Comparing house brand reels and name brand reels

[The Rooster]

In looking at the Daiwa Exceler spinning reel, and comparing it to the Cabela's Tournament ZX, they appear to be identical with the Cabela's reel having just one extra bearing only. Otherwise the same EVERYTHING, including price.

Daiwa makes both of these reels. The crank on the Cabela's branded Tournament ZX even bears the name Daiwa on it.

What I want to know is when you see something like this, is there a significant difference between the two reels such as machining tolerances in how well parts fit together, gear meshing, or other things such as quality of bearings, or otherwise inferior parts on the **not** Daiwa reel??

I'm just wondering if Daiwa cuts corners making the reel for Cabela's since it competes with their own Daiwa branded reel.

[21farms]

rooster, i have the daiwa-made cabelas tournament ZX as well as daiwa tierras and fuegos. in terms of fit and finish and practical fishability, i cannot tell the tournament ZX from a straight daiwa. in other words, excellent.

i would almost argue that house-brand reels can pack more features at a given price point since the OEM manufacturer doesn't have to carry marketing costs for those products and the warranty is covered by the big box retailer, not daiwa.

[21farms]

one more thing. at the $70-$80 price point you're looking at, you should consider the bass pro shops-exclusive daiwa TD-PRO. it is on sale right now for $79.94 (christmas 2009 catalog, page 88). the TD-PRO has daiwa's air bail which, until you fish it against a normal wire bail, you never realize how nice of a feature it is.

but, here's the gotcha. you have to call in your order and specifically request the sale price in order to get it even though it is on sale (it is $99.99 on the BPS website and $119.99 in the printed catalog). BPS is so lame this way > i hate BPS...i have ranted many times in the past of their less-than-ethical business practices but that is another story...

[cart7t]

I know lots of guys jumped on those Cabela's Revo SC versions back when they were $70 a pop on sale.  They were a cross between an S and a SX.  I owned all three, there was no difference in the quality nor fit and finish between the house brand Revo and the Garcia models. None.

[The Rooster]

Thanks a lot guys. I was mostly wondering if they are up on the level or not. I'm still not sure if I want one of those or not cause I was also looking at the Soron STX made by Abu Garcia, that reel has everything I could ever want in a spinning reel, including the oversized bail wire. They seem solidly built. I've never seen so much aluminum in one place, there's virtually nothing on that reel that's not metal. But at twice the price of the Cabela's Tournament ZX too ($70 vs. $130). I guess it comes down to what I really need the reel to do and how much I want to pay for it.  Lately I've been thinking if the whole thing were made of metal then it would have to last a lot longer than previous reels I have had.

Then I also saw the Cabela's Prodigy has that airbail as well. So there's several to think about.

Thanks again, you guys were so much help.

[Grey Wolf]

The trials and tribulations of one mans fight to find a cheap reel that might last as long as a quality reel goes on.

[tbird]

The trials and tribulations of one mans fight to find a cheap reel that might last as long as a quality reel goes on.

Well said

   T

[K_Mac]

The trials and tribulations of one mans fight to find a cheap reel that might last as long as a quality reel goes on.

Rooster hang in there man. 8-) Ain't a thing wrong in exploring all your options.

[grimlin]

Rooster does his homework!

Good lord man,I learn something new almost every time he start a topic...  ;D

[broncoboxer]

the TD-PRO has daiwa's air bail which, until you fish it against a normal wire bail, you never realize how nice of a feature it is.

What does the air bail do?

[The Rooster]

Rooster does his homework!

Good lord man,I learn something new almost every time he start a topic... ;D

Well it might be a bit OCD on my part but I do have to say I look at every minute detail in any product I buy, and can usually get a bit more for my money that way.  Not just with fishing gear either.  But as an example, with baitcast reels I feel like I hit a home run with a quality reel for a more than affordable price.  Got 5 of the BPS Extreme reels, and they're solid for the money and when on sale it's like finding them.  With spinning reels though I still have yet to get one that seems to be worth it's price. 

I'm looking around and exploring the products available.  Not trying to be dramatic about it (though I did get frustrated a while back that everyone else seems to get quality President reels and I can't seem to find one that doesn't grind.  A week ago at a tackle shop I was looking at different reels and asked to see yet another President just to see if it would grind too, and sure enough it did just like all the rest have before it).

[The Rooster]

the TD-PRO has daiwa's air bail which, until you fish it against a normal wire bail, you never realize how nice of a feature it is.

What does the air bail do?

Near as I can tell, it's just another way to beef up a part on the reel so it doesn't feel as weak otherwise.  I'd imagine it would be quite nice, though I have yet to fish a reel that has this. 

[21farms]

What does the air bail do?

the transition from the bail to the bail arm is smooth so there is less line snagging when you flip the bail against tension. i'm not sure exactly why either but i get less line twist with daiwas with this feature than other reels. finally, it feels really good.

[zelmo]

I was also looking at the Soron STX made by Abu Garcia, that reel has everything I could ever want in a spinning reel, including the oversized bail wire. They seem solidly built. I've never seen so much aluminum in one place, there's virtually nothing on that reel that's not metal. But at twice the price of the Cabela's Tournament ZX too ($70 vs. $130).

If you can wait until after the first of the year Abu Garcia will probably put rebate offers up.  They have done that the last several years.

[SWMIBASSER]

Rooster does his homework!

Good lord man,I learn something new almost every time he start a topic... ;D

Well it might be a bit OCD on my part but I do have to say I look at every minute detail in any product I buy, and can usually get a bit more for my money that way. Not just with fishing gear either. But as an example, with baitcast reels I feel like I hit a home run with a quality reel for a more than affordable price. Got 5 of the BPS Extreme reels, and they're solid for the money and when on sale it's like finding them. With spinning reels though I still have yet to get one that seems to be worth it's price.

I'm looking around and exploring the products available. Not trying to be dramatic about it (though I did get frustrated a while back that everyone else seems to get quality President reels and I can't seem to find one that doesn't grind. A week ago at a tackle shop I was looking at different reels and asked to see yet another President just to see if it would grind too, and sure enough it did just like all the rest have before it).

Well said. As far as baitcasters go BPS offers great reels at a good price, and when on sale a GREAT price.

Spinning reels are a different story. The BPS spinning reels seem to hold up OK, but I just don't like them. Not that smooth, balanced weird, etc.

Pflueger Supreme spinning reels all the way. All metal construction, light as a feather, smooth as silk, and even in small sizes (8030) I don't have problems with twisted flourocarbon.