Most Durable Spinning Reel And Baitcaster, Cost Not A Concern

[Senko lover]

Shimano Cronarch or Lews Tournament MG are both solid reels.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

The question as worded in the OP is impossible to answer. Once you get $50> for spinning reels and $100> for casting reels the quality takes a big jump and it's hard to go wrong. History has proven the Calcutta/Cardiff and Ambassaduers as well as the Daiwa SS and Penn Spinfisher, but agian, only time will tell on the current models. 

[Dwight Hottle]

Spinning reel = diawa certate

 

Casting reel = shimano calcutta/conquest

[timsford]

Id vote daiwa zillion or shimano chronarch for baitcasting. There are guys that have used them daily since they were released and fished them hard, and never had a problem as long as maintenance is done.

Spinning reels the daiwa tournament ss 1300 would definitely get my vote. There is a reason they have made them so long and they are bulletproof. Lots of saltwater guys swear by them. I had one from when i was 9 years old until i was 26(a few years ago), and caught pretty much every fish its possible to catch in my area on it from trout to catfish to stripers. Never had a problem and felt the same when it got sold as the day i bought it

[lmbfisherman]

My mean green Curado 200B still ticking. Still as smooth as can be.  In fact after getting it serviced two years ago it seems just as smooth as my newer reels. 

[new2BC4bass]

 The Shimano includes a guide & boat for a week..........Always someone to run around waving the latest most expensive item.  Yelling.

 

 

 

I paid the most money possible for a fishing reel.  Please step forward & tell me how great I am.

 

At that price a deposit which is returnable should be included.   What if feels ordinary or even worse than less expensive reels.

 

I hope this wasn't a slap at me.  I don't own any reels even half way to that price.  It is often said you get what you pay for so I mentioned the Shimano because I happen to see them that day.  A person would think a $1k reel should last several lifetimes.  My most expensive spinning reel cost me about $90 if I remember correctly although my sole Shimano may have cost a bit more.  Don't remember what I paid for it.  My most expensive baitcast reel is the PX Type R on sale at TW.  I about had a heart attack when I hit the SUBMIT......but I finally decide to get a true finesse reel, and $200 off is a great deal.

 

The Zillion is a tank.  The Tournament SS I mentioned is the Whisker mentioned in a later post.  I have both the 1300 and 1600....bought used at about 50% less than retail.  They are known for having a great drag, and being nearly indestructible.  I hadn't considered a round reel, but know that most are also tanks.  The Abu round reels last forever and have many parts available if someone wants to play around with them or make repairs to one.

[FunkJishing]

pfluger and abu reels are known to be strong, durable, and affordable for years to come.

[lmbfisherman]

I hope this wasn't a slap at me.  I don't own any reels even half way to that price.  It is often said you get what you pay for so I mentioned the Shimano because I happen to see them that day.  A person would think a $1k reel should last several lifetimes.  My most expensive spinning reel cost me about $90 if I remember correctly although my sole Shimano may have cost a bit more.  Don't remember what I paid for it.  My most expensive baitcast reel is the PX Type R on sale at TW.  I about had a heart attack when I hit the SUBMIT......but I finally decide to get a true finesse reel, and $200 off is a great deal.

 

The Zillion is a tank.  The Tournament SS I mentioned is the Whisker mentioned in a later post.  I have both the 1300 and 1600....bought used at about 50% less than retail.  They are known for having a great drag, and being nearly indestructible.  I hadn't considered a round reel, but know that most are also tanks.  The Abu round reels last forever and have many parts available if someone wants to play around with them or make repairs to one.

I didn't get that impression.  The impression I got he was being sarcastic the he wouldn't pay something for 1k and I guess you can say he was dissing Shimano fan boys. 

[OK Bass Hunter]

Calcutta

[Arv]

I don't keep any long enough to know. Selling and trading and buying is too much fun

[roadwarrior]

 The Shimano includes a guide & boat for a week..........Always someone to run around waving the latest most expensive item.  Yelling.

 

 

 

I paid the most money possible for a fishing reel.  Please step forward & tell me how great I am.

 

At that price a deposit which is returnable should be included.   What if feels ordinary or even worse than less expensive reels.

 

The title of this thread reads "Cost Not A Concern". With that in mind I don't think anyone's

first choice is going to be a bubble-wrapped Zebco combo.

[cyclops2]

How can anyone say money buys quality on any reel ?   Are there people using that reel everyday  for several hours ? Several decades?  Does it satisfy EVERYONES preferences ?   It would take years to test & write up purely PERSONAL opinions by each user.

 

None of that will happen.  Why not ?  The company KNOWS it can keep bringing out a NEWER model & charge even more outrageous prices. The buyers will be  " Pre ordering "  with a deposit or FULL payment.   There really are people on a constant ego trip with anything  the most expensive. 

 

Do some people feel much better after buying a $  1000 to $ 10000 reel.  Of course there are.  Should I feel like dog crap because I do not agree with the company pandering to them ?

 

I had a Mitchell 400 ?? as a teenager. I just retired it for parts to another person. I am 77.  Is the $1,000 reel going to last with original parts as long ?  Not a snowball in hells chance.

 

 

We are a for profit reel company. Not a place creating reels that will last a century. !!!    Sales Department. Hype it up reel good.

[FishTank]

The Shimano Calcutta and the Shimano Sustain.  Both great reels and built like tanks.

 

On a side note, I have had a Daiwa Zillion for 7 years and it is a fine reel but I would not put in the longevity category (as always, this is just an opinion).  One reel that I have see a lot of that seems to be bullet proof, is the Pflueger President spinning reel.  Most of the guys I know who own these, do nothing to them and they just seem to keep going.

[cyclops2]

I just bought 3 more Mitchell reels. I expect to out live them again. 

[RoLo]

SPINNING

Shimano Stradic    I'm very hard on my equipment, but have never had any issue with any Stradic spinning reel.

                                 I wanted to say Stella, but oddly enough, one I owned had a bail issue & the rubber handle began falling apart

CASTING

Shimano Core        I have nothing but praise for this reel, which made me a caster overnight. I own several and love'em all

 

Roger

[*Hootie]

I don't keep any long enough to know. Selling and trading and buying is too much fun

Arv, you're reading my mind. I've been accused of not keeping anything long enough to break it in, never mind wear it out. Besides, like you said, it's fun.

Hootie

[HoosierHawgs]

How can anyone say money buys quality on any reel ?   Are there people using that reel everyday  for several hours ? Several decades?  Does it satisfy EVERYONES preferences ?   It would take years to test & write up purely PERSONAL opinions by each user.

 

None of that will happen.  Why not ?  The company KNOWS it can keep bringing out a NEWER model & charge even more outrageous prices. The buyers will be  " Pre ordering "  with a deposit or FULL payment.   There really are people on a constant ego trip with anything  the most expensive. 

 

Do some people feel much better after buying a $  1000 to $ 10000 reel.  Of course there are.  Should I feel like dog crap because I do not agree with the company pandering to them ?

 

I had a Mitchell 400 ?? as a teenager. I just retired it for parts to another person. I am 77.  Is the $1,000 reel going to last with original parts as long ?  Not a snowball in hells chance.

 

 

We are a for profit reel company. Not a place creating reels that will last a century. !!!    Sales Department. Hype it up reel good.

 

Ditto

[F14A-B]

It's not just reels that have time/ cycle break parts/ designs... It was a older era that had pride in engineering items with long life/ user serviceable parts, etc.. There are Still Quailty well engineered items/ reels around, and based on the feedback I would say there's a lot of common agreement between posters, still, not one person has stated that any reel @ $ 1,000.00 has had a long life as of yet... You want a Quailty reel, with a potential to last for a couple decades? This type of thread is a great place to ask this exact type of question.

I've heard the cardinal 4 was a tank of a spinner, never owned one or fished one..

[Logan S]

I'd say pretty much any reel will last as long as you'd like it to, provided you do your part in maintaining it....Even the cheap stuff.  

 

The perceived 'quality' of a reel has a heck of a lot to do with the user's experience level and desired function.  To a first time angler, the $20 reel and the $200 reel are the same....To a seasoned angler the lower end stuff might be 'unusable' for his purposes, thus 'requiring' the $200 reel.  

 

Personally, I expect about 5 years of trouble free service for my reels (with annual winter cleaning/servicing)...At that point I begin cycling into new gear, while the old reels still have *some* resale value left to offset the new stuff.  The reels still work perfectly, but I like to take advantage of the newer features when they come out.  I generally have all the same reels and when I transition to a new model I replace each one over the course of a year or two (it's tough to go through 15 or so reels at once  )

 

There is a point of diminishing returns when you start getting into the high dollar gear...Where that line falls is probably a little different for everyone.  

[new2BC4bass]

cyckops:  My first reel was a Mitchell 300 when 6 years old.  Don't know when I lost it.  Sure wasn't worn out.  Probably in one of my moves when I was in my late 30s.  I doubt anything is made to last a lifetime anymore.  What?  You expect manufacturers to put themselves out of business?  Or have a decreasing profit as sales drop due to the fact guys are still using 20-30 year old reels?  The name of the game is increasing profits each year.

 

Like you said....sales hype the newest and greatest.

 

No one said you should feel like crap because you bought a $50 reel instead of a $1000 reel.  I can't afford a $1000 reel now and sure couldn't 50 years ago either.  However, there are people out there who wouldn't even blink at the thought of spending $1000 or more on a reel, and not necessarily so they can say "Hey, look at what I have.", but because they want what they feel is the best and have enough money that it isn't a concern to them whether the best is $1000 or $10,000.  You have to admit that most people think in the terms that if item A costs more than item B, it must be better.  Would be hard to find someone not thinking like that IMO.  Something in item A has to be better to justify the extra cost otherwise it wouldn't be on the market very long.

 

I won't live long enough to know how long my current reels will last.  With any luck, maybe my grandsons will be able to answer that question provided they continue to fish.

[TorqueConverter]

Working and smooth as day one are two different statements. I've had Shimano reels, and ice had the anti reverse go out, and not be able to get the parts. The only reel I know that has lasted that long is my dad's ProCaster. And I garuntee I'm still using my Lew's 10 years from now.

 

 

Your Lews aren't actually "Lews" they are Doyos branded as Lews.  Doyo sells their reels to a number of companies including BPS and pure fishing who in turn, brand the Doyo as their own product.

 

Doyo does make solid reels though although parts can be difficult to get a hold of years down the line if the reel is no longer in production.

[cyclops2]

I let kids & virgins use the cheapos rods & reels.  Most last at least 5 years May to mid September.  I do completely pull apart any reel that falls in the water. Most reels break the bail springs pretty quick.

 

The 3 Mitchells are pure time machines for me.  The 2 ultra lights will probably wind up on the other peoples hands. ........I am looking at & felling up 1 as I type.

 

Pervert !!!  

 

Thank you Mitchell.

[HoosierHawgs]

Your Lews aren't actually "Lews" they are Doyos branded as Lews.  Doyo sells their reels to a number of companies including BPS and pure fishing who in turn, brand the Doyo as their own product.

 

Doyo does make solid reels though although parts can be difficult to get a hold of years down the line if the reel is no longer in production.

 

Interesting. The BPS and Abu reels I've owned don't seem to eminate the same quality as the Lew's. Hmmmm... The Pflueger reels seem realy nice though.. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one if those at their price point. Thanks for letting me know. I'm still a die hard Lew's fan though.. I just like the way the feel and cast. Personal preference.. Like I said in another thread.. Everything in this sport comes down to just that, personal preference.

[F14A-B]

Quantum owned the Lews brand/ reel designs in at least mid- ninteys I had a few.. Made in Japan. They ( old model lews ) were discontinued and they (quantum) Re-worked the platform, engineering a new reel with IAR, a modern thumb bar, 5 point drag star, forged handle.. It's release was delayed a extra year due to problems... I bought one when they finally hit the market... It was also made in Japan like many other quantum reels in the mid/ late 90's..

[plumworm]

I guess I will always be stuck on Shimano. I have 8 Bantam 101s I purchased between "98 and '06. Two stradic 100s from the late 90's, 1 stradic 4000 from the same era and 3 stradic . 2500's from 2006. All have been cleaned and lubed each winter by me and not one has ever seen a repair shop. I have fished between 50and 100 times a year for a long time and my Shimano's have never once failed me. I am a member of the Shimano gang.