Need recommendation on good spinning reel

[Handy]

I havn't bought a spinning reel in nearly 20+ years and need to know which ones I could get for around 50$ that are smooth reliable. I have looked the the pflueger president and it seems like a good one for the money but are there any others? Thanks.

Paul

[Micro]

If you live close to a Bass Pro Shop, the Abu Garcia Cardinal 700LX is on sale for $59 - 1/2 price.  It's a really nice reel.  It's all aluminum - body, sideplate, rotor, bail arms.  It's smooth and built like a tank.   Best deal out there right now on a killer reel.  

[Muddy]

Pflueger President is my favorite spinning reel by far! Great product.

[Jare]

I'm very happy with my Shimano Symetre 2500. It's smooth and very durable. I also have a shimano stradic and can't find any important difference between them... but the second one is much more expensive.

[LAO162]

The Daiwa Exceler (2500) offers great casting and line management for its price.

Leon

[Sam]

Keep with the brand names and you can't go wrong.

Shimano or Flooger produce excellent reels. Daiwa also has very good products.

A 2000 or 2500 should do well.  

[Joe Boss]

For $50 your best bets are the Daiwa Regal XiA, Pflueger President or the Shimano Sahara.

[roadwarrior]

You will be miles ahead stepping up just a bit and buying

the Shimano Symetre 2500. Smooth, strong, silent and reliant

is Shimano's motto. Over the years, they have lived up to this

promise on all the reels I have owned.

The Shimano Symetre is a great reel and will last a lifetime

with proper maintenance. I highly recommend this reel to you.

8-)

[.RM.]

Handy,

Lots of great recommendations on reels. If you already have a rod then my recommendation would be, to take the rod to your local shop/s and ask permission to mount the reels that have been recommended here that they might carry on it, to see how the whole system feels in your hand.

Just my .02¢

Good Luck & Tight Lines!!!!  

[Stasher1]

I have the Shimano Symetre 2500 and the Sahara 2500 and they're both excellent reels. They're both smooth, reliable reels and I'm sure there are enough differences between the two to justify the difference in price, but they are very similar in performance and feel.

If I had to buy a $50 spinning reel today, it would most likely be another Sahara.

[Grey Wolf]

Shimano raised there prices 20.00 on the reels you are talking about.

Sahara-------79.99

Symetre-----99.99

[Joe Boss]

The price increase is for the new models coming out in the fall. You can get the Symetre and the Sahara right now for $60 and $50 on sale as they clear out the old models for the new line-up.

[Speed Worm]

Get a Shimano Symetre 3000. Lighter, smaller, better balanced, more spool capacity and better components that the Symetre 2500. I have owned both the older 2500 and the newer 3000 and the difference is abysmal. It makes the Symetre 2500 look like a walmart reel.

[Muddy]

You will be miles ahead stepping up just a bit and buying

the Shimano Symetre 2500. Smooth, strong, silent and reliant

is Shimano's motto. Over the years, they have lived up to this

promise on all the reels I have owned.

The Shimano Symetre is a great reel and will lawith proper maintenance. I highly recommend this reel to you.

st a lifetime

8-)

 This is very true, especially if you just have them and don't use them ;D

I have had NO, NONE >>ZIPPO issues with my Presidents, We should make a sticky for reel suggestions

[Chad.]

You will be miles ahead stepping up just a bit and buying

the Shimano Symetre 2500. Smooth, strong, silent and reliant

is Shimano's motto. Over the years, they have lived up to this

promise on all the reels I have owned.

The Shimano Symetre is a great reel and will lawith proper maintenance. I highly recommend this reel to you.

st a lifetime

8-)

 This is very true, especially if you just have them and don't use them ;D

I have had NO, NONE >>ZIPPO issues with my Presidents, We should make a sticky for reel suggestions

Sent you a pm... yesterday no reply?

[Handy]

Thanks guy for all the suggestions, I knew I would get straight info here. RW, I like what you said about lasting a liftime. This spinning reel won't be used allot but I want to last a long time and I am willing to up the cost if a reel could deliver. Most reels I have bought in the past feel great new but within the next year feel bad. Thanks guys. I am hopefully heading to cabelas tonight and maybe the baitmonkey will get fed well, LOL.

Paul

[lineman711]

Plenty of symetres on ebay new and used for well under $50.  I bought a new 2500 last week new in a store for $55.  The old models are going cheap right now to get them off the shelves.  Best reel in it's range hands down IMO.

[Pigsticker]

I have always liked the quantum pti reel. I have had them for awhile and in all sizes from a small series 10 to a big 30 model

great reels, the 30 model is really handles large diameter lines reel well, but  I  have been using a cheaper okuma reel on another spinning rod and it works fine just as well as my PTi but okumas 30 model is much small than quantums.