Buying a New Reel

When looking at buying a New reel what should we look out for ..........

What other than the Price influences you to buy a Reel ?

I don't think price is an issue now-a-days. pay more than, say, £30 for a reel and it will be perfectly adequate for most anglers. The only thing I look for is size (which of course always matters!), a good few ball bearings and not too much shiny stuff.

IMHO many reels today are much too big for what we use them for, which I suspect is a fashion thing coming from carp fishing.

Because most reels started life as spinning reels they are very much over engineered for the UK market as they will only be making tens of casts per day rather tha hundreds. In fact the only reels I've ever worn out were a Mitchell Prince which I had for over 20 years and used about once ot twice a week and a couple of Cardinal C5s which I wore out in about 4 years when I was in my Great Lakes Chinook salmon phase. I shudder to think how many casts (or, more importantly, retrieves) these last two reels had to make.

So really its down to

size - spool capacity, spool size (for long casting), dimensions (for ease of handling), weight (for less fatigue and for balance)
Quality - finish, reliability, durability

After that it's largely down to brand/model vanity

I've bought various reel and you do get what you pay for to some extent - I know stick to Shimano - I've used their reels and never found fault.

I have a Map reel that I don't use much, an Okuma that is ok but not up to my Shimanos

I've bought a couple of cheap reels when I started back fishing and had them break in about a year.

But I will give the new Drennan a good look over, I've heard good things about them.

So for me when buying a new reel it, word of mouth (or email) from someone I trust - recommendation goes a long way if you know the person recommending things to you. Also price I'd not pay a fortune but I'd not buy cheap, and lastly my own experience of using a brand.
As to the size, type of reel that would depend on what I'm wanting the reel for

These are the things I look for when buying a new reel:

1. The reputation of the manufacturer for both service and spares.

2. The balance on the rod(s) that I intend to use the reel with.

3. Size/capacity of the spool(s) and the availability of spare spools.

4. The general build quality.

5. The quality of the drag, and if fitted the fighting drag and/or baitrunner mechanisms.

6. A roller bail arm, most have them these days,but not all . . .

7. If a centre pin reel then balance and ease of 'spin' together with free run with no 'wobble'

8. Last but not least, does it really meet my specification for the type of fishing I will do with it. Plus, will it substitute for a different type/method of fishing as well.

I am not too hung-up on colour these days, that said I do wish my Shimano Stradics were black, as they were in the good old days . . . . .

You definately need to get tactile when choosing reels. Best visit a tackle shop as this is something you cannot do online.
As said, smootheness and weight, looks though no bling please and for me a good fighting drag, preferably rear adjusting.
Like his lordship, I go with Shimanos though I do have a couple of small Okuma baitrunners which are very good though some bling have come of the front drag/spool locking which is no bad thing.
The only thing you cannot test in the shop, which is very inpotant is line lay.

I mean for myself Budget always plays a big part in what i buy, but if i had say £50.00p to buy a Reel with there are other aspects that would influence which reel i bought.

Believe it or not the Make of the Reel genuinely doesn't influence me a whole lot.

Spare Spools (Plastic or Metal), Reel Size, Ball Bearings, Instant Anti Reverse, even Handle choices influence me a lot when choosing a reel, and i have even started to check out the Line Clip as i tend to use one a lot when feeder fishing.

Daiwas for float and feeder fishing. Shimano for BAitrunners. IMO

Jon

I rarely look at any other make than Daiwas and Shimanos.

Reason being : OK they cost a bit more when you buy them, but in 5 or 10 years time when you may want to sell them they bring in a better 2nd hand price.

Recently I sold two Shimano 10000 s for a friend who'd paid £220 for them. They sold for £160. The write down cost was therefore just £30 per reel for over 6 years use!

That is GOOD!

Stealph Viper said:

I mean for myself Budget always plays a big part in what i buy, but if i had say £50.00p to buy a Reel with there are other aspects that would influence which reel i bought.

Believe it or not the Make of the Reel genuinely doesn't influence me a whole lot.

Spare Spools (Plastic or Metal), Reel Size, Ball Bearings, Instant Anti Reverse, even Handle choices influence me a lot when choosing a reel, and i have even started to check out the Line Clip as i tend to use one a lot when feeder fishing.

Click to expand...

I'm the same Steph, I don't care who makes them, I have reels I got as subscription offers from C.F. about 7 or 8 years ago and they're still going strong D.A.M. , I also have Daiwa, Okuma, Shakespeare, Shimano and Wychwood reels. If they feel right then they get a chance.

I've got to say though, my current favourites is the Extremis by Wychwood, they are perfect for my fishing, I use 1 set of size 60's for carp & pike and a set of size 40's for fishing with Avon specialist rods, they're very smooth and have great line lay.

I been bite once too often with cheap reels , had one where the bail arm sprang open after 6 month, the Map has a clutch that's either on or off at the slightest turn and one reel that fell apart when I was cleaning it with a cloth - not taking it apart just giving it a polish

I totally agree with Sean...I think the reels in general use by the majority of anglers are far too big and heavy unless they are bought that way for a particular reason or to do a specific job.

I dont carp or pike fish so I dont need big heavy reels...in fact the largest I own is a 4000 size which I use very occasionally...most are 3000 the biggest others in regular use 3500. It has to balance the rod its intended for and look half decent too.

What influences me ? Performance,a good review,reputable brand and cost. Above around 30-35 nicker I dont think there is a bad reel out there...I would not touch the really cheap ones but I simply dont accept that I will notice the difference in performance between a [say] £50 f/s reel and a £150 f/s reel.

I was a Shimano man but unconsciously I seem to have replaced all my old Shimano's with Daiwas . I still have a couple of 2500 size Exage's [very good] but the reels I use most are my Daiwa Excellers [brilliant] and Capricorns [old but also still brilliant]. I have an original Okuma Epix for feeder work and a very nice Spro which I got for £20 because of a cosmetic flaw.That's a very nice reel too. I'd happily use any brand if I felt it would do the job I want it to do and came at a reasonable price.Line lay is important.The Daiwa's are superb in that respect.

The Prestons I think are vastly overpriced for what they are and the Drennan is OK but the equivalent Shaky I think is a better reel and certainly better value.

I do suffer a bit from brand loyalty....I will always look at a Daiwa first because currently I think they are the best all round reels available.