Fishing Reel Review: They All Suck

[phenixrods]

van stalls and accurates, last u forever

[VancouverFisherman]

I have had a c3 buy abu garcia for 3 years now fishing with it in salt and fresh water catching huge 40 pound salmon often and it is the most durabul reel ever!! all matel disigin and a carbon drag make it soo smooth. this is the best reel ever made and for 80 to 100 bux i think there well worth the money and think u should give them a try i think u will love it.

[tonyel120]

buy shimano spinning or avet mxl baitcaster,cool thing about avets they have caast control and will not backlash

[TwoThreeNineJohn]

@tonyel120 the cool thing about avets is that they come in many cool sizes and colors,however they are overrated. You will have problems, they will break down. You can get something that will hold up much better than overrated overhyped avet for about half the price. For the quality you get, avet is way overpriced. Besides these guys ain't trying to buy conventional reels their clients have enough trouble handling spinning reels let alone casting conventionals

[tonyel120]

@TwoThreeNineJohn oh ok i didnt know it was for the charters if thats the case just go with the penn sargus or battle they are cheap have alot line capacity and built well

[TwoThreeNineJohn]

@tonyel120 Thanks, I'm looking for new spinning gear myself. My brother has an older penn captiva that has held up well also

[tonyel120]

@TwoThreeNineJohn i have a penn captiva and i have had it for almost three years and it has held up great i caught a 5 foot shark on it great reel

[cb7pwn]

funny how gear made in the 90s-80s-70s and EVEN 60s can STILL be used today (i have reels handed down from the late 60s early 70s, and they work great!), and yet, even a 200++$, reels today dont last more than 5 yrs... and people who are ignorant to the fact that we, as consumers, are being bent over, call THAT a long time ..

[SONGSTICKS]

@cb7pwn

Thats consumerism for you !!

Same goes for just about everything.. it's all made intentionally with a shagged by date.

We have the technology these days to make things that will last forever, but it's all about screwing the consumer for as much money as possible. If car exhausts were made from thick gauge SS as standard, they'd last almost as long as the car. Instead we get tin can exhausts with dodgy welds and they bang on about saving the planet !!

It's all Bullshit.

[TwoThreeNineJohn]

the garbage they make these days don't hold up..it is 'tourist equipment.' They're good for about 6 months of regular use, I have quite a collection of busted spinning reels in my garage..that is what happens when the country is owned by China and American companies sell out. The older American made reels are much better, more durable parts, and were cheaper. Nowadays reel companies just take a dump, decorate it w/ eye catching design, and market it as quality but within 6 months its toast!

[SONGSTICKS]

@TwoThreeNineJohn

Absolutely agree.

I just started fishing again after 27yrs and I got straight onto ebay and bought stuff I used to use years ago. Like sturdy Mitchell match 440 and 410 reels.

The kind of reel you could winch a 4x4 out of a ditch with, no frills.. just good solid mechanics. The trouble is that nowadays Carp fishing in the uk has become trendy, so now we have all these macho tossers strutting around in their Shimano camo gear and all the latest cool gizmos

[AsianInvasion904]

ive been using penn for 3 years i switch to shimano because of their light weight and smooth. penn reels are heavy and they dont last long.

My opinion shimano is the best saltwater reels on the market.They won so many awards on icast

2010 ICAST Best Saltwater Rod - Terez

2010 ICAST Best Saltwater Reel - Trinidad A

2010 ICAST Best Freshwater Reel - Stella FE

2010 ICAST Best Hard Lure - WaxWing

2010 Outdoor Life's Editor's Choice for Spinning Reels - Stradic CI4

[C4FishingTeam]

DAIWA!!!!!!!

[StanleyTheOscar]

I personally like baitcasting reels better, and if you want to spend a little bit more but for a very good quality reel that will last years and will handle lunker snook, bull reds, big jacks, monster tarpon, or whatever you're fishing for... The Shimano Calcutta is the way to go. I use it all of the time and my buddy's dad has had them since they've been making them. We've brought in plenty of monsters and haven't had any problems with the reel.

[AssaultCrusader]

I'm not a fishing pro but I got the Penn Pursuit PUR500 from wallyworld for 40$ and it is amazing (at least, to a amateur like me).

[tunanorth]

The "threshold" for "made in USA" on Penn reels is at $249.

The choice on less expensive models was make them offshore, or simply stop making them.

The "threshold" for "made in Japan" from the Japanese mfrs is at around $300 [sometimes more], otherwise they are also made in China, Maylasia, Viet Nam, etc.

A solid reel in the 1980's was indeed $100, but how much did a new car cost back then?

Today they are at least triple that price.

Same with reels.

[SuperKwame1]

Penn now makes their items like the senators in China. Just buy those with metal bodies and made in USA. It may cost you over $100.00, but you wouldn't regret.

I love made in USA. Sad that we trading quality with Junk, and all because of cost.

I hate cheap products, They are not wealth your health.

[oranse]

@SuperKwame1 Which models are made in the US? I left Penn years ago but am willing to go back if they are making decent product again.

[OnShoreGuide]

Baitrunners and Stradics!

[oranse]

@OnShoreGuide We have tried them. We have ruined them.

[Belvedere3834spd]

I personally prefer older Mitchell and Penn spinning reels. I use several USA made metal body Penn Spinfisher reels including 420ss, 430ss, 450ss 550ss and 650ss models and have never had any kind of failure with them. They are well built from good materials. I also use many older French made Mitchell spinning reels including 300, 300S, 306, 308, 406, 486, 488, 900, 906, and 908 models and I love them all! If you keep them properly lubricated they will last a lifetime.

[aviomaster]

I own SIlstar CT60B model , This reel has been used to catch catfish in North Carolina , I bought it from one gay who never cleaned it never greased it , this model is probably from the 1980's STILL works ,

I have never had any problems with reels , IF you using SHIMANO Stradic 4000 to catch 20-30 lb fish , YOU are crazy than , GET PENN Metal SS OR new PENN Saros,

[darkmossie633]

hi there, if you want a reel to last forever, you have to buy ABU Cardinal,

preferably th 1970-1980'c models the 66, 77, 66X and 77X

-you can get them on e-bay worldwide, and if you oil and grease them they won't let you down, and you can leave them to your grand-children etc etc etc

-ABU Garcia reels look great on outside cosmetically, but will fall apart like those Diawa's

the best Shimanos are ok

you showed

in ONE heavy fishing trip!

-reason is poor alloy metal gears

[mybluebelly]

I have always wanted a multiplier reel, so i bought a small one in Copenhagen a couple of years ago. It was a low profile "shimano crx 200 cruxis reel" I think it`s good quality because it retailed at about 300$. I did go out to try it once, but it was difficult to get any length on the cast, and the fireline curled up pretty soon, so i gave up. It has some sort of balancing weights on the one side of the reel. Man, do you have a good tip for me? I am more or less clueless. Any good dvd`s??

[hazlai]

oranse ....ur the man bro cant wait that penn garbage from china ..my penn are usa made.

[saltyCracka3]

new quantam smoke baitcaster is smooth and lasts long

[darkmossie633]

Garcia buying out Abu, was the worst thing that ever happened in

fishing reel technology

[darkmossie633]

i think the old Cardinal 66 77 66X 77X would knock the shit out of these modern reels

-i have asked Abu Garcia many times, asking if they would remake them, but they never reply

-most likely, as they are engaged on the phone to Chyina

[CephalicZyklon]

and penn spinners most suck ahha

[CephalicZyklon]

ever use the old mitchell 302s? good old vintage reels use emm for big snookin but you have to change the drag washers out with new ones for tarpons or theyd jus burn it out real fast which ive had happen haha

[BetterDuckStudios]

Shimano? Its the same plastic crap as the rest. A couple hundred pounders and those sub $100 spinning reels are toast.

[AtmaRising]

Shimano is the only spinning reel I'll fish. Fished Stradic for years on steelhead. Caught an insane amount of steelies over a 15 year period on one reel, and it still works fine today. Not as good of course, but it still catches fish. Bought a Saros last March and have fought so many fish on it, including big snook and reds, and the reel is still as solid as it was on day one. Gotta love Shimano.

[jsg2891]

I'd stay away from the new penn products, unless its something that costs around $250 it is junk made in china..these days if you want to get a good long lasting spinning reel it isn't going to be cheap..that is why I only use spinning reels for catching bait.

[oranse]

@jsg2891 Those companies ought to be ashamed of themselves selling that garbage. I'm gonna start showing some of this crap gear failing on the videos.

[jsg2891]

@oranse Yes they should, its pretty deceptive, they're using a brand name with a good reputation to sell chinese made junk.  Can't wait to see the videos, somebody needs to put these companies out there.

[silverkingmc]

that new penn conqueror that just came out is a great little spinner

it lasts long and has a spool for braid

[oranse]

@silverkingmc Finally some decent information. We are gonna check that model out. Anybody else?

[jsg2891]

@oranse $200 is a lot to pay for something made in china..if you're gonna spend that much I'd get an avet sx or mx single speed, I think that would be a good tarpon reel for boat fishing..I use the lx for land based tarpon fishing