Stella Or Saltiga

[Nolongeramember]

Im looking at getting a Stella 20000 or a Saltiga Z6000 for kings and some outside work with tuna, trolling etc. Im just interested in some peoples opinions on which reel they would choose and why..

One particular thing i really want to know is the line capacities of each one? I cant work it out because in the stats, one is in braid and one mono. So could someone tell me what each one holds in mono?

Thanks for any replys..

Edited July 18, 2007 by Roylo

[Red]

Roylo, you won't go wrong with either. I personally know people that have knocked over some incredible fish on the Stella 20000's. You probably wouldn't get much more than around 300m of 15kg mono on them. I'd choose either reel without losing any sleep however i do have a preference for Shimano, only because their after sales service has been superior.

Regards

Red

[CR@ZY OS@M@]

ive had both ,i had the saltiga first then handed it back and paid the difference and got a stella 20000 and trust me ,they are an absolute awsome reel.

[Markwi]

Roylo, I have 3 Saltigas and I love them, they arent as smooth as the Stellas but the drag is superb and they are tough. I agree with Red that you will probably get around 270 to 300 metres.

[netic]

Go the Stella mate..wont let you down.....and dont worry about mono....whack some IGFA braid on it....i got 550 metres on mine

[Luke Wyrsta]

Stella 20k holds 300 metres of 30lb

Saltiga Exp holds a similar amount but less than the Stella 20k spool.

In reality, these are big quality threadlines with huge stopping power designed to be used with PE lines. There is nothing wrong with running mono, however, while running 30lb and not using PE/GSP you simply aren't utilising the reel to it's potential - something to think about if you don't make the switch to PE lines - of which you may deem totally unnecessary for your fishing applications.

[GregL]

I use both but if you are going to run mono I would go the Stella as the drag is smoother on start up on big drag settings.

Braid is my personal choice, and the 6500exp has the bling handle that just feels sensational in hand :wank: . My fav to use

Doesn't the 6500 have a lower gear ratio? Better for fighting large fish on drawn out battles.......

Greg

Edited July 18, 2007 by GregL

[Assassin]

I am also looking at a new threadline, from the research i have done the saltiga would be the best choice... i am looking at the saltiga expedition...i am getting into jigging ..so this reel is the best option for me.

In my opinion daiwa are the leaders when it comes to heavy duty gear... but i guess its like the holden ford arguement.

Remember Daiwa are very fussy who stocks their brand yet shimano seems to be stocked by just about every corner tackle shop...so take note of that when shopping around, and dont fall into the sales pitch of a Shimano only stockist.

Good luck

[netic]

Assasin, mate send a message to Namesay, He has both the Saltiga and the Stella and he uses both for Jigging very often....

He siad the Saltiga drags always play up when jigging....where as the Stella is smooth as.....he definately recommends the Stella over the Saltiga for a variety of reasons...

The questions off Stella vs Saltiga is much like every other debate.......Etec vs 4 stroke......Braid vs Mono.....everyone has there opinion and favourite but the best peopl to speak to are people who have and current use both.....Namesay and Rzee both use both......and they go jigging every week ..so send them a msg....

Personally i cannot falw my stella....awesome reel.....And with a IGFA braid i can get nearly 600 metres on it at 70lb.......I will be using the stella to chase Tuna and Marlin.....thats my main goal with the stella...to catch a marlin......

Edited July 18, 2007 by netic

[Assassin]

cool, thanks netic ill pm namesay........thanks for the advice buddy, when so many dollars will be tied up with the final decision its great to get the feedback

[Nolongeramember]

Go the Stella mate..wont let you down.....and dont worry about mono....whack some IGFA braid on it....i got 550 metres on mine

Yeah I will be using braid. Just asked for a mono figure of each one to find out which holds more line.

I think Ill be getting the Stella. Both reels seem as good as the other. The stella is a bit cheaper than the Saltiga aswell.

[davester28]

From everything I've read (and as the owner of a Stella):

The Stella has a superior drag.

The Saltiga has harder gears (which are also slightly rougher).

There are a few specialist heavy jigging / popping sites around and this topic has been debated at length on them.

[netic]

They are both awesome reels.....PERIOD...both will do a great job...but you can save $300 with a Stella

[gretsch]

Time to Chime.....

I only have the smaller Stellas.. the 6000 and 4000. I love them. Drags are perfectly smooth and the big handle knob is very comfortable.

I am shooting for a 10000 next which has an optional high capacity spool.. get it from Japan. You will pay less and get the latest model as opposed to the 3 year old models we get offered here.

This is the special 10000 high capacity spool..

STELLA SW 10000D SPOOL

Correspondence model

STELLA SW10000HG, 20000PG

Spec

[Line capacity PE line] PE5/400m, PE6/300m

[Line capacity Nylon line] 22lb(0.405mm)/400m, 30lb(0.470mm)/280m

[Weight] 225.0g

Ball bearing/2 [A-RB]

Accessories: Line belt

Edited July 19, 2007 by Ceph

[davester28]

i found these. feel free to take them at face value, or not:

"When the Saltiga first appeared on the market a few years back, one 4500 broke at Gold Coast, Australia. Most of us ruled that out as an isolated case. Then two months after the larger Saltiga's were launched, there was a uncomfirmed rumor that a Japanese angler broke his Z6000 reel foot while jigging in Taiwan. Next report of a broken Saltiga bail arm came from Australia (reel belonged to Allan Bevan of Shikari Charters), then it was Bertram's reel that gave way next. Recently I saw a Saltiga Z6000 with a broken bail arm in Singapore with my own eyes and it belonged to someone who went Samson jigging in Perth just a few months back.

I would advice Saltiga owners to keep their drag in tip top condition in view of the high bail arm/reel foot breakage rate. Having a jerky drag when near lock out settings will definitely break the weak link in your reel.

PS. I'm not trying to put Saltiga users down, just don't want anyone to lose that fish of a lifetime due to tackle failure."

and:

The newest Stella has two problems. 1- The bail arm screw needs to be held in place with loctite (liquid thread lock) and many anglers have encountered the bail arm assembly falling apart in the midst of fighting. Mine came lose at "peace time" so it was fixed before any real damage could take place. 2- I just helped someone inspect a faulty SW20000PG and the problem was its rotor counter balance weight. The piece of counter balance weight dropped off and got ground into many tiny pieces inside the revolving rotor. This problem was the reason why the first batch of smaller SW Stella got recalled by Shimano and it's the first time anyone had this problem with a SW20000PG.

[lee123]

""When the Saltiga first appeared on the market a few years back, one 4500 broke at Gold Coast, Australia. Most of us ruled that out as an isolated case. Then two months after the larger Saltiga's were launched, there was a unconfirmed rumour that a Japanese angler broke his Z6000 reel foot while jigging in Taiwan. Next report of a broken Saltiga bail arm came from Australia (reel belonged to Allan Bevan of Shikari Charters), then it was Bertram's reel that gave way next. Recently I saw a Saltiga Z6000 with a broken bail arm in Singapore with my own eyes and it belonged to someone who went Samson jigging in Perth just a few months back.

What you have mentioned above it true, however let me indulge a little further –

"When the Saltiga first appeared on the market a few years back, one 4500 broke at Gold Coast, Australia”

This is an excerpt from Kim Bains article in NAFA titled IN A SPIN

“ A word of warning – be careful when improving the drag on your spin reels. It’s one thing to smooth a drag, it’s another thing entirely to build a drag that exerts so much pressure it causses the reel to break.

I’ve seen them break around the stem and feet especially when PE#8 line is used on mid sized spin reels. Good luck with the warranty claim! I know some tackle companies aren’t to happy with internet advice relating to increased drag pressures and the like. Go to a reputable drag producer and check the warranty status……..”

“….. Another thing to keep an eye ion is that because spin reels are mounted under the rod, they’re much more susceptible to damage should they bump rails or sides of boats during the fight. I’ve seen rotors blown to smithereens when a reel smashes against a boat rail as a big fish takes off on a blistering run”

"Then two months after the larger Saltiga's were launched, there was a unconfirmed rumour that a Japanese angler broke his Z6000 reel foot while jigging in Taiwan

Yes same answer as above. Also when the serious guys go jigging they use a harness and gimbal setup and they wrap the harness straps around the rod and reel feet. Another reason why they explode, that and increased drag pressures.

"Next report of a broken Saltiga bail arm came from Australia (reel belonged to Allan Bevan of Shikari Charters)

Once again full locked up drags fishing in deep water after Sambos ( Samson fish, the real Sambos not the dodgy Salmon aka Sambo’s ). When the Sambos aggregate there are literally hundreds there at any time. Al Bevan will also tell you that a 50kg Sambo heading straight for the bottom will blow up most reels. From memory Al has had Stellas, Saltigas, Spinfishers, Tiagras, Tld, Blue Haven and Van Staals blow up on his boat. Big fish and massive drags make things go pop.

"Recently I saw a Saltiga Z6000 with a broken bail arm in Singapore with my own eyes and it belonged to someone who went Samson jigging in Perth just a few months back.”

Same as above. Sambos destroy gear.

Like Netic said contact Namesay as he will be able to give you some advice as he has both.

All tackle will fail if pushed to its limits and beyond.

If you are interested in seeing how the best in the world do it, then find some Jap jigging sites and have a look for yourself. Its mind blowing stuff and gear blowing as well.

Cheers

Lee

P.S I have a 6000gt Saltiga and personally I cannot fault it.

Edited July 20, 2007 by lee123

[Luke Wyrsta]

[lee123]

Whats the pics for?

Im sure these pics have bene posted up previously.

Cheers

Lee

[namesay]

Here is my 2 cents worth.

Yes I do have both the stella 20000and the saltiga expedition. In fact I have several stellas and several saltigas and certates. I don't have any brand loyalty. Just want gear that works.

I go fishing on average 3-4 times a week and chase kings 95% of the time. Both Tony ( r Zee ) and I have these reels. These reels are at the very high end but both have faults.

With the Daiwa saltiga the first thing that will go on you will be the bail roller bearing. If you haven't heard a squeak or a grinding sound from your reel then you are either very lucky or you haven't used the reel enough. The bail area in most daiwa high end reels is a pain in the backside.

Also the screw that fits into the bail roller corrodes in the saltiga. I had to put some duralac to stop the corrosion. IN Tony's case, the bail arm snapped off. The newer saltigas including mine and TOny's replacement have a different bail arm to counter this problem.

If you are using braid then you better be careful with the saltiga bail assembly as the braid can get stuck in a small gap between the arm and the roller. DOn't ask me how many times this has happened to us! It often ends with the braid being cut.

When it comes to the drag, the saltiga has a very sticky start when you put in some heavy settings. On a cold winters morning the drag seems like it is fixed with loctite then it all of a sudden comes loose. THis is most unsatisfactory. The grease that is used in the drag system seems to be the culprit.

As for the handle on the saltiga- you won't think the handle on the daiwa is great when there is squid guts and pillie pieces entering the holes! I have had the handle come loose several times while fishing as well and the little bearing in it rattles from time to time.

THe stella on the other hand makes a LOT more noise than the daiwa but is a much freer spinning reel. Apart from the silver plastic bit on the bail rotor flying off, I have not had any issues with the stella. It is also much cheaper. The drag on this reel is far superior to the daiwa in its smoothness. This is most important when fishing for kings as they don't run long but have short stepping run

As for those Jap guys- coming from that part of the world, I know a thing or two about them. Some of you may be impressed with their feats but they don't use their gear like I do. Most of those guys go on a holiday for a couple of weeks in a fish filled place once or twice a year. They just go on a charter where as I use my gear day in and day out on a constant grind 12 months of the year. I look after my gear but use it like it was designed on our seriola friends. Just this week alone I have had 3 fishing trips for a total of almost 30 hours on the water.

ON an average week ( including winter ) we catch about 20-100 kings.Recently we are getting some larger specimens and fish over 10kgs are fairly common. THis type of hammering sorts out crap gear real fast. I have not been too impressed with the performance of the daiwa saltiga expedition in the long term. For my money it is over priced and over rated. Cheers Kelvin

Edited July 20, 2007 by namesay

[lee123]

Cheers for the info Kelvin

Seriously though where have you been hiding?

Im still keen for that trip if its being offered?

Cheers

Lee

[Nolongeramember]

Here is my 2 cents worth.

Yes I do have both the stella 20000and the saltiga expedition. In fact I have several stellas and several saltigas and certates. I don't have any brand loyalty. Just want gear that works.

I go fishing on average 3-4 times a week and chase kings 95% of the time. Both Tony ( r Zee ) and I have these reels. These reels are at the very high end but both have faults.

With the Daiwa saltiga the first thing that will go on you will be the bail roller bearing. If you haven't heard a squeak or a grinding sound from your reel then you are either very lucky or you haven't used the reel enough. The bail area in most daiwa high end reels is a pain in the backside.

Also the screw that fits into the bail roller corrodes in the saltiga. I had to put some duralac to stop the corrosion. IN Tony's case, the bail arm snapped off. The newer saltigas including mine and TOny's replacement have a different bail arm to counter this problem.

If you are using braid then you better be careful with the saltiga bail assembly as the braid can get stuck in a small gap between the arm and the roller. DOn't ask me how many times this has happened to us! It often ends with the braid being cut.

When it comes to the drag, the saltiga has a very sticky start when you put in some heavy settings. On a cold winters morning the drag seems like it is fixed with loctite then it all of a sudden comes loose. THis is most unsatisfactory. The grease that is used in the drag system seems to be the culprit.

As for the handle on the saltiga- you won't think the handle on the daiwa is great when there is squid guts and pillie pieces entering the holes! I have had the handle come loose several times while fishing as well and the little bearing in it rattles from time to time.

THe stella on the other hand makes a LOT more noise than the daiwa but is a much freer spinning reel. Apart from the silver plastic bit on the bail rotor flying off, I have not had any issues with the stella. It is also much cheaper. The drag on this reel is far superior to the daiwa in its smoothness. This is most important when fishing for kings as they don't run long but have short stepping run

As for those Jap guys- coming from that part of the world, I know a thing or two about them. Some of you may be impressed with their feats but they don't use their gear like I do. Most of those guys go on a holiday for a couple of weeks in a fish filled place once or twice a year. They just go on a charter where as I use my gear day in and day out on a constant grind 12 months of the year. I look after my gear but use it like it was designed on our seriola friends. Just this week alone I have had 3 fishing trips for a total of almost 30 hours on the water.

ON an average week ( including winter ) we catch about 20-100 kings.Recently we are getting some larger specimens and fish over 10kgs are fairly common. THis type of hammering sorts out crap gear real fast. I have not been too impressed with the performance of the daiwa saltiga expedition in the long term. For my money it is over priced and over rated. Cheers Kelvin

Thanks for that info dude. I will be purchasing the Stella by the way.

[chriso]

Thanks for that info dude. I will be purchasing the Stella by the way.

+ and - of both reels

stella

stella's has a great drag system- good(dual drag awesome)

stella's has a magnesium body- bad( especially if your into LBG)

stella's is hundreads cheaper-bad (this is a mass produced reel using cheaper material and manufacturing methods)

stella's are not water proof-bad(this reel will rust or erode faster than the saltiga)

stella's have open ball bearing cassing-bad

saltiga

saltiga's is lazer cut aero grade alloy- good(many times stronger than magnesium, will brake if there is a bubble in the metal, only heard of it happening twice, both replaced)

saltiga's has more drag inersha-bad(upgrade kits are great much smoother, no lose of maximum drag pressure, but when fishing for harder mouth fish, GT etc it helps with setting the hook)

saltiga's are more expensive-good (this reel is made by a watch company, using the most advanced material and manufacturing methods)

saltiga's are water proof- good(salt water the enemy of all machinery)

saltiga's standard grease is too thick-bad(easily fixed, don't use turbo grease it will eat the ball bearings and rubber seals)

saltiga's have closed ball bearing cassings-good

Edited July 22, 2007 by chriso

[Luke Wyrsta]

+ and - of both reels

stella

stella's has a great drag system- good(dual drag awesome)

stella's has a magnesium body- bad( especially if your into LBG)

stella's is hundreads cheaper-bad (this is a mass produced reel using cheaper material and manufacturing methods)

stella's are not water proof-bad(this reel will rust or erode faster than the saltiga)

stella's have open ball bearing cassing-bad

saltiga

saltiga's is lazer cut aero grade alloy- good(many times stronger than magnesium, will brake if there is a bubble in the metal, only heard of it happening twice, both replaced)

saltiga's has more drag inersha-bad(upgrade kits are great much smoother, no lose of maximum drag pressure, but when fishing for harder mouth fish, GT etc it helps with setting the hook)

saltiga's are more expensive-good (this reel is made by a watch company, using the most advanced material and manufacturing methods)

saltiga's are water proof- good(salt water the enemy of all machinery)

saltiga's standard grease is too thick-bad(easily fixed, don't use turbo grease it will eat the ball bearings and rubber seals)

saltiga's have closed ball bearing cassings-good

I really have to ask some serious questions about what you are saying because i disagree with most of it - and besides from my personal opinion there are facts that you have plain wrong.

I have been on the bandwagon about my preference but i won't get into that - you can all decide for yourself.

In regards to your comments Chriso:

1. Stella body is made from Aluminium. Spool is made from cold forged Aluminium. There is no magnesium - magnesium is used in freshwater reels and not often if not at all seen in saltwater reels.

2. Simply because the Stella is cheaper does not mean it is using "cheaper materials and manufacturing methods". Are you saying the Saltiga is not mass manufactured? Considering you can't even get the materials of the Stella correct in the first place this is completely unfounded in my opinion.

3. The Stella has a water proof drag system. I haven't heard of rusting or corrosion being an issue but don't doubt it can't happen.

4. Stella and other shimano reels alike use some of the best bearings around for fishing reels - ARB (Anti-rust Bearings) - debatable whether or not they are better than sealed bearings, i don't know enough to say if one is better than the other - i doubt you do either.

5. Enhancing the Saltiga drag with the drag kits you mention does mean that maximum drag pressure compared to original drag kit or Stella drag is lower.

6. More expensive means inherently better? not necessarily.

[gretsch]

My Stella spent 4 weeks underwater in Middle Harbour before being miraculously recoverd (lets not start that post again)..

The boys at Shimano opened her up to do the clean out thing and they said it didn't have any water in it.. they were quite amazed.

Either they are waterproof or, mine is special.

Edited July 23, 2007 by Ceph

[TheDiko]

saltiga's has more drag inersha-bad(upgrade kits are great much smoother, no lose of maximum drag pressure, but when fishing for harder mouth fish, GT etc it helps with setting the hook)

Are we defying the Laws of Physics here?

How can the Saltiga drag have more inertia if it is set at the same poundage of the Stella?

If you mean to say the drag is not smooth then so be it

IFS