Question on brand choice

[patchtech]

So, when I'm at the store I tend to gravitate to Abu Garcia stuff.  No particular reason, except the brand stands out in my head from when I was young.

 

As an adult, they hit the price point I'm buying in, and I know what I'm buying.  In my day job, there's a saying, "nobody got fired for buying xxxx".  Along that line, Abu Garcia fits for my fishing purposes.

 

This unfortunately has left me without much experience with others, and leaves me wondering if I'm missing out on something better/different that could help broaden my experience.

 

Thoughts?

[MN Fisher]

Just now, patchtech said:

So, when I'm at the store I tend to gravitate to Abu Garcia stuff.  No particular reason, except the brand stands out in my head from when I was young.

My main brands for years were Abu, Mitchell and Pflueger...mainly because the reels I had from those three lasted-and-lasted. Now I've begun getting Diawa and moving away from Abu. My 'feeling' is that Pflueger and Diawa give a better product at the same price-point as Abu. But that's my gut feeling from testing things out.

[FishTank]

For me, it's just personal preference.  I would fish with what you are comfortable with. 

 

There are so many choices....Each company out there makes at least one or two good reels and a few duds.  My personal favorites in are (in order) Shimano, Daiwa and Abu Garcia.   

[NorcalBassin]

When I got back into fishing about 15 years ago I asked my dad what a good reel was at the time. He said pretty much any Shimano, and as I transitioned from getting whatever Wal-Mart had to a carried away enthusiast the past 10+ years I've never had a reason not to stick with Shimano.

[NorthernBasser]

As far as Abu goes, I only have one baitcaster, and it's the REVO SX Gen 4. It's a nice reel, but my Curados and Tatulas blow it out of the water when it comes to performance. 

[Bluebasser86]

In my boat right now I have rods and/or reels from; Shimano, Daiwa, KastKing, Quantum, Okuma, Pflueger, H2O, Fenwick, Hammer, St. Croix, and Abu Garcia. Nobody is making you stick to one brand but you.

[A-Jay]

While variety can be the spice of life, I look at my gear as tools and prefer the right ones for the job.   Sometimes we may need to fish a few to find out exactly what we might like or not like.  That said, my current arsenal contains offerings from Shimano, Quantum, St Croix, Lamiglas, Fenwick, Rainshadow, Okuma, G Loomis and Diawa. 

You should also know that the Bait monkey is presently holding a gun to my head......

A-Jay 

[JustJames]

Abu Garcia used to be my brand as well, My first baitcaster was Abu6500c3 30 years ago, the first reel I bought when moved here in US was abu 5600, my first low profile reel was Abu Garcia almost 20 years ago as well as my Spining reel (cd4 2000). My dream reel used to be Morrum over Shimano Conquest (and still might get one if I have a chance)

These days things have changed, most of Abu Garcia made from Third Party Company (OEM reel) just like others like Kastking, Lews, Favorite etc. I’d rather pay for unique and R&D than getting cheap mass production reels.

That is just me, though but if all about old Abu Garcia I’m in any day of the week.

[Spankey]

Expand. Experiment. There is a lot of good stuff out there. 

 

I will not buy a rod rod or reel sight unseen or unfelt. 

 

In my area Abu Garcia is mostly in Wally World. Low end stuff. Quality that would turn you off. BUT Abu does put out some nice quality rods and reel. It’s in the true bass type shops. 

[Shif29]

Daiwa. enough said. 

[livin2fish]

I have a small variety of rods and reels, none top dollar.  I enjoy fishing all of them and have no true favorites.  Each has a purpose, which fluctuates from time to time.

[patchtech]

13 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

My 'feeling' is that Pflueger and Diawa give a better product at the same price-point as Abu. But that's my gut feeling from testing things out.

I'll have to take a look.  I bought my wife a cheaper Pflueger spinning combo not too long ago, and it felt pretty solid.  Recently gave it a deep clean and liked what I saw inside.

11 hours ago, FishTank said:

There are so many choices....Each company out there makes at least one or two good reels and a few duds

Don't I know it!  Mostly, I stuck with abu to keep myself from going crazy analyzing all the other options.  Basically it was a "it's good enough"

 

4 hours ago, A-Jay said:

You should also know that the Bait monkey is presently holding a gun to my head......

Yeah... Every time I walk into Cabela's or Bass Pro I have to remind myself not to empty my bank accounts....  I'm "lucky" to have both within reasonable driving distances... 15m to cabelas, 35m to bass pro....  And a Pick's Sporting Goods right near the Cabela's for good measure... (some forum filter won't let me use the D for DSG)

 

I'm contemplating a cranking rod setup in the not too distant future.  I'll have to branch out to one of the safer choices in the price point, just to get some reel comparison (pun definitely intended).

[MAN]

I'm the opposite....I started out using everything and have gravitated to Abu (sweden made) and Shimano. Mainly having been in the industry and learning first hand about all the companies. 

[Randy Price]

11 hours ago, FishTank said:

For me, it's just personal preference.  I would fish with what you are comfortable with. 

 

There are so many choices....Each company out there makes at least one or two good reels and a few duds.  My personal favorites in are (in order) Shimano, Daiwa and Abu Garcia.   

I agree with @FishTank.  I've primarily fished with Stradic's for the last 20 years and they have NEVER let me down.

[ike8120]

I  have an assortment of Dobyns, Kastking and 1 Pflueger spin cast (for the wife).

[the reel ess]

I used Daiwa when I was young because Bill Dance did. Now I don't want to buy their top of the line reels because I want to have 5 baitcast reels on the boat and I can't justify $2500 worth of reels on a kayak. So I settled in a comfy spot with 3 Lew's reels, 1 H20  and 1 BPS reel that fit my needs at a price point I didn't have to feel guilty about. I didn't buy all those Lew's at once. I liked the first one so much for my preferred price point that I kept buying them. I just like to stick with what has worked well for me and is a known quantity. I under stand some reels of different brands and store brands are made by the same factory. I have less brand loyalty with rods.

 

When it comes to beer, I buy whatever strikes my fancy. I rarely drink the same one twice in a row.

 

[Randy Price]

I will admit to being a St. Croix rod and Shimano reel fanboy.  I do have a couple of Daiwa's and one Abu Garcia LP musky reel.  I think that currently pretty much all the stuff is good.

[Tennessee Boy]

Rods and reels are tools.  Some cost more than others.  The difference between high end and low end is not as much as most people think.  Kind of like hammers.

 

[the reel ess]

14 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Rods and reels are tools.  Some cost more than others.  The difference between high end and low end is not as much as most people think.  Kind of like hammers.

 

I guess the left one is the one the Pentagon prefers.

[NYWayfarer]

I have reels and rods from many of the brands out there. Abu, Shimano, Daiwa, Quantum, Pflueger, Kastking, Lew's, Powell, St. Croix, Denali, etc.

 

I gravitate towards my favorite brands but I like trying new things from other companies

[king fisher]

I own many brands of reels, in all price ranges,  for fish as small as blue gill large as blue marlin and everything in between.  Have been a Shimano fan my whole life.  Recently have tried Diawa and am very impressed.  For bait casters Below $80 all brands are similar.   Same for spinning reels under $50. For bait caster and spinning reels in the  $80-$140 range I prefer Diawa.  Over $140 Shimano.  Have not tried more expensive Lews, or Ambassador, but have used Ambassador 5500, and 6500 for years and have no complaints. For the money Plueger president is my favorite fresh water spinning reel,  Diawa BG for fresh and salt water.  Bait caster favorite is Tatula CT for fresh water, Diawa Coastal 200 for fresh and light saltwater.  I have no complaints with any of my Shimano reels.  My new love affair with Diawa might just be  due to the evil influence of the bait monkey.  Due to past financial experience, bait monkey is not even allowed to look at new fly fishing equipment. 

[boostr]

I used to use all name brand cheapo reels cause I didn't know better until I started bass fishing, and gravitated towards Lew's reels. I've been all over the place with rods having Fenwick, Wright and Mcgill, Cabellas, BPS, and Kastking. For bank fishing I use Kastking rods and reels good bang for the buck, and I don't mind getting them roughed up. 

[new2BC4bass]

I am like quite a few on here.  Rods and reels from too many brands to list.   

 

Lots of good rods and reels today...and from yesteryear...that make it impossible to own all.  BUT I did try for awhile.    No top tier tho except for a couple used Daiwa and Shimano reels and a mid-priced Megabass.

[Shif29]

1 hour ago, the reel ess said:

I used Daiwa when I was young because Bill Dance did. Now I don't want to buy their top of the line reels because I want to have 5 baitcast reels on the boat and I can't justify $2500 worth of reels on a kayak. So I settled in a comfy spot with 3 Lew's reels, 1 H20  and 1 BPS reel that fit my needs at a price point I didn't have to feel guilty about. I didn't buy all those Lew's at once. I liked the first one so much for my preferred price point that I kept buying them. I just like to stick with what has worked well for me and is a known quantity. I under stand some reels of different brands and store brands are made by the same factory. I have less brand loyalty with rods.

 

When it comes to beer, I buy whatever strikes my fancy. I rarely drink the same one twice in a row.

 

You're exactly right. I am a Daiwa fanboy but I will never spend more than $200 on a rod or reel. My most expensive setups are around $250. I still get outfished by the old guys I fish with and they use the same old gear they have had for years and everything they have is spooled in 6lb mono. They bring in a couple citations a year too. Just something to think about.

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, Shif29 said:

My most expensive setups are around $250.

Good fishing can happen at any dollar amount. My most expensive rig is right around $150 - all six of my rigs combined is still under $500 total.