bargain $500 spinning reels possible ??

[spears]

With so much talk about these stella’s and saltiga’s spinning reels upto $1000 price range.

I was wondering What can be bought for less $$$ that can give you a good run for your money.

We know that with these top dollar reels have some quality gear in side of them but surely we should be able to buy some thing out there at around half price.

Dragging $500 out of your pocket for a fishing reel can be a weeks wages for some people so making a decision on what to buy and last would be my concern..

[TonyM]

Around the $500 mark I think it's pretty hard to go past the Certate. Same gears as the Saltiga, strong smooth drag, and a pleasure to use.

[bayfisher]

How about the Diawa Catalina or Ryobi Metaroyal.

[BR65]

certate for sure

[reggy]

I have been a lover of overhead reels for a long time. Probably because the spin reels I have are older models and I do realise the advances in newer models are
amazing.
Hindsite is a very convenient thing , and I can say that if I could only have one or two reels to do everything, they would probably be a couple of $500.00 spin reels. Their versatility cannot be ignored.
But fortunately, I have been able to collect a few overheads, and would never give them up now., especially for those high sided boats.

Reggy::)

[spears]

Are the diawa's and shimano's the only choice.
Can we broaden our choice to other brands ??

Or the other price range would to get lower in price maybe even $300-$400

The best place to find this out would be here where people have tried doing this,so we will see what the out come is in this exercise.
Or is it just wish full thinking.

[Archer]

Diawa Luvias bit less than the certate and possibly almost as good??
Hope so anyway just waiting on a 2500 to arrive...

[Leighton]

A lot of the price depends on what size reel you are chasing. Purpose, line capacity you want etc.

[spears]

A lot of the price depends on what size reel you are chasing. Purpose, line capacity you want etc.

Line strength around 20 Lb..

[bayfisher]

There are plenty of good reels way under $500 if you only plan to only use 20lb string. I'm running 20lb on a little 3000 Diawa SOL and it has never missed a beat. Saltigas Stellas etc etc would no doubt be good If your looking to at running 12kg+ drag on 50lb to 80lb braid but for light stuff your choice for good quality well priced gear is endless.

Cheers Chris

[Tetsuo]

A certate 2500 would be a great place to start, the advantage being, you can customise most of the parts in the future to suit your needs. As archer said though the daiwa luvias is a great reel for the price. It is also customizable and is made out of a new light weight salt resistant alloy. It also uses newer tech then the certate and the weight is close to the exist ($929 bream reel) it does have fewer bearings though.

[NAGG]

The Certates would have to be the best $500 ish reel on the market ..... & the match of any reel produced by Shimano (IMHO). They are a very rugged reel with an awesome smooth yet powerful drag ..... virtually bullet proof
I certainly rate my Certates above my Stella

As for a Luvias being close to the Certate :o I think not ( nice mid priced finesse reel though)

Nagg

[GPB]

Missing the 'Topic' completely guys, talking about Diawa Exsist=$900+, Sol 3000, Certate 2500, 20lb line:-/, 'hey; a Stella 2500 is -$700 and is not the $1000 Stella 20000 [actually $850-950] and Saltiga 6500 this topic was about, reels that fish 80, 100, 130lb line using 12-16kg of drag for chasing GT's, Ambo's, Kingies, Sampson and Billfish.
Spears , you changed the goalposts in posts 6 and 9, you either have a topic about top medium reels like Sol, Certate and Twinpower etc or try and find that elusive $500 reel to match the big guns, good luck if you can::) .

Horses for courses and priced accordingly;D

[bayfisher]

Missing the 'Topic' completely guys, talking about Diawa Exsist=$900+, Sol 3000, Certate 2500, 20lb line:-/, 'hey; a Stella 2500 is -$700 and is not the $1000 Stella 20000 [actually $850-950] and Saltiga 6500 this topic was about, reels that fish 80, 100, 130lb line using 12-16kg of drag for chasing GT's, Ambo's, Kingies, Sampson and Billfish.
Spears , you changed the goalposts in posts 6 and 9, you either have a topic about top medium reels like Sol, Certate and Twinpower etc or try and find that elusive $500 reel to match the big guns, good luck if you can::) .

Horses for courses and priced accordingly;D

Th only 3 spinning reels around the $500 mark made for this sort of stuff that i can think of are the ryobi metaroyal, daiwa catalina and Shimano Saragosa. There are cheaper options again like spheros or the penn 9500.

Now if you want to look at overheads your options start to opening up.

Cheers Chris

[Roo]

The Certates would have to be the best $500 ish reel on the market ..... & the match of any reel produced by Shimano (IMHO). They are a very rugged reel with an awesome smooth yet powerful drag ..... virtually bullet proof
I certainly rate my Certates above my Stella

As for a Luvias being close to the Certate :o I think not ( nice mid priced finesse reel though)

Nagg

Luvius has a couple less bearings with a lighter & stiffer carbon fibre resin composite material for the body. the same spools, gears, handles...... If i ever need to replace my certate, i'll look to the luvius first myself as you get practically the same engineering for a lot less. I would say very close to the certate but with a mid price reel ticket.

[NAGG]

Luvius has a couple less bearings with a lighter & stiffer carbon fibre resin composite material for the body. the same spools, gears, handles...... If i ever need to replace my certate, i'll look to the luvius first myself as you get practically the same engineering for a lot less. I would say very close to the certate but with a mid price reel ticket.

Hmmm ..... We just fished a 2000 Luvias & 1500 Certate side by side. Both of us agreed that the Luvias was a nice reel ( I suggested the purchase::) ) ...... but it was not quite as smooth as the Certate nor felt as robust ( being lighter).

Keep in mind .... The reason for using the composites in the body , side plates & rotors ..... first & foremost was to keep the cost down .


Dont get me wrong .... The Luvias is nice ( for a plastic reel;) )

Nagg

[NickCurrey]

I use Shimano Spheros (12000) and Saltigas (5000 and 8000) and they have a good track record and under the $500 - use with mono and braid in the 20-30lb line class

Nick

[oldboot]

Want a reel bargin.

"the store that can not be mentioned" has a "quantity" of unpackaged "Fin Nor" "ultraquest" reels that they have had lying arround for ages. they have been reduced and reduced.
there are two sizes one that would be about a 4000 size and monster ooh arround 7000.
the small one is a 4 bering reel and the bigg one quotes 2 bearings.

now I'm not claiming these would be up to the fancy top shelf products but they don't seem half bad.

Old mate down at the local branch says that wquite a few blokes have taken them home with a " what the hec, at that price" atitude. and come back later to buy more with a smile on their face.

They were running reduced at something like $50...... the managers are sick of the sight of em and have reduced em to.




just under $24:o

At that they are a bargin.
Even for a " don't care" reel they are worth a look.

I braught a few home & they dont look half bad, the drags seem Ok (I've hooked em up to a tree and leant on em hard) and they runn and cast just fine.

Time will tell but at the price.... yep they are a bargin.

cheers

[szopen]

spears,

Not quite in the 500$ range (a fair bit less) but not sold in here is "Daiwa Freams J" reel (comes in 4000 and 4500 sizes), drag up to 9kg, smaller one packs 300m of 30lb braid, braid friendly bail, sort of Japanese version of budget jigging reel.

Have been using one for over two years, mostly for fishing in surf (so gets dunked on a regular basis), shower with fresh water on arrival home and cleaning every 6 months keeps it going very well.

Nice smooth drag and very strong, landed a few eagle rays over 40kg at Goolwa, no dramas.

[TonyM]

The Freams is the O/S version of the Capricorn which is a great reel, I've had a 2500 Capricorn for years and it's never missed a beat.

I have heard many good reports of the freams being used as a budget jigging reel - excellent bang for your buck on that one!

[szopen]

The Freams is the O/S version of the Capricorn which is a great reel, I've had a 2500 Capricorn for years and it's never missed a beat.

I have heard many good reports of the freams being used as a budget jigging reel - excellent bang for your buck on that one!

Freams J is a jigging version of Freams and at around 150$ is a very good value for money.

[bayfisher]

The Freams is the O/S version of the Capricorn which is a great reel, I've had a 2500 Capricorn for years and it's never missed a beat.

I have heard many good reports of the freams being used as a budget jigging reel - excellent bang for your buck on that one!

The freams 4500j and capricorn are basically the same reel, They have however improved/added to the Capricorn, 1 extra bearing, a different handle, some gold trim on the spool and over 150 dollars more to the price tag. Id still stick with the freams.

Cheers Chris

[TonyM]

The freams 4500j and capricorn are basically the same reel, They have however improved/added to the Capricorn, 1 extra bearing, a different handle, some gold trim on the spool and over 150 dollars more to the price tag. Id still stick with the freams.

Cheers Chris

Correct, although you forgot the spare spool you get with the Capricorn ;)

I agree the Freams is probably better value for money. At the time I bought the Capricorn (about 5 years ago) I was blissfully unaware of the advantages of Jap spec reels, I have since learned the error of my ways and now have a few JDM reels in my collection which are my favourites.

Cheers
Tony

[Hamish73]

So the freams 4500J would be a suitable reel for someone looking to get into jigging and throwing surface lures? What rod would you match it to>?

Thanks

[bayfisher]

So the freams 4500J would be a suitable reel for someone looking to get into jigging and throwing surface lures? What rod would you match it to>?

Thanks

The reel would defiantly be suitable. You would however need a different rod for jigging (nice and short) and popping (around the 8ft mark to cast those poppers a long way), some good rods can be had around the 250 mark. Take a look at the t curves from shimano or the monster mesh from daiwa.

[GPB]

The Freams and Capricorn 4500J are used a fair bit in light PE3-4 [30-40lb] jigging, rods that would match are the Daiwa Catalina and Saltist range and Shimano T-Curve 200 or the JigWrex range.

[spears]

OLDBOOT....... Can you send me a message re fin nor store..cheers

[Hamish73]

Thanks GPB and bayfisher :)
What would be a suitable rod for throwing lures at tuna? Would like somnething versatile that could be used for bottom bashing as well :-/

[warren clark]

Hi I own a stella 20000 and I'm pretty happy with it.But when looking for something a little cheaper I would suggest a Speros 14000 with Stella upgrade.
Last year on a 7 day fishing trip to Swains I fishing next to a guy using a Speros 14000 upgraded. He pull fish all day and all night, didn't look like getting smoked and was nailing some big fish. The biggest shark on that trip was landed also on a Speros 14000 with an upgrade.
The only speros I have seen that looked like it wasn't going to go the distance was a 14000 that wasn't upgraded and it's drag knob on the top had begain to melt as it was being smoked catching its 3rd large sail fish for the day.
My dad and 2 other guys have just bought a Speros 1400 with a stella upgrade kit in a combo wih the T/Curve 400 jig.spin 37 kg for $500.00 (a como) getting ready to go to Swains Reef. Maybe these reels are worth a look ? From what I have seen the go pretty hard for what they cost.

[GPB]

This is a Spheros with the full upgrade at work and to me it was working close to it's limit jigging up this 11kg Ambo, that's if you want to keep it going for a while. You can get 8kg of drag off a standard Spheros and 11kg and smoother drag off an upgraded one, the extra bearing also will prolong it's life heaps.

[spears]

GEE....Spheros 14000..... these reels can be bought for $200 and it performs..not bad..

ADD ....just rang the local tackle store and they are selling them for $249 already upgraded..i'll be going in this week to check it out..

[warren clark]

$249.00 sounds like a good price the last 3 I had done I thought they where closer to $150.00 on top of the reel.
You want to check that it is a full upgrade. You don't have to go the full upgrade. In a full upgrade you get a choice of a stella handle- football or T handle. I have a couple of freinds that have been quoted with and without handle upgrades. The bearing upgarde is where you get your extra drag and makes it a much smoother reel but I like the stella handle .
If you go that way its good to have alook at a stella before you buy your reel and work out your preference of handle. The stellas come with both football and T so you can change but with a speros upgrade you have to pick one or the other.

[Kleyny]

Want a reel bargin.

"the store that can not be mentioned" has a "quantity" of unpackaged "Fin Nor" "ultraquest" reels that they have had lying arround for ages. they have been reduced and reduced.
there are two sizes one that would be about a 4000 size and monster ooh arround 7000.
the small one is a 4 bering reel and the bigg one quotes 2 bearings.

now I'm not claiming these would be up to the fancy top shelf products but they don't seem half bad.

Old mate down at the local branch says that wquite a few blokes have taken them home with a " what the hec, at that price" atitude. and come back later to buy more with a smile on their face.

They were running reduced at something like $50...... the managers are sick of the sight of em and have reduced em to.




just under $24:o

At that they are a bargin.
Even for a " don't care" reel they are worth a look.

I brought a few home & they dont look half bad, the drags seem Ok (I've hooked em up to a tree and leant on em hard) and they runn and cast just fine.

Time will tell but at the price.... yep they are a bargin.

cheers
i was one of those blokes who thought why not it only 30 buck to date i havent used it. but i do have a smaller fin-nor on the plastics rod (also at a what the hell price) and i have come to trust it with whatever the passage can throw at it.

neil

[GPB]

Adding the Stella upgrade is nice but not needed and expensive, the added bearing and drag upgrade makes all the difference.
Spears, if the local is selling the reel at $250 upgraded I would pounce on it, as that would cover any f---ups you do putting in the parts, like breaking the fragile drag washers, as well as putting them in the sealed spool is a bit of a mission;D

[Hamish73]

hey spears which tackle shop is that? PM me if you dont want to post it

Found some info on the upgrade on another forum:
http://www.akff.net/wiki/index.php?title=Upgrade_Instructions_for_Shimano_S pheros_14000FA

Reading US forums, it seems that it's an 'aussie mod'

[spears]

Thanks guys for the heads up..
I'll get me self into the store at 10am check it out ask these few questions.

I did ask how much more for handle and drag upgrade=reply.. included..we'll see

if everything is correct i'll reply who's got it tomorrow after 6pm..need to make sure i don't get there and find out they didn't have any left due to a run out on phone orders..LOL

Hamish73 (http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/member.php?u=41819) i'll PM you 1st as you asked

[breamnut]

certate. very tough rel with an awsome drag.
out of all my others the cerate gets the most use by far

[breamnut]

[quote=oldboot;774070]Want a reel bargin.

"the store that can not be mentioned" has a "quantity" of unpackaged "Fin Nor" "ultraquest" reels that they have had lying arround for ages. they have been reduced and reduced.
there are two sizes one that would be about a 4000 size and monster ooh arround 7000.
the small one is a 4 bering reel and the bigg one quotes 2 bearings.

there no good. when i used to work at ##### we had alot come back with stickey drags and worn out gears within a few weeks.

[spears]

Re shimano spheros 14000

Ya see how everything changes in 24 hours..

Quote shop today..The other guy must have made a mistake giving you those prices.the reel is $249 plus for an extra $45 you get the upgrade of drag and handle....End quote..

So there you have it $294 for a full upgrade

[GPB]

That is still cheap, but what about the bearing?

[spears]

That is still cheap, but what about the bearing?

I got an idea that what he means by handle its probably just the bearing.

With a few saying that’s cheap I didn’t want to drive 7kl to get disappointed. He put me on hold twice for 10 mins just to get an end reply.

Honestly i lost interest as this now is more expensive than my imported fin-nor off shore reel,and i can't see this being any better a reel..But I should add that the spheros still would be a good reel as parts are available compared to the fin-nors which I would need to get OS..Especially when some says they can pull fish all day..interesting..