What makes reels cost so much?

[lovin topwater]

like after you cross over 100 dollars, what makes a reel cost more than the other, i saw a reel for 600+ what makes it so nice to cost more than half a grand!?!

[Raul]

Electronic circuits.

[lubina]

Super tunned limited editions

[FishTank]

"What makes reels cost so much?"

Because we (some fishermen) are willing to pay for it.   ;D ;D ;D

[Guest DavidGreen]

lovin topwater,

Welcome to the forum!

As Raul stated, for some reels it is the fact they have self-contained electronic circuits for the reels braking systems. For others it is the materials they are made with. For most it is as stated that most anglers think it's price that means quality..

Tight Lines!!!

[Pond Hopper]

The most basic economics lesson ever:  Supply and Demand!

[RiverRaider]

Nothing otherthan plain ole GREED.

[Long Mike]

People with more money that good sense.

[extreme1018]

simple business answer.........

why charge $100 for something that people are willing to pay $200 for

[Guest avid]

You make a good point.

There is a certain price point for both rods and reels, where you spend alot of money to get a little better performance.

My observation is that for about 150.00 you can get a rod that has good good components and will perform as well as anyone could reasonably need.  With spinning reels, $100 bucks will do it. and with baitcasters I think $150.00

We can haggle over the prices, but I think even the most die hard enthusiast will tell you that he pays ALOT for that tuned reel, and yes, it is a little better performing, but it's still alot of money for a little gain.

Now, the cosmetics is another story.

[sal669]

You make a good point.

There is a certain price point for both rods and reels, where you spend alot of money to get a little better performance.

My observation is that for about 150.00 you can get a rod that has good good components and will perform as well as anyone could reasonably need. With spinning reels, $100 bucks will do it. and with baitcasters I think $150.00

We can haggle over the prices, but I think even the most die hard enthusiast will tell you that he pays ALOT for that tuned reel, and yes, it is a little better performing, but it's still alot of money for a little gain.

Now, the cosmetics is another story.

Right on !!!

[Alpster]

They just work better!

Ronnie

[DRat]

I see some people are still in to money *** again. I can afford high end equipment so I buy high end equipment. You do get value for your money at the upper end also. By the way for all who have money ***, ;D ;D ;D. I won't rub in that I have it if you don't rub it in that you don't.

[flechero]

You make a good point.

There is a certain price point for both rods and reels, where you spend alot of money to get a little better performance.

My observation is that for about 150.00 you can get a rod that has good good components and will perform as well as anyone could reasonably need. With spinning reels, $100 bucks will do it. and with baitcasters I think $150.00

We can haggle over the prices, but I think even the most die hard enthusiast will tell you that he pays ALOT for that tuned reel, and yes, it is a little better performing, but it's still alot of money for a little gain.

Now, the cosmetics is another story.

I agree in principal with your comments but would (as you suggested) think the prices should be adjusted... in the rods to at least an IMX price, which is where I think the high end begins and is well justified.

I also agree with DRat to a point and see a lot of posts that people bash high end stuff having never used it, seemingly to justify their own purchase of lower priced gear.

[Catt]

The love of our sport  

[dodgeguy]

You make a good point.

There is a certain price point for both rods and reels, where you spend alot of money to get a little better performance.

My observation is that for about 150.00 you can get a rod that has good good components and will perform as well as anyone could reasonably need. With spinning reels, $100 bucks will do it. and with baitcasters I think $150.00

We can haggle over the prices, but I think even the most die hard enthusiast will tell you that he pays ALOT for that tuned reel, and yes, it is a little better performing, but it's still alot of money for a little gain.

Now, the cosmetics is another story.

I agree in principal with your comments but would (as you suggested) think the prices should be adjusted... in the rods to at least an IMX price, which is where I think the high end begins and is well justified.

I also agree with DRat to a point and see a lot of posts that people bash high end stuff having never used it, seemingly to justify their own purchase of lower priced gear.

flechero i think you have that backwards.they are not bashing the equipment they are bashing the price.every fisherman who knows anything knows the higher end stuff is great quality.i also think a lot of people who buy the high end stuff think that the lesser price stuff is absolute garbage and that's not true either.i would buy a diawa steez rod and reel if i could afford them even though i do think they are overpriced.i wouldn't think lesser stuff wasn't suitable.people should buy what they can afford and be happy and not knock others choices.

[lovin topwater]

guys, I wasn't complaining at all, I'm just trying to better understand my equipment, I can tell when I use my better reels vs. not so good reels that they are better but i just want to know why they are? what's involved? I raised the question for my own knowledge as I know there are some very knowledgeable people on here when it comes to every spec of a reel...

[roadwarrior]

Design, engineering, craftmanship and components.

It's not "how many" bearings, but what they are made of, tolerances and where they are placed. Metal composites, gearing and system dynamics make a reel smooth, define their power and impact durability.

BTW, Prices have held steady for the Shimano Symetre ($80) and Stradic ($120) for the last seven years at least. I don't think these reels "cost too much."

[Raul]

Ok, here 's the deal LT, what you pay for is technology, components, design and materials. To give you an example with reels that are identical in shape & size, so you can make a comparison. What 's the difference between a CU100D and a Chronarch 50 Mg ?

CU100D has sealed bearings while Chronarch 50 Mg has ARB ( anti rust ) bearings, ARBs are more expensive than sealed bearings.

CU100D has alumium frame & sideplate while Chronarch 50 Mg has magnesium frame & sideplate, magnesium is lighter, more expensive and more difficult to work with, the weight difference between both is 1.5 ounces.

CU100D has duraluminum drilled spool while Chronarch 50 Mg has the same duraluminum spool but further lightened ( more holes so you can understand ).

And we can continue listing differences, the CU100D has a price of 200 bones while the Chronarch 50 Mg has a price of 250 bones, in escence you are paying 50 dollars more for: ARBs, Magnesium frame & sideplate, 1.5 ounces less and further lightened spool.

What advantages do those differences give you ?

Weight difference in paper doesn 't sound like much in the real world is one heck of a difference.

ARBs are not exactly anti rust but actually means they are more rust resistant, according to what I 've heard they are as 10 times more rust resistant than ordinary stainless steel bearings, besides that, they have a different configuration which allows them to spin more freely, in the real world this means that you can cast with less resistance to spool rotation, easier casts with less effort.

Having more holes the spool weights less, a few grams may not seem much in the paper, in the real world it means that you can cast smaller baits with less resistance, your baits will fly more ( more distance with the same effort ).

Those marginal differences ( bearings and spool ) can mean 2-3 feet or more in your casts, it 's marginal, 2-3 ft isn 't much ...... well those 2-3 ft may be the difference between reaching a spot and not reaching it at all.

Now Dodge is going to come and say that magnesium rusts with salt, that is true but that doesn 't mean that the reel is going to melt in your hands, been fishing with magnesium reels long enough to tell you that ain 't never going to happen. However when you own a magnesium reel you have to be careful not to mix salt and magnesium ( even though Shimano claims that the special space age coating they use on their magnesium reels makes them salt/brackish water safe I wouldn 't bet on it ).

Once you have reached certain price level the gains are relatively marginal in performance or weight, it 's you who decides if such gains are worth it.

Now speaking about the DC ........ still haven 't found a baitcaster I can 't backlash thoroughly and efficiently, I bet I can backlash that 650 dollars baby.  

[captbob]

Hi Top: Costs reflect design and engineering, machining to closer tolerances, reducing friction as much as possible=bearings, quality of materials, testing and development, advertising and promotion and competition from other manufacturers balanced with consumer acceptance.

 You can make a better reel Ex. use titanium, but there is a limit to the number of units that can be profitably sold at the price required to achieve the volume necessary to maximize profits by lowering the mfg. costs. Plus if you don't recoup your tool and development costs before someone else captures that "high end market" with a better, cheaper model, you lose. Witness television's, computers etc. it's a race to make the best for the cheapest and sell enough to realize a profit.Whew!! what a mouthful !.

Zebco probably makes more on their $25 reel just with volume + replacement sales to a large number of consumers who just want the cheapest thing that "works". I no longer buy $150 sunglasses cause leaving them behind and sitting on them makes it counter pragmatic.

 There are always the "fools" that "must" have the Cadillac even when the Buick is better, just so everyone will know they have more and spend more.

Just read the tips here from the fishermen that use the products and find your own "comfort level". CB

[dodgeguy]

raul,i do know a couple of guys who have had magnesium corrode.i grant you these guys are rough on their stuff and probably never clean it but i have seen the reels it happened to and it ain't pretty.i would still buy a magnesium reel and just realize it needs a little more loving care.i'm thinking of getting a magnesium pflueger supreme spinning reel.

[lovin topwater]

thank you very much guys, that is very informative.

on a side note... Raul, could you go over the differences of the Chronarch MG VS. the Chronarch b(I think? the 269.99 one) what's the difference there, what makes the B series 20 dollars more? that doesn't seem that drastic but the reels look totally different...

[Raul]

The Chronarch 50 Mg and the Chronarch 100B are two completely different animals, the Chronarch 50 Mg is anything but NEW! as advertised, for us guys enthusiasts of Japanese tackle that reel is older than dirt LT, that supposdly new reel has been on the market for a long time hiding in the obscure caves of the Japanese market with another name: Scorpion Mg. What Shimano did was to give it a face lift for the world market:

1.- They increased the length of the handle form the original 70 mm stock handle to 80 mm handle found in the Chronarch 50/51 Mg

2.- They removed the 4x4 SVS and replaced it with the common VBS, what 's the difference between both brake systems ? the 4x4 SVS can be adjusted externally and internally while the VBS can only be adjusted internally.

3.- By removing the 4x4 SVS they managed to shave 0.3 oz from the reel reducing the weight of the Scorpion Mg from 6.2 oz to 5.9 ounces found in the Chronarch Mg.

Cronarch 50/51 Mg:

Scorpion Mg:

The differences between the Chronarch Mg and the Chronarch 100B are:

1.- The Chronarch B is a much larger reel than the Chronarch Mg, the Chronarch is a full sized low profile while the Chronarch Mg is a petite reel.

2.- The Chronarch B is heavier than the Chronarch Mg by a lot, 2.9 ounces is a lot of weight when comparing both, in the real world: Chronarch Mg feels like a feather, Chronarch B feels like a brick after having the other one in your hand.

3.- Chronarch B has HEG gearing, Chronarch Mg doesn 't, besides, the gears in the Chronarch B are bigger.

4.- Chronarch B is ion plated ( hard mirror like finish extemely durable, the one found in the Stella and the Calais ), Chronarch Mg is painted and coated with special coating that supposedly makes the reel salt safe.

5.- Chronarch B has cold forged handle, Chronarch Mg has stamped metal drilled handle

6.- Chronarch B has escape hatch mechanism on the non handle sideplate to access the spool, Chronarch Mg has the conventional tab/screw mechanism.

7.- The Chronarch B has 2 more bearings

8.- Since it 's a larger reel the Chronarch has a larger spool ( same design but more capacity ).

There are some other differences between both but those are the most noticeable ones. In esence, you are paying 20 dollars more for:

Cold forged handle

2 more bearings

HEG

Ion plating

More line capacity

But you gain 2.9 ounces in weight  

Side by side performance, the Chronarch Mg whups Chronarch 's 100B rear end when it comes to casting the small stuff; the reason is: since the spool is smaller it weights less, it needs a lot less effort to break the inertia and make the spool rotate.

And I know it because I have the Chronarch Mg, the Scorpion Mg, The Chronarch B and the Metanium XT ( Japanese version of the Ch100B ).

All of them are superb reels but when I prepare my setups I prepare them with a specific application in mind, the Mgs are for the small stuff, the others are for the 3/8 + oz stuff.

[roadwarrior]

C'mon Raul,

We wanted the full scoop, not the abbreviated version!

8-)

[George Welcome]

Reels are actually cheap! It's the engraving of the logo on the reel that costs so much.