Wanted

[Peter Waller]

Angling Direct certainly have 'em in stock at their Beccles branch, or they did last week.

 

And so does http://www.anglingcentre.net/acatalog/Spider.html

 

Tackle Direct, my mistake, read Angling Direct. They don't have 'em on their website but they have Spider Lures, Reels and Rods at their Beccles shop.

 

[ 28. May 2005, 06:26 PM: Message edited by: Peter Waller ]

[argyll]

But thats not an 8 bearing reel for 25 quid. Its a 3 bearing reel for almost twice the price. It makes more sense but its only 12 quid less than an ABU5500 C3 at Snowlines.

[chesters1]

quote:

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Icon 1 posted 28 May, 2005 09:37 AM28. May 2005 09:37 AM Profile for jeepster Email jeepster Send New Private Message Edit/Delete Post Reply With Quote

quote:Originally posted by chesters1:

shimano like all other reel manufactureres want profit!! evryone selling anything wants profit, thats why they do it. even those poor deluded souls on here who beleive they're 'helping people out' by selling them things

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never said they did it out the goodness of their hearts but meaning more profit at the expense of quality

will they pass on the savings to the angler in their profit margins being bigger ? i doupt it unless another brand of equal quality takes over ,theyl drop their prices but only to stay in business ,the angler wishing a few quid off an already inflated price (even when its produced cheaper) will be the last thing on their mind.

quote:

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chesters1, I doubt if Shimano put together complete reels in China. Some of the components may be made there, but their reels are largely put together to their own specification and quality standards in their own factories in Taiwan, Malaysia and other countries. Its said that Okuma make some parts/reels for them and if true then it still appears to be to their own specification. Defining and managing standards is what makes the difference. The exceptions are their bottom of the line fixed spool reels which are probably chinese clones bought in and logoed 'Shimano' Since these sell for an rrp of as little as $20 I dont count them as serious reels.

 

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have you seen the quality of new shimano's i think youl find quality comes a poor second to appealing clique badge design in shimano's book

 

take abu i bought a cardinal 45 to go with a lure rod i was using at folkestone ,your seriously not comparing a new cardinal to a 20+ year old one are you its a piece of crap ive had it apart already its pretty much a clone of every other chinese reel available ,even worse in the land of multi ball bearings it has one ,ABU like shimano hoping their good old name will bluff people into thinking their gear is still world leaders ,it worked on me but never again :mad:

 

modern reel design isnt improving on the past in terms of quality but designing a reel using the least material possible ,not designing to improve but to stop the reel falling apart its so badly made with its wafer thin construction ,the firms crow their reels are lighter than the olden day ones in reality its hiding the fact their isnt much left to weigh anything

 

[ 29. May 2005, 04:55 PM: Message edited by: chesters1 ]

[argyll]

'have you seen the quality of new shimano's i think youl find quality comes a poor second to appealing clique badge design in shimano's book'

 

Well yes I have seen and had a few and I haven't had a problem with them. The last Shimano fixed spool reel that I bought was a 1000GTM super aero a year ago. Very smooth, good line lay, never broke the bank and I enjoy using it.

The last ABUs that I bought were two 5000XT fixed spool (two years ago) and an ABU D5 6600 baitcaster two months ago. The 5000XTs get used and abused about twice a week and show no sign of failure. I havent had the D5 long enough to properly appraise it, but its more or less a 6500C5 with mag brakes and so far its proved to be one of the most impressive big baitcasters that I've ever used. I'll probably buy a D6 on the strength of it. My Cardinals are 10-12 years old and I havn't used a later model so I couldnt comment on your views about the new ones.

 

[ 29. May 2005, 06:10 PM: Message edited by: argyll ]

[jim doyle]

Ill stick to my old mitchells , I believe they now make a full bail arm version of my 300 I must get some florins out andsee if my local retailer has got any in stock!!

[chesters1]

quote:

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Ill stick to my old mitchells , I believe they now make a full bail arm version of my 300 I must get some florins out andsee if my local retailer has got any in stock!! [big Grin] [big Grin] [big Grin]

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i think there up to a guinea now

[Peter Waller]

Yes, but what's a guinea worth now?? Load of sovs my old son, know wot I mean!!

[argyll]

'The Shimano Hyperloop and Alivio reels are cheap crappy rubbish that wouldn't sell without the label'

 

Bit of an unfair sweeping statement there Mr Matthew. Shimano like Daiwa and Abu have their low cost ranges and no doubt many a beginner have started their fishing career with a very similar rod. The Hyperloops are carbon, not glass or composite and are cheap and reliable. Not crap, not rubbish, merely financially towards the bottom of a large choice of rods. If they hit the market at £30-35 with another label they'd still sell, particularly if you look at them in direct comparison with what else was available at that price.

The Alivio reels can be bought new for as little as £13...what did you expect? Its a one bearing basic fixed spool reel that will probably last a kid a season or two before their paper round money buys something better.

Heres the other big plus with cheap gear from Shimano, Daiwa, ABU etc. You get a problem early on and its usually instantantly repairable or replaceable. Get a problem with something knocked out in the Woo Flung Dung factory in Beijing, with an unrecognisable name on it and you'll usually find it difficult to find the guy who sold it to you let alone find a replacement.

 

My comment about the difference between gear from china and anywhere else on the asian sub continent.

The factories that turn out Shimano and Daiwa are either owned by the reel company or are working to a specification and quality standard set by that reel company. Doing business with china is a little different. You look at a whole bunch of product presented by the factory rep and say 'I'll have that one, that one and that one' Quality is vey rarely great, but then neither is the asking price and the same item can turn up on the market with a dozen different brand names. A certain popular UK lure retailer, now part of a larger company, used to buy their rods exactly like that and push them out at ridiculous prices with their name on them. They ended up as 'half price bargains' to get rid.

Its not always going to be like that. Western factory expertise and design skills will replace what exists at the moment in China and quality stuff will start to appear. I buy camera accessories from an ebayer in Shanghai and so long as I dont buy anything with a lens in it, quality is quite good.

 

There's loads of good stuff out there, mostly from big names like Shimano, ABU, Ron Thompson, Okuma and even Shakespeare, who for me once epitomised crap tackle and its not always at the pricey end of the market.

 

[ 30. May 2005, 11:49 AM: Message edited by: argyll ]

[argyll]

And as for the 'kids', these are exactly the people who shouldn't be being ripped off. A junior angler watches Mr Hayes talk about the rolls royce of reels the shimano and goes out and pays £20 for a reel that performs like a reel he could buy for a fiver from his local tackle shop, subsequently he probably skimps on line, or hooks or floats or whatever. Of course the reels packs in during a fishing trip, he hasn't got a spare and thinks stuff this for a game of soldiers... Result being Mr Junior angler thinks he hasy to pay £75 for a decent reel, which is plain wrong...

 

Ah well I missed all of that stuff. Had to make do with a crappy Intrepid when I really wanted an Ambidex.

 

When kids buy fishing tackle, they nearly always start of at the ultra cheap end, unless they have an angling parent who would probably buy them decent starter gear. But if we're down to discussing the relative merits of a £13 and £5 reel then I'll hold my hands up and say that I haven't a clue, but then neither has anyone else at that level. Theres no identifiable good or bad stuff at that level..just lots of it. Take a look at the Askari catalogue, rows and rows of samish reels at samish prices with strange names. Where do you start ? Well you get a pin, close your eyes and stick the pin in the page, thats as good a way as any.

The only thing I would put money on is this. If our hypothetical kid walked into a tackleshop and said 'my 5 quid Whotsit Superior is busted' they are likely to say 'thats what you get for 5 quid' 'It worked when it left the shop'. At least with Mr Shimano and his 13 quid offering you'll stand more chance of a replacement during the guarantee period. If you expect a 13 quid reel to last much longer, then that would be extremely ambitious. At the end of the day, Shimano sell a reel in the same way that every other company does. Matt Hayes sells their product like Jamie Oliver sells Sainsburies. You either believe them or not...its your choice. They haven't conned anyone and in this day and age of Trading Standards, are no doubt careful how they describe their product. You either buy it or you dont. Most kids today know the difference between a 10 quid wrecker and 60 quids worth of smoothy in the same way that they know the difference between a Lada and a Bentley. Its all there in the mags, on TV and on the internet. How many do you think are reading this thread right now ?

 

[ 31. May 2005, 01:41 PM: Message edited by: argyll ]

[jim doyle]

You pays your money and you takes your pick, as I jokingly said I still use mitchels ok they are the full bail arm versions and the odd 410, but for light fishing their fine. I must also admit to having various baitrunners but even they are the originals , my centrepins are the same, old. I see no point in change for change sake, I think if I looked there are most of the reels Ive fished with up in the attic, ambidex and intrepid included, sad what? Fly reels have got lighter over the years and I must admit I have bought a few over recent years but untill theres a quantum leap in the fixed spool I,ll stick to my old favourites, by the way anyone got any spare bail springs for 300s and 410s I better build up a stock for when they get old!!