Reels....do you stick with one brand?

[LonnieP]

I have all Daiwa reels except for one Shimano Chronarch CI4. I highly doubt I’ll ever buy a reel that’s not a Daiwa or Shimano.

[outlawflies]

I love my Lew's baitcasters, but don't care much for their spinning reels. I am currently running okuma spinning reels.

[Vilas15]

Ive got a few different kinds. Like anything else in life, even if ive got something i like i still try other things to see if theyre even better. I can't imagine being one of those guys who has like 5 or 10 of the exact same reel.

[BigAngus752]

All of my baitcasters are Daiwa (just a personal preference, not claiming superiority) except for my two frog/flipping rods that both have Abu Garcia Revo SX on them (huge drag and great spools for heavy braid).  My favorite spinning reel is a Daiwa Fuego.  I bought a KastKing Sharky 2 and was really pleasantly surprised.  I would not pass up a Sharky 3 for a great price.  Most recently I decided to try Plueger and I bought a President XT.  Big mistake.  I wish I had bought another Fuego or Sharky.  So I  guess I am gradually narrowing it down to just a couple brands.  

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Every brand has stand out models and quality offerings north of $100 and sometimes less. I see the logic in consistency but personally own and use an eclectic collection of tackle. 

[Team9nine]

14 minutes ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

Every brand has stand out models and quality offerings north of $100 and sometimes less. I see the logic in consistency but personally own and use an eclectic collection of tackle. 

This ^^

 

Have my favorites (Daiwa and Shimano mostly), but my tackle collection is a hodge-podge.

[12poundbass]

6 hours ago, A-Jay said:

 Clearly ~

 And I am definitely loyal to gear that performs on the water with Quality, Dependability & Durability. 

I've fished tackle that did not offer that for me (none that I mentioned) and so I moved on.

A-Jay

 

This right here. I'm loyal to Abu Garcia. I've bought two other brands and neither met my expectations. Abu Garcia has yet to fail me. From the cheapest to the mid priced reels I've been happy, so why switch. I'm also a creature of habit and do tend to venture out of my comfort zone, so that's anothere reason.

 

 

[Hook2Jaw]

Bills, a wedding to save for, and a son on the way.  I look for quality at a good price.

 

All of my baitcasting reels are currently Daiwa.  I do feel at 60 dollars, they are the best option available on the market.  I plan to continue to spend my money on Daiwa products.  They're both on unmentionable rods.

 

I had several Bantam Curados stolen.  My Abu Garcia Pro Max was stolen. I froze a BPS PQ2 up when I rolled my kayak in the salt.  I gave my Black Max to my uncle.

 

Never had a problem with the Abu entry reels or the older Shimano offerings.  I believe a lot of the equipment available is worth it's price.  I've just fallen in love with a spectacular model and I'm throwing my loyalty to that company due to it.

 

Several of my spinners are still Penn reels on Penn or Wright and McGill rods, but those are strictly inshore setups.

[Catt]

I believe in keeping my tools simple, functional, durable & dependable!

 

One can go to Wal/Mart, Harbor Freight, Sears or some other outlet store to buy mechanic, carpenter, electrician, machinist tools ECT and these tools will work but they are not designed for commercial use. Yes these tools wills last the weekend guy a lifetime of light to medium use and serve him quite well.

 

Now look at it through my eyes I am a journeyman carpenter/mechanic my tools are what I make my livelihood with so I must depend on my tools to perform every single time I use them under every conceivable conditions with limited failure.

 

Now relate this to bass fishing; when I hit the lake it will be from sunup to sunset, under extremely adverse conditions, and with full expectations of bass in excess of 6 pounds so any failure on the part of my tools is not accepted.

 

Calcutta: solid as an anvil, versatile as a pair of Channellocks®, & dependable as a 30/30 ?

 

I do own 1 Citica,1 Lew's & 1 H2O Express

[Westcoast]

I’m definitely not loyal to brand buying reels. I’ve got lots of abus as I can usually find them at good discounts and they are good reels. I did go and buy a tatula sv and thought it was great and ended up with a few more. I tried the zillion next and was not so impressed just didn’t feel much ahead of the tatula in performance. Saw some good reviews on the Shimano mgl reels so bought a bantam and chronarch. They are spectacular reels, that bantam is the best low pro salmon/steelhead reel I’ve ever found. Next I stepped up and bought an alderbaran to go with and nrx that was a steal of a deal and I love the combo, it’s pretty incredible. If I buy anymore reels soon, I’ll probably stick with Shimano as the curado dc has been calling my name. 

[Mobasser]

9 hours ago, Catt said:

I believe in keeping my tools simple, functional, durable & dependable!

 

One can go to Wal/Mart, Harbor Freight, Sears or some other outlet store to buy mechanic, carpenter, electrician, machinist tools ECT and these tools will work but they are not designed for commercial use. Yes these tools wills last the weekend guy a lifetime of light to medium use and serve him quite well.

 

Now look at it through my eyes I am a journeyman carpenter/mechanic my tools are what I make my livelihood with so I must depend on my tools to perform every single time I use them under every conceivable conditions with limited failure.

 

Now relate this to bass fishing; when I hit the lake it will be from sunup to sunset, under extremely adverse conditions, and with full expectations of bass in excess of 6 pounds so any failure on the part of my tools is not accepted.

 

Calcutta: solid as an anvil, versatile as a pair of Channellocks®, & dependable as a 30/30 ?

 

I do own 1 Citica,1 Lew's & 1 H2O Express

Catt, good way to say it! That's why, for the last 30 some years, I've seen an Estwing blue handled framing hammer on every job I've worked on. At least one guy will have one. Tough, durable, and gets it done every time!

[new2BC4bass]

17 hours ago, bigjean663 said:

Pretty simple here, just curious to see how many people out there stick to one brand exclusively and if it’s by choice or another reason such as a sponsorship. Not comparing popularity of companies or anything it’s more just me trying to settle an argument with my brain. 

I own something like 10 reel brands and 17 rod brands.  I like trying different brands.  Almost all bought sight unseen.  I rely on reviews and opinions of fellow forum members.  I have seldom been disappointed.

 

 

[bigfruits]

All of my reels are Shimano now although I like and have owned plenty of Daiwas.

 

i have been buying the $300 Shimano JDM reels the last few years. Aldebaran, Metanium.

 

At a lower price point, the Curado 70/71 would be my choice. Although not as small as the Aldebaran, it is more comfortable in my hands and holds plenty of line for 99% of my large mouth fishing.

 

 

[kenmitch]

I'm not brand loyal, but I may be somewhat brand selective.

 

I prefer to go the bang for the buck route and select the one that I can get the best deal on at the time of need. Luckily there's usually more than one option available that will soot my needs which really helps in the bang for the buck department.

 

My reels are Abu, BPS Carbonlite 2.0, Lew's, Lew's, Pflueger, Lew's, Abu.

 

The last reel I bought was a Abu C4-5600 for my swimbait rig. I set out with the intent of buying a Shimano Cardiff but got one of those too good to pass up deals on the Abu. I had to exercise some willpower to get really good bang for the buck for my swimbait combo. In the end after ebay bucks I'm into the Abu and a Dobyns Fury 795SB for around $112 shipped. I did have to jump thru some hoops to achieve the deals but well worth it in the end.

 

 I do have a couple of Lew's reels I'd like to upgrade at some time but I'm in no hurry. I'll wait it out for one of those too good to pass on deals that pop up from time to time.

 

 

 

 

 

[ohboyitsrobby]

I have everything from Shimano to pinnacles and all variety in between. Rods from St Croix ltb to a berkley amp. I'm loyal to my wallet. 

[Dens228]

All of my reels except one are Lew's.  That one is a Quantum.  I love my Lew's reels but also my Quantum.

 

I like knowing what I'm getting with my purchase.  Same with rods.  Once I find what I like I don't see the reason to experiment. 

[volzfan59]

I'm a one brand guy for the most part. All of my baitcasters are mostly BPS Platinums, I still have a few Pro Qualifiers in use. All of my spare casters are Pro Qualifiers.

My spinning reel are mostly BPS Johnny Morris signature series. I do have one Pflueger President and one Shimano Stradic use. All of my spare spinning reels are JM signature series.

[fishwizzard]

I am about 99% Daiwa at this point.  I am so used to their brake system(s) that I have a hard time looking at other brands.  I also have enough reels now that spool-compatibility is a huge plus when it comes to sticking with Daiwa.   

[Bankbeater]

Currently I have Daiwa, Abu, and Shimano bc reels. My spinning reels are all Pfluegers. 

[OCdockskipper]

For Spinning, I pretty much stick to Shimano because they are the only one that still manufactures a model that has some old school features that I want.  Plus there is a Shimano factory facility minutes from my house, if I ever have issues with a reel, it is quicker to go there then any retail place.

 

For casting, I have Shimano, Abu Garcia and a couple different BPS models.  No issues switching from one to another, but I did find that each has characteristics that lend themselves to certain lure weights & techniques (for me).

 

Oddly enough, my first setups for both spinning & casting were Daiwa (40 years ago).  I really liked both and like the looks of current Daiwa products, I just never have pulled the trigger on buying another.

[Fishingmickey]

     I have been a Shimano fan boy for many, many years. I've tried some of the Abu garcia Black max and Silver max round reels probably 20 years ago and they didn't last. They sucked.

     Since I started kayak tournament fishing. My rod and reel collection has exploded to close to 30 set ups. Almost all of my reels are Shimano. The last year and a half or so I have gotten a couple of baitcasters. Diawa 105SV and a not to be mentioned ***. I just my first Daiwa spinning reel from the TW  25 days sale.  A EM-MS2506H-JDM Have had a couple of outing with it. I have been pleased so far with my non-Shimano selections. I really think that the reel manufacturers have really upped their game in the last 10 years. 

Fishingmickey

[Sam]

Yes.

 

Mainly Shimano but I have two Lew's.

[scbassin]

 I did not start bass fishing until the late 60's when I was transferred to U.S.S. Thornback SS 418 in Charleston SC. The COB found out I liked to fish so we started fishing together, He was a bass fisherman so that is how I got started. Back then I was using a Mitchell 300.  In the early to mid 70's I was on the U.S.S. Barracuda SST 3 which had several bass fisherman on it. We heard of a military bass club forming & some of joined & it was then I started learning about all the baits & equipment & baits used. Upon joining I had the option to buy a Bass Pro Catalog. That is when I bought 6 Garcia Ambassadeur 5001C baitcasting reels & 6Lews Speed Sticks.  2 or 3 years later A big tackle wholesaler was going out of business & the X.O. Informed us about it & asked who was going(we were in port). At lunch time 4 of us piled into the X.O.'s car & headed downtown. When we left our next stop was the Chief's Club so we could discuss our goodies & have a beer(the real reason for the stop). My bootie was 6 Shimano Bantam 2001 Magnumlite GT Plus reels. From that day on I have been a Shimano guy. I have 80 plus Shimano Reels now with a Japanese version of the Bantam MGL on the way, hopefully it gets here today. I have tried other reels along the way but have sold them all except 1. Reason being is Shimano's all set up about the same & there not much of a change when you shift from 1 set up to another. A big plus is the customer service, I have never had a issue but only had to use them 2 or 3 times over the years. Plus on another site Bantam 1 is there if you need help. Well bigjean663 there is your story & answer. To all Have A MERRY CHRISTMAS !

[bigjean663]

@scbassin wow.....just wow. I hope your JDM reel gets here today and you and the family have a very merry Christmas. Thank you for sharing. 

 

Man, these replies have been perfect. As I said earlier I didn’t have a reason for making the post other than just for random knowledge. I greatly appreciate you guys time and effort into making these responses. 

[new2BC4bass]

2 hours ago, fishwizzard said:

I am about 99% Daiwa at this point.  I am so used to their brake system(s) that I have a hard time looking at other brands.  I also have enough reels now that spool-compatibility is a huge plus when it comes to sticking with Daiwa.   

I'd have to have in the neighborhood of 350 reels for them to be 99% Daiwa.  I learned on an original Fuego and like Daiwa braking systems.  A bit over half my baitcast reels are Daiwa.