Value For Money Reel

[caine]

what in your opinion is the best value for money medium (6000) thread line reel

[bluefin]

Okuma Epix 60, The bail arm tends to flex a bit but i have never had a problem, it's carbon fibre so it won't hurt it. I use it for surf fishing with 14 lb fireline and 12 to 20 lb trace depending on what I am fishing for.

The EB ( Baitrunner version ) is more versitile but dearer.

Howard.

[Guest Saqa]

what in your opinion is the best value for money medium (6000) thread line reel

Depending on your budget of course I think the best value for money in the medium size is the new version on the baitrunner in the 4500 size. They are around $150-180 mark and have proven themselves in a lot of situations. I use one loaded with 30lb braid for a lot of trolling and bottom fishing.

[Guest Dont Shoot Da Chinamen]

the okuma eclipz 60-65 is a good size

same as what was said above but with 5 stainless steel bearings and does not need as much attention

so... u can spend it on your missus!

checkout ebay and u can probably get either of those reels for about 40% off the retail value

www.okuma.com.au will have the retail value of those reels and u can compare with ebay

[Guest fishrunner]

Agree with Saqa, but would also add:

I'ld be looking at a Spheros, under $170.00 and with the balls to mix it with higher priced reels, !

Otherwise stretch the budget and a 6500 shimano baitrunner is a very good long lasting reel.

Maybe one of the site sponsors i.e. ABA could also shed some light on the subject reguarding price, etc.

I also read about a sale at ABA,- "Massive Deals In May" advertised in a fishing mag that may be worthy of checking out as well?

cheers

[bluefin]

Be careful of the 6500, It's a BIG heavy reel, true 10 kg class!

The 4500 is as big as most other 60 series reels. Will handle 6kg to medium 10 kg work. Both claim to have 6.5 kg of drag.

I have both as well as an Okuma Epix 60. If you can afford it go the Shimano Baitrunner.

Howard.

[caine]

Be careful of the 6500, It's a BIG heavy reel, true 10 kg class!

The 4500 is as big as most other 60 series reels. Will handle 6kg to medium 10 kg work. Both claim to have 6.5 kg of drag.

I have both as well as an Okuma Epix 60. If you can afford it go the Shimano Baitrunner.

Howard.

thanks is the eb 80 also to big for a 7 foot rod and average tuna/jew work

[Red]

Depends on your interpretation of the term "value for money". Ask a Shimano Stella or Daiwa Certate owner if their reels are value for money and they will probably agree.

All reels are value for money in my opinion, simply because 9 out of 10 times you do get what you pay for.

I'd go with Shimano for 6000 sized reels. Stradic or Sustain as you will need a fast reel for those tuna you plan to target. Both are good, honest, durable reels with good drag systems and you won't have to replace these reels for some years. Don't get all confused with this bs 10 ball bearing sales pitch. It's not a hard decision mate. Save those hard earnt $$$ and wait till you can afford a quality reel.

Cheers

Red

[caine]

no reel is worth $400+ (Certate)

for me $400+ it would need to catch more than fish

[Guest fishrunner]

no reel is worth $400+ (Certate)

for me $400+ it would need to catch more than fish

Hi Caine,

All comes down to your taste , If you can afford it why not buy it?,

I have a few loomis IMX rods and luvias's and various other reels that you may say are expensive ,,, and they are, but the sheer comfort/ smoothness in use outweigh's the price in my opinion. Iv'e never had a lost fish due to gear failure yet and have confidence in the outfits I use .

Many a fish has been landed on these reels from kingies, soapies to big bream and flatties without the hint of a drama.

I've gone through cheaper gear over the last 20 yrs and had no complaints, but as time goes on and budgets increase I buy quality gear because I enjoy using it and use it very often.

each to their own!

cheers,

[Guest Jewel]

I would suggest that your application could be a reasonably specialised heavy duty one (provided you hook a few). Both fish are going to run long and hard, so a high end drag and good line capacity are going to be pretty important.

Big fish are tough on reels particularly their gears so quality guts are also going to be important.

If you are spinning for the Tuna as Red said speed is a factor.

How often are you going to use said reel?

Basically sit down and have a think about what you really need compare that list to the suggested/considered reels and see which fits the bill.

For me the choice would be a stradic or a spheros, but could be talked into baitrunner.

As for no reel being worth $400........... you are putting your head on a block there!

As Red states "All reels are value for money in my opinion, simply because 9 out of 10 times you do get what you pay for." what sort of money do you want to spend? I have been through the cheaper gear option and now I would rather spend a little more and get the better gear once, than buy cheaper gear twice.

Depending on how often you are going out and how hard you are using the gear will dictate how good it has to be, I wore out a curado last season, this is a reel that is not cheap and would last most folks a lifetime, was it value for money? Certainly! Will I buy another? Absolutely! Would I upgrade? Possibly..... Black Sheep and Itos are just out of the Budget at the moment!

[Guest Saqa]

For HSS i recommend 6000 stradic

For baitfishing and trolling 4500 baitrunner

For jigging and trolling 8000 spheros

This is for GSP upto 30lb

Go the larger models for heavier lines

If you can afford more expensive models then go for it. If the reels are going to face hard use then investing in the best gear is good approach as long as you go for models built for the job. It sounds like you are after a HSS outfit so look at reels with high line recovery per handle turn and weight which will be easy to live with cast after cast.