What would you do if you were me? (Shimano Reel Content)

[Eddie101]

If you are in the market for a killer Shimano spinning reel, would you buy a Stradic 2500 for $220.00 or buy a used (clean) Stella 2500 for $300.00?  I've never owned or have any experience with Stella so I'm sitting on a fence about this. So, what would be the best bang for the buck?

[Jig Man]

I only know about the Stradics.  I have 4 of them.  None are new.  All have been very satisfactory.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Is the a Stella returnable if it doesn’t meet expectations? Half of retail is a decent deal if it’s in great shape. It’s a high end reel which means diminishing returns but if want to see what they’re all about this might be a good chance

[Eddie101]

1 minute ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

Is the a Stella returnable if it doesn’t meet expectations? Half of retail is a decent deal if it’s in great shape. It’s a high end reel which means diminishing returns but if want to see what they’re all about this might be a good chance

Hi Mike (if you're ), does high end reel mean "high maintenance"?

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

5 minutes ago, Eddie101 said:

Hi Mike (if you're ), does high end reel mean "high maintenance"?

No, but the maintenance is a little more time consuming. I don’t recommend opening it unless you’re experienced or extremely brave. Lol. 

[Eddie101]

6 minutes ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

No, but the maintenance is a little more time consuming. I don’t recommend opening it unless you’re experienced or extremely brave. Lol. 

That reminds me of my X......

[jimmyjoe]

3 minutes ago, Eddie101 said:

That reminds me of my X......

 

   ?????????        jj

[bwjay]

If the Stella is an FJ and doesn't have any issues with rubbing/grinding/gearyness then I'd buy that in a heartbeat.

[Eddie101]

1 minute ago, bwjay said:

If the Stella is an FJ and doesn't have any issues with rubbing/grinding/gearyness then I'd buy that in a heartbeat.

What is an FJ? I think it's called 2500s and I'm clueless as what they stand for.

[bwjay]

Just now, Eddie101 said:

What is an FJ? I think it's called 2500s and I'm clueless as what they stand for.

2500 is the size. Shimano has revisions for their reels; the current Stradic is the FL, previous was FK, before that was FJ, etc. The current Stella is FJ I believe, normally retails for like $700. The $300 price leads me to think it's an older Stella, which might still very well be worth that much cash.

[ATA]

51 minutes ago, Eddie101 said:

If you are in the market for a killer Shimano spinning reel, would you buy a Stradic 2500 for $220.00 or buy a used (clean) Stella 2500 for $300.00?  I've never owned or have any experience with Stella so I'm sitting on a fence about this. So, what would be the best bang for the buck?

I would buy expense 3000 or 4000, 4000 is in stock in TW, 3000 you can find in Japans market.

[Johnpenguin]

1 hour ago, Eddie101 said:

If you are in the market for a killer Shimano spinning reel, would you buy a Stradic 2500 for $220.00 or buy a used (clean) Stella 2500 for $300.00?  I've never owned or have any experience with Stella so I'm sitting on a fence about this. So, what would be the best bang for the buck?

I’d wait and see what comes out at icast

[Tywithay]

1 minute ago, Johnpenguin said:

I’d wait and see what comes out at icast

We've already seen everything. 

 

I wouldn't pay that much for a Stradic, because there are far better deals. Depending which model Stella, that could be an average to great deal. Sounds like it's a JDM model, so you'd have to match the year to the corresponding US release. If it's 2010 or newer in excellent condition, then it's a pretty good deal. If it's an FI or FJ, it's a great deal.

[FishTank]

1 hour ago, Eddie101 said:

If you are in the market for a killer Shimano spinning reel, would you buy a Stradic 2500 for $220.00 or buy a used (clean) Stella 2500 for $300.00?  I've never owned or have any experience with Stella so I'm sitting on a fence about this. So, what would be the best bang for the buck?

If the Stella is from Japan, there is a good chance it has been used in saltwater.  Then you are taking the chance that the previous owner took good care of it.  If it's in the US and is a newer model, it's a great deal.  

 

You can find the Stradic cheaper.  Check A.L.F., they had the CI4+ on sale. 

 

https://www.americanlegacyfishing.com/2016-shimano-stradic-ci4-spinning-reels.html

 

[JustJames]

300 Stella dedicated to pretty old reel. Buying old reel, even higher end, you’d better be prepare on what gonna happen, part, service.
If this reel gonna be fish day in day out and if you are not a collector, I think new reel would be better fit. best bang for the buck is to shop around for deep discount, the Stradic ci4+ or searching for lightly use, just recently drop price to 160 (discontinued).

You can post picture of that Stella and a lot can tell you more in detail

[Eddie101]

I just want to fish - far from a collector which I've never even heard of. LOL

[Reel]

To better compare the two reels you have to give the model : Stella FJ, FK, etc..  The same with the Stradic.

It's impossible to compare when you are saying something like: What is a better deal a Chevrolet or a Ford ?, and you don't mention the model or the year

 

[Jaderose]

Real (reel) Question!  Not brand elitist or anti-snob but truly honest question....What makes a reel like the Stella worth $650 more than my trusty President?  I get that they are probably smoother and "better" built but 650 dollars more better built?  It just seems impossible to me that I could get that much more value out of a spinning reel in the Midwest that would never see salt or anything bigger than a Striper, Walleye, or Pike

[Tennessee Boy]

15 minutes ago, Jaderose said:

Real (reel) Question!  Not brand elitist or anti-snob but truly honest question....What makes a reel like the Stella worth $650 more than my trusty President?  I get that they are probably smoother and "better" built but 650 dollars more better built?  It just seems impossible to me that I could get that much more value out of a spinning reel in the Midwest that would never see salt or anything bigger than a Striper, Walleye, or Pike

What makes a $235 hammer worth more than a $6 hammer?  The $235 hammer weights 6% less and impresses your friends.  The nails could care less. 

 

[Jaderose]

5 minutes ago, BaitFinesse said:

What does a high end luxury car do better than a Carolla?  It does same things as the Carolla but nicer and in luxury. Is the high end luxury car good value for your money? Probably not. Is that why they buy them?  Nope.  Same with high end spinning reels.

With all due respect I don't see that as an apt comparison.  A luxury vehicle will have a better ride, fancier gadgets, better stereo, high towing capacity or whatever.  I'm talking utility.  What does a high end spinning reel like a Stella do better than something like a President or even a Stradic.  

[J Francho]

The difference between a soda can and a Stella is gigantic, yet they both work.  The difference between a President and a Stella and how each compares to a soda can is about the same.  

[Jaderose]

*sigh*  Ok........

[J Francho]

I'm saying after you hit a certain point, something might be three times as expensive, but only better in certain areas by a little bit, and those areas might not be anything you care about.  

[Reel]

To help out Eddie 101, we need to know what he is comparing to what.  From what he said, he is looking at a brand new Stradic ( might be  a Stradic Ci4+ or  Stardic FL ) and comparing it to a used Stella that might be a reel recently bought or 20 years old.  He wants the best deal ( quality/price).  Even if the Stella is high end, it has changed over the years and for the better I think. 

[Eddie101]

1 minute ago, Reel said:

To help out Eddie 101, we need to know what he is comparing to what.  From what he said, he is looking at a brand new Stradic ( might be  a Stradic Ci4+ or  Stardic FL ) and comparing it to a used Stella that might be a reel recently bought or 20 years old.  He wants the best deal ( quality/price).  Even if the Stella is high end, it has changed over the years and for the better I think. 

At that price point, I thought going with a used Stella was the better option w/o knowing there were so many different models/variations over the years. If I'm not mistaken, even Stradic is being supplanted by another model and I can't recall that name/model at the moment. So many choices which is both good and bad for someone like me for obvious reason.