Cheap reels v. 'Quality reels'

moonahan · #1 04-05-2005, 10:20 AM

Ok, heres a questions to all you guns using $200 plus reels (and too all of you who arnt!)

What do you get for your money?
What say is the difference between a $70 spinning reel, and a $300 reel.

I just bought two reels on ebay at 20 bucks a pop- 'ten ballbearing, infinite anti reverse etc..' - both cheap chinese imports.

My main reels is a $150 okuma epix eb30 and i can feel how much nicer it is than the cheepies- but what really is the difference?

What more could i want than the epix gives me. Why would i want to pay more?

Thanks,
Blair

eddystone · #2 04-05-2005, 05:25 PM

For breamin two factors are VERY important IMO.....

The line lay on the reel and drag.

You generally get what you pay....

I have a luvius and that is yet to through a loop/tangle of any kind.....My capricron however does it fairly regularly.

eddy

Wazza · #3 04-05-2005, 06:30 PM

Build quality is a huge factor, as is drag performance and line lay as Eddy said. The better Shimano's, Daiwa's etc will last a lifetime whilst maintaining performance if you treat them well (As their warranties suggest). You can have a thousand average ball bearings in a reel and it still won't perform as well as something with five or so exceptional bearings. JMO

Bream Addict · #4 04-05-2005, 08:43 PM

its just buid quality really, u can feel it when using the 760 buck them the 300 odd,there is a big difference, for example, i wasnt spinning,i wwas baiting, on my main bait rod i have a decent 150 dollar shimano, and on the other i had a little red plastic piece of cr#p, i took them both to fave bream baiting spot, i hooked up toa decent(probably 35-40) as soon as i put the slighteset bit of pressure on the bream to stop him get amongst the close structurethe reel all-but selfdestructed the drag lever flew off then wewnt the spool and so on untill there wasnt very much left thats why ive never bought a cheap spinning reel, ilearnt my lesson.

Richo · #5 04-05-2005, 08:47 PM

comes down to weight for me, and quality..... a good fish will find out any weakness in those other reels you have got. I have an epix 20 but dont use it anymore cause its too heavy... but yeah weights no1 for me.

cheers

kamikazeghost · #6 07-05-2005, 02:10 AM

the problem with cheaper reels is that the quality is not always there. It may have similar features to a more expensive reel, however, it's durability is in question....esp the chinese imported ones. Although, I must admit, that more and more reels are being made in china and taiwan, if say you're looking at a shimano or diawa, you should look for the ones that are made in Japan.

It's the quality of the workmanship, quality of the parts, and simply the more expensive reels are higher quality.

It all goes to how the line lays on the reel, etc, etc, etc as well. And the more expensive reels are engineered to that perfection unlike the cheaper ones.

And I've gone from cheaper ones to the more expensive ones and can not only feel the difference, but also see the difference in castability, the line fitting, etc.

swoffa · #7 07-05-2005, 05:30 AM

Apart from the general component quality differences and the drag quality, they feel very different.

I used Capricorns for a while, then switched to Sustains and Stellas, then to Luvias's and now Certates. It's amazing how different they all feel. I picked up a Sustain the other day after not having used on in a couple of years, I was amazed at how different it felt to the Certates.

Longevity is also an issue with a lot of the cheaper reels, they're not built to last.

luke_H · #8 30-05-2005, 03:32 AM

gday
i bought one of those reels the otherday on ebay
havent got it yet but it looked alright. moonahan are your reels called golden cause mine is (10 ballbearing etc), how would you rate yours against the epix. i think mine will become a cod/ carp bait reel which as long as it has a functioning drag it should be fine. it should be coming any day now
cheers
luke

Conehead · #9 30-05-2005, 04:15 AM

Guys it all depends on quality. You get what you pay for.

A perfect example is a Jarvis Walker National reel compared to a Stradic/Sustain/Stella/Luvias/Capricorn/Certate etc etc.

The Daiwa and Shimano reels I have metioned above are ALOT more expensive obviously going to last ALOT longer than the J. Walker as most of you would know from expirience. Most Companies put in the hard yard's to produce a reel that is durable. The Jarvis reel will probably only last a few fishing sessions at the most due to poor manufacturing, and that is why the retailers charge a low price for these reel's.

But always remember, it is the angler who uses his tackle. Not the tackle itself!