Spinning vs baitcasting (durability)

[PressuredFishing]

So I was just thinking and which one would last longer after extensive use. If you where comparing two reels from the same manufacturer in the same price point which would last longer. Casting reels have a push button and worm gear which can be vulnerable, but spinning reels have the bail components which also give out.  I am not quite sure personally and would say both have weaknesses, but if I missed anything let me know!

[Jig Man]

I have some Shimano Curados and Stradics that are 2001 models and going strong.   I use my stuff hard but I keep my stuff maintained.

[MN Fisher]

Properly cared for - both should last quite a while.

 

I've got:

A 40+ year old Pflueger 640 UL Spinning reel - I've replaced the bail-spring once in that time

A 40+ year old Cardinal 562 Med Spinning reel - all original parts

A near 40 year old Abu Ambassadeur 500R LP Baitcasting reel - replaced one push-on retainer

 

All are still in 9/10 mechanical condition - I just don't use them because I have newer gear...but all are perfectly usable.

[PressuredFishing]

44 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Properly cared for - both should last quite a while.

 

I've got:

A 40+ year old Pflueger 640 UL Spinning reel - I've replaced the bail-spring once in that time

A 40+ year old Cardinal 562 Med Spinning reel - all original parts

A near 40 year old Abu Ambassadeur 500R LP Baitcasting reel - replaced one push-on retainer

 

All are still in 9/10 mechanical condition - I just don't use them because I have newer gear...but all are perfectly usable.

Good to know! those are the pieces I would have guessed where most prone to breaking 

48 minutes ago, Jig Man said:

I have some Shimano Curados and Stradics that are 2001 models and going strong.   I use my stuff hard but I keep my stuff maintained.

Stradics are nice, I used my friends but I don't have any because they are expensive. I usually aim for a affordable reel that has some type of alloy or aluminum body in Spinning and casting as I am prone to dropping. You give me a 300 dollar graphite reel and it will be nice and light but may make it a 3rd lighter after dropping ????

[GetFishorDieTryin]

If you maintain spinning reels they work for a long time, but they have more components that wear out compared to casting reels.  

When it comes to saltwater casting gear can be really vulnerable to corrosion because of the nature of the spool.  However, there are a considerable amount of Abu's and Internationals because they have been taken care of.  

[bulldog1935]

I've fished through reels, though only the spinning reels were bad enough not to want to continue fishing - reverse-cone line lay from rotor bushing wear and spindle deflection.  I put away a Daiwa Millionaire in 1984 with worn worm gear (surf), because Daiwa wouldn't support the part.  (The 440 worm gear and zirconia pawl on Lew's would grind the sand)

 

Casting reels are pretty basic and pretty tough.  Pinion gears wear, especially from bad engagement, but they also turn and contact the teeth 5 to 8 times more often than the bull gear.  Mostly, gear wear just causes drive sloppiness to retire them - unless you want to rebuild them.  Definitely pinion gear wear between both main gear and spool pin contact can stop your reel from working.  In the old days, spindle bushings was the biggest issue also because of contact stress - that was pretty much solved with ball bearings, beginning about 50 years ago.  

 

With spinning reels, long lever arms and bending loads are the big issue - the rotor diameter, the spindle length and oscillation - both affect alignment and magnify the load and contact stress at the other end.  In the old days, spinning reel design was by trial and error.  Beginning in the past decade, the issues are addressed in CAD design, and that's why we see spinning reel drag loads going up dramatically.  Spinning drive and pinion gears also wear from contact stress, and that's another place gear-tooth design is improving reel life - the more teeth you have in contact sharing the load, the lower the stress and wear, and the longer the life.  

[ATA]

Honestly I use same brand casting and spinning and defiantly casting reels are winers. Somehow the only thing is cosmetic issues, nothing about functioning. The spinning are somehow getting unbalance and loose feelings.

Of course I am talking to use them side by side and no service and overhauling. 

[Skunkmaster-k]

2 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

I've fished through reels, though only the spinning reels were bad enough not to want to continue fishing - reverse-cone line lay from rotor bushing wear and spindle deflection.  I put away a Daiwa Millionaire in 1984 with worn worm gear (surf), because Daiwa wouldn't support the part.  (The 440 worm gear and zirconia pawl on Lew's would grind the sand)

 

Casting reels are pretty basic and pretty tough.  Pinion gears wear, especially from bad engagement, but they also turn and contact the teeth 5 to 8 times more often than the bull gear.  Mostly, gear wear just causes drive sloppiness to retire them - unless you want to rebuild them.  Definitely pinion gear wear between both main gear and spool pin contact can stop your reel from working.  In the old days, spindle bushings was the biggest issue also because of contact stress - that was pretty much solved with ball bearings, beginning about 50 years ago.  

 

With spinning reels, long lever arms and bending loads are the big issue - the rotor diameter, the spindle length and oscillation - both affect alignment and magnify the load and contact stress at the other end.  In the old days, spinning reel design was by trial and error.  Beginning in the past decade, the issues are addressed in CAD design, and that's why we see spinning reel drag loads going up dramatically.  Spinning drive and pinion gears also wear from contact stress, and that's another place gear-tooth design is improving reel life - the more teeth you have in contact sharing the load, the lower the stress and wear, and the longer the life.  

That’s a whole bunch of big words. I like it. 

[Maxximus Redneckus]

Penn z series  and older pflueger baitcasters the smaller ones with knuckle buster handles..i think these 2 reels will last forever..no springs and you can cast the small baitcasters without a levelwind if u need too

[QED]

1 hour ago, ATA said:

Honestly I use same brand casting and spinning and defiantly casting reels are winers. [stuff deleted] 

 

How is it that your casting reels are defiant whiners?  Gear lash issues?  ?

[bulldog1935]

9 minutes ago, Maxximus Redneckus said:

Penn z series  and older pflueger baitcasters the smaller ones with knuckle buster handles..i think these 2 reels will last forever..no springs and you can cast the small baitcasters without a levelwind if u need too

Greenies and Z's are bomb-proof - Mitchells were never in their league.  I fished through a Mitchell 300 in four years of fall jetty Spanish macks in high school.  

My daughter and I fished through 4400SS and 4200SS by out-classing them - king mackerel on the 4400, redfish and sheepshead on the 4200.  

 

Here's the thread on old reels - if you have photos of an old Pflueger to add, please do so.  

 

 

[Maxximus Redneckus]

Yes indeed love this stuff ...and the penns all they need are some bearings  from boca or fast eddy and just as smooth as new reels..even a new bearing  in rotor of a z or greenie makes it a smooth  as 10 bearing modern reels

[bulldog1935]

42 minutes ago, Maxximus Redneckus said:

Yes indeed love this stuff ...and the penns all they need are some bearings  from boca or fast eddy and just as smooth as new reels..even a new bearing  in rotor of a z or greenie makes it a smooth  as 10 bearing modern reels

 

Other than Miami bench-made Fin-Nor, Penn was the first US production spinning reel to take on offshore.  By the time they got to greenies, they already had a dozen years of offshore trial-and-error under their belt.  

Even their plastic frames in 1990 were better than everyone else's. When I bought my Penn 4400SS, I threw away (or gave away) the first Lew's spinning reel, which was a plastic Zebco Cardinal that flopped in the breeze...

[jimmyjoe]

10 hours ago, Jig Man said:

but I keep my stuff maintained.

 

10 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Properly cared for - both should last quite a while.

 

9 hours ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

If you maintain spinning reels they work for a long time,

 

   I think I detect a common thread here. I don't really believe that it has anything to do with brand or type. Buy a decent reel (any that you like) and keep it clean and well-lubed. It will possibly outlast you.

  ?  ?         jj

[PressuredFishing]

5 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

I've fished through reels, though only the spinning reels were bad enough not to want to continue fishing - reverse-cone line lay from rotor bushing wear and spindle deflection.  I put away a Daiwa Millionaire in 1984 with worn worm gear (surf), because Daiwa wouldn't support the part.  (The 440 worm gear and zirconia pawl on Lew's would grind the sand)

 

Casting reels are pretty basic and pretty tough.  Pinion gears wear, especially from bad engagement, but they also turn and contact the teeth 5 to 8 times more often than the bull gear.  Mostly, gear wear just causes drive sloppiness to retire them - unless you want to rebuild them.  Definitely pinion gear wear between both main gear and spool pin contact can stop your reel from working.  In the old days, spindle bushings was the biggest issue also because of contact stress - that was pretty much solved with ball bearings, beginning about 50 years ago.  

 

With spinning reels, long lever arms and bending loads are the big issue - the rotor diameter, the spindle length and oscillation - both affect alignment and magnify the load and contact stress at the other end.  In the old days, spinning reel design was by trial and error.  Beginning in the past decade, the issues are addressed in CAD design, and that's why we see spinning reel drag loads going up dramatically.  Spinning drive and pinion gears also wear from contact stress, and that's another place gear-tooth design is improving reel life - the more teeth you have in contact sharing the load, the lower the stress and wear, and the longer the life.  

wow I did not know much if any of this! thanks!

4 hours ago, ATA said:

cosmetic issues, nothing about functioning. The spinning ar

 

4 hours ago, ATA said:

Honestly I use same brand casting and spinning and defiantly casting reels are winers. Somehow the only thing is cosmetic issues, nothing about functioning. The spinning are somehow getting unbalance and loose feelings.

Of course I am talking to use them side by side and no service and overhauling. 

yeah I had a favorite quantum spinning reel and it was really smooth smoother than some of my newer reels, still is but I think the wear just makes the components sloppier, the reel handle is loose and antireverse isnt what it used to be as well as the bail doesnt close as well as it used to, finally the bearing that sits inside of the line roller is half shot, and that peice of the graphite has flexed so much its really loose and line gets caught in between the roller and the casing on the bail. I retired it but was such a good reel.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

15 hours ago, jimmyjoe said:

 

 

 

   I think I detect a common thread here. I don't really believe that it has anything to do with brand or type. Buy a decent reel (any that you like) and keep it clean and well-lubed. It will possibly outlast you.

  ?  ?         jj

It does to an extent.  I have a 4400SS that when I was 11 or 12, its been up and down the east coast several times for the 7 or 8 years I always used it.  I remember dunking that reel in the surf to get the sand off of it after dropping it.  Other then being rinsed off it was never properly serviced, being that young with no one in my family who fished I was afraid to do a deep clean.  That reel still works which is more then I can say for others that didn't see a fraction of the abuse. 

My Gen 1 Stradic Ci4 saw thousands of fish, but was maintained well.  It still works but it pops and clicks like some kind of primitive bushman dialect.  I cant get the parts I need to get it back to in good order. 

[bulldog1935]

My guide buddy out of Lamar fished his Penn's hard and put them away wet - he never even rinsed one.  

He bought a used Lew's and killed the frame in a year, but his Penn's just kept going.  

 

Shimano, Daiwa, I have a 2019 Shimano parts catalog that shows they don't support reels older than about 5 or 6 years.  

I kept my old Lew's baitcasters going because Roy's Bait & Tackle in Corpus bought up the spares inventory.  I know I replaced a handle and 3 anti-reverse dogs.  

 

[PressuredFishing]

23 minutes ago, bulldog1935 said:

My guide buddy out of Lamar fished his Penn's hard and put them away wet - he never even rinsed one.  

He bought a used Lew's and killed the frame in a year, but his Penn's just kept going.  

 

Shimano, Daiwa, I have a 2019 Shimano parts catalog that shows they don't support reels older than about 5 or 6 years.  

I kept my old Lew's baitcasters going because Roy's Bait & Tackle in Corpus bought up the spares inventory.  I know I replaced a handle and 3 anti-reverse dogs.  

 

Wow, my dad had an old lews just like that and took it out for yellowtail and fried the internals and gears got recked, cool to see a cleaner looking one!

[bulldog1935]

and that one fished the salt and surf for 30 years

 

Just retired this one 2 years ago, and it still looks like this - but it feels tired compared to newer reels - still casts forever.  

[ThatZX14Fella]

I believe a casting reel would last longer. Less parts that can go bad, and I feel like spinning reels just see more stress because of the distance from the reel seat to the reel. That being said, with proper maintenance and a quality reel, neither should fail you. They'll become obsolete long before they have any real issues that can't be resolved my the average joe.

[Darren.]

Like a lot of things in life, a well-maintained reel will last a long time.

Or should....

 

I have a couple Stradics that need some work (still), but other Stradics

that have been nearly bullet-proof. My Chronarch 50e is darn solid, too.

 

Given the pandemic and life/work changes, I have hardly fished....?

My reels need a workout soon.

[Bankc]

In my experience, a properly maintained reel will last longer than it needs to.  I retire reels because their technology falls so far behind what's new on the market, that they're no longer worth keeping around.  

 

I have a Shimano B-100 Mag from the late 80's/early 90's with a plastic frame that still fishes just like it did when it was new.  I actually had two up until I lost one in a lake a few years ago.  I also have three old Abu 5000D's from around 1974.  Two have been in my family since then, and one was recently purchased as a parts reel to keep the other two running.  I've also got a Zebco and Diawa spinning reel from sometime in 90's.  Neither were expensive back then, and they both work like new today.  And I've got some old Zebco 33's that can't be stopped.  

 

If anything, it's the rods that go first.  The line guides wear out and the rods themselves become kind of soft and whippy.  

[FishTank]

Baitcasters tend to last the longest for me.  I fish spinning gear harder than I should and l am more prone to do something stupid with it, like step on it or drop it in water.

[Spankey]

On 7/13/2021 at 1:01 PM, Jig Man said:

I have some Shimano Curados and Stradics that are 2001 models and going strong.   I use my stuff hard but I keep my stuff maintained.

Very well said. I second that.