What's the difference?

itsfishingnotcatching · May 9, 2011

This may strike senior (and probably some junior) members as a stupid question

but as the new river season approaches I am contemplating buying a centrepin reel. I read with interest the thread on the Marco Cortesi reel and it's value for money appeal but am curious why, on average, a course reel is dearer than a fly reel (Shakespeare appear to have several fly reels under £30, and even Okuma centrepins seem expensive compared to budget models produced by supposed big names such as Greys and Hardy)

Ray Roberts · May 9, 2011

I think that in the main the price is set by what the market will bear. Some reels are hand made and then a premium can be justified. Most however are no more involved than a fly reel and several hundred pounds for a simple drum and a couple of bushes/bearings is way over the top. Lets face it they are not at the cutting edge of technology.

beerweasel · May 9, 2011

Yes most pins are far too pricey, although Fishing republic do one for under a tenner. Might be because they are hand machined, never used one but they look sexy as f**k

Peter Jacobs · May 9, 2011

I think that at the lower end of the market that a cheap fly reel is probably less expensive than a cheap centrepin reel.

That said, if you look at the top end, a Whitcher Aerial Centrepin will set you back between 500 and 600 pounds, and that's about the same price as a custom paint job on an Abel fly reel.

In the middle you have Sage Fly reels and, say, Youngs Purists around 250 to 300 pounds a piece.

As someone above said, it has a lot to do with what the market will pay.

sam vimes · May 9, 2011

While I'd agree that most centrepins are way overpriced you are comparing apples and oranges when comparing centrepins to fly reels. They might look similar but that's where the similarity ends. Fly reels are nothing but glorified line holders, there's no requirement for them to run smoothly as there is with a genuine centrepin used for trotting.

Hardy centrepin.

Top of the range Hardy fly reel.

Greys centrepin.

Top of the range Greys fly reel.

itsfishingnotcatching · May 9, 2011

beerweasel said:
although Fishing republic do one for under a tenner

Has anyone tried one of these? (Theseus Shadowlanda 6" Diameter)

sam vimes said:
there's no requirement for them to run smoothly as there is with a genuine centrepin used for trotting.

So, in essence, the difference is only in the bearings,

barbelboi · May 9, 2011

Centrepins for coarse angling will revolve freely, where as a fly reel is mainly used as a resevoir to hold the line.

PaSC (failed)

geoffmaynard · May 9, 2011

Theseus Shadowlanda 6"
I met Martin Porter who I think was was using one of these on the Itchen last winter. He thought it was wonderful value for money. It looked horrible to me, I wouldn't give it house room even if it only cost a pound. The MC reel on the other hand looks and feels like quality and for the thirty odd quid price tag I think it's amazing. So, horses for courses I guess, as per usual.

sam vimes · May 9, 2011

itsfishingnotcatching said:
So, in essence, the difference is only in the bearings,

Strictly speaking, no, a true centrepin doesn't have any bearings. However, many modern ones do. A pin with bearings is likely to cost a lot less than a true centrepin reel which are usually produced by hand and on a very small scale, often to old patterns/designs. They usually cost many hundreds of pounds if not thousands.

itsfishingnotcatching · May 9, 2011

geoffmaynard said:
Theseus Shadowlanda 6"
I met Martin Porter who I think was was using one of these on the Itchen last winter. He thought it was wonderful value for money. It looked horrible to me, I wouldn't give it house room even if it only cost a pound. The MC reel on the other hand looks and feels like quality and for the thirty odd quid price tag I think it's amazing. So, horses for courses I guess, as per usual.

$64,000 Question Geoff, for a tenner, did he catch?

What's the difference?

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