Who makes the best fixed spool reels?

[dezza]

A couple of years ago I would have said without hesitation: Shimano. Now, more and more I am coming down in favour of Daiwa, mainly because of how robust their reels are and how they stand up against abuse and salt water.

Two years ago I used a Daiwa salt water fixed spool reel off the Western Australian coast and hooked a dirty great shark on it. I had no chance of landing this monster which could have weighed upwards of 500 lbs, but I did get a glimpse of the fish and fought it for what seemed like 1/2 a day. It was a long time before the shark eventually bit through the trace.

I gave that reel a hell of a hammering and it stood up very well.

I also have a TDR reel I use for general float fishing using lines from 6 lbs to 2 lbs bs. What a wonderful little reel this is, as smooth as silk with a drag to be dreamed of. I have caught all sorts of fish on this reel from big tench to good roach, from near double figure barbel on the float to lots of perch.

But what do you think? Who in your opinion makes the best FS reels and why?

 

[Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC)]

Mitchell by a long shot. The simplicity of the gearing ensures reliable operation. Very little to go wrong on them.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

As I don't go Sea Fishing then salt corrosion is not one of my considerations.

So, for float and light leger work; A Shimano Stradic 2500.

For heavier leger work then the Shimano Stradic 4000. I also use these for most of my Tench fishing too

These Stradics are excellent reels, the clutch (drag) is super smooth and the fighting drag capability is an added bonus feature.

For Carp fishing then I returned to Daiwa a year or so ago, with the excellent Infinity 5500's.
Certainly not a cheap reel especially when you need 3 though!

The clutch (drag) is finely tunable, the extra long and deep spool takes masses of line, line lay is perfect, and to my mind (an advantage over the Shimano's) the lever you move to engage the 'batirunner' facility clicks OUTWARDS and folds back INWARDS when retrieving. Why do shimano do it the other way?
Its illogical Captain

 

[noknot]

For my 1000 th post, I agree with Ron! Cheers' FM:w

 

[beerweasel]

Mitchell by a long shot. The simplicity of the gearing ensures reliable operation. Very little to go wrong on them.

Which Mitchells old egg type or new? I haven't tried the new ones.

 

[Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC)]

There are many anglers that swear by the Mitchell 300 and rarely use anything else.

 

[beerweasel]

Have any of you used Magnesium reels ? because I hate the feel of Graphite bodied reels. I know Mitchell do one (looks nice), pfluegler (US), and Shakespeare but is too shiny (designed to catch anglers).

 

[barbelboi]

There are many anglers that swear by the Mitchell 300 and rarely use anything else.

I swear at mine too.

Re: the thread:
A close friend sings the praises of the TDR series although I have not used any Daiwa reel since the 70’s. I have never had a problem with any of my Shimano reels so no cause to defect as yet although I did buy an Epix some years ago that is still going strong. What I would like to know is how Daiwa sell the Tournament Basiair at approx £700 rrp (£599 on offer).......who buys them..... and has anyone ever seen one on the bank? Sounds a bit like the fishing world’s version of a concept car.

 

[little oik]

I use Shimano's for most of my fishing .I was given a korum baitrunner last year for my birthday but as of yet it hasn't had an outing .Perhaps I will get around to doing a product review with it in the next couple of years .(just doesnt ooze quality if you know what I mean)

 

[dezza]

Mitchell by a long shot. The simplicity of the gearing ensures reliable operation. Very little to go wrong on them.

Bollox!!!

I have trashed 2 x 300s and 2 x 410s in the 70s playing fish on them.

One sharp toothed catfish stripped the gears of a 410.

---------- Post added at 09:43 ---------- Previous post was at 09:41 ----------

As regards the Shimano Stradics, I have two of them and they are still as good as new.

However the gear ratio is too high.

 

[noknot]

Mitchell 300's have two good uses that I can see, Coffee beans and Black Pepper corns :wh

 

[dezza]

Nah, get yourself a proper coffee grinder.

When the Mitchell hit the SA market in 1952 is was automatically nicknamed the "Coffee Grinder".

Thank goodness for the Abu Cardinals!

 

[chav professor]

j w young ambidex! - super smooth worm driven gear, super clutch and made in England!!!

then Daiwa TDR series........

Mitchell 'coffee grinders' where the mainstay of carp anglers perhaps because they were not as smooth as a Cardinal. Just disengage the anti reverse and you could let the carp take line directly from the reel - handle spinning. The Cardinal was just too well made - you would just get a birds nest......

 

[sam vimes]

I'm a Shimano man through and through. Until the last three years or so I didn't buy a single reel for the best part of fifteen years though, the original Japanese Stradics and 5010GT Baitrunners just kept on going strong. I've expanded my gear a fair bit in the last three years and still stuck to Shimano, Ds, XTFAs, Twinpower Ci4s and Ultegra XTBs. So far none of them have let me down. The only thing that concerns me is that, in their haste to reduce weight, the modern reels don't seem quite as solid as the old ones. Time will tell but if they last for the best part of fifteen years, and I still use them, like the Stradics, I'll be well happy.

 

[stu_the_blank]

I have trashed 2 x 300s and 2 x 410s in the 70s playing fish on them.

Had similar experiences, I still have a late 1950' Mitchell (pre dates being called a 300) which still works, one 1970 version which is okay (the others didn't last) but the early 1980's version stripped it's gears very easily, the older ones had ally gears the newer versions, nylon. Clutch was also never a strong point.

Frankly, when I first used a Shimano in the late 80's I realised how dated the 300 had become. Museum piece I'm afraid. Very, very good in it's day but it's day has long gone imo.

I've used Shimano's since then, Baitrunners or Stradic GTM's mainly and found them generally to be very good for the type of fishing I do.

Most of my friends who either fish at very long range or for Cats use Diawa's as they seem to be more robust.

 

[beerweasel]

It's sad there's no British built reels,Hardy Brothers make coarse rods and a pin reel so why can't they make a fixed? I'd buy one. Do you remember the Abu Suveran ? they said that was the Rolls Royce of reels.

 

[stu_the_blank]

It's sad there's no British built reels,Hardy Brothers make coarse rods and a pin reel so why can't they make a fixed? I'd buy one.

According to 'The Lost World of Mr Hardy' they get their blanks made abroad now! I believe that they may assemble the rods here but I wouldn't put my house on it!

 

[Mark Salt]

It's sad there's no British built reels,Hardy Brothers make coarse rods and a pin reel so why can't they make a fixed? I'd buy one. Do you remember the Abu Suveran ? they said that was the Rolls Royce of reels.

I have always used Shimano Baitrunners, and have 5000, 8000 and LCs, plus a few smaller Diawa reels, but recently decided that I wanted something small and well engineered for eel fishing. I looked at ABU Suverans, as they are superbly engineered, but at £200+ secondhand, together with the difficulty of sourcing 4 good ones, I gave up. In the course of my searching I came across ABU Soron STX 60s. Described as "deliberately over engineered" and designed as a sea reel, with 11 bearings and the best clutch I have ever used! Several big eels to 7.11 over the last six months have put the reels through their paces, as they have all been "hit and haul" jobs. Best reels I have used, and good value for money. I got them for around £100 apiece for 4.

 

[dezza]

I knew of the Abu Suverans and I came very close to buying two of them ca 2000.

In the early days the Felton Crosswind, made by JW Young was, I think, the best of the fixed spool reels. It was under rated, even though **** Walker owned one and spoke well of it.

But along came the early Mitchell 300 which Walker rated as the best and went on to catch Clarissa with one he won.

Maybe for laying for hours in a rest and only being used occasionally the Mitchell might have been ideal. But the drag was awful, the gearing crude and the bail arm went the wrong way around for right handed anglers. On top of that the bit of metal that served as a line roller in the bail arm grooved very quickly which eventually put a line cutter in the line roller.

Walker was certainly the cause of the sale of far more Mitchells than the reel deserved.

I bought a large salt water Okuma reel for my son to use in Australia. It cost me A$125.00 and it seemed robust enough. I landed a fair kingy on it a few weeks ago. Okuma seem to do a few decent reels these days

---------- Post added at 13:20 ---------- Previous post was at 13:08 ----------

Oh by the way,

I notice that Daiwa have listened to my plea. In the 2010 catalogue is listed the TDX2508D and the TDX 3012D reels which feature among all the usual refinements: one touch spools!

That means to remove a spool, all you have to do is push the button at the front.

This is for a front drag reel!!

RRP £250

How the hell can I fiddle that sort of money??

mg:

 

[barbelboi]

. Okuma seem to do a few decent reels these days

Although I'm set in my 'Shimano reels' way Ron, come to think about it, I've rarely heard a bad word said about an Okuma. Only tried the original Epex pro myself with no complaints.