Ninja doubts

[Philip]

I have been going back and forth on getting myself a Diawa Ninja reel for ages. Its had rave reviews on here and elsewhere but the thing is every time I pick it up and give it a spin I just don’t like it !

A local shop currently has a good offer on the 2000 model and once again I was tempted but then picked it up had a play and just could not bring myself to buy it. Its like I am trying to convince myself but I just cant. I dont know what it is…its got a sort of thin & slightly cheap feel about it.

Next to it was a Daiwa Revros (I dont know how widely available that would be in the UK) a Legalis and a Shimano Nexave…they all just felt better to me and with a very small difference in price. The Revros in particular felt ALLOT better but then again I have been fooled by reels in the past based on how they felt in the shop and regretted it later.

I was interested to know what people thought.

 

[108831]

I'm well pleased with mine,can't say I've noticed a cheap feel,like you do with maver or okuma reels,yet many rate them,I think it you want top quality your going to have to pay for it,a minimum of upwards of £100,probably 150,if your happy with reels of good to fair quality then £50-100,even then that is daiwa and shimano,the other manufacturers would have to come with a respected endorsement for me.

 

[terry m]

Philip, I have no idea about that specific reel, but if it doesn’t feel right then avoid it.

 

[peter crabtree]

If you're not in any great need for a reel (or any other item) why not save up for a few months and buy a top of the range one instead.
That's what I've always done and it pays off in the long run.
Get what you really want but not immediately.

 

[103841]

Completely agree with the above sentiment.

I bought a Ninja reel to mainly use for drop shotting, for a budget reel it’s good value but I can understand Phillips concerns about its looks and feel. To me it does look a bit “blingy” and materials used are super thin keeping costs down. It’s a very popular reel with the new generation of young lure anglers, I suspect Daiwa have purposely designed and priced the Ninja at this market.

I’ve become a fan of the rather old Shimano Rarenium reels, I’ve bought a few used ones and even found some brand new ones, a terrific reel, well engineered, looks good and built to last. Patient window shopping on FB or Ebay throws up a bargain occasionally, this one will fetch good money I suspect.

Shimano Rarenium Ci4 25OOFA Pristine Condition Displayed Only !! | eBay

 

[S-Kippy]

You think the Ninja is "blingy" ? Compared to that Shimano thing its understated.

I have a Ninja. Its a perfectly decent reel but if there is something about it that niggles then I wouldn't buy one. I didnt like the red spool much but ( of course) once you load it with line most of the red disappears.

I also think it matters how much stick a reel is likely to get. My Ninja is only ever likely to see infrequent use so it would be pointless me shelling out on a top of the range reel....but if I was using it consistently 2-3 times a week then I might well want something a bit more robust/better engineered.

 

[Philip]

Its true that getting a top end model you are unlikely to be disappointed. However whilst I dont really need a new reel I would not mind getting a new one for coupling with a lighter rod for float fishing and the Ninja has had so much positive feedback its hard to ignore.

Given all the great things people said about it I wondered if it was one of those rare occasions were there was a really top class product that was underpriced.

Has anyone out there used a Daiwa Revros or Legalis ? …both those felt much smoother and basically better reels. The Revros in particular is almost the same price. I find it strange the Ninja gets all the attention.

 

[108831]

I would be perfectly happy using the ninja 3012a that I have for barbel fishing using 3ozs leads and repeated use,it would probably did after 3-5 years,but I wouldn't expect anything else in that price range,normally float and feeder fishing however it would last considerably longer and I would expect that after using two to three times a week,I would ask this from any angler,match,specimen,or pleasure,would a four times as expensive reel win you more matches,catch bigger fish,or more fish,I think not,as long as the line lay is good and it runs well,everything is rosy,in the main it's what's between your ears that catches more fish,just don't buy one of those Shakespeare's Philip,they felt great by the way,it wasn't until you tried to put line on it gave itself away as garbage.

 

[nottskev]

We have to use what we can afford - but for me that would be a second hand reel from a higher-priced range rather than a new cheaper one. Most of the reels I own came off ebay, where there is no shortage of barely used and unused tackle.

As to liking an item, I'd be inclined to trust my first impressions. I can't recall many occasions where I got to like something that didn't appeal at first (although it works differently for fishing tackle than, say, music or people) so if I don't really like it in the shop, or when I try someone's, I don't buy it as it's unlikely to grow on me. Or at least that's the theory - I've still managed to buy a few things against my own better judgement in spasms of retail therapy.

Calculating how much it will get used and how long it will last is unquestionably a rational way to judge if a reel's worth it. But then, there's the question of how it feels/how you feel about it every time you use it, and whether the idea of not having to replace it adds to your enjoyment. It depends, I suppose, where a person fits on that spectrum between treating tackle as a tool and seeing it as part of the pleasure.

 

[mikench]

They look similar and have a similar spec. The Revros has the LT feature( light and tough) which the Ninja may not! Decathlon here and the Uk sell both. I like the Ninja but small perch hardly prove it's worth.

On balance i prefer Shimano. The Stradic and the Aero and X Aero are excellent reels in my book. If I wanted a lightweight, strong reel for float fishing( and not a pin) I would go for the Stradic C14 +RA 4000. It's superb and has already seen a lot of use with small roach and carp to 11lb. A few other members on here rate them too.It has a spare spool and spool reducers! I rate it highly! Save up Philip!

It will be cheaper in the Uk but Pêcheur have it at €229 and Fishing Tackle 24 at €172.75. I would wait for the May bank holiday 10% off at most on line dealers.

 

[108831]

No answers to my question 'would catch more fish's on a reel four times as expensive as a ninja(my 3012a was £47.50),so say £200,I'm interested to know opinions???

 

[Jim Crosskey 2]

Alan, I don't think that £200 reel would do the job any better - providing the line lay on the ninja is ok and the drag is set right?

HOWEVER.... how often do we talk about confidence in fishing? My only point being, once you lose confidence in a piece of equipment then pretty much all the pleasure you derive from fishing can be lost.

My own take on this is first impressions count! If you have doubts about the product before you've even bought it then those doubts likely won't ever go away. So better off to buy one of the other two which you've already identified as feeling better in the flesh than the ninja.

I spent many years selling guitars to people. Quite often, a relative newcomer would come in to the shop looking for advice on what instrument to buy. Very often, they would have waded through countless reviews and would then fire off loads of that retained information in regards to the various woods used in the construction and so on... however, my take on this would often be to try to back things up a bit... forget about the reviews for a second, just look and hold an instrument for a while and try to work out if you like it or not. If you don't like it, then don't buy it!! Because if you don't like it, it will just sit in the corner of the room gather dust. If you DO like it, then you'll be far more likely to pick it up every day (and thus get better at it). I guess the point I was trying to get across is that there should be some basic chemistry going on before you start worrying about the benefits of a maple or rosewood fretboard (which as a relative newcomer, you're probably not going to appreciate anyway).

BTW, that's not to suggest anything in terms of the OP being a newcomer to angling. It sounds like this isn't the first reel you've bought One other thing i'd mention - I use a Shimano Stradic 2500 GTM RC for all my waggler fishing and I think it's brilliant. It does have a really effective fighting drag which I have found to be very useful. It's more expensive than the Ninja - probably twice as much (about £90) - but definitely something else to consider if you were going to go for something a bit more expensive.

 

[108831]

I have several more expensive reels than the ninja,much more in fact,can't say the reel feels misplaced in my kit.

 

[sam vimes]

As much as people rave about Daiwa reels, there's always something about every model I've picked up that I don't quite like. Much of it is down to looks, which is entirely subjective. However, certain features are just not to my taste either. I don't like the dirty great air bails. They may be great, but they don't look, or feel, right to me. I don't tend to like Daiwa handles, both shapes and materials. However, the biggest single off putting factor for me is feel. When I say "feel" I'm talking about the way the reel feels when turning the handle. It's probably just that they don't feel like my favoured Shimanos, but they tend to feel weird to me.

No doubt some of the Daiwa enthusiasts will feel the exact opposite. Good luck to them, but they'll have to forgive me in ignoring their recommendations. That's the snag with both rod and reel recommendations. Unless you have a good idea that your preferences tend to align with the person making the recommendation, there's not much point in following the recommendation.

 

[108831]

Its funny that,I find my stradic 4000 RD reels don't feel quite right,but they are brilliant reels,I have two daiwa excelers 3000 and 4000 sizes,I like the airbail a lot,reels feel much better on the rod than spinning in your hand.

 

[sam vimes]

Its funny that,I find my stradic 4000 RD reels don't feel quite right,but they are brilliant reels,I have two daiwa excelers 3000 and 4000 sizes,I like the airbail a lot,reels feel much better on the rod than spinning in your hand.

I've tried them on rods yet they feel no better to me. I simply don't tend to like the feel of Daiwa reels. To that end, there's absolutely no point in telling me that they are brilliant. You simply like a reel to look and feel different to my preferences. Exactly what I was trying to say previously.

As I was saying, when looking for recommendations, you've simply got to look for those that come from folks whose preferences most closely align with your own. Buying based on recommendations from those whose preferences don't align with your own, no matter how glowing the testimony, is a recipe for disappointment.

 

[mikench]

As I was saying, when looking for recommendations, you've simply got to look for those that come from folks whose preferences most closely align with your own. Buying based on recommendations from those whose preferences don't align with your own, no matter how glowing the testimony, is a recipe for disappointment.

I have followed this advice without disappointment to date in Angling terms and am about to do so again.:wh

 

[108831]

I'm about to try cadence float rod,so watch this space,lol...

 

[mikench]

I will be very interested in your review Alan.

 

[108831]

I've been pledged to secrecy...:wh

I've been talking to James Robbins this afternoon,a very helpful guy,I will place an order Monday,so I'm sure I will be available to receive delivery...don't want her indoors getting her hands on it...