Centrepin reels

steve2 · Jun 19, 2017

When went to the tackle shop they were selling what appear to be good quality centre pin reels called the Wensum and the Severn plus others. The spin well, have ratchets that work and for less than £40 just how do they do them for the price. I think they are sold under the Stillwater brand.I assume the shop is buying them in a lot cheaper.

Whether or not they last as long as my centrepins doesn’t matter I could buy 5 and still have change from what I have spent on mine.

tigger · Jun 19, 2017

Steve...as the old saying goes...."you get what you pay for" and I think that saying is about right for the biggest part.

binka · Jun 19, 2017

They certainly look nice enough.

The Wensum...

The Severn...

The Severn looks very much like the Okuma Sheffield imo and that's a bearing pin too.

I agree with Ian in general but if they perform well enough, stand the test of time and the stresses of use then what's not to like?

Jeff Woodhouse · Jun 19, 2017

I would bet that the Wensum is the same as the Marco Cortesi. I wrote this review and if you get a good one, they're fine. If you get a bad one, return it for a replacement.
https://www.fishingmagic.com/review-marco-cortesi-signature-centrepin-reel-by-avanti/

The Severn is probably made by the same company that make the Okuma Sheffield - check the way it's made, the fittings and sizes. The hub (?) is slightly different to maintain the design characteristics, but I reckon it's an Okuma in all but name.

Look at the saving though, £70 as opposed to £200. I have a Youngs, but I much prefer to use a no-name copy of another Okuma. I even like that Marco Cortesi one, works a treat.

Okuma Sheffield
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/...l2C7Y1SVK1qP0jffyFDcPfOdgoIW-VRXBRHilR3Cp0RiQ

tigger · Jun 19, 2017

They don't look in the slightest like an okuma to me.

binka · Jun 19, 2017

tigger said:
They don't look in the slightest like an okuma to me.

I agree on the Wensum and you know far more about these sort of things than me but I'm struggling to find differences with the Severn...

davebhoy · Jun 19, 2017

Looks similar to a Sheffield but it doesn't look like the same reel to me.

dorsetandchub · Jun 19, 2017

The handle screws are flush on the one and countersunk on the other - could make all the diffrerence

tigger · Jun 20, 2017

binka said:
I agree on the Wensum and you know far more about these sort of things than me but I'm struggling to find differences with the Severn...

The only thing that looks the same to me is the face plate and centre screw. Maybe okuma have supplied those parts?...or maybe they've been copied off the okuma reels?

robtherake · Jun 20, 2017

I'd have a punt on the Severn reel, having already bought a Cortesi and liked it - the big gap between spool and body and the lollystick-in-the-spokes ratchet sound are its only real failings, and even that can be ignored at the price. Having said that, £70 gets you a second-hand Okuma....

trotter2 · Jun 20, 2017

I have looked at those as well .
If you have had a sheffield before you know they have a certain feel to them,hard to describe but I am sure you know what I mean.
Do they have a similar feel if not I would say they are a copy .
Never had hold of one myself but I am sure I could tell in 5 minutes if its by the same makers

mikench · Jun 20, 2017

It does look similar to the Sheffield! I am happy with the real thing I think!

Jeff Woodhouse · Jun 20, 2017

tigger said:
The only thing that looks the same to me is the face plate and centre screw. Maybe okuma have supplied those parts?...or maybe they've been copied off the okuma reels?

I think you'll find that 'Okuma' is just a brand name. My bet is another manufacturer makes the reels for them and they probably make both reels since the screws are in similar positions and I'll bet you'll find the ratchet on the back is the same (with two screws holding the spring thing in). It's not worth copying since so many things can be just not right. These small details are so precise in measurement that the two reels have to have come from the same manufacturer, but there has to be certain differences since Okuma will have paid for their design and wouldn't want it copied identically down to the last hole. I have one like an Okuma Avanta (is it called?), yet it's a no name and runs sweet as a nut.

Always remember though what Clint Eastwood said in 'The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.' - "Every gun makes its own tune." In other words, two reels, same make, same model, same size, can behave quite differently.

davebhoy · Jun 20, 2017

Jeff Woodhouse said:
I think you'll find that 'Okuma' is just a brand name. My bet is another manufacturer makes the reels for them and they probably make both reels since the screws are in similar positions and I'll bet you'll find the ratchet on the back is the same (with two screws holding the spring thing in). It's not worth copying since so many things can be just not right. These small details are so precise in measurement that the two reels have to have come from the same manufacturer, but there has to be certain differences since Okuma will have paid for their design and wouldn't want it copied identically down to the last hole. I have one like an Okuma Avanta (is it called?), yet it's a no name and runs sweet as a nut.

Always remember though what Clint Eastwood said in 'The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.' - "Every gun makes its own tune." In other words, two reels, same make, same model, same size, can behave quite differently.

Jeff

Difficult to tell from looking but the rim on the spool looks different on the sheffield - the edges of the spool look very square on the Severn - and the material its made from looks different - it looks from the picture like the material on the severn is the same as the other pin which looks the same as the cortesi.

The Sheffield has a solid back, there seems to be holes in the Severn which makes me think they've used the design of the courtesy and copied a sheffield for the spool

If it is made with the same material as the Cortesi, which seems likely to me, it's not a Sheffield! The Cortesi and the Sheffield feel and perform very differently imo

Very true about the same reel behaving differently, I had to return my first Sheffield because the bearings weren't right

Jeff Woodhouse · Jun 20, 2017

davebhoy said:
The Cortesi and the Sheffield feel and perform very differently imo

Those would be quite different and I think, different manufacturers.

davebhoy · Jun 20, 2017

Jeff Woodhouse said:
Those would be quite different and I think, different manufacturers.

Yeah, agreed. I think the Severn looks more like its a Sheffield copy manufactured at the same place as the Wensum and therefore the Cortesi, though. It looks like they've taken the Cortesi and made a spool to fit that looks like a Sheffield, and rebadged the Cortesi as a Wensum

I could be completely wrong though, of course.

I'm a bit biased, I owned a Cortesi's and I really didn't like it for trotting, I probably don't want the Severn to be as good as the Sheffield I paid so much money for

tigger · Jun 20, 2017

Jeff Woodhouse said:
I think you'll find that 'Okuma' is just a brand name. My bet is another manufacturer makes the reels for them and they probably make both reels since the screws are in similar positions and I'll bet you'll find the ratchet on the back is the same (with two screws holding the spring thing in). It's not worth copying since so many things can be just not right. These small details are so precise in measurement that the two reels have to have come from the same manufacturer, but there has to be certain differences since Okuma will have paid for their design and wouldn't want it copied identically down to the last hole. I have one like an Okuma Avanta (is it called?), yet it's a no name and runs sweet as a nut.

Always remember though what Clint Eastwood said in 'The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.' - "Every gun makes its own tune." In other words, two reels, same make, same model, same size, can behave quite differently.

If this is the Avanta you have ...

OKUMA AVENTA VT 1000 CENTREPIN REEL - carp stalking

...then it can't really run very well since it has no bearings and isn't a true pin. The reel isn't a trotting reel but is more for static fishing.

If the aventa you have is the VT1002.....

OKUMA AVENTA CENTERPIN FLOAT FISHING REEL | eBay

....then yes it will run very well as it has bearings.

I think your assumptions are just that "assumptions" and I think the cheap reels are again just that....""cheap reels" and are ok for someone who simply can't afford a better quality reel or are happy to use a cheap'o one.

Keith M · Jun 20, 2017

The name "Stillwater Severn" is a hint that it probably isn't as good for trotting on rivers as the Sheffield is, so I wouldn't buy it if I wanted another good trotting reel like the Sheffield or the Aventa Pro even if it does have the same face plate as the Sheffield.

Otherwise why is it called a 'Stillwater Severn'?
That in itself is a conflicting name as the Severn as we all know is a river

Keith

davebhoy · Jun 20, 2017

Keith M said:
The name "Stillwater Severn" is a hint that it probably isn't as good for trotting on rivers like the Sheffield is, so I wouldn't touch it if I wanted a good trotting reel like the Sheffield or Aventa Pro even if it does have the same face plate as the Sheffield.

Otherwise why is it called a 'Stillwater Severn'?

Keith[/QUOTE]

Haha, very true

---------- Post added at 06:18 ---------- Previous post was at 06:10 ----------

tigger said:
If this is the Avanta you have ...

OKUMA AVENTA VT 1000 CENTREPIN REEL - carp stalking

...then it can't really run very well since it has no bearings and isn't a true pin. The reel isn't a trotting reel but is more for static fishing.

If the aventa you have is the VT1002.....

OKUMA AVENTA CENTERPIN FLOAT FISHING REEL | eBay

....then yes it will run very well as it has bearings.

I think your assumptions are just that "assumptions" and I think the cheap reels are again just that....""cheap reels" and are ok for someone who simply can't afford a better quality reel or are happy to use a cheap'o one.

Hi Tigger

As far as I know the Aventa VT1000 is a bushing 'pin and is a "real" 'pin

108831 · Jun 20, 2017

I have a few pins including an Okuma Sheffield,it a nice reel,I also bought a Matt Hayes limited edition pin which people have told me are garbage,it's been a good little trotting reel for me,i've had it more than two years and it spins like a top and has adjustment on the rate of spin unlike the Sheffield,Okuma have jumped on the bandwagon pricing their reels,as when I bought mine they were a lot cheaper and a Youngs they are not...

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