Best Shimano Spinning Reel Ever Made

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shimanoangler
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Best Shimano Spinning Reel Ever Made

Post by shimanoangler »

The reason for this question is to determine if its time for me to move into the 21st century with my fishing equipment. I am a diehard Shimano loyalist who has been fishing the original Japanese made Custom X and Speedmaster spinning reels. Love the rear fighting drags, great gear ratios and the rugged construction of these reels, but I have bene wondering if the the three ball bearing systems of these reels is cheating me out of the performance of the newer, lighter, 8 ball bearing and up reels? I love the reels and would never part with them, ie at least collectors items, but I wonder if it is time to upgrade to the newer reels or if I have the best Shimano has ever made??
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DanIsaac
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Re: Best Shimano Spinning Reel Ever Made

Post by DanIsaac »

in most cases bearing count is a misnomer. What is more critical is the quality and placement of said bearings.
You could have a company put 11 bearings in a reel that cost $2 each, whereas Shimano might use 5 bearings that cost $10 each. Which would you prefer? Which would be smoother? Correct, the 5 bearing reel. The higher bearing count as some would attempt to sell it "would be the smother". Not true, not when they are using bearings to compensate for inferior machining. Shimano's gear technology is and has always been on the cutting edge, and IMHO nobody can cut
or press a finer gear. Thus, the need for additional bearings to attain smoothness is not needed.

Ok, that said, yes you are fishing with vintage reels, nice ones, but vintage none the less. They were the best of their day, but have long been surpassed with today's newer offerings. Todays technology is far superior, and smoothness is not even close compared to the reels of today.

You will be limited however if you are set in stone on the rear drag adjustment. Check out Spirex
if that is what you are looking for, Ultegra if not. You will not be disappointed.

Dan
ReelEx, your source for quality, professional service on your Shimano, Lews, or Revo reels.

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shimanoangler
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Re: Best Shimano Spinning Reel Ever Made

Post by shimanoangler »

Dan, thank you very much for the reply. I totally understand your point on bearing count and the importance in the quality of bearings and the quality of the gears when it comes to the number of bearings in a reel and the value/importance in that number of bearings. Your reference to quality of gears and how Shimano leads the pack in the quality of the gears (guess that is why they make great bicycles) they manufacturer and put in their reels. So my reels all have 3 bearings, which I guess coupled with the gears they used on my reels, allows them to perform very well and "smooth" 30 plus years later. I think I will take my reels apart so I can see the inner mechanics of my reels and the components used to make them.

Your reply leads me to one last question that I would really like to get your take on. And that question is smoothness. What value does smoothness have in the performance of a reel. Is smoothness akin to window dressing to help justify the higher prices charged for today's reels? I understand the initial impression that could be made on a potential buyer who picks up a reel in the store and spins the handle and the reel turns over nicely and smoothly. But how does that smoothness transfer to the actual performance of a reel under load, ie retrieving a big fish on?? Is that like clear coat on a paint job, ie makes it look nice aesthetically, but it doesn't have anything to do with the way the car performs? Just curious how smoothness translates to performance of a reel?
Robchik
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Re: Best Shimano Spinning Reel Ever Made

Post by Robchik »

I have a Stella FI C2000s, Vanquish 2500XGS (JDM), Sustain FG 2500, and Stradic CI4+ FB 2500HGS (JDM). There is a marked difference in both smoothness and cranking power from the Stella to the other reels. The Vanquish isn't quite as refined as a stella, but has a CI4 rotor. For the money, I'd go Stradic CI4+ all the way. The value for what you are getting compared to the others is unreal. The I came from the first gen CI4, and the difference in performance is unreal.
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shimanoangler
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Re: Best Shimano Spinning Reel Ever Made

Post by shimanoangler »

Robchik wrote:I have a Stella FI C2000s, Vanquish 2500XGS (JDM), Sustain FG 2500, and Stradic CI4+ FB 2500HGS (JDM). There is a marked difference in both smoothness and cranking power from the Stella to the other reels. The Vanquish isn't quite as refined as a stella, but has a CI4 rotor. For the money, I'd go Stradic CI4+ all the way. The value for what you are getting compared to the others is unreal. The I came from the first gen CI4, and the difference in performance is unreal.

The Sustain and Stradic look really nice.
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DanIsaac
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Re: Best Shimano Spinning Reel Ever Made

Post by DanIsaac »

today XShip is the big advancement. Load or torgue while fighting a larger fish is virtually eliminated with X Ship, which also helps distribute wear across the gears more evenly
helping to keep that reel smoother for a longer
period of time. Nasci to Stradic, all will do anything you want them to do. Personally I use Sustains and Ci4 Stradics but some of the newer releases are pretty impressive and are holiding up quite well (Nasci/Ultegra).
But to answer you question smoothness is smoothness and yes I believe it can make a difference, even to the point of helping in bite detection.
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scott h
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Post by scott h »

Love my Stradivarius ci4+'s best reels for the money in my opinion.
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