Not so long ago, the debate when buying a reel was Penn versus Shimano. These days if you had to narrow it down to the two best reel manufactures, what would be the choices? What factored into your choices? (cost, quality, service/support, other?)

Can't help you with "the best" but I'd recommend not considering Okuma products.

We can't fairly compare top shelf reels to production reels, Accurate v Penn or whatever. Accurate, Avet, Penn, Shamano and Diawa all make good products, one needs to figure out what ones needs are then come up with funding. After these are done look at all to see who makes the reel that best fits our needs and budget.

Personaly, my steelhead reels are all Shamano (Curado's and Calcuttas 50's), the rest are a mix of Shamano, Penn and Avet reels with a few ABU's in the mix.

The best reels in life are free !!!

quote:

Originally posted by Keta:
Can't help you with "the best" but I'd recommend not considering Okuma products.

We can't fairly compare top shelf reels to production reels, Accurate v Penn or whatever. Accurate, Avet, Penn, Shamano and Diawa all make good products, one needs to figure out what ones needs are then come up with funding. After these are done look at all to see who makes the reel that best fits our needs and budget.

Personaly, my steelhead reels are all Shamano (Curado's and Calcuttas 50's), the rest are a mix of Shamano, Penn and Avet reels with a few ABU's in the mix.

There is soo much overlap in what alot of different reels can do it can be way too much info. A newbee can't just "figure out what he needs" all by himself. He has to have some help,from a friend or a good counter guy at his local shop. You need to go and handle all the different reels out there to see which one feels the best in your hands for what your going to do. Thats when the $ comes into play. Those of us who have been fishin for years usually know what we want and how much, a beginner doesnt.

quote:

Those of us who have been fishin for years usually know what we want and how much, a beginner doesnt.

And often what I "want" or need doesn't work out best for someone elses wants and needs.

I've been fishing local boats and overnighters for awhile - I like Newells!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are old-school Jigman...me too. Newells are among my favorite reels to fish. Yes, they make strange sounds, yes they are now not the newest-most-amazing things on the market. But, they help me catch fish. Their light spool spins well, casts well, and can help in bait presentation. They are also one heck of a value.

Having said all that, as others have stated, there are some excellent reels on the market. Whatever you buy, do your homework, and trust yourself more than any guy working at the counter at a shop or any opinion offered by radio-folk with sponsors to please. (more on that one will be posted on another thread about Let's Talk Sponsors...).

Daiwa makes some excellent reels, well priced, well built. They are the premier Japanese supplier of fishing reels, not the more agressively advertised bike maker. Their Sealine and Saltist reels are excellent products. Avet's machined aluminum reels have been very well accepted, and proven performers. They have essentially driven the market to build better gear over the past three years. Accurate reels have also improved dramatically as a direct result of Avet's products.

You have many very good choices. All will require you to spend some time getting familiar with the gear, practice casting... Consider the merits of buying American made gear. You have some benefits in terms of long term ownership & parts availability.
Key Factors in my opinion:
1. application match - different reels have different strengths and weaknesses. Match the reel to the application/use.
2. manufacturer support - strong preference to USA made gear, given a track record of maintaining parts well past "discontinued" dates... (I don't have to name names of which company comes to mind in terms of weakness on this one - anyone own a beastmaster, tld 5 or 10?)
3. pricing - the last consideration given the length of time a guy will fish a good reel...if there are parts/drags...available to maintain the reel in top working condition, a quality fishing reel can indeed be a lifetime purchase so relative pricing isn't the biggest factor in my opinion when selecting a reel for ownership.

quote:

Whatever you buy, do your homework, and trust yourself more than any guy working at the counter at a shop

This is how I see it but use the knowledge that others have to help make your decisions. When I first got started in LR fishing I'd been a fisherman for 50 years and a saltwater fisherman for 30 but I was clueless as to my needs and wants. I asked a million questions, both on the internet and on the phone and ended up with "the right gear", largely due to Chark and Tom but others helped too.

quote:

Daiwa makes some excellent reels, well priced, well built

Yup! I curently don't own any Daiwa reels now, too many Avets and Penns, but I've repaired more than one, they are well built and very competitively priced.

Most of my reels are Penn. "nuff said. The old star drags still kill feesh.

I've been very happy with the lone Shimano, a TO20 I use for 40# bait & yoyo iron. Gotta love dem 6:1 gears!

Not a new manufacturer but one that's been coming up with good stuff is Daiwa. If you haven't looked at them for a few years give the Saltist a spin. BIG bang for the buck. Everybody knows about the good old SL series. Bulletproof.

I'm not a big fan of the Avets. ALMOST pulled the trigger on a purple SX but I just have never liked the drag curve, or lack thereof.

Fishslayer

I love Shimanos, but after working with and buying three Penn 70VS for stand up as well as gunnel fishing for tuna, I am sold on Penn. The fish great and are easy to hold for stand up. It's too bad Shimano has no intention of making a reel that can do what the 70 can do. Just hardheads I guess. They are missing a big market here in the NE.

Either Daiwa or Penn...just my opinion. Your mileage may vary!

For trout, I love Stradic 1000 reels, but I would not be caught dead fishing offshore with Shimano reels. It's just that thing with a huge plastic gear I found inside of a Calcutta 700 we used to own!



Bent poles & taut lines,

Tommy

Around here its pretty much Penns and Newells for Ulua (GT) fishing. I like Newell for slide baiting and Penn Jigmasters for baitcasting. Before Newells it was all Penn 4/0 and 6/0 HLWs.