softplasticsjunkie Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 G'day Raiders... im looking at my next investment, and im seriously considering a stella or something from the daiwa range, the exist looks frigin awesome... but my question is, for that kind of money up near or on the $1000 dollar mark (what you'd be paying the tackle stores) what seperates these reels from a $500 dollar reel?? has any one ever used one of these top of the line reels to the death, or encountered any problems...or even just an opinion will be appreciated... thanks...Harry.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stinger Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 when you pay more of course your getting a better reel eg more bearings special line laying carbon drag heavy gears .go to shimano and daiwa websites and see what features the reels have stinger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rode Cary Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 when you pay more of course your getting a better reel eg more bearings special line laying carbon drag heavy gears .go to shimano and daiwa websites and see what features the reels have stinger for me, best value for money is definitely PENN my spinfisher SS9500 is 10 yrs old never let me down and built to last a lifetime of course its not as smooth as a daiwa saltiga or shimano stella but its only 200 box!!! anyway that's my 2c cheers bert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mik Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 Just my opinion but.. I would think you would truly notice the difference when you constantly hook up to hard fighting good sized fish. (We can dream can't we!) A top of the range reel would (You'd certainly hope & expect) continue to hold the beasts & tame them nicely. A cheaper reel would start to fail in drag & smoothness. Of course you can always throw good money away at any amount if you don't look after your gear with regular services & maintenance / cleaning. Personally, I have spent some money on everything from cheap & nasty to a recent secondhand Tiagra 50w (My most expensive single item yet!) but none of the stuff I've bought has ever had a decent work out. That's my choice & I'm happy with the money I've spent. I do intend to get alot of use out of all my gear before I cash in my lifes chips, I just hope use equates to fish & not just casting practice I honestly think part of the attraction for me atleast is collecting the gear. It's a sad day when I can't see past the point of opening my fishing cupboard and see all that gleaming shinny stuff. Fish? Oh yeah, I do that occasionally too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gretsch Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 I don't think you will notice a great difference. For example, we have a couple of Twin Powers and Stellas in the same sizes. They are nearly identical performance wise yet the TP is half the price of the Stella. That said, there is nothing like having the top of the range!! At least you won't be wondering what the top of the range is like !! Whatever you do, make sure you surf the internet and find out about the latest offerings from Japan. You can also upgrade the "top of the ranges" with special parts such as handles, drag nuts, drag systems etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stylo Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 (edited) This is how I see it. Unless you use your reels to capacity i.e. set on high drags near the limit, I don't think that a higher priced reel ($1000) will outlast a lower priced reel ($500). For example, tell me how many of us actually use their 2500 reel 11lbs drag (i.e. say 30lb line at 1/3 drag) ? Probably no one - but that is what the reel is capable of. Most people I know spool up with 2,4 and 6lb lines ... 2 reels with that price difference would also already utilise the same technologies, as Ceph has mentioned. Maybe a few more bearings here and there. The difference is definitely more pronounced when you look at the lower end of the market i.e. compare a Shimano Sedona and a Stradic and you will see and feel the difference. Still more than double the price but more than double the quality in reel. Unless you are a tournament fisho and you get sponsored, I don't think there is [EDIT:no real] a need for these high end reels. However, if you WANT one, you will own one. Simple as that ! Unfortunately, no amount of reasoning will be able to dissuade you to get that $1,000 reel. Then you need to find that rod to suit it ... Edited April 21, 2008 by stylo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregL Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 IMO it all depends on what you use it for.... If you name describes what you love to do then yes it's worth spending the extra. I love fishing plastics, casting upward of 1200 casts fishing unweighted grubs a day for 3 days in a row in a comp plus prefish day (4800 casts!) you want the lightest reel in its class. Nothing beats the drag on these babies, hooking kings and jews on 3lb line and leaders, if you get them away from the stucture you have every chance to land them. Fishing larger spools with light line, wind knots and loops in your spool don't happen. To fish reels in the 2500 sizes that are the same or less weight in other brands in the 1000 size gives you an edge over your competitors that are not.(time untangling knots and longer casts plus less fatigue on you body. Problem with these reels once you own a few the addiction becomes more. What started off as just my tournement kit as Exist's, now has even spred to my land based bream kit and even my blackie kit is a Exist and a Steez. Just make sure you service them regularly. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stylo Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 Greg, please let me know when you have a garage sale .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softplasticsjunkie Posted April 21, 2008 Author Share Posted April 21, 2008 there must be more to it...you cant justify an extra $500 cost on top of a reel that costs that much already just for a few extra bearings and a couple of kilos of extra drag.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Soprano Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 Maybe you just answered your own question Harry You CAN'T justify it, so its a case of if you can afford the top of the line gear and it's what you really want then go for it. Cheers Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh88 Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 Its probably not the best idea to go get a $1000 reel if you aren't going to be consistently using it and using it to the extent of its capabilities, has anyone here ever needed to apply 30kg of drag on a fish? Its nice and all to have such a great expensive reel but when there are cheaper reels that still match your criteria they seem to be more worthwile. I recently got a Daiwa Catalina 4500 and am finding it a great all round reel. That cost about $600 and performs excellently and is very versatile as it can be used for baiting, luring, trolling, jiggin and nearly anything else. It holds 300m of 40 or 50lb braid which is adequate for most situations with it able to apply 10kg of drag. Compare this to the Saltiga 4500 and you have a reel with the same amount of drag, higher line capacity, same weight but lower gear ratio for $300-400 cheaper, seems pretty good if you ask me. I guess it all comes down to personal choice though and what people want to do with a reel. Good Luck with what you choose Harry. Cheers Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pirate pete Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 Last year my mate went on a Charter out to the Ribbons and was telling me about the penn outfits they were catching Sails on and that he was impressed with the performance with them, after some investigative work and research I purchased the same outfit a Penn package SS950m and matched 950 rod about 2 months ago for $250. About 4 weeks ago I went to Pt Stephens and we were out at the fads chasing Dollies up to about 6kgs and I was impressed with the way the outfit went, that afternoon I used my mates Tcure fitted with a Stellar 20000, both rods spooled with 20kg braid and yes you can tell the difference the Stellar is a lot smoother but for me I cant justify the $1k difference. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softplasticsjunkie Posted April 21, 2008 Author Share Posted April 21, 2008 well the reel i buy, ill be wanting to get an extra spool and have it for dual use...i was thinking the 3000 stella...small enough to use fishing for the smaller species... but enough spool capacity and drag to take on a decent size fish ie 20lb braid and 10 kg of drag...but then i saw th daiwa exist and fell in love....but at the same time im thinking do i really want to spend that much, but as some one previously mentioned ill always be wondering what that top of the line reel is like lol.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregL Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 i was thinking the 3000 stella....... One reel in that size.... Branzino... Cheaper than the stellas and exist's. Get a matching rod and you have a kick ass outfit starting under a grand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh88 Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 Last year my mate went on a Charter out to the Ribbons and was telling me about the penn outfits they were catching Sails on and that he was impressed with the performance with them, after some investigative work and research I purchased the same outfit a Penn package SS950m and matched 950 rod about 2 months ago for $250. About 4 weeks ago I went to Pt Stephens and we were out at the fads chasing Dollies up to about 6kgs and I was impressed with the way the outfit went, that afternoon I used my mates Tcure fitted with a Stellar 20000, both rods spooled with 20kg braid and yes you can tell the difference the Stellar is a lot smoother but for me I cant justify the $1k difference. Pete Yeh we used the same outfit when targeting GT's on the outer reef off Dunk Island and it was pretty good, managed 4 GT's from 20lb-50lb and didn't lose any, very very durable gear those spinfishers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softplasticsjunkie Posted April 21, 2008 Author Share Posted April 21, 2008 One reel in that size.... Branzino... Cheaper than the stellas and exist's. Get a matching rod and you have a kick ass outfit starting under a grand. no way dude...i think the brazino is around the 1000 mark on its own... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gretsch Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 no way dude...i think the brazino is around the 1000 mark on its own... Negative. Branzino is $750 is Aussie shops, $550-$600 AUD in Japan. Its like buying a car. Nowhere can you do 320 km's an hour but it is still nice to drive an Aston! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softplasticsjunkie Posted April 22, 2008 Author Share Posted April 22, 2008 Negative. Branzino is $750 is Aussie shops, $550-$600 AUD in Japan. Its like buying a car. Nowhere can you do 320 km's an hour but it is still nice to drive an Aston! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macka17 Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 (edited) G'day Raiders... im looking at my next investment, and im seriously considering a stella or something from the daiwa range, the exist looks frigin awesome... but my question is, for that kind of money up near or on the $1000 dollar mark (what you'd be paying the tackle stores) what seperates these reels from a $500 dollar reel?? has any one ever used one of these top of the line reels to the death, or encountered any problems...or even just an opinion will be appreciated... thanks...Harry.. Hi. The thing that separates them mainly. Is. Where do you buy them from. Locally Yes. $1000 and more. O/Seas nearer 1/2 to 2/3rds that. Don't worry about warranty on them. Reputable dealers will give you 12months. same as rest of world. Top ones never go wrong. unless you break them normally. I get International warranty for my Daiwa's. Covers them everywhere. Dealers here give more warranty, to suck you in. and try to cover up ridiculous prices the importers make them pay.. I can buy a top line Jap reel. from the States For 2/3rds or so of Australian prices. Delivered... and that's after it's been from Jap to States. Had his profit added. then shipped from States to here. Hmmmmm. I've just recently had two Accurates, and a Tiburon delivered to door. For under $450 US each. Price them here. Plus 1200yds 80lb braid Tuff Line. for $170.(I've got a spare one, if anybody wants it for that price.) See Ya. Macka17 Edited April 24, 2008 by macka17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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