Am i the minority when it comes to reels?

[MediumMouthBass]

I see on here, FB, Youtube, and Reddit that a large amount of people only buy one brand and wont buy anything else. I dont get it, am i the only one who spreads the wealth evenly and buys everything? I have reels from Daiwa, Shimano, Lews, and Abu. From low-mid-higher end and i dont have a favorite reel, nor brand.

Now i do have favorite reels when it comes to specific uses, like weightless plastics and lures that arent aerodynamic, or bigger stuff around the 1-3oz, or even 4-8oz range. But when it comes to choosing only 2 reels to take with me to the lake for all around casting purposes i struggle deciding if i want to take the Tatula CT, Zillion, Fuego CT, SLX A, SLX XT, SLX MGL 70, BB1 Pro, Superduty LFS, or LFS.

 

When i go to buy a reel i dont filter it by brand, more so by the discount i can get one on sale for (i only buy stuff on sale since i was taught my whole life MSRP is a scam, and it really is). As long as it has a warranty, isnt a terrible color, fits my hand, has an aluminum frame (although i have bought a bunch of plastic framed ones that im happy with), and isnt plagued by terrible reviews, if the price is right i dont prefer one to another.

(Theres no way i would pay $40 or more extra for a certain reel thats comparable/equal only because it has a different name on its side, whether its a higher end brand or the opposite). Now if i find a reel thats $40 more but has something very different inside of it to back up the price increase thats another story, but in todays world of fishing reels even the budget reels are starting to become loaded with features.

 

I know some guys go really far down the rabbit hole into looking up materials used, spool tech, braking systems, etc... But thats not for me, as after fishing for several years with most of these reels theres not one brand in particular that blew the rest away, or made me cast farther, had less backlashes, etc... Now theres certain spools/tech out there that do certain special applications very well, but every brand makes something with that in mind these days, im talking brands as a whole, not one specific reel here.

 

And i also understand theres people out there who want a streamlined, and organized system. Using all the same reels, and thats cool, since they all use the same parts, feel the same too.... But does anyone else buy whatever they want without being held back by a brand? I for one am glad i fall into this category, because each brand offers something different. And i like that, even if its just a slight difference. It freshens up the fishing and keeps me from getting bored too. I also like having options, the more the merrier.

 

 

[MN Fisher]

I'm not locked into one brand...mostly.

Spinners are primarily Shimano with some Pflueger and Mitchell

Baitcasters are primarily Diawa with some Pflueger - and I'm trying a couple Kastkings this year.

[Eric 26]

I’m totally on board with your line of thinking and I currently have 10 different brands of reels in both spinning and casting. I also like yourself try to buy my gear when it’s on sale or discounted as I really don’t “need” anything else currently but that doesn’t stop me from “wanting” another reel. I’ve said it before on here but one of my favorite reels is a Favorite Soleus I picked up for $50.00 on a Black Friday sale a couple years back, it’s not just the price that makes me enjoy it either. Looking forward to hearing what you think about the Kastking reels @MN Fisher.

[PBBrandon]

I’m typically open to any Daiwa, Shimano or Lews baitcaster on a discount. I like all of them. However with the price of Zillion and Alphas SVs, it’s hard to find a discount that beats those

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Brands don't pay me to not use other brands so Im open to use what I like. I do favor certain reels like Shimano baitcasters and daiwa spinning. My favorite reel though is a Pinnacle Deatbolt Classic baitcaster. DanKung dk150 might be next.

[A-Jay]

I wonder where @ABU is overpriced stands on this one ?

A-Jay

[MiceNReets]

4 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

I wonder where @ABU is overpriced stands on this one ?

A-Jay

[WRB]

Been bass fishing since the mid 50’s before reels had drags and used Langley 330 & 340 reels.

My preference is having a casting reel with smooth quite retrieve and comfortable using. 
Back when Abu Ambassador reels came out with red 500 followed by 5000 the reels were heavy and gear noise uncomfortable reels to use. The introduction of the 2500C and 4500C reels became out and became My go to casting reel until changing to Daiwa TD HTiA reels in the 90!s.

The Abu Ambassador reels required polishing the gears using tooth paste to quiet them. Some good oils came out like Rocket Fuel that helped.

I only use Daiwa and Shimano casting and spinning reels the past 35 years no reason to change.

Tom

[Swamp Girl]

Like Tom, I only use Daiwa and Shimano, but when I was younger, I also used Mitchell, D.A.M. Quick, Abu Garcia, Zebco, etc. 

 

1 hour ago, MediumMouthBass said:

 

I know some guys go really far down the rabbit hole into looking up materials used, spool tech, braking systems, etc...

 

Not me. I trust Shimano and Daiwa and just buy one on sale.

[Susky River Rat]

I stick with the same brands line up in those brands. I do this for consistency. I know how everything is going to feel. That reel will feel the same. I will be able to tell my preimer rods and their different actions vs switching up all kinds of brands. A medium in one might be a med light feel in another.
 

It’s all for repeatability, feel and comfort. I have all Metanuims and ultegra on various actions of st croix premiers. might there be better rods and reels for different applications? Absolutely. This is just the route I chose to take. 

[MRQturbo]

I stick to shimano only... My 1st high end reel was a stradic aero 2500..its still in perfect working condition 30 yrs later so I've never felt the need to switch brands over the years... 

[KP Duty]

2 hours ago, WRB said:

Been bass fishing since the mid 50’s before reels had drags and used Langley 330 & 340 reels.

My preference is having a casting reel with smooth quite retrieve and comfortable using. 
Back when Abu Ambassador reels came out with red 500 followed by 5000 the reels were heavy and gear noise uncomfortable reels to use. The introduction of the 2500C and 4500C reels became out and became My go to casting reel until changing to Daiwa TD HTiA reels in the 90!s.

The Abu Ambassador reels required polishing the gears using tooth paste to quiet them. Some good oils came out like Rocket Fuel that helped.

I only use Daiwa and Shimano casting and spinning reels the past 35 years no reason to change.

Tom

Old TD Hi1 and 2 were great.  I had the 2 around '91.  Pretty slick Td1 hi on ebay right now.

 

[ABU is overpriced]

I prefer daiwa, but Shimano is also good. Own both, and have no intention of wasting money on any other brand. Why is that? They're inferior, its that simple. But that's not even the full story. Other brands aren't just inferior, but cost as much, or more than D/S offerings, so why would i waste my time on those other brands? If an Audi costs the same, or less than a Hyundai, why would i ever even consider a Hyundai?

2 hours ago, A-Jay said:

I wonder where @ABU is overpriced stands on this one ?

A-Jay

🤣

[DogBone_384]

3 hours ago, MediumMouthBass said:

am i the only one who spreads the wealth evenly and buys everything?

 

I'm sure you're not the only one.  I buy reels because I like to try different brands and/or catch them on clearance.  I own 13 Fishing, Abu, Shimano, Pflueger, and Diawa reels.  There are things I like about each brand and fish them based on need/mood.  Shimano and Diawa are the highest quality of the brands I own, but they all fish well.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

59 minutes ago, KP Duty said:

Old TD Hi1 and 2 were great.  I had the 2 around '91.  Pretty slick Td1 hi on ebay right now.

 

Still one of the coolest reels ever made.

 

These were the first high end reels I lusted over as a boy.   I finally got one in high school.    One of the few reels I have no idea what happened to 😢

[msgf91]

My dad was real frugal when I was growing up and he'd buy rods and reels on sale. He'd want my brother and I to take care of everything so it would last. So we would use the same gear for 5 to 10 years. So when I got older I guess I rebelled against my dad and started buying all kinds of different brands and models just to try things out. I made it a policy for awhile to make sure not to buy the same models. But I liked the latest SS Air so much I got a 2nd one. 

[Catt]

Can cover my Reed history easily 

 

Now everything is Lew's 

 

[Eric 26]

1 hour ago, ABU is overpriced said:

I prefer daiwa, but Shimano is also good. Own both, and have no intention of wasting money on any other brand. Why is that? They're inferior, its that simple. But that's not even the full story. Other brands aren't just inferior, but cost as much, or more than D/S offerings, so why would i waste my time on those other brands? If an Audi costs the same, or less than a Hyundai, why would i ever even consider a Hyundai?

🤣

Although this is not meant as argumentative I don’t agree with this statement at all. I have a Abu Garcia Revo Al-F that I bought when Tackle Warehouse was clearing them out, it might not have the latest digital cut gears or the dual supported shaft or anything else that is the latest and greatest but for what I paid I’ll definitely say it’s as nice as any of my Daiwa’s which aren’t the Zillion or Steez versions but also didn’t cost me nearly as much. I also purchased  a Dream Tackle reel which is a version of the Okuma Hakai reel for around $150.00 on Amazon that I enjoyed so much that I sought out and purchased a second one for a tick over $100.00 that definitely holds its own against my Curado MGL or any of my Daiwa’s in throwing light weight lures. My point is I like trying different things and to make a blanket statement such as above is close minded in my personal experience and opinion. 

[bulldog1935]

I'm waiting for @Eric 26 to fish his Alphas and then revise his first answer -  really, instead, answer whether he would trade the rest of his reels for another Alphas.  

After 90 years of trial and Mostly error (and hitting bottom in the 1990s), 

 

in 2018, Shimano finally gave the spinning reel everything it was lacking - and then made it affordable.  All my spinning reels came from this series, and they all swap spools.  

Like others on this thread, I've fished a lifetime of reels - fished through a lot of them - and baitcasters were Lew's from 1984 to 2018.  

With just a couple exceptions, all the new (and some of the old) baitcasters I've bought since then are all 34-mm Daiwa floating spool, and they all swap spools.  

 

Some techniques I used to fish for fun have become bread-and-butter for me, and that focuses my gear.  

Other stuff, I fish for fun just because they're fun.  

The math to always consider - how many reels do you need, and what would you have if you had bought half as many.  

[F14A-B]

9 minutes ago, bulldog1935 said:

I'm waiting for @Eric 26 to fish his Alphas and then revise his first answer -  really, instead, answer whether he would trade the rest of his reels for another Alphas.  

After 90 years of trial and Mostly error (and hitting bottom in the 1990s), 

 

in 2018, Shimano finally gave the spinning reel everything it was lacking - and then made it affordable.  All my spinning reels came from this series, and they all swap spools.  

Like others on this thread, I've fished a lifetime of reels - fished through a lot of them - and baitcasters were Lew's from 1984 to 2018.  

With just a couple exceptions, all the new (and some of the old) baitcasters I've bought since are all 34-mm Daiwa floating spool, and they all swap spools.  

 

Some techniques I used to fish for fun have become bread-and-butter for me, and that focuses my gear.  

Other stuff, I fish for fun just because they're fun.  

I ordered the Daiwa ZILLION 22 HD, from Japan of course. I’m looking forward to giving it fair trial against my 23 Bantams. I’m curious about the Mag Z boost, as well as the other tech the reel incorporates. Hopefully it’s here by next weekend. It uses the 34 mm spool as well. 

[ABU is overpriced]

32 minutes ago, Eric 26 said:

Although this is not meant as argumentative I don’t agree with this statement at all. I have a Abu Garcia Revo Al-F that I bought when Tackle Warehouse was clearing them out, it might not have the latest digital cut gears or the dual supported shaft or anything else that is the latest and greatest but for what I paid I’ll definitely say it’s as nice as any of my Daiwa’s which aren’t the Zillion or Steez versions but also didn’t cost me nearly as much. I also purchased  a Dream Tackle reel which is a version of the Okuma Hakai reel for around $150.00 on Amazon that I enjoyed so much that I sought out and purchased a second one for a tick over $100.00 that definitely holds its own against my Curado MGL or any of my Daiwa’s in throwing light weight lures. My point is I like trying different things and to make a blanket statement such as above is close minded in my personal experience and opinion. 

You say that its not a Zillion, and that it didn't cost you as much. A Zillion costs $200 from Japan. Is this supposed to be expensive for a quality Made In Japan baitcaster? It isn't. Far from it.

Now you got my point. The quality you can get from Daiwa, for VERY reasonable price, is so far ahead of those Okumas, Lews, Abus and whatever else, that its simply not worth considering the rest, they're way too behind, and they will never be able to catch up.

[new2BC4bass]

I have 10 different brands.  Eleven if you add in spinning, and 13 if you count fly reels.  My cheapest baitcast reel is a Daiwa Procaster 100HN on closeout.  $69.95 new...$30 on closeout.  I've never paid full price.

 

I don't agree with Abu is overpriced either.  Love my Helios Air and Primmus HS Xi reels.  None of my reels see heavy use (and unlikely to) so I can't speak about longevity after heavy usage.  My old Trion with 17# mono on a 6'10" HF casts great.  No backlashes since spooling this line and moving it to that rod.  DVT deep cleaned it and made the suggestion about using heavier line.

 

Whenever I visited Florida, it took time and minor adjustments to re-dial my reels in. All except the Primmus.  Even my Curado 201E7 required minor adjusting.  That's because I went from casting standing up with no one around to casting from a Ghenoe with my B-I-L.  Casting stroke had to be adjusted in the boat.  Took a little time (and patience) to smooth it out.

 

Some of my longest casts have been made with a Gen1 STX.  The Helios Air and Primmus also get excellent distance.  The 50th Anniversary Zillion (with 12# Elite) on a Zillion 7'6" HF rod casting a 3/4 oz. spinnerbait ain't too shabby either. 

 

I am slightly biased towards Daiwa...both in casting and spinning.  Most of my spinning reels are Daiwa and almost half my casting reels are Daiwa.

[Swamp Girl]

7 hours ago, MRQturbo said:

I stick to shimano only... My 1st high end reel was a stradic aero 2500..its still in perfect working condition 30 yrs later so I've never felt the need to switch brands over the years... 

 

I have a couple Shimanos that I've used for 40 years. 

[Columbia Craw]

I like the song lyric,  Love the one you’re with.

[Scott F]

Back in the day, spinning reels came with spare spools. There was no superlines back then and mono got so twisted up, I like having spare spools to quickly replace damaged line. I kept buying Quantum spinning reels so I’d have multiple spare spools that would fit all my reels. I always liked those Quantum’s and still do, even if they don’t come with spare spools anymore. Now that I’m not using mono anymore, I don’t need the spare spools anymore anyway.