Ninja doubts

[Keith M]

I will not even bother looking at a reel that comes without a spare spool, or an inexpensive reel that charges in excess of £30 extra just for a spare spool unless it’s something really special.

And a reel which is sold as being designed to be used for float fishing should have either shallow spools or spool reducers otherwise it’s not fit for purpose in my opinion. We don’t all have miles of spare line hanging around to use as backing, nor should we need to, and spool reducers are only inexpensive bits of plastic after all.

Spool diameters are a personal choice but unless I am going to use braid on the reel (like when I’m doing a bit of dropshotting) then I much prefer larger diameter spools which in my experience don’t seem to suffer memory coils as much as smaller diameter spools seem to do.

So apart from the reel being of a decent quality; the above three things are a ‘must have’ for any good reel worth it’s money in my view whether it’s a cheapish reel or not (as long as it isn’t really really really cheap ).

Keith

 

[108831]

I agree with you Keith,but how much did you spend to get a reel with reducers,you may as well have bought some cheap backing line,lol,that comes from someone who hates deep spools...

Anyway,I've just ordered my second ninja 3012a,£44.99,jobs a goodun,two reels four spools,two loaded for float fishing,two for feeder/barbel/carp float fishing type angling,if a reel unfortunately had a problem,the other is sitting ready for use,job done...

 

[Keith M]

Yes Whitty but spool reducers are only bits of cheap plastic costing pennies to the reel maker, so why do they not include them as standard when they sell a reel stated as being designed for float fishing, even if they added the 60p or £1 to the reel price to pay for them or sold the spool reducers separately?

Keith

 

[sam vimes]

they sell a reel stated as being designed for float fishing

Because any of the foreign based brands saying that a reel is manufactured specifically for float fishing is pretty much lying through their teeth.

 

[108831]

Yes but when you spend over one hundred pounds on a reel,which is fine,you could have bought two cheaper reels and several thousand metres of line and guess what,you have two decent reels,I understand your reasoning Keith and I'm playing around a bit,but let's be honest here,if the drennan fd hadn't of had that looping twisting issue you wouldn't have spent over a hundred quid would you,I know I wouldn't have been looking at a ninja,because everything would have been hunky dory...

 

[108831]

Because any of the foreign based brands saying that a reel is manufactured specifically for float fishing is pretty much lying through their teeth.

Absobloodylutely,I've actually argued with the shimano rep in Leslies and he said what had happened,shimano(and daiwa)had decided the market wasn't big enough in the UK to warrant design changes in production for reels predominately made for the US market.

 

[Philip]

The laughable thing is where I am the Ninja and even more bizarrely the Revros with its match spool (reel on the left in the photo I posted earlier) are sold as reels for predator fishing ! while the Legalis is sold as a lure fishing reel. Its why I basically forget the marketing blurb when it comes to rods and reels nowadays and use them only as a rough starting point. I look at the equipment itself in order to determine what its best suited to.

I forgive the manufacturers for aiming at the markets that bring them the most money hence things like deep spools but to add a spool reducer would cost literally nothing and cover more markets and customers for them. I also find the omission of a spare spool (at least where I am) unforgivable. I literally could not believe it so the guy in the shop kindly took off all the anti theft devices & opened all the boxes for me as I wanted to be certain.

Its cost cutting to a ridiculous degree.

 

[mikench]

Revros on left, Legalis center, Ninja right…
Attached Images
*

Decathlon I see!

 

[Keith M]

I forgive the manufacturers for aiming at the markets that bring them the most money hence things like deep spools but to add a spool reducer would cost literally nothing and cover more markets and customers for them. I also find the omission of a spare spool (at least where I am) unforgivable. I literally could not believe it so the guy in the shop kindly took off all the anti theft devices & opened all the boxes for me as I wanted to be certain.

Its cost cutting to a ridiculous degree.

Thats exactly my thoughts too.

Keith

 

[108831]

I agree wholeheartedly Philip and Keith,but bigger companies than daiwa and shimano use ridiculous cost cutting regimes and will undoubtedly continue to do so,they spend millions employing cost cutting teams who knit pick every little thing,glorifying their existence.

 

[Philip]

Your right Alan, the tipping point comes when the cost cutting goes so far people start avoiding the products. I probably wont be buying one of their reels for that very reason. If enough people do the same then perhaps they will start putting a spare spool in their boxes along with a 5p bit of plastic to reduce the spool depth.

 

[108831]

They wont,we are such a tiny amount of their business we don't count,I heard it from the horses mouth...

 

[Philip]

If we dont count they wouldnt have fishing tackle in thier product ranges so we do count but probably a long way down the line.

 

[sam vimes]

Don't assume that no reels come supplied with spare spools because many Daiwas and the odd Shimano doesn't. Out of the three different Shimanos I've bought in the last year or two (Stradic Ci4+ FB, Super GTRD and Stradic Ci4+ RA), only one didn't come with a spare spool. Incidentally, only one didn't have spool reducers and wide diameter sppols too.

The right reels are available if you look hard enough and are prepared to pay for them. Features and materials over and above the norm tend to cost a bit more. Most importantly, just because the hordes aren't singing the praises of of a certain make and model, it doesn't mean it's not a good reel.

 

[108831]

Agreed Chris(hope I got it right as Sam makes it hard for my brain to remember your real name),the reels you mention are by no means even mid-range price wise,if I paid that I would expect a spare spool,as I say the ninja 3012 I've bought has two aluminium spools,the second one(reel that is)cost £44.99,I think any less than that there is a good chance of no spare spool.

 

[sam vimes]

Agreed Chris(hope I got it right as Sam makes it hard for my brain to remember your real name),the reels you mention are by no means even mid-range price wise,if I paid that I would expect a spare spool,as I say the ninja 3012 I've bought has two aluminium spools,the second one cost £44.99,I think any less than that there is a good chance of no spare spool.

Price has very little bearing on whether a spare spool is supplied. Some seriously expensive reels don't come with one. Some fairly cheap reels do. On a reel costing around £50, with metal spools they retail at around £30, it always surprises me if they do come supplied with a spare.

However, one of the reels I mentioned (Super GTRD) is firmly in mid-range territory, especially when you consider that it is supplied with a spare spool. At the £60 I paid, it's far more of a bargain than any £50 Daiwa that isn't supplied with a spare. I've paid no more than £110 for the others either. I've got a nasty habit of researching and identifying what I want, shopping around, and then waiting for the right price. Knowing what I want and paying little attention to whatever are the latest forum favourites also pays dividends.

 

[108831]

Price has very little bearing on whether a spare spool is supplied. Some seriously expensive reels don't come with one. Some fairly cheap reels do. On a reel costing around £50, with metal spools they retail at around £30, it always surprises me if they do come supplied with a spare.

However, one of the reels I mentioned (Super GTRD) is firmly in mid-range territory, especially when you consider that it is supplied with a spare spool. At the £60 I paid, it's far more of a bargain than any £50 Daiwa that isn't supplied with a spare. I've paid no more than £110 for the others either. I've got a nasty habit of researching and identifying what I want, shopping around, and then waiting for the right price. Knowing what I want and paying little attention to whatever are the latest forum favourites also pays dividends.

Sorry I mis-read the super GTRD for another reel and I did not realise that some expensive reels had only one spool,terrible I think...

 

[stillwater blue]

Sorry I mis-read the super GTRD for another reel and I did not realise that some expensive reels had only one spool,terrible I think...

It's due to the, mainly American, lure fishing market and fact they don't want a spare spool. Incredibly frustrating if you happen to be a coarse angler outside of America though.

 

[Philip]

Most importantly, just because the hordes aren't singing the praises of of a certain make and model, it doesn't mean it's not a good reel.

Agree with that. Although in this case it was for the opposite reason I started the thread...the Ninja has endless people singing its praises but (at least to me) it does not really have anything that makes it standout from a number of other reels in the same price bracket so I as trying to get my head round what exactly made it so popular.

 

[108831]

But the Legalis is a dearer reel than the ninja and even £10 is in my view a fair amount percentage wise,let's not forget,we would all like to think for every pound you are spending(on a daiwa or shimano at least)you are getting a better product,not always true,but as a rule.

My second ninja arrived this morning,this one has been loaded for the float with 3 and 5.4lb bs.