Shimano Stella

[Phranchise1213]

I would just like to first say I am not in the market for a stella, however I am very curious as to how many of you own one, and if so, to what degree is it superior to say a reel like a sustain or other spinning reels priced in that 200-300 range. Man is it pretty. droooooooool

[00 mod]

I do not own one. I have a stradic and a ci4, and like the ci4 MUCH better. But I have fished 2 of RW's and man are they nice. REALLY nice, but only worth the extra dough if you can justify it.

Jeff

[roadwarrior]

I bought the 2500 FA and later the 2500 FB when they were introduced.

Currently I own the 1000 FA, 2500 FD and 2500 FE. Smooth, strong, silent

and reliant.

This is what TackleTour has to say:

http://www.tackletour.com/reviewstella3000fe.html

[tomustang]

For the price, a midget better pop out of nowhere and reel in the fish.

[jeb2]

I own a Stella 2500FD. It's an okay reel. Certainly nothing I dislike about it, other than the price. The drag was grossly over greased from the factory, but was fine after I cleaned it up. I also own a Certate and Caldis. It's hard for me to really notice much difference between them, except the Caldis does not have the line roller bearing (upgradeable). Looks wise, the FD Stella blows the other two away. But that's not why I buy a reel. I only fish spinners about 5-10% of the time, so will likely never wear any of them out. But I think that's one of the Stella's claim to fames is they are built for a lifetime of use. Something that may be worth the extra money to a person that fishes mostly spinners. Personally, I would never invest that much again in a spinner. I just had to see what all the hype was about. I'll be looking more at the Abu Premier or something similar the next time I'm in the market for a spinner, though.

[roadwarrior]

I think the CI4 is the "Best Value" in what most would consider the "high end" category.

If you want a Stella, be patient and shop around. I paid $300 apiece for two of my reels,

$400 for the other, all NIB. The $300 reels were bought seperately from guys who had

won them in a raffle or tournament.

[Alpster]

I have a 1000FB and it's far & away the sweetest spinning reel I've ever fished with. I also have a "Twin Power" (JDM Sustain) and a cople of "Straidics". They are nice but don't compare with the stella. Like RW, I only paid $300 for mine NIB on ebay.

Ronnie

[SoFlaBassAddict]

Thats a pretty darn good deal for a Stella. I wish I could find some of the larger SW models for some snapper fishing at that price.

[Hooligan]

I lurrrve my Stellas. I just scored two FE's on cheapskate-bay for $300 each NIB two weeks ago. They can be had for a bargain, that's for sure.

[clayton86]

I don't have one my buddy does and it's nice he has a few actually buys a new one every year he mostly salmon, trout, walleye fishes not much else. Iv borrowed them from time to time. I wanna say he has like 6 of em can't tell ya the model FE or what not there all nice though I should try and buy one off him he's got enough of em but he also wipes his arse with hundred dollar bills he should give me one haha.

[roadwarrior]

I lurrrve my Stellas. I just scored two FE's on cheapskate-bay for $300 each NIB two weeks ago. They can be had for a bargain, that's for sure.

For $300 they are the "Best Value" on the planet!

My best friend and fishing partner describes the Stella this way:

"It's like holding (another name for a kitty cat) in the palm of your hand."

That is EXACTLY what it is like!

[jignfule]

For $300 they are the "Best Value" on the planet!

My best friend and fishing partner describes the Stella this way:

"It's like holding (another name for a kitty cat) in the palm of your hand."

That is EXACTLY what it is like!

I held a little "Felis Catus" in the palm of my hands once.... didn't like it at all. it scratched me.

[Phranchise1213]

Seems like they can be had for a bargain...hmm..at 300 dollars maybe I am a little bit closer to being in the market now.

[Hi Salenity]

For $300 they are the "Best Value" on the planet!

My best friend and fishing partner describes the Stella this way:

"It's like holding (another name for a kitty cat) in the palm of your hand."

That is EXACTLY what it is like!

Do they make your hands smell like fish?

[bootytrain]

Im the kind of person who likes to hear the reports from people who have actual extensive use of reels instead of "estimating" performance without actual use(like most people have done with the Curado G) , that being said, this came from the TT forum ironically from the user "daiwafreak" lol The topic was the new Certate vs Stella FE.

"Stella is better in pretty much every aspect in my opinion. They are smoother, quieter, and more durable. The drag on the Stella is also miles ahead of the Certate. It isn't really a fair comparison though, since the Stella costs more than the Certate. I have run braid on my Steez 2508 before, no worries. However, after 6 months use, it started to feel grindy and it was very noisy, which is why I prefer to use Shimanos now. However, using braid on a reel will not affect a reel's durability. The line roller bearings always die on the daiwa reels, its a very common problem. The digigear will only last you a few years of solid use, then they will begin to feel grindy and noisy. Bottom line, go with the Stella if you are willing to fork out the bucks."

Then a known huge Daiwa fan boy on that forum stepped in with his 2 cents.. here is one of those "opinions" based on reading specs and features vs actual use of either reel.

"Hmmm...roller bearing aside, I don't necessarily think that a Stella is more robust or durable than a Certate. More refined and higher end with better components, lighter...yes. Personally, I have not felt a like sized Stella reel that is stronger in feel or more robust in cranking power as the Certate 2500R I current have.

Another consideration is the different levels of Certates from standard to SW grade to finesse grade...akin to the Stella line-up for FW, finesse shallow spool, SW and large SW.

Additionally, it is likely unfair to compare the durability of a Steez (DigiGear or not) to a Certate.

IIRC, there was a few posts by a fellow memeber here that burnt through Stella drags and roller bearings at a more accelerated pace than his Certates while fishing for steelhead.

Just my two cents."

He then gets put in check by "daiwafreak" who has extensive use of both reels and more.

"

I'm going to have to challenge you on that one mate. I've owned a Certate 2500R, Steez 2508, the 2007 JDM Stella 2500 and the new 2010 C3000 Stella. The new 2010 and 2007 Stella's have insane cranking power, way more than the 2500R Certate. I took the certate and steez out for 10 or so SW sessions, both of their line roller bearings became noisy, both were beginning to have a grindy feel, and both had very noisy gearing. The Certate was back to normal once I serviced it, but the Steez had worn out gears. The Stella's on the other hand, have had more use, but are still as smooth as new. Most of the fishing I do here down under is in salty and sometimes brackish water with PE braid. In these tough conditions, I have found that the Stella's are more durable than the Certates or the Steez or Exist. Anyway, in the end, its personal preference.

By the way, the Steez has digigear II, as does the certate."

Ironically, the daiwa guy wound up buying a Stella FE and acknowledged that its a class above his Certate. But then again thats why the Stella costs so much.

[Five-Alive]

I have Saros, Stradic and Sustain and am pleased with each of them, I can only imagine how nice the Stella is and with it's price I will probably never be able to afford one!!