Big difference in 200 vs 400 dollar reels?

[torm]

Depends on how picky  you are OP, when it comes to fishing. Some people just wanna get out and anything in the 100s is honestly pretty nice these days. Anything above 200 is just user preference in my opinion. Usually its smoothness, materials, weight, and cosmetic that gets better with price, but whether its worth it is entirely based off the user. Fished with some coworkers that only believed in 100 dollar gears and I let them use both my antares last spring. I did not get it any back until the end of the trip! I won't lie though, base off my experiences, once you get used to one expensive reel its does get a bit hard swapping back to the lesser ones depending on the gap.  

[islandbass]

17 hours ago, Columbia Craw said:

Thank you for bringing that to my attention.  I love auto spell check.  ?

No worries. Auto correct can be sometimes produce some funny things. The posts from you and rw actually triggered a memory from my early 20s in which some classmates and I were discussing parity (computer programming class) and someone made a joke about parity with the word parody. Cant remember the wise crack joke exactly, but at least I remembered something that long ago, lol. 

[Blaine Donders]

Is a Mercedes worth it? I mean, an old Impala will get you where you are going. It’s a matter of value. The cost difference is absolutely worth it, but it may not be of value to the end user. The Mercedes is worth every penny it costs more than the Chevy, but does that money bring to the end user what they need when both get you to the destination? Only you can decide that.
 

I like scotch, and can tell the difference between Johnny Walker black at $40 and green at $60. $250 blue vs green? I start getting lost. Same principle applies to most things.

 

I have fished an Lew’s Xfinity spinning reel back to back with a Mach 2. I could determine zero difference at double the cost. Double+ that again to a Stradic and anyone can feel and see the difference.
 

The point is that there are no fixed rules here and only the end user can decide if there is value in the $$ spent.

[mheichelbech]

The better question may be is it worthwhile to buy a older used high end reel or a new lower end reel at the same price.  You can buy and older Chronarch or metanium mg for around $100 or less.  Are these reel better than the $100/$150 reels of today?

[jimmyjoe]

1 hour ago, mheichelbech said:

The better question may be is it worthwhile to buy a older used high end reel or a new lower end reel at the same price.  You can buy and older Chronarch or metanium mg for around $100 or less.  Are these reel better than the $100/$150 reels of today?

 

   In any - and I say ANY - sale of a used product, there is what is to my mind an inordinate amount of risk. As I pointed out, this is my opinion.  YMMV          jj

[MAN]

I think we have conquered the "lighter" selling point on reels. We are a getting to an average of 6oz for most baitcasters now.  I know they will be pushing that shortly with the carbon fiber gears, but come on 6oz is pretty dang light even if your chunking for a couple hours.  

[FishTank]

Either at $200 or $400 or even $600 or $1000, at some point it becomes about fishing pleasure.  Where you draw that line, is up to you.  

 

To me fishing is fun and pleasure, so what ever gets me there.  I have several rods and reels that I enjoy.  For example, I have a little over $1000 invested in one setup and say less than $150 in another.  Both are fun and I like them for different reasons but the $1000+ setup is about all day fishing nirvana.   Will someone get the same goosebumps I do when they fish it> who knows?   

 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

On 1/15/2021 at 10:40 AM, garroyo130 said:

 

At over $400 is the chrome still chrome-plated plastic?

...yes, but the plastic rash guards are made in China.  They would be called chrome plated carbon composite frame armor with CI4 technology or Zaion technologyy in Daiwas case.

[NOC 1]

On 1/15/2021 at 9:40 AM, garroyo130 said:

 

At over $400 is the chrome still chrome-plated plastic?

I sure hope so, I'd leave the chrome plated metal for those who prefer their reels to weigh 8 or 9 ounces.

[Gary_Snyder]

You might not need a reel less than 7 ounces. This tip could save you a lot of money.

[NavyVet1204]

On 1/15/2021 at 8:32 PM, king fisher said:

The difference for me is a one hundred dollar real will catch fish, and a $500 will get me a divorce.

Truer words have yet been spoken on this thread lol

[Gary_Snyder]

The short answer is, Chinese made reels have improved over the years. You can now buy a Chinese reel that's very very close to a top of the line Japanese reel for half the price or less.

[roadwarrior]

1 hour ago, Gary_Snyder said:

The short answer is, Chinese made reels have improved over the years. You can now buy a Chinese reel that's very very close to a top of the line Japanese reel for half the price or less.

What would be an example?

[garroyo130]

 

1 hour ago, Gary_Snyder said:

The short answer is, Chinese made reels have improved over the years. You can now buy a Chinese reel that's very very close to a top of the line Japanese reel for half the price or less.

 

The line is also beginning to blur with companies like Daiwa sending mid-tier reel production such as the Ballistic over to China

[Randy Price]

I grew up with VERY low end equipment and now have some top of the line stuff.  IMO for the $$ a 2500 Shimano Stradic paired with a SC Avid rod is the best ROI.

[Gary_Snyder]

1 hour ago, roadwarrior said:

What would be an example?

Oh gosh, there are so many reels.......I'll just talk about my current favorite....... a Pflueger Patrirach spinning reel. Made in China. 

 

It's a magnesium, all metal reel, 6.8 ounces with the deep spool option, 6.3 ounces with the shallow spool. I use the deep spool, it's the 30 size.

 

I use 10lb. Vanish Transition fluro on it most of the time with Twinkies, er, I mean Senkos! Sometimes I use 10lb. Ironsilk when I'm throwing topwater baits. I use the Transition so I can see the line. It's strong enough with a great knot, I have no problems with it. I put Spiderwire EZ mono on the reels that my friends and family use, who might be less experienced - it's the same as Trilene XL.......plus it comes in fluorescent blue, which is easy to see.

 

When it came out, I bought one immediately. I fished it heavy for four years until it went missing.......I don't know whether it got stolen or I drove away with the the rod still on the roof of the car, lol........only issue I had with it was the bail spring wore out....easy and cheap to replace (Less than five dollars).

 

After the first one went missing, I immediately bought another, and have been using it for 3 years......so that's 7 years I've been fishing the same reel. 

 

No worry about flex, it's all metal, even the rotor (some metal reels are just metal body)

 

Are there lighter reels out there? - Absolutely! I've tried them, and come to the conclusion that 7 ounces is the sweet spot.....in my opinion, lighter reels just don't make that much difference. This tip could save people a lot of money!

 

Are there smoother reels out there? - absolutely! Some of those high end $400+ daiwas and Shimano are smoother, I've tried them. Can you notice the difference on the water? - yes! But here is the big thing...... in my opinion, the higher end reels don't make a worthwhile difference. 

 

Would a high end Japanese reel last longer? - probably.... the bearings, for one thing, are generally thought to be better. But I've got four years into the previous Pflueger, and the only thing I had to replace was a bail spring for less than $2.00 - so who cares? Not a big deal, really. How long do you need a reel to last? 4 years is a lot for 3 days a week fishing and thousands of bass up to 14 lbs. Granted, I do service the drag and line roller (not as often as I should). But I never open the gear case. And I do take reasonable care of my tackle - I don't put it down in the sand, and it only gets dunked about once in five years, and I don't fish saltwater with it.

 

I will admit that the line lay is not as good as some other reels, and it's better for casting distance than easy handling, so that's kind of a wash (it piles up line toward the bottom of the spool. (Underfilling the spool makes it work just fine in practice though)

 

Status, looks, and novelty - yes, I'll admit, those things can be important, and some people like that, and that's something top of the line reels can give you...... but to me, the reel is mostly a tool. I'm all about bang-for-the-buck. Please note that "bang for the buck" does not mean buying the cheapest reel. I don't believe in that. 

 

So, again, would a top of the line Daiwa or Shimano be better? - sure, it would be a little smoother, but in my opinion, it's just not a worthwhile difference. If I thought it was, I'd buy one today.

[NOC 1]

17 hours ago, Gary_Snyder said:

You might not need a reel less than 7 ounces. This tip could save you a lot of money.

I'm not really interested in saving the money I spend on gear. Money that I intend to save, I put in the bank and save. Money that I intend to spend, I spend on rods and reels that I like, and I happen to best like reels that are 6 oz or less, magnesium reels with light spools for the most part. That often means JDM stuff in the Diawa flavor for me.

 

Some folks look at what they "need", but the truth is I don't "need" a reel at all. I can catch fish with a cane pole, or even a hand line, actually I don't even need that to catch fish, if I have a knife and some willow trees I can make fish traps. Or if no willows, maybe a spear. Really I don't "need" to fish at all. The gas station nearby sells superb bean burritos.

 

The point is that I, and I suspect the rest of us, fish for fun. Now if folks have some kind of thing going on where they must have a "need" to buy equipment and then only the cheapest that they can get by with, it is OK with me. But as I have no such Puritanical inclination myself, I am allowed to buy whatever makes fishing the most fun for me without feeling any guilt whatsoever.

 

Make mine Steez Pleez. 5.8 oz.

 

[roadwarrior]

19 hours ago, Gary_Snyder said:

Oh gosh, there are so many reels.......I'll just talk about my current favorite....... a Pflueger Patrirach spinning reel. Made in China. 

 

It's a magnesium, all metal reel, 6.8 ounces with the deep spool option, 6.3 ounces with the shallow spool. I use the deep spool, it's the 30 size.

 

I use 10lb. Vanish Transition fluro on it most of the time with Twinkies, er, I mean Senkos! Sometimes I use 10lb. Ironsilk when I'm throwing topwater baits. I use the Transition so I can see the line. It's strong enough with a great knot, I have no problems with it. I put Spiderwire EZ mono on the reels that my friends and family use, who might be less experienced - it's the same as Trilene XL.......plus it comes in fluorescent blue, which is easy to see.

 

When it came out, I bought one immediately. I fished it heavy for four years until it went missing.......I don't know whether it got stolen or I drove away with the the rod still on the roof of the car, lol........only issue I had with it was the bail spring wore out....easy and cheap to replace (Less than five dollars).

 

After the first one went missing, I immediately bought another, and have been using it for 3 years......so that's 7 years I've been fishing the same reel. 

 

No worry about flex, it's all metal, even the rotor (some metal reels are just metal body)

 

Are there lighter reels out there? - Absolutely! I've tried them, and come to the conclusion that 7 ounces is the sweet spot.....in my opinion, lighter reels just don't make that much difference. This tip could save people a lot of money!

 

Are there smoother reels out there? - absolutely! Some of those high end $400+ daiwas and Shimano are smoother, I've tried them. Can you notice the difference on the water? - yes! But here is the big thing...... in my opinion, the higher end reels don't make a worthwhile difference. 

 

Would a high end Japanese reel last longer? - probably.... the bearings, for one thing, are generally thought to be better. But I've got four years into the previous Pflueger, and the only thing I had to replace was a bail spring for less than $2.00 - so who cares? Not a big deal, really. How long do you need a reel to last? 4 years is a lot for 3 days a week fishing and thousands of bass up to 14 lbs. Granted, I do service the drag and line roller (not as often as I should). But I never open the gear case. And I do take reasonable care of my tackle - I don't put it down in the sand, and it only gets dunked about once in five years, and I don't fish saltwater with it.

 

I will admit that the line lay is not as good as some other reels, and it's better for casting distance than easy handling, so that's kind of a wash (it piles up line toward the bottom of the spool. (Underfilling the spool makes it work just fine in practice though)

 

Status, looks, and novelty - yes, I'll admit, those things can be important, and some people like that, and that's something top of the line reels can give you...... but to me, the reel is mostly a tool. I'm all about bang-for-the-buck. Please note that "bang for the buck" does not mean buying the cheapest reel. I don't believe in that. 

 

So, again, would a top of the line Daiwa or Shimano be better? - sure, it would be a little smoother, but in my opinion, it's just not a worthwhile difference. If I thought it was, I'd buy one today.

So nothing is really comparable, but that's okay with you...

It's your choice and that's okay with me, too.

[PhishLI]

Differences between the two price points and particular details aside , the bottom line is this: If your max budget is $180-$200 msrp you'll be sitting pretty with many of the solid options available today, especially if you're diligent about lubrication and cleaning. If you're able to spend more then it's all gravy. Here most differences come down to subjective issues like ergonomics. Greater longevity due to ruggedized gear trains, less plastic and more metal where it counts, is typically what you get as you spend more.