Shimano vs. Lew's Reels

[PhishLI]

45 minutes ago, WRB said:

I would think the gears are OK they may need Cals or Shimano reel grease. I have used both Cals and Shimano grease over 25 years 1 time a year on all my reels, no gear noise. Never had to replace gears using gear grease.

Smooth quite gears are essential to me, gear noise would drive me over the edge and understand the concern.

Tom

 

I dunno. he breaks down his new reels, cleans, then greases his gears with Shimano ACE(Cals). When it first started he did it again to no avail. However, they're not grinding, but have gotten that wynd-ee-geary feel. By no means unfishable, just annoying to him because he does several maintenance cycles per season and he expects that to be good enough to prevent it. The rest of his reels have remained as good as they were out of the package.

 

45 minutes ago, WRB said:

PS, today I would buy a Daiwa Zillion TW SV G

I agree! Ordered mine during the BF sale. I'll have to wait until after the new year as my model's on backorder. Can't wait to sit on my couch and spin the handle. Weeeeee!

[cheezyridr]

17 hours ago, Catt said:

Reading through these posts I realized some y'all never started at the bottom..

 

 

"the bottom" is kinda subjective.  speaking strictly for me, i had to save a long time for my first garcia reel, and i was a one rod wonder for ages.  before that i fished with a mitchell 300 i found half buried in mud on a trail.  i put a new bail on it, cleaned it up and lubed it, and it was all i had for a long, long time.  back then i didn't even own a tackle box. i kept a handful of lures, soft plastics and terminal tackle in a grocery bag i tied to my belt loop. 

 

16 hours ago, freelancer27 said:

A DC unit is not better than a trained and experienced thumb. Its more of a show off and convenience reel, but not really needed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i hinted at this in my earlier post.  i agree with you, the dc is nice but not as impressive as i wanted it to be. lots of youtubers claim that you can adjust it to cast with no thumb.  however, you never see them try that with a big ol' spinnerbait with giant willow blades.  every single one who makes that claim throws a square bill. that's not an accident. the dc is useful for throwing spinnerbaits, especially on windy days, but if you rely on it, it's gonna bite you.  thumb is everything. you made a good point, i think. 

[Catt]

1 hour ago, cheezyridr said:

"the bottom" is kinda subjective.

 

Should have clarified, by "bottom" i didn't mean price, I meant technology wise.

 

1 hour ago, cheezyridr said:

i was a one rod wonder for ages. 

 

As stated this was my first tournament setup, if I wanted to change lures I sat in the bottom of the boat & re-tied. 

 

[WRB]

^^^got to love that “Feather Lite” rod handle^^^?

Tom

[QED]

Lew's was an innovator way back when, so let's give them credit for that.  Their contract manufacturers were Shimano and Daiwa(?) (possibly others) and the CMs knocked off the Lew's features and improved upon them.

 

Fast forward to the present and the Lew's reels are fine for their price points and they represent an excellent price/performance value.  At the extreme high end, Lew's isn't a player but my most recent Daiwa reel purchase (arriving tomorrow!) cost close to $800 including tax and shipping and I don't anticipate that it will be 2x or 3x better.  YMMV

[Catt]

5 minutes ago, WRB said:

^^^got to love that “Feather Lite” rod handle^^^?

Tom

 

Yes sir! It's cast aluminum!

 

[QED]

10 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Yes sir! It's cast aluminum!

 

Shimano used to make forged aluminum casting rod handles as well.  They branded it colfor as a contraction for cold forged aluminum.

[Basswhippa]

Lews are $59 Wal Mart bubble pack reals made by Doyo.   Use them for a few months and when they become grinders, they are throwaway reels.  Go get yourself another.  You'll come out cheaper in the long run.

[soflabasser]

Good subject. The truth is a skilled bass fisherman can catch more bass on a Cuban YoYo reel from land than most bass fishermen with high end reels on a boat. With that said Shimano makes amazing spinning reels which are far superior to the other reel mentioned in this thread. For example the new Shimano Stradics are beautiful reels that can easily handle any black bass while being a good reel for inshore fishing for tarpon, snook, redfish, and many other powerful saltwater fish. Penn and Diawa also make great spinning reels. In the end what matters most is that you are happy with the reels you are fishing with so choose whatever makes you happy.

[Catt]

2 hours ago, QED said:

Shimano used to make forged aluminum casting rod handles as well. 

 

 

[PhishLI]

2 hours ago, soflabasser said:

The truth is a skilled bass fisherman can catch more bass on a Cuban YoYo

All I wanna know is who makes the bestest Cuban YoYo?

[Catt]

4 hours ago, PhishLI said:

All I wanna know is who makes the bestest Cuban YoYo?

 

Daiwa ?

 

[cheezyridr]

6 hours ago, Catt said:

 

Daiwa ?

 

i'm probably immature, but i actually lol'd when i saw this

[PourMyOwn]

12 hours ago, PhishLI said:

All I wanna know is who makes the bestest Cuban YoYo?

For less than 2000 pesos cubanos.

[soflabasser]

12 hours ago, PhishLI said:

All I wanna know is who makes the bestest Cuban YoYo?

Lol! I use the plastic ones every once in a while to have a little fun. Have caught +24 inch largemouth bass and much larger fish on Cuban YoYo's. They are good for camping trips since they easily fit in a backpack. With that said I enjoy fishing with my Shimano and Penn spinning reels so I mostly fish with them.

[BBuck]

I'm a small guy, but have average size hands IMO (jbsoonerfan- LOL), but both shimano and lew's work great for me. It all comes down to what you are more comfortable with. Both are good quality and come in similar price ranges. Do whatever makes your tiny hands happy!

[OkiePapist]

I've just gotten back into fishing, but I started with the good ol' Zebby 33. I moved to a Shimano spinning reel with the QuickFireII on it. Now though, I started with a Lew's LFS. That reel is fantastic for the $99 and a great starting reel, though I also have a Piscifun Alloy M that is a monster as well and great for the on sale $72 I paid. That said, I have settled on Shimano for my reels. I have an SLX and Curado DC and a Stradic FL for spinning now. I couldn't be happier with them and looking at the Curado BFS to do some finesse bait casting. Lew's makes a great reel and frankly availability and the DC system won me over. Sure, I have non-DC reels, but I have to say, when it is windy out, and my guardian angel as my witness, here in OK we get some wind, it is nice to have the extra protection. 

[T-Billy]

On 12/10/2021 at 11:01 AM, cheezyridr said:

i'm probably immature, but i actually lol'd when i saw this

I'm DEFINITELY immature, and so did I.

[jimmyjoe]

On 12/9/2021 at 10:07 PM, PhishLI said:

All I wanna know is who makes the bestest Cuban YoYo?

 

YoYo Mama. (Es Cubana.)

[Serpent Mound]

On 12/6/2021 at 11:45 PM, islandbass said:

Yeah, that’s odd ball, lol. I’m one too. ? With that said, neither fishing rods nor reels within a brand IMHO have a true consistency so this might very well be an illusion. Golf clubs can arguably make use of this consistency thing but fishing gear like reels? I’m inclined to think possible but perhaps not probable. Note: I could  very well be mistaken. 

There is definitely a necessary element of consistency when it comes to fishing gear both in rods, reels, and arguably line as well. As others have mentioned in the thread, the differences between ACB and SVS braking systems are significant, and rapidly switching from one to another is bound to lead to confusion in your muscle memory at best, and constant backlashes or lackluster casts at worst. Same thing with rods. I'm a St. Croix fanboy, but keeping all your rods in the same family is important. When I go to buy a rod online, I know how a MH will feel, for instance, versus a H. Whereas in another company like Dobyns or Abu the ratings will feel completely different and act differently with different lures. With spinning reels the difference is not as pronounced, but if you're considering this question from a perspective of having a lot of casting gear, I recommend finding a company you like and sticking with it. 

[cheezyridr]

16 hours ago, jimmyjoe said:

 

YoYo Mama. (Es Cubana.)

 

[CrashVector]

In my opinion, it's:

 

Shimano>Abu Garcia>daiwa>lew's

[Cody28]

I’m looking at a really good deal on both a Lews Pro SP and a Shimano SLX mgl 70 size. Any thoughts on these specifically? 

[Phil77]

1 hour ago, Cody28 said:

I’m looking at a really good deal on both a Lews Pro SP and a Shimano SLX mgl 70 size. Any thoughts on these specifically? 

No experience with the SP but do have the SLX MGL. The SLX is not a bad reel, I just prefer the ACB brakes over the SVS. It's a cheap way to get into the MGL reels to see if you like them. Doesn't palm as well as an SLP to me but it's very smooth like a Curado on the retrieve. 

[PhishLI]

2 hours ago, Cody28 said:

I’m looking at a really good deal on both a Lews Pro SP and a Shimano SLX mgl 70 size. Any thoughts on these specifically? 

Different applications. If you're interested in any given model go to TW and read the product description.