Recommend me a budget coarse reel

[wilbo]

Looking for a budget reel to go on my Maver Abyss 3 piece 12ft match rod. Will be used mainly for float and some feeder work. Looking to ideally spend no more than £15. Are any of the below any good? I know you get what you pay for, just looking for something to get me started with a low budget for now.

Azure GT30 Rear Drag Reel - Dragon Carp Direct

Daiwa Sweepfire X Reel - Reels Fishtec

[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shakespeare-Omni-Rear-Drag-Reel/dp/B004AHLSPU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313239799&sr=8-1"]Shakespeare Omni X Rear Drag Reel 150 Size - Blue/Silver, 382 G: Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Leisure@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514%2BrEGkuSL.@@AMEPARAM@@514%2BrEGkuSL[/ame]

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

Hi

I've never used Diawa reels but Dawai have an excellent reputaion for reels

Shakespeare gear is very good value for money

I do have a drag carp carp bait runner reel - cost £20 about 6 or 7 years back - dcent reel - has never let me down


without knowing anything about any of the 3 I'd go for Dawai on rep alone

 

[cormorant]

shimano nexave look for a second hand one 2500 or 4000 size

 

[chubby48]

shimano 4000---i got 1 for sale---lol

 

[Sean Meeghan]

Personally I'd go for the Shakey with the Daiwa a close second.

 

[bigchub]

I have for sale a Shimano Nexave 3000MR Match Reel. 2 spare spools. Very good condition.

& also a TFG Force 8 Match Reel. 1 spare spool. Mint Condition.

 

[newbieneil]

I have a diawa sweepfire 2550 which is an older model than the current one but which looks very similar apart from mine has rear drag and the new one looks like it has front drag.
Based on my one i can definately recommend a diawa reel and probably this model...and if this is an improvement on my model -which it should be it will a very nice little reel for the money. I payed £7 for mine though from cash converters and its done me proud for the past 3 years-even got the spare spool with it

 

[the indifferent crucian]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Drennan range. Having handled them in the shop...and sold out rather a lot, too...I think they are superb value and any other maker would have asked twice the price for them.

Not a single warranty claim, either. Well done Peter, just what we've come to expect from you and the line rating button idea was inspired.


I can't claim impartality here. I work part-time in a shop that sells them, so please don't take my word for it, go and have a try, but I bet you buy one

There is the red range of budget reels and the slightly tougher range of Series 7 float and feeder reels too....

Drennan International

 

[mol]

Duck and cover time

I would personally avoid Daiwa. They do make good reels but not at the budget end of the market, I've had two regals 5ia's one for float and one for feeder fishing I paid something like £40-50 for the pair. The float reel lasted almost a full season, the drag isn't too clever anymore and it seems to slip inside. The same thing happened to a pair of dawia emcasts I had, also at the end of a season use.

IMO daiwa make good looking but fragile reels and this is particular evident at the bottom end of the market.

 

[noknot]

To be honest Wilbo, I think you will be hard pressed to find a decent reel for 15 quid! Have you looked at Okuma?

 

[Fred Bonney]

Buy cheap, buy at least twice!!

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

I agree Fred

I might be a tackle tart but its stradics for me

 

[bigchub]

People on here have offered you a generous amount of quality reels at good prices. I'd say pick one of those and you won't go wrong.

 

[timon1977]

Iv'e got a couple of dragon carp reels (the pantera ones). Not too bad all in all. Quite impressed with them actually considering the price but there are obviously better out there. Same as everything really, you get what you pay for.

 

[fatboyjim]

i got back into fishing nearly 2 years ago, only to find most of my gear was either, dead, dying or illeagle, so i bought a couple of really cheap reels from linaeffe, vigor shiver rd40, been using them twice a week atleast and they are still as good as new, landed plenty of fish up to about 6lb with them, superb VFM.

i was actually looking at the omni x reel myself before i bought the linaeffe ones, only in the 130 size, and use a shakespeare zeta for pier fishing which has also been faultless so far.

 

[PitsfordPirate]

'Buy cheap, but twice' is absolutely not totally correct in all instances.

Am a bit of a tart when it comes to gear but also have loads of bargains that are as good as some of the top names.

Look at Shakespeare Mach 3 XT rods for example, absolutely lovely and a total snip. Somebody show me an 11ft Pellet Waggler or 11.5ft Feeder rod at twice the price that is significantly better it justifies the extra cost.

Anyway, back to the point, cheap coarse reel, well probably too late but noticed as I was in the supermarket the other day flicking through the mags, 'Improve Your Coarse Fishing' had a deal on Fishtec/Hardwear reels, get one free, simply pay £5.99 postage, or £11.00 total for two reels.

Now, I appreciate BVG Airflo do take some stick, however much of their kit is excellent value and those reels look outstanding for the money.

The Pirate.

 

[dezza]

The Drennan range for the money, probably made by Okuma, look very good.

As regards the best, well at this point in time it has to be Daiwa, followed by Shimano, followed by Okuma, followed by Shakespeare.

---------- Post added at 01:32 ---------- Previous post was at 01:30 ----------

Now, I appreciate BVG Airflo do take some stick, however much of their kit is excellent value and those reels look outstanding for the money.

I have used quite a lot of Airflo stuff from time to time, and apart from their early floating lines, I found it OK.