Why do I spend $$ on “nice” reels??

[AmmoGuy]

Warning. Bit of a long rant. 

Lately, I’m wondering why I spend money on “nice” reels. I usually look for the best value in reels in the $150-$300 range. My lineup includes reels like Coastal SV TW’s, Tatula 100s, Tat Elites, Revo SX’s, Curado DC’s, Curado MGL’s. Some of which have been hit or miss to say the least. My first Curado was so rough/geary I sent it straight back. The replacement was smooth. I’ve had three Coastal SVs, one is smooth, one is decent, and one is flat out terrible. These aren’t lube or maintenance issues. 
 

On the other hand… one of my best fishing buddies is NOT a gear head. He can easily afford any tackle he wants, but just doesn’t see the point in spending $$$. His regular lineup includes reels like $99 Lews Xfinity combos from Wally World, $60 Lews Classic reels, and Abu Black Max’s. 
 

When we fish together, he catches as many fish as I do, and to be honest, a few of my reels are gearier and louder than his. Specifically one of my Coastals, and one of my Curados are noisier on retrieve than pretty much any of his reels. I fished one of his $99 Lews Xfinity combos a good bit recently, and it casts and retrieves as well and as smoothly as any reel in my boat. 
 

I realize that making the jump to truly nice reels… Zillions, Steez, Metaniums, etc.. buys you more consistency and performance… and maybe I’ll decide to make that jump one day. 

But for now… I’m kind of having a hard time figuring out what the extra $ has gotten me, other than a lighter wallet. 

 

[QED]

17 minutes ago, AmmoGuy said:

[stuff deleted] But for now… I’m kind of having a hard time figuring out what the extra $ has gotten me, other than a lighter wallet. 

 

 

It typically buys you higher precision tolerances, better/lighter materials, and smoother operation.  But in and of itself, it won't make you a better fisherman.  But if you like fine things, consider them.

[AmmoGuy]

9 minutes ago, QED said:

 

It typically buys you higher precision tolerances, better/lighter materials, and smoother operation.

Only…. It hasn’t. 
I’ve witnessed quite a bit of variation and rough operation out of the “mid tier to nice” reels I’ve purchased in the last few years. 

It’s disconcerting when your buddy has a couple of $60 Walmart reels that are as smooth or smoother than your $260 Shimano. 
 

 

 

[crypt]

after all is said and done......the fish don't care what you use. only matters to you.

[QED]

10 minutes ago, AmmoGuy said:

Only…. It hasn’t. 
I’ve witnessed quite a bit of variation and rough operation out of the “mid tier to nice” reels I’ve purchased in the last few years. [stuff deleted]

 

Note the word "typically" in my original comment. Which is correct in my experience.  YMMV.

[zell_pop1]

Some of it sounds like bad luck to me, I buy reels on sale or clearance that were originally 100-150 dollars and I have no brand loyalty though Daiwa seems to get the most purchases and I've never had a geary loud reel. 

[garroyo130]

Is mileage about the same on your reels and his? Are you performing maintenance on your stuff? Almost all modern reels will feel smooth when brand new.

What has the extra $ gotten you? I guess if nothing else, a warranty ...

[Mobasser]

Why do I spend money on nice reels? Easy. They feel smoother, have better drags, and usually last longer. At least that's how it's worked out for me.

[AmmoGuy]

9 minutes ago, zell_pop1 said:

Some of it sounds like bad luck to me, I buy reels on sale or clearance that were originally 100-150 dollars and I have no brand loyalty though Daiwa seems to get the most purchases and I've never had a geary loud reel. 

Idk. I know the Tat platform pretty well inside and out. The non-fully supported pinion Diawa reels (all the Tats) are kind of a lottery. You may get a good one, or you may get a really bad one. 

[Bird]

If you have the disposable income and you find gradification in high end equipment then I applaud you.

Whenever I upgrade reels or rods, I actually do feel a difference.

[AmmoGuy]

3 minutes ago, garroyo130 said:

Is mileage about the same on your reels and his? Are you performing maintenance on your stuff? Almost all modern reels will feel smooth when brand new.

What has the extra $ gotten you? I guess if nothing else, a warranty ...

 
Milage varies, but the reels I’m referring to are approx of the same age and usage. If anything his reels get much less maintenance, are never covered, and get stored in the garage. 
 

I’m more than meticulous about maintenance, my reels are stored indoors, and wear covers unless the are on the deck or being fished. 
??‍♂️

[AmmoGuy]

19 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

Why do I spend money on nice reels? Easy. They feel smoother, have better drags, and usually last longer. At least that's how it's worked out for me.

That’s how I’ve always addressed it. But objectively speaking, it hasn’t been my experience the last few years. 
 

All reels have their own nuances, noises, etc. they vary reel to reel. Everyone perceives these differently as well. One persons “smooth” reel is another’s “noisy” reel. Confirmation bias also comes into play sometimes. 
 

I just haven’t been able reliably predict “better” reels by spending a little extra $$ the last few years. I think I’m at the crossroads of trying truly high dollar reels, or the opposite. 

[dodgeguy]

If I was you I'd stick to all Lew's reels. 

[bulldog1935]

I had a salt guide buddy who fished through his Lew's BB-1NG in 6 months, simply because he never rinsed it, just fished it and leaned it in the garage until the foot was corroding through.  I still have mine, and it fished 25 years.  (They were so popular on the TX coast, Roy's Bait & Tackle bought the parts inventory when Zebco discontinued support). 

Spend your money where you're going to use it.  In offshore jigging niche, a Conquest would be very nice, but I wouldn't use it enough to justify it, so I'm happy with the Tica Caiman I matched to the niche - it casts those 1 to 4 ounces really well. 

 

Nina, my buddy Josh's sister - she'll fish her baitcaster until it backlashes so bad she puts it away for the day.  I'm not going to get between her and Josh, but I've set up all my reels so they're pretty much effortless in each niche, and backlash-proof.  If you're going to take advantage of the technology and nuances of the reel, which will justify it, buy it.  If you're not going to do that, buy something cheaper. 

 

For a dozen years, I pushed a diminutive Tica Cetus way beyond its design in salt finesse.  I've upgraded that niche with Shimanos, but I have some other Ticas that sometimes rotate in and especially use for loaner reels.  They're not slick, but they manage line very well, they're built to take abuse and last. 

 

There's never been a rod and reel that caught a fish - it was the fisherman (I think fly tiers are the worst about understanding this). 

[TnRiver46]

If a dunce like me can take apart fishing reels and put them back together, then they aren’t that complicated . They fling line out and then retrieve it……….. a lot of

times, about any reel will do. But every now and then, it helps to have something specific to give you an advantage 

 

my brother always says “how can you use Salvation Army level fishing gear and still catch plenty of fish?” and then I usually remind him of all the times we had been out fished badly by people using Mountain Dew bottles as fishing rods 

 

I think @king fisherhas some Similar stories about folks with rudimentary gear out fishing everyone else

 

The high end gear , I’m guessing, is designed to make life easier for the angler. Better components for longer casts, more sensitivity, etc . 
 

I’ve also seen many days bank fishing where the person that could cast the farthest caught the most fish. Several times while striper fishing, they usually had a surf rod or st croix mojo, I walked up and asked haha. Other times were late winter panfish, furthest caster took home all the crappie/bluegill from the crowded shore 
 

 

[AmmoGuy]

36 minutes ago, dodgeguy said:

If I was you I'd stick to all Lew's reels. 

Why?

is there something objective about the way they are designed or manufactured that would benefit me? Or is the Lews sticker that Doyo puts on them just better? 
 

[evo2s197]

High end bass gear is just more enjoyable to fish, at least for me, budget gear never really surprises me but sometimes the mid level stuff does from my own personal experience at least.

 

I guess if you have enough disposable income to spend on something, buyer's remorse doesn't come into play, you just move on to something better instead.

 

 

 

 

[DitchPanda]

Like said above nicer more expensive reels are usually lighter, smoother and last longer. That said I'm sure you've heard the expression it ain't the arrow its the indian? Case in point I've been fishing alot of budget gear this season...revros, black max, lightning rods etc. My buddy Brian just got into bass fishing last summer...he often times is fishing nicer gear than me. He's out fished me once this year in probably 15-20 trips.

[AmmoGuy]

18 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

If a dunce like me can take apart fishing reels and put them back together, then they aren’t that complicated . They fling line out and then retrieve it……….. a lot of

times, about any reel will do. But every now and then, it helps to have something specific to give you an advantage 

 

my brother always says “how can you use Salvation Army level fishing gear and still catch plenty of fish?” and then I usually remind him of all the times we had been out fished badly by people using Mountain Dew bottles as fishing rods 

 

I think @king fisherhas some Similar stories about folks with rudimentary gear out fishing everyone else

 

The high end gear , I’m guessing, is designed to make life easier for the angler. Better components for longer casts, more sensitivity, etc . 
 

I’ve also seen many days bank fishing where the person that could cast the farthest caught the most fish. Several times while striper fishing, they usually had a surf rod or st croix mojo, I walked up and asked haha. Other times were late winter panfish, furthest cast from the bank caught the most by landslide 
 

 

Yea. I should be clear. I’m not concerned with a piece of gear putting more fish in the boat. Rather, my concern/thought is whether or not spending a little more on mid tier reels has afforded me any predictable, tangible benefits over their less expensive counterparts. 
 

So far… I don’t know that that is the case. 
 

My education and background is Engineering, and I manage a manufacturing facility. My world is machining, assembly, quality, and creating good product. I regularly hear “a more expensive real gets you tighter tolerances, etc etc…” and at some point in the $$ scale that’s probably the case, but in the mid-tier reels I’ve been gravitating toward, I cannot pin down much predictable difference. 

[Ravox]

Interesting topic, have some expensive reels but keep coming back to my old cheap Abu Silver Max, for some reason is the reel i feel more comfortable 

[garroyo130]

13 minutes ago, AmmoGuy said:

My education and background is Engineering, and I manage a manufacturing facility. My world is machining, assembly, quality, and creating good product. I regularly hear “a more expensive real gets you tighter tolerances, etc etc…” and at some point in the $$ scale that’s probably the case, but in the mid-tier reels I’ve been gravitating toward, I cannot pin down much predictable difference. 

 

Double supported pinions, metal frames, and more sophisticated/refined braking systems are going to be the main difference in my experience. The first two of those being clearly evident in mid tier reels. 

[AmmoGuy]

1 minute ago, garroyo130 said:

 

Double supported pinions, metal frames, and more sophisticated/refined braking systems are going to be the main difference in my experience. The first two of those being clearly evident in mid tier reels. 

I bought a $55 reel from academy sports recently with an aluminum frame, carbon fiber handle, nicely hinged side plate, and carbon drag. 
 

fully supported pinions I agree with. In the Diawa lineup, that seems to be the break over point on more guaranteed smoothness and longevity. But you don’t find that in the mid-tier reels. 

[garroyo130]

X ship on Shimano = dual supported pinion 

On Daiwa, everything from the Fuego up  has dual supported pinions as well 

[PhishLI]

8 minutes ago, garroyo130 said:

On Daiwa, everything from the Fuego up  has dual supported pinions as well 

Not so. The only Tatula with that feature is the 300, and the usdm Zillion is the entry level FFS type, so by default it has a dual pinion support.

[AmmoGuy]

13 minutes ago, garroyo130 said:

On Daiwa, everything from the Fuego up  has dual supported pinions as well 

 
That is incorrect. No reel in the Tatula line (other than the 300 I believe) has a “fully” or “dual” supported pinion. Only the free floating spool Daiwas (Zillion, Steez, etc) have a pinion gear that is rigidly supported on both ends by a bearing.