rcbob Posted June 20, 2013 Posted June 20, 2013 I use a St Croix 6' Medium/Fast rod mostly for bass and I'm looking for opinions on reels that cost around $250 and less. So far settle on two: Shimano Stradic CI4 and Quantum EXO Pti If you have another reel for me to consider and it's around $250 or less please suggest. FIRE away with your opinions Many thanks in advance Bob Quote
thehooligan Posted June 20, 2013 Posted June 20, 2013 For $250 or less, id be looking for the sustain fg on sale on ebay. If you cant find one, id go with the ci4 or stradic fj 1000. Quote
Thaddeus Posted June 20, 2013 Posted June 20, 2013 For $250 or less, id be looking for the sustain fg on sale on ebay. If you cant find one, id go with the ci4 or stradic fj 1000. Agree. I scored a brand new Sustain for $179 off eBay (took some convincing-hahaha). Best reel ever. Quote
Revival Posted June 20, 2013 Posted June 20, 2013 I have a Stradic Ci4 on a St Croix Premier 6' medium and love it. The combo is so light it's ridiculous. Quote
CPBassFishing Posted June 20, 2013 Posted June 20, 2013 The shimano is going to last a lot longer than the EXO. My friend has a Ci4 and I have used it. Super light and buttery smooth. If you go with the Ci4 hurry up because they are being discontinued very soon. Tackle warehouse has them on sale right now. Quote
rcbob Posted June 22, 2013 Author Posted June 22, 2013 I just tested both reel spent 2 days with both reels on the same St.Croix Avid rod and same line. Both cast very nicely but it the Stradic Ci4 seem much rougher retrieving the line back in. You hear the gears and the handle seems to have have "grinding" feel to it. The EXO Pti was much better retrieving the line. Has anyone actually tried both reels? Quote
Revival Posted June 22, 2013 Posted June 22, 2013 I just tested both reel spent 2 days with both reels on the same St.Croix Avid rod and same line. Both cast very nicely but it the Stradic Ci4 seem much rougher retrieving the line back in. You hear the gears and the handle seems to have have "grinding" feel to it. The EXO Pti was much better retrieving the line. Has anyone actually tried both reels? That doesn't sounds normal for Ci4. Then again that doesn't sound normal for any reel. Quote
Super User SirSnookalot Posted June 22, 2013 Super User Posted June 22, 2013 I just tested both reel spent 2 days with both reels on the same St.Croix Avid rod and same line. Both cast very nicely but it the Stradic Ci4 seem much rougher retrieving the line back in. You hear the gears and the handle seems to have have "grinding" feel to it. The EXO Pti was much better retrieving the line. Has anyone actually tried both reels? No I haven't. Every time I touch that ci4 it's instant turn off, I dislike a round knob and the reel was not as smooth as a Shakespere agilty that I've been using for a few years landing some really nice Florida bass. For $30 I can buy another if it ever fails. Are my stradic 4000 fi smooth, yes they are and it's a pretty good reel, best line management I've experienced, I like them a lot. When it came to buying another reel I chose a Quantum cabo 40, much heavier in weight and not as smooth as the stradics, but in pure cranking power and drag to me it was the superior reel for my use. Granted the reel is only a couple of months old so the issue of durability has not been answered, but the reel seems to be built like a tank. Quantum's warranty is 48 hour turnaround time for freshwater reels and 24 hour for saltwater, that's pretty attractive too. I'm very happy with my selection. I just tested both reel spent 2 days with both reels on the same St.Croix Avid rod and same line. Both cast very nicely but it the Stradic Ci4 seem much rougher retrieving the line back in. You hear the gears and the handle seems to have have "grinding" feel to it. The EXO Pti was much better retrieving the line. Has anyone actually tried both reels? Quote
Super User smalljaw67 Posted June 22, 2013 Super User Posted June 22, 2013 The shimano is going to last a lot longer than the EXO. My friend has a Ci4 and I have used it. Super light and buttery smooth. If you go with the Ci4 hurry up because they are being discontinued very soon. Tackle warehouse has them on sale right now. Is this a know fact? Do you have stats to back that up? Relax, I know you don't have that and you are going by name but that is a big mistake. I remember two Shimano Symetres that I had, I bought them as they were Shimano reels of the $100 dollar variety and both lasted less than a single season, the first one went through bait springs every two trips and the other had less than a month of fishing before the bearings gave out and Shimano told me to buy a better reel, true story. If I based all Shimano reels off of that I would say they wouldn't last but a few months. The truth of the matter is any spinning reel at that price range is probably going to last for awhile and I would lean toward the Quantum just because it is aluminum and not a composite and there isn't science behind it, I just can't pay that much for a composite because all I think of is cheap graphite framed reels and I know the Ci4 isn't that but it is still composite. If you want to be truly good at using tackle as well as fishing in general then try your best not to be a "fanboy", as you may be missing the boat on somethings and over spending on others. Quote
CPBassFishing Posted June 22, 2013 Posted June 22, 2013 Is this a know fact? Do you have stats to back that up? Relax, I know you don't have that and you are going by name but that is a big mistake. I remember two Shimano Symetres that I had, I bought them as they were Shimano reels of the $100 dollar variety and both lasted less than a single season, the first one went through bait springs every two trips and the other had less than a month of fishing before the bearings gave out and Shimano told me to buy a better reel, true story. If I based all Shimano reels off of that I would say they wouldn't last but a few months. The truth of the matter is any spinning reel at that price range is probably going to last for awhile and I would lean toward the Quantum just because it is aluminum and not a composite and there isn't science behind it, I just can't pay that much for a composite because all I think of is cheap graphite framed reels and I know the Ci4 isn't that but it is still composite. If you want to be truly good at using tackle as well as fishing in general then try your best not to be a "fanboy", as you may be missing the boat on somethings and over spending on others. I'm not a shimano fanboy at all. I own 3 reels-a daiwa, a shimano, and a shakespeare. I'm simply going off my experiences. However, I did not know that the exo was aluminum. That's definitely something to consider when buying an expensive reel (durability). Quote
Super User iabass8 Posted June 22, 2013 Super User Posted June 22, 2013 I just tested both reel spent 2 days with both reels on the same St.Croix Avid rod and same line. Both cast very nicely but it the Stradic Ci4 seem much rougher retrieving the line back in. You hear the gears and the handle seems to have have "grinding" feel to it. The EXO Pti was much better retrieving the line. Has anyone actually tried both reels? i had the same issue with my ci4. i did not like it at all. very rough on the retrieve. i tried 3 different ones and each time i took it out on the water it just felt rough so i gave up. traded it in for a 1000fj(thank goodness for cabelas). couldnt be happier. in my experience with shimano spinning reels, there seems to be a "break in" period for them to really get buttery smooth and they really only bet better over time. if you're price range is 250 i'd strongly suggest the sustain. a walleye friend of mine does have a ci4 that is incredibly smooth though so i may just have had a bad string of duds. shimano is supposedly coming out with a new ci4 with xship at icast this summer which is why the previous ci4s are being discounted. you may want to just wait if you can. Quote
thehooligan Posted June 22, 2013 Posted June 22, 2013 I had a 2500 ci4 for two years, and now a 1000 and they are both very smooth. Btw, comparing a Shakespere with a ci4 is assinine... 1 1 Quote
Super User SirSnookalot Posted June 23, 2013 Super User Posted June 23, 2013 To me being foolish is spending way more than have I have to for 5 and 6 lb LMB and peacocks too, have caught larger fish as well. If I can buy a reel that performs smoothly with a good drag at a modest price and has lasted for 3 years without even oiling it, to me that's a winner. I have other more expensive reels that I use for freshwater, they do not perform any better or catch more fish. At one time I said to myself I'd never spend more than $100 on FW reel, I'm starting to revise that number downward. Quote
Capt.Bob Posted June 23, 2013 Posted June 23, 2013 Btw, comparing a Shakespere with a ci4 is assinine... I am no Ci4 fan,,,,,but I would have to agree!!! any model!! after an observation like that I would have to doubt the validity of any recommendation's!!!! There are some who think a cane pole is all you need to catch fish,,,,,,,,,,,,,I pay very little attention to their recommendation's also! 1 Quote
mod479 Posted June 23, 2013 Posted June 23, 2013 i had the same issue with my ci4. i did not like it at all. very rough on the retrieve. i tried 3 different ones and each time i took it out on the water it just felt rough so i gave up. traded it in for a 1000fj(thank goodness for cabelas). couldnt be happier. in my experience with shimano spinning reels, there seems to be a "break in" period for them to really get buttery smooth and they really only bet better over time. if you're price range is 250 i'd strongly suggest the sustain. a walleye friend of mine does have a ci4 that is incredibly smooth though so i may just have had a bad string of duds. shimano is supposedly coming out with a new ci4 with xship at icast this summer which is why the previous ci4s are being discounted. you may want to just wait if you can. I've also found this to be true with both the sustain fg and ci4. Quote
THE BASS WHISPERER Posted June 24, 2013 Posted June 24, 2013 i love my c14 3000 , paired it with MH G LOOMIS GL2. never fished the quantum Quote
SudburyBasser Posted June 25, 2013 Posted June 25, 2013 I'm a little surprised to hear of people complaining about noise and rough retrieve on the Stradic CI4. I have a 2500 and it may be the best reel I've ever bought (please note that proviso) -- smooth and quiet. Quote
Capt.Bob Posted June 25, 2013 Posted June 25, 2013 I'm a little surprised to hear of people complaining about noise and rough retrieve on the Stradic CI4. I have a 2500 and it may be the best reel I've ever bought (please note that proviso) -- smooth and quiet. I think they are comparing them to th FJ model, it is noticably smoother and quieter, with more cranking power. Quote
rcbob Posted June 26, 2013 Author Posted June 26, 2013 Update... I picked up another ci4 thinking the first one had issues. But I hate to say the second ci4 had the same issue with retrieving. So I must say the Quantum Exo Pti is the winner for me. Now lets see what the future holds for the Quantum EXO Pti. BOB Quote
rizzo777 Posted July 1, 2013 Posted July 1, 2013 Hows the casting distance with the Exo? I thought about the ci4 or exo for 2 days and I can find thousands of reviews for the ci4 and just a few for the exo. I actually found am exo at walmart online on rollback for 152$ made me pull the trigger. I think its the 30 size. I never bought a reel over 60$ and im replacing a 3 yr old shimano sedona which the bail opener keeps on falling out Quote
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