Problem With Shimano

[Josh Smith]

For me, it's a feel thing.

An example are my newer Ambassadeurs. They feel a lot like the Ambassadeur I grew up with, minus the knob on the left side.

This goes beyond the fact that they're all round. I can't place it.

Likewise, Chinese reels all feel pretty much the same regardless of the company tag that's on 'em.

I have yet to buy a Shimano. The ones I've tried all feel solid and remind me of the Ambassadeurs.

Josh

[Raul]

We will always have favorites, so fish what you like and perhaps listen to advice

from people you trust. I fish both Shimano and Pinnacle. I like their products and

have experienced exceptional customer service. Many of my reels are more than

10 years old, my newest is the Shimano Aldebaran. Every reel I own is better today

than it was when it came out of the box. 

 

 

 

   

 

That´s because you don´t cheap out when you purchase Kent, good stuff ages well and performs even better after years of use ( all the rough edges are gone ), cheap stuff does´t age well, on the contrary.

[F14A-B]

Maybe you need a new reel repair guy. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.

Lol... Good one !

[RB 77]

Every single reel I own (except one Lew’s this year) are Shimano’s, including salt water gear and I have nothing but good things to say about them. I like my Lew’s so far, its longevity will be the true test for me. I have had a few Daiwa’s in the past and they have serviced me well. I just prefer the form factor on my Shimano's over the Daiwa’s I have had. Daiwa and Lew’s are the other top two reels at this point I would consider, although the 13 reels look promising.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Admittedly I haven't read the entire thread here but I wouldn't make a blanket statement that one brand is better built across the board. Each design has aspects that could be stolen to build the "ultimate " reel. As far as spinning reels go, shimanos AR is hands down the best, worm gear oscillators are nice (mid and up shimanos and other brand models), the Daiwa air bail is top notch, then there's a range of frame materials and weights. Just a few examples. IMO pflueger had some of the best spinners on a bang for the buck basis. If Lews sources spinning reels same way they do casting reels their spinners will share qualities with Pflueger. As far as I know the Daiwa mag seal oil is not available. Servicing without it won't hurt anything, it's just an added little feature that will be sacrificed making it no more or less vulnerable than reels without the oil.

[WRB]

Daiwa Exist @ $700 sets the bar very high!

Daiwa SS spinning reels were the most popular with bass anglers 25 years ago, still a good functional reel. Shimano set the new standard with thier Stradic series spinning reels for the past 15 years or so.

What set these reels apart was performance with reliability; the drags worked perfectly, drive train and bails are smooth, with normal maintenance these reels will last a lifetime.

The difference is made in Japan, those dreaded words have become a badge of quality today.

Abu reels are made in China and Lew's, Pflueger may be made in China, S. Korea, Indonesia or Tiwan.

Japan is a trustworthy country today with very high quality. S. Korea with Okuma factory producing several reels for various makes has become a reliable source. China doesn't follow any international rules, laws and counterfeit materials, untrustworthy parts.

Take your pick, it's your money.

[HoosierHawgs]

Daiwa Exist @ $700 sets the bar very high!

Daiwa SS spinning reels were the most popular with bass anglers 25 years ago, still a good functional reel. Shimano set the new standard with thier Stradic series spinning reels for the past 15 years or so.

What set these reels apart was performance with reliability; the drags worked perfectly, drive train and bails are smooth, with normal maintenance these reels will last a lifetime.

The difference is made in Japan, those dreaded words have become a badge of quality today.

Abu reels are made in China and Lew's, Pflueger may be made in China, S. Korea, Indonesia or Tiwan.

Japan is a trustworthy country today with very high quality. S. Korea with Okuma factory producing several reels for various makes has become a reliable source. China doesn't follow any international rules, laws and counterfeit materials, untrustworthy parts.

Take your pick, it's your money.

Lew's come from South Korea. They've been pretty reliable in manufacturing the last few years.

[K_Mac]

Basswhippa I own Dodge/Chrysler vehicles and have a collection of BPS rods and reels. My 95 pickup and 2000 Durango have a combined 370,000 miies and are in great shape for the shape they're in. My reels have countless hours of trouble free service. I may not be a "superior consumer" based on your definition, but I understand value. Categorizing people by what they drive or fish is myopic and foolish in my opinion. I think Shimano, Ford, and Toyota make fine products, but my self-esteem is not determined by the things I own.

[Josh Smith]

Daiwa Exist @ $700 sets the bar very high!

Daiwa SS spinning reels were the most popular with bass anglers 25 years ago, still a good functional reel. Shimano set the new standard with thier Stradic series spinning reels for the past 15 years or so.

What set these reels apart was performance with reliability; the drags worked perfectly, drive train and bails are smooth, with normal maintenance these reels will last a lifetime.

The difference is made in Japan, those dreaded words have become a badge of quality today.

Abu reels are made in China and Lew's, Pflueger may be made in China, S. Korea, Indonesia or Tiwan.

Japan is a trustworthy country today with very high quality. S. Korea with Okuma factory producing several reels for various makes has become a reliable source. China doesn't follow any international rules, laws and counterfeit materials, untrustworthy parts.

Take your pick, it's your money.

Please Sir, when speaking of Abu Garcia and China, except the reels still made in Sweden.

Those Swedish reels are excellent!

I think if I ever go low-profile, I'll go with Shimano, but loving round reels, my go-to are the MADE IN SWEDEN Ambassadeurs.

Abu Garcia is, in my opinion, confusing folks and doing themselves a disservice by allowing the Ambassaseur name (as in the Ambassadeur S) to be used on some Chinese reels.

Regards,

Josh

[HoosierHawgs]

Please Sir, when speaking of Abu Garcia and China, except the reels still made in Sweden.

Those Swedish reels are excellent!

I think if I ever go low-profile, I'll go with Shimano, but loving round reels, my go-to are the MADE IN SWEDEN Ambassadeurs.

Abu Garcia is, in my opinion, confusing folks and doing themselves a disservice by allowing the Ambassaseur name (as in the Ambassadeur S) to be used on some Chinese reels.

Regards,

Josh

You could always try a Calcutta! Not that it matters either way. To me, use what you like. I like the way Lew's feels in my hand so that's what I use.

[Raul]

You would have problems if you purchase a counterfeit chinese Shimano/Daiwa etc, but not if you purchase a real Shimano or Daiwa made in China, it ain´t like the brass at Shimano or Daiwa are going to say: "hmmm, let´s make this reels in China with lower standards and quality in the parts than what we use to make them somewhere else". My Revros 2004 is a JDM manufactured ( do not compare it to the modern day Revros, it´s a completely different animal ) in China and a true jewel.

[Bass newb]

Daiwa Zillion are far and away my favorite now. It's all about the t wing for me though. Ymmv.

[k3bass]

Daiwa Exist @ $700 sets the bar very high!

Daiwa SS spinning reels were the most popular with bass anglers 25 years ago, still a good functional reel. Shimano set the new standard with thier Stradic series spinning reels for the past 15 years or so.

What set these reels apart was performance with reliability; the drags worked perfectly, drive train and bails are smooth, with normal maintenance these reels will last a lifetime.

The difference is made in Japan, those dreaded words have become a badge of quality today.

Abu reels are made in China and Lew's, Pflueger may be made in China, S. Korea, Indonesia or Tiwan.

Japan is a trustworthy country today with very high quality. S. Korea with Okuma factory producing several reels for various makes has become a reliable source. China doesn't follow any international rules, laws and counterfeit materials, untrustworthy parts.

Take your pick, it's your money.

Stradics are not made in japan anymore, haven't been for years.

If you want a good japan made spinning reel at an affordable price the daiwa luvias is hard to beat.

[WRB]

Please Sir, when speaking of Abu Garcia and China, except the reels still made in Sweden.

Those Swedish reels are excellent!

I think if I ever go low-profile, I'll go with Shimano, but loving round reels, my go-to are the MADE IN SWEDEN Ambassadeurs.

Abu Garcia is, in my opinion, confusing folks and doing themselves a disservice by allowing the Ambassaseur name (as in the Ambassadeur S) to be used on some Chinese reels.

Regards,

Josh

Not wanting to hijack this thread, Abu restarted in 2014 making a selected few Ambassaseur C3 and the Morrum round reels in Sweden, all others reels made in China for over 10 years. If that has changed, not aware of it.

Tom

[WRB]

Stradics are not made in japan anymore, haven't been for years.

If you want a good japan made spinning reel at an affordable price the daiwa luvias is hard to beat.

Where are the Stradics being made now?

Tom

[desmobob]

Where are the Stradics being made now?

Tom

 

 

Didn't you hear?  They're being made by Dodge Motors in Detroit, Michigan!  

 

Tight lines,

Bob

[Maxximus Redneckus]

All c series reels are made in sweden and many varients ,rockets,records,beast,carpmasters,pro rockets,blue yonders

[k3bass]

Where are the Stradics being made now?

Tom

Malaysia

The stradic fg was the last one made in Japan, and that was a long time ago.

Edit: Maybe the stradic fh was the last one made in japan can't remember for sure. Either way it's been close to 10 years since any stradics were made in japan.

[IAY]

Oh no, looks like my Megabass rods doesn't say made in Japan on them. Maybe I should just throw them all away... All these country argument is just silly. Lews, Pflueger, Abu Garcia all get their higher end low profile reel from Doyo in Korea, which is very good OEM. I just would never buy any Pflueger, or Lews because I like the JDM Abu styling quite a bit better  

[Josh Smith]

Not wanting to hijack this thread, Abu restarted in 2014 making a selected few Ambassaseur C3 and the Morrum round reels in Sweden, all others reels made in China for over 10 years. If that has changed, not aware of it.

Tom

 

No Sir, all c3, c4, etc Ambassadeurs are made in Sweden.

 

The only Ambassadeurs made in China are the ones with "S" following the Ambassadeur name, like Ambassadeur S, SX, STX.

 

I do not keep up with the low-profile reels and they may all be made in Japan, though I thought a couple of the high-end low-pros were made elsewhere, but I could be mistaken.

 

I'm only speaking of the C series reels, Morrum, Record, and the like.  All the round ones above the S series are still made in Sweden.

 

Off to research the higher-end low-pros now!

 

Regards,

 

Josh

[Sam]

Beware, the Apocalypse is near...

 

So, the next step is getting rid of all that LSU memorabilia and replacing it in red?

 

Hail Satan!  Go BAMA?

 

Yes, Kent. Must pull for Bama in the playoffs so the National Championship trophy can rest safe and sound in the SEC where it belongs.

[hawkoath]

Lol. The Shimano vs. Daiwa threads always have the most posts! Well, I guess it's time to plug in my input. Before I begin fyi I have both Shimano and Daiwa reels (along with one Abu Garcia) current generation and older. 

 

In terms of spinning reels, I feel there is actually quite a bit of differentiation now among Daiwa and Shimano lines that's it's really hard to compare now. I feel that Daiwa is trying to make things a little lighter in the Ballistic and other reels vs. Shimano which I feel has some robust reels. And each reel has their own feel to it making any comparison an apples to oranges one. 

 

In terms of spinning reels even the mid tier Daiwa reels now have mag seal technology which is supposed to keep water out of the reels which means you don't have to carefully stuff your reels with grease like I do if I dunk my reels which happens about once every two trips for me. It doesn't really matter to me as I usually do a light maintenance and grease after purchasing anyways. But it can be useful. 

 

One issue that I've found with my Daiwa Certate and which no one else seems to have an issue with is the oval design of the arm guard which in my situation always catches the line and is almost impossible to get out. For that reason alone, I'm probably never buying another Daiwa spinning reel until they change it's so easy to screw up an entire fishing session if you don't have backups. 

 

In terms of construction, I would lean a little towards Shimano as I've had one foot break off of a good Daiwa reel but this is purely how I feel about it and there is no empirical evidence that supports this. I've never really had an issue with my Shimano spinning reels really and if you search the Internet for some decent non-US Shimano reels and be patient you can get better deals on new Shimano reels from the dealer/distributor. 

 

Baitcasters, I 100% believe that each reel is different and it depends on your needs and likes. Zillions, Steez EX, Chronarch CI4, Calais, Metaniums, etc... are all extremely different reels to me and I think it really depends on your preference. I like my Steez EX better than the zillions because it's a lot lighter. But I think I like my Chronarch CI4 just as much as any reel because it palms better to me. 

[k3bass]

One issue that I've found with my Daiwa Certate and which no one else seems to have an issue with is the oval design of the arm guard which in my situation always catches the line and is almost impossible to get out. For that reason alone, I'm probably never buying another Daiwa spinning reel until they change it's so easy to screw up an entire fishing session if you don't have backups.

I've read this a few times and can't visualize what you are talking about.

[hawkoath]

I've read this a few times and can't visualize what you are talking about.

 

Interesting, I've never read it anywhere. The arm guards or whatever they are called, I'll just refer to them as that "oval thing" I feel basically serve as an apparatus to drive me nuts because it sticks out and grabs the line. The 2d pictures on the Daiwa website don't do the oval thing justice in how much it sticks out and how it can easily grab any loose line. 

 

Let me just give you one example. Imagine using supple braided mainline and hooking up to a 25lb salmon on a windy day (the wind blowing from your right to left). You're fighting the beast but it suddenly takes a turn for the worst as it beelines it for the the logs on your right and suddenly breaks your mainline in the wood causing a ton of slack which you quite rightly try to reel in. What you don't realize is that the that loose line has suddenly been grabbed by that oval thing and when you are reeling in the line you are actually wrapping the braid underneath the oval thing. You finally realize this after the reel won't reel any longer and you take a look and realize that the stuff is tightly wound underneath that oval thing. Unfortunately it's pretty hard to get those 10x+ loops of wet braid loose as its underneath the oval thing. Taking out the spool won't help at all because the braid isn't caught underneath that. You can't really unwrap the braid easily either because the you can't reach the braid easily as essentially the braid gets caught underneath the oval and is wet and tightly wound around it which sucks more in some cases as you will have a hard time giving any extra line to this problem. Essentially it's so easy compared to previous Daiwa reels and others to get it stuck in that oval thing and very hard to get it out. 

[hawkoath]

Don't get me wrong. I love what Daiwa has done in introducing Mag-Seal to the mid market and the precedent it sets within the recreational fishing industry. The looks of the new reels are extremely nice as well. One of the reasons why I went with a Certate was that I felt it was a lot more bang for the buck for my needs vs. a Sustain or Twinpower and looked a lot better. I loved the look of the oval thing as well and it might have been one of the many reasons I purchased it but in hindsight I wish Daiwa would have stuck to something a little more functionally conservative in terms of that oval thing. I mean the Mag-Seal and the new looks are fantastic, but that oval thing...