.  That plastic clutch is surprisingly tough.

[Ima Bass Ninja]

Sam that is some good insight. I would like to take a step further and ask the reel mechanics what they actually use for there fishing adventures. It would be interesting to see at what price do they perceive the point of demishing return is and the brands they have the most confidence in.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

My own reels are an ecclectic assortment that changes regularly. I buy, sell, trade and experiment constantly.  Each of the "major" brands has unique design features that I like. I suppose patent laws keep anyone from taking the best of all and creating a hybrid design. In general a quality baitcaster can be had for around $100 with the point of diminishing returns being about $250. For spinning reels I'd say $70 and $200.

 

Each brand has strong and weak points with an occasional lemon. You almost have to try to go wrong if working within these price ranges. Daiwa makes very nice reels but the price points are higher than other comparable models. They tend to suffer sticky clutch syndrome. Shimanos are user friendly and good performing. I replace some idle and worm drive gears if they get horsed on. ABU (and all the other Pure Fishing brands) are well built with worm gear (a high wear item on any reel) and in the past kick lever wear. Quantum gets bashed too heavily IMO. They make some very smooth, well casting reels on a solid platform. However, the finish is often poor and I see some QC oversights that make servicing a little harder than it should be.

[RyneB]

That's good to hear. Ill stick to my Abus.

[John G]

Daiwa makes very nice reels but the price points are higher than other comparable models. They tend to suffer sticky clutch syndrome.

I think that I may already know the answer but what do you mean by sticky clutch syndrome?

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

When the handle is turned and the spool does not engage fully right away. Nothing cleaning and proper lube can't fix, just a little annoying and not on every reel by any means either. 

[Raul]

Speaking of Daiwa, TDXs, TDZs/ Fuego, Alphas/Sol have the studdering drag syndrome, nothing that a good set of Carbontex drag pads can´t fix.

[21farms]

DVT, are you sure you didn't mistype? i thought it was abu-garcia that is known for 'sticky clutch syndrome' in their revos but i've never heard it associated with daiwas. i personally have had three revos that suffered from it and none of the dozen or so daiwas i've owned have ever had it.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

It's a common symptom in any model reel in need of cleaning but in the Daiwas that do suffer from this it takes a little more tweaking to correct it. In the older Revos it could have bee from worn clutch kick levers. I see less of a problem with that in the newer generations.  

[DevilsAdidas]

my lexa 100 has suffered from a sticky random clutch since it was brand new.  i have not had this happen to my T3.  i started off with a probly 10-15 year old daiwa baitcaster and while it would backlash like it was designed to do it i never once had the clutch act up.

[stkbassn]

My own reels are an ecclectic assortment that changes regularly. I buy, sell, trade and experiment constantly.  Each of the "major" brands has unique design features that I like. I suppose patent laws keep anyone from taking the best of all and creating a hybrid design. In general a quality baitcaster can be had for around $100 with the point of diminishing returns being about $250. For spinning reels I'd say $70 and $200.

 

Each brand has strong and weak points with an occasional lemon. You almost have to try to go wrong if working within these price ranges. Daiwa makes very nice reels but the price points are higher than other comparable models. They tend to suffer sticky clutch syndrome. Shimanos are user friendly and good performing. I replace some idle and worm drive gears if they get horsed on. ABU (and all the other Pure Fishing brands) are well built with worm gear (a high wear item on any reel) and in the past kick lever wear. Quantum gets bashed too heavily IMO. They make some very smooth, well casting reels on a solid platform. However, the finish is often poor and I see some QC oversights that make servicing a little harder than it should be.

 

This is a pretty awesome post. Thank you for your objective and educated opinion on this. I think this price range is where the majority of fisherman are and try to stay within. Well put!

 

In general a quality baitcaster can be had for around $100 with the point of diminishing returns being about $250. For spinning reels I'd say $70 and $200   

[bigbill]

I purchased a brand new quantum Bill Dance model that was missing the friction knob inners from a discount house. He was speechless and did nothing. I contacted quantum and they hooked me up with all the parts to repair it. The reel was out of production but she crossed referenced the parts from a newer reel. They went out of there way to help me out. I wanted the bill dance reel for my fishing museum collection.

I purchased a brand new quantum code red reel that the line winder guide didn't move side to side. I figured this was a demo counter reel. Someone cranked the snots out of it or they stole the gears for another reel and installed the worn out gears.

Again Quantum came thru with the parts.

I'm very frugal and buy stuff at any price just to see if it lasts. Now I'm testing there service departments too. I purchased a $26 Quantum Bill Dance reel at half price and they treated me like I bought a $200 reel. My hats off to the service at quantum. Bigbill

I still have my first Shakespeare bait caster that still works today. I do take it out and use it every so often. I collected some older shakespeare bait casters that are well worn with no maintenance done. The bearings are worn out most of the time.

Which raises the question does anyone clean and lube your reels?

I do not knock plastic parts. I was dropping large trees on a windy day with a 100cc husky saw at the end of the day, last tree. The wind spun it around on the stump ripping the uncut hinge. Pinching my saw while I made like the six million dollar man at warp speed not knowing which way it's going down. The tree had my $1,000 saw in its cross hairs. It bounced 4' high on my saw. Smashing it. The magnesium cracked but the space age plastic didn't. I just needed a new engine block. Now they manufacture plastic guns right?

Ever try to grind a reel clamp on an older bait caster rod to make a newer reel fit it? That is very hard plastic.

[Jason Penn]

i think pretty much any new reel will last a pretty good while with proper care.  for years, it's been shimano vs daiwa, but i think pretty much all of them have reliable products now.

 

with the internet, companies can't afford to really make junk anymore.  back when i was a kid, it took forever for word of mouth to get around about a shoddy product.  today, if something sucks, the whole world knows about it in 10 minutes!! 

[nowicki2005]

My own reels are an ecclectic assortment that changes regularly. I buy, sell, trade and experiment constantly.  Each of the "major" brands has unique design features that I like. I suppose patent laws keep anyone from taking the best of all and creating a hybrid design. In general a quality baitcaster can be had for around $100 with the point of diminishing returns being about $250. For spinning reels I'd say $70 and $200.

 

Each brand has strong and weak points with an occasional lemon. You almost have to try to go wrong if working within these price ranges. Daiwa makes very nice reels but the price points are higher than other comparable models. They tend to suffer sticky clutch syndrome. Shimanos are user friendly and good performing. I replace some idle and worm drive gears if they get horsed on. ABU (and all the other Pure Fishing brands) are well built with worm gear (a high wear item on any reel) and in the past kick lever wear. Quantum gets bashed too heavily IMO. They make some very smooth, well casting reels on a solid platform. However, the finish is often poor and I see some QC oversights that make servicing a little harder than it should be.

Have you gotten a chance to work on 13s reels?

[bigbill]

Any company that offers great service gets my vote and business first. Your right once it was the word of mouth now it's still word of mouth times many thousands with the net.

[WRB]

Legacy reels were manufactured by the company who's name is on the reel. None of today's American name reels are made in the USA today.

Japanese reels like Daiwa and Shimano are designed in Japan, only the higher end reels are manufactured in Japan. South Korea and China manufacture nearly every reel in the $75-$250 range, including Pure Fishing brands, Abu Garcia. To say these reels share technology and part design is true. What makes one reel superior to the other, not the name plate! Quality comes from attention to details, materials, precision gears, bearings and quality control. The bearings and clutch disk materials can be changed, the design can't.

Taking your reels to a trained technician each year for annual service is a good idea. Asking the technician which reel is more reliable, higher quality, the answer will more than likely be the Japanese reels; Daiwa and Shimano.

Tom

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Have you gotten a chance to work on 13s reels?

Not yet. I even offered to do one free just to get a look. Offer stands by the way.