What do people like about shimano reels so much?

[Master Bait'r]

45 minutes ago, MassBassin508 said:

You spelled Daiwa wrong again.

 

Hey I like my Daiwas too, but until they come up with something akin to Shimano's DC system, they're just tweaking components that have been the same for decades.  

[Djohn]

This ABU Garica is from the early 90's. Used every week, oiled once in 25 years and never missed a beat. There are many great reels out there. Just saying don't get hung up on a brand. I own Shimano, Quantum, pflueger, Abu, and Penn. All of these perform well with no noticable difference. The one thing in common is that they are all high end reels - you get what you pay for.

[Johnbt]

I bought my first Shimano in the '80s because I knew the name from biking and my buddy was bass fishing semi-pro at that time and doing shows and stuff and getting lots of free tackle. He got me a new Shimano surf reel for $32 - and admitted he only paid the regional rep $25 for it. I didn't care, and I still use it. It's one of the original Triton Sea Spin Baitrunners, a 4500 with a graphite spool. I have two other Baitrunners, but they're the 2nd gen models.

 

I have Shimano spinning reels for bass, but my casting reels are all ABU Garcia for some reason - 3 Premiers and an SX. I have other casting reels, but they're cheap and old, some going back to the '50s. I like my buddy's Daiwa Steez, but I haven't found a steal on one like he did.

 

John

[Maxximus Redneckus]

Im a abu guy but latly i been trading things for shimano DSV and E series reels something about them feels good being made in japan is part of  reason .and i have better performance out of there lower end spinning reels made in Malaysia then chinese made reels

[gim]

The reason I like Shimano reels is that it was the first brand I bought 21 years ago when I started fishing and since I did not ever have a problem, there was no reason to buy anything else.  Well, now I've about 15 of them and there still hasn't been a problem with any of them.  I recently bought a Calcutta TE for muskie fishing and its ridiculously smooth.

[lmbfisherman]

Quality! Longevity! Performance! That's why I love Shimano.  I tried other brands, but I keep coming back. 

[3crows]

Just picked up a closeout Curado I HG, been trying to beef my fishing tackle selection up the last few weeks, on closeout pricing, smoking deal. Last one again, 10% off the already greatly reduced closeout price. Thanks!

 

Just put a new level wind and line guide in a Daiwa PL-100 I bought circa 1984-ish, cute little reel. It is part of my kayak arsenal along with an equally old PMF-100 Daiwa, both are pretty mint. Got the level wind from Tuna's Reel Troubles.  Shipped fast, cost hardly nothing. It had been stripped out by a snook that ran the line out smoking fast. Back in action, Shimano is not the only long lasting reel. These two Diawas share kayak duties with two equally old Shimano Bantams. 

[beginningfisherman]

13 hours ago, Chris at Tech said:

 

With that said..."specs" <> execution.  Just because another reel has the same number of ball bearings and the same gear ratio does not mean you can expect the same fishing experience with both.

 

14 hours ago, OnthePotomac said:

Simplicity of engineering and reliability.  Ie., Shimano accomplishes with six bearings what other manufacturers accomplish with eleven bearings.

I guess it makes sense after reading this. I had always been led to believe more bearings = better real. Apparently it isn't that simple. Thanks for explaining it without being a jerk like some on this thread. Obviously I didn't know or I wouldn't have started this thread. 

[kickerfish1]

I fish about 75% Shimano reels. Having over 3 dozen reels that is a lot of Shimanos. The rest are Daiwa mainly with a stray Abu round reel and a few Phfleuger spinning reels.

 

What stands out to me about Shimano? For one the reliability and longevity. If I purchase a quality Shimano reel (not one of their cheapo-plastic reels), I know it is something that will last many years with regular maintenance and a little TLC. I have several E series reels that I bought years ago that still look and function like new. On top of longevity I also get consistency especially when I have the reel set correctly. It is pretty much set and forget and that is it. I have used other reels where I had to do some tweaking when casting into a wind or when I chanced baits but most of my E series reels don't. Not that it is important but I also know that there are many aftermarket options and tuning options for Shimano reels should I ever need them. Lastly, I know due to the quality and desirability I can sell the reel for a very good price, sometimes in certain cases they appreciate in value but nevertheless I know that I won't be taking a huge loss selling them.

 

For the quality, construction, longevity, price, dependability, and function they are just hard to beat. Sure there are some models that aren't the best or ones that they struck out on but it seems like 9/10 times they are superior reels.