Thread: 500 size reels

Originally Posted by skeetbum

Heavy to spin. That’s a term I’ve never heard but it speaks volumes and I’ve had it in my head for a lot of years. It’s the reason I never liked the Mitchell 300. A hallowed reel that many dearly love but just never appealed to me. I have a couple of reels that will rotate a full turn, or pretty close, from the weight of the handle being shifted from 12 o’clock vertical to 12:30. An absolute pleasure in hand and draws comments from whoever uses it while in my boat. That is one of the holy grails I search for. Now I just have to handle the one I’m looking for when I have a couple of nickels I won’t miss in the bank. I’m a weak man when I have a great piece of gear in my hand, the new rod I posted of is proof of that.

Sometimes a new piece of gear just cries out “take me home”. We’re only passing this way once - go for iT if you can.
Bob

“Heavy to spin “ . That’s exactly how I would describe the newer Shimano 500 reels . I’ve owned the Sahara 500 , the Nasci 500 , and the one I returned before it was too late for a refund , the Sedona 500 .
Are they smooth reels , absolutely! But , the energy needed to get them started spinning is the deal killer .
What is different in these new model reels ? Hagane gears . Which are hammer forged , I believe I read somewhere , instead of being machined . Another name for stamped gears . I’m sure this was changed because it’s cheaper to stamp out gears than it is to machine them . The tolerances are so tight , the gears mesh too tightly together.
The finest Shimano 500 reel I own is the Symetre 500FL followed by the Sahara 500FE. These are great little reels , especially the Symetre .
A smooth reel is not necessarily an easy to wind reel .

I agree with skeetbum on the Mitchel reels. Every time I see them on the rack, I ask myself why I don't have one, then I pick one up and remember. A Mitchel, for the money isn't a close competitor, to the Shimano and Daiwa offerings. I have one Pflueger, it is a Supreme 20 or 25, I forget which but it is very small. I chose it because it balanced my Dobyn's rod very well and felt almost as smooth the Regal it was in competition with. The regal was just too heavy and brought the tip up too high for my comfort.

I have never noticed my Saharas being heavy to spin. They are my other "go to" reel. I have 4 Regals and 4 Saharas, I do not have a favorite in the Daiwa vs Shimano race. I picked up a Vanford the other day and fell in love. At that price point I had to wonder if there was something even better. That is what spawned this thread, and subsequently, led me to investigating the JDM market and wondering if a Vanford that leaves Japan is better than the one at Bass Pro?? Weight is my major concern for this reel. The Rod I have built came in at 49g's and I would like to keep this rig as light as possible. Then you have to ask; Is the Vanford really $100 better than the Ultegra? Is that 1oz difference worth the money? Is the Ultegra $75 better than a Legalis/Regal, or Sahara?? I guess your money buys the weight savings.

I know I have thoroughly enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts and musings on what makes a good vs great real and I have learned a lot. I hope this thread goes on a bit longer. I am really enjoying the input.

Let's muse on this; Daiwa and Shimano only, Can be domestic or JDM, $300 "out the door". Must be available for purchase in the next week.

Thoughts??

Originally Posted by gunwhatgun

… I have to wonder, is the JDM craze just about having items that you can't walk into BP or other places and buy off the shelf?? Are the reels made in Malaysia that are sold in Japan better than the same reel made in Malaysia and sold in the US?

I wish I could walk into BP or Cabela’s and buy JDM stuff. I think the “craze” is people wanting really high quality gear. Big companies like Daiwa and Shimano know their markets and know what they can sell. The US has never been much of a “premium tackle” market. (Fly tackle is an exception to that.) That is slowly changing.

Originally Posted by gunwhatgun

I agree with skeetbum on the Mitchel reels. Every time I see them on the rack, I ask myself why I don't have one, then I pick one up and remember. A Mitchel, for the money isn't a close competitor, to the Shimano and Daiwa offerings. I have one Pflueger, it is a Supreme 20 or 25, I forget which but it is very small. I chose it because it balanced my Dobyn's rod very well and felt almost as smooth the Regal it was in competition with. The regal was just too heavy and brought the tip up too high for my comfort.

I have never noticed my Saharas being heavy to spin. They are my other "go to" reel. I have 4 Regals and 4 Saharas, I do not have a favorite in the Daiwa vs Shimano race. I picked up a Vanford the other day and fell in love. At that price point I had to wonder if there was something even better. That is what spawned this thread, and subsequently, led me to investigating the JDM market and wondering if a Vanford that leaves Japan is better than the one at Bass Pro?? Weight is my major concern for this reel. The Rod I have built came in at 49g's and I would like to keep this rig as light as possible. Then you have to ask; Is the Vanford really $100 better than the Ultegra? Is that 1oz difference worth the money? Is the Ultegra $75 better than a Legalis/Regal, or Sahara?? I guess your money buys the weight savings.

I know I have thoroughly enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts and musings on what makes a good vs great real and I have learned a lot. I hope this thread goes on a bit longer. I am really enjoying the input.

Let's muse on this; Daiwa and Shimano only, Can be domestic or JDM, $300 "out the door". Must be available for purchase in the next week.

Thoughts??

Buy it today at 339 bucks. Thirteen total bearings...6 of which are oil filled.....low inertia.....like turning air....weight of 145 grams for the 1000 size...there is no 500 size...great drag system...2 line roller bearings....monocoque body. There are others but you would need to go to Digitaka and find a reel you may want...that is in stock. So many are not, I just knew this one was and that is why I suggested it. DIGITAKA! - Japan Fishing Tackle Store
Regards

Gwg, exactly as Alphahawk suggested! And just remember the measurement pictures I posted earlier, Shimano in general is a bigger size reel compare to Daiwa. I love all JDM reels including the Abu if only money is not an issue to try them all...lol., but unless some here can help shed some light on the physical size of a Shimano ci4+ 500s reel, I'd don't think it's much smaller than the Daiwa diminutive 3.78 inch, especially the Presso line of reels are one of their lightest at only 5 or 6 grams more than the Soare 500s. Great reading everyone!

Originally Posted by gunwhatgun

I agree with skeetbum on the Mitchel reels. Every time I see them on the rack, I ask myself why I don't have one, then I pick one up and remember. A Mitchel, for the money isn't a close competitor, to the Shimano and Daiwa offerings. I have one Pflueger, it is a Supreme 20 or 25, I forget which but it is very small. I chose it because it balanced my Dobyn's rod very well and felt almost as smooth the Regal it was in competition with. The regal was just too heavy and brought the tip up too high for my comfort.

Thoughts??

See now, I love my Mitchells. Got 3 Avocet RZTs on closeout for $25...I'll put them up against my President or even my President XTs any day of the week.

Currently, all my spinning reels are either the RZTs or Pfluegers...President to Supreme.

AlphaHawk, I like your taste and no one can deny or ignore your knowledge of the topic. I have been eyeing a Presso hoping to find a deal on one somewhere. Maybe we can skip pizza night one night to raise the budget.

LV, my quest for a good 500 is not so much about physical size (Notice I said "Not so much") but weight. The 500's come in a little lighter and when the goal is super light weight, every gram counts. I will admit though, part of me thinks that some rods (here's that "not so much" part) just look wrong with a bigger reel on them and need the smallest of reels. My next build is going to be one of those rods.

MN, Please don't misunderstand, I am not hating on Mitchel reels, I am actually a big fan and recommend them several times, they just don't seem to make me smile as much as they used to. Maybe my local stores don't carry the right ones. You usually get the choice of a 300, 308 or 310, and I think they are all same, just different sizes.