Why Shimano

[stikflote]

When asking about Reels ,someone will always say buy Shimano question is why?
in the years ive been fishing i have had same as all of us a lot of reels
at present i have two shimanos a Technium and a GTM Stradic , i have 3 Daiwa megaforce and 2 ninjas a Spro red arc
2 Mitchels and 2 Cadence Cs4. 2 Avanti Meteors

I have only had one reel break and that is the Spro red arc the rachet wheel inside broke,

of the reels i have the Shimano,Reels are no better than the others,

so why the fixation on Shimano reels ,they are not my go to reels if i was in a shop browsing

the Stradic as a Fighting Drag so too the Daiwa and one of the Mitchells

?ITS my opinion that Shimano reels are no better than other reels
/



i

 

[tipitinmick]

Reputation for being bullet proof. I don’t know how many I have. They’re all over the place.

 

[Scribe]

Reputation for being bullet proof. I don’t know how many I have. They’re all over the place.

Too many.

 

[Lee Richards]

Shimano have always made great reels but the other manufacturers have now caught up and I suspect a lot of the parts such as the gearing are shared anyway.
As for popularity Shimano is the same as Maxima in that they will always be preferred by some because they always have been.

 

[Dave]

Shimano has always had a good reputation for high-quality gears, not just in reels but cycles as well as other things.

 

[Shadrack]

Can’t say I’m much of a fan of them either, I’ve always preferred Daiwa. But it’s pretty much a preference thing, both make good stuff that you won’t go too far wrong with. I’ve always said they are like BMW and Mercedes, buy from them and you most likely buying something pretty decent, but each will always have their fans who will tell you to go for one over the other.

 

[Dave]

ABU used to be the go-to reel for many when it came to quality builds, especially their Cardinal range and their sea reels

 

[OldTaff]

Just bought my first Shimano, a 2000 size Sienna, as a partner for an LRF setup.

I have to say that having given it a few outings I am mightily impressed - it is a cheap little reel (£25) but doesn’t fee like a cheap reel at all.

Build quality is excellent, mechanically quiet and smooth and feels like it will give years of excellent service.

If it is an example of general Shimano quality then I can understand why people migrate towards them as a first choice.

 

[Cobweb]

I've been a fan both Shimano and Daiwa for the reason(s) @Dave outlined for years, as in the early days the cheaper reels I bought (Sundridge ABU Cardinal) didn't last so long or perform so well. However, 30 years down the line other manufacturers have started to produce good quality reels and I now have some Browning Sphere and BViper reels which I am equally happy with. Personally as I don't do any sea fishing any more I don't look at Shimano reels which have in the past always included some element of salt water protection thus increasing costs, but I still like the baitrunners

 

[PearTree]

I replaced my 2008 Shimano Stellas with 2020 Daiwa Saltiga's. Shimano have gone backwards at this end of the market unfortunately.

However when it came to needing a couple of baitrunners I bought the Shimano Thunnus 4000's as they are bombproof.

I'm in the market for some feeder reels and am currently considering the Preston Centris 420 or the Daiwa TDM 4012. The Preston Intensity 620 looks like it will do the job for a 'Trent' type big feeder reel. From what I've seen Shimano don't seem to be designing reels specifically for the coarse fishing market these days, just offering suitably sized spinning reels.

 

[stump28]

I feel they do lower end better than other manufacturers, just my opinion on those I’ve owned.

 

[lucc]

I have had a bunch of shimano and daiwa....What I prefer in shimano reels are the smoothness of the brake and the weight ( vanford and stradic CI4). I sold back most of the daiwa...

 

[rudd]

When asking about Reels ,someone will always say buy Shimano question is why?
in the years ive been fishing i have had same as all of us a lot of reels
at present i have two shimanos a Technium and a GTM Stradic , i have 3 Daiwa megaforce and 2 ninjas a Spro red arc
2 Mitchels and 2 Cadence Cs4. 2 Avanti Meteors

I have only had one reel break and that is the Spro red arc the rachet wheel inside broke,

of the reels i have the Shimano,Reels are no better than the others,

so why the fixation on Shimano reels ,they are not my go to reels if i was in a shop browsing

the Stradic as a Fighting Drag so too the Daiwa and one of the Mitchells

?ITS my opinion that Shimano reels are no better than other reels
/



i

Shimano invent new ideas on reels - others follow
Baitrunner
Fighting drag
Dynabalance etc etc.

As others have said, bulletproof and their cheaper ranges are generally better than others offerings.
The Alivio range being a prime example.
In cycling world shimano are no1 for parts, their SLX range is outstanding price/performance wise.

 

[Yeoman]

They and Diawa are two of the manufacturers that actually make their reels in their own factories. Most others buy from Chinese producers and just brand the products as their own. Top end Shimanos are still made in Japan, they have a massive facility in Malaysia for most of the other stuff and in China for the cheaper end.
Pretty much anyone could start a reel line from a Chinese producer....choose the pricepoint and type of reel, there are small differences they can add such as handles etc. to "customise" yours over others, put your colours on and away you go.

 

[Arry]

Once I could afford em, shimano were my go to carp reel for years... still use a pair of 5000RE runners, circa 1995 still smooth, still landing carp... had a trio of 10000 XTE'S (sold on when I moved to short carp rods) and have a pair of 4000Aero X on my 9' Dwarfs... bulletproof reels

 

[DFL]

My absolute favourite reels are the old Rareniums, I managed to buy a job lot of six of them in various sizes all brand new about six years ago and also bought a secondhand one from a member here too.

I recently sold a Shimano AR-C Aero Ci4+ 4000XG reel for £60 more than I paid for it. Testament to the quality and popularity of the older Shimanos.

 

[smiffy]

I can’t speak for newer Shimano reels but I’m still using 1990’s aero match’s and 4000 series baitrunners for all my fishing. Still going strong with very little maintenance, and they’ve taken some abuse down the years. This is probably why they have gained such a reputation.
If I were to replace them I’d probably head for eBay and look for those reels again.

 

[tipitinmick]

Once I could afford em, shimano were my go to carp reel for years... still use a pair of 5000RE runners, circa 1995 still smooth, still landing carp... had a trio of 10000 XTE'S (sold on when I moved to short carp rods) and have a pair of 4000Aero X on my 9' Dwarfs... bulletproof reels

I use two 8010’s for Barbel fishing. I bought those second hand off a carp angler at A1 gravel pits. I don’t know what reels he upgraded to but, a few months later I got a text saying …. “ If you come to sell those reels you bought from me, let me know “ so, I don’t know if he weren’t getting on with his new reels or not. Must admit though, up until 2020 my reels were serviced every year. They’re still both very smooth.

 

[84fisherman]

When asking about Reels ,someone will always say buy Shimano question is why?

Matter of opinion. You get people liking all sorts of makes and models of this n that.

There is no right or wrong answer it's personal preference.

 

[nejohn]

I was sold on Shimano from when they 1st came into the UK and would not have any other brand, however that changed about 6/7 years ago when I dropped a reel into Felidre for a small repair , the reel was less than 5 years old, yet they informed me that it was beyond repair as the required parts were no longer available and suggested that I buy a new reel (and were kind enough to supply a current catalogue when they posted it back) I did buy a new reel ......it was a Daiwa and to be honest it was every bit as good as what Shimano had to offer with the added bonus of it seemed to fit my small hands better than any of the shimano's that I had. Consequently I sold all of my Shimano's on and replaced them with Daiwa's which have all performed brilliantly since I have had them. When I needed a small baitrunner I like many others went down the Shimano route and bought a DL2500 which could at best be described as agricultural it was sold very quickly and replaced with a Daiwa Black Widow which was a far nicer reel for about the same money. My view is Shimano are no longer the market leaders that they used to be and the quality is not as good as it used to be also. All of my fixed spool reels are now Daiwa apart from 2 which are a Rive MF Pro which I got as part of a deal with a Rive rod and a DAM Quick 5 which I took a punt on for £25 in the AD sale and to be fair both of these reels are also very good and every bit as good as the Daiwa's I have and feel well put together, the Rive has had quite a bit of use so all good there, the DAM however has not been used yet so I can't really comment other than it feels OK. I have also tried other manufacturers reels in Tackle shops such as Preston, Browning and Mitchell and to be fair these also feel like they offer decent quality products (the Mitchell Mag Pro's felt very nice). In short for me the quality of reels in general has progressed massively over the years with all major manufacturers now offering perfectly usable products and it is just a case of choosing what you are comfortable with and that for me is Daiwa as they are good quality, seem to sit well in my hand and have a very good aftersales reputation