Higher End Shimano Or Lew's?

[J Francho]

Look like ZPI to me.

[thehooligan]

Look like ZPI to me.

 

Yep, ZPI aluminum knobs

[PitchinJigz]

Those look a lot like the original Shimano knobs in my Bantum reels... Are they Hawgtech?

ZPI

[Basswhippa]

I am enjoying my new Lews, but I agree with the others on this one: they're great in the under 200 hundred dollar range, but I'd go with Shimano over that.

 

X2.   The higher end Lews are basically the same as the $59.00 ones with a couple of extra bearings in the handle and here and there.  Stick with Shimano.

[powerduster]

I have a shimano TLD 15/30s and 3 Penn 320 gt2s. My dad bought the Penns a while ago, which was still made in the US when he got them. All of them are solid graphite frames and side plates, and plenty strong. I was raised on deep sea and wreck fishing as a kid, and they are what we've always used. The graphite has held up great in the corrosive saltwater environment and big fish. I can't say the same for the the metal components like the handle and level wind assembly, which I had to disassemble and refurbish back to looking new. Of course I prefer a metal frame and sideplates on my conventional gear, but it's mostly for asthetic reasons and the way it feels in my hands, but I would not discount a well built graphite either.

[powerduster]

I never tried the Lews, but I do like the higher end Shimano's

[Ozark_Basser]

I've never tried the higher end Lews.  The most expensive Shimano baitcaster I've ever owned was the Curado E.  I have owned the first Citica that came out and a Lew's in the same price range.  I wore them both out but the Citica took much longer. 

[J Francho]

I think the first Citica came out when you were around three years old, lol.

[aavery2]

My personal opinion when comparing reels based on engineering the Japanese reels trump the Korean and Chinese based reels a good majority of the time.   The Korean reels often rely on bells and whistles to earn your purchase.  With this said I fish primarily Korean based reels, so my opinion in not one that is fan based.  When you get past the knobs and clicks and carbon fiber the Japanese reels are a better engineered product in my opinion.

[Ozark_Basser]

I think the first Citica came out when you were around three years old, lol.

Yeah. My mistake. I should have said the first one I remember coming out. The E series is the one I was using for the comparison.