Guru reels,worth it?

[Whitty]

I happened to look online and happened to see a Guru reel,Aventis is it,£289 I think it was,it wouldn't matter if it was £269,are they worth it,I've been using Cadence reels for the last three seasons,seem pretty good to me,this is from an angler who has had several Shimano's up to Stradic's,Daiwa's some of which I use,but I have 2 Cadence CS7's and one CS10 all in the 4000 size,drags are excellent,the CS10 is £120 tops if I remember correctly,I just cannot believe the Guru is more than twice as good,also,my brain tells me that if I find a decent reel for a fair price,if I buy 1-2-3 of them,I get spare spools a plenty,plus spare reels,all interchangeable,which I know are perfectly usable,logic,obviously not,unless the people who buy the Guru buy three for nearly 900 squids,my wife would put me up against the wall and shoot me...

P.S. I know people spend their money on what they wish,it is just the way I equate it and I like to fish with decent gear...

Edited July 2, 2022 by Whitty

[Martin56]

Well at my time of life (65) & even before that, I've never spent more than around £40 tops for a reel, but that's just me!!

It's a case of diminishing returns IMHO - Is a £280+ reel 7 times better than a £40 one??

 

Edited July 2, 2022 by Martin56

[Ken L]

I used to get through a mid priced reel a year lure fishing.

Stepping up to a Stradic improved that considerably, and stepping up again to a Sustain  saw me with a reel that I've been using for a decade.

If you have the money and are going to be giving the reel a workout, you could make the case for it, but for UK angling, where you're  fishing for small to medium-sized fish, with the rod sat on a rest most of the time, I can't see the point in spending any more than £100 on a reel.

[Whitty]

I agree with the general idea behind your post Ken,but,I have just sold six Shimano reels,two stradic 4000's,two aero match 3's,and two fighting drag lesser older offerings like the stradic in operation,all worked perfectly,I got good prices and no complaints,the only reason I sold them is I now prefer front drag reels,when I barbel fish I can be casting 3ozs or so,in strong flows,I fish very regularly and catch a fair few fish(when conditions allow)but I've never worn a reel out yet,now these Cadence offerings may be the first,but I don't lure fish much,but I'm sure that reeling weights in flow must wear more rigorously,so I would like to know how your reels are wearing??? Not having a go,just interested.

[Ken L]

I agree about front drag being smoother and more reliable, but baitrunners have their uses. Fighting drag (in fact pretty much any rear drag) is really a UK market thing. I had one in the early 90s and didn't like it.

I have an older Stradic 6000 that needs a service, but probably has a few years in it. It lasted about 8 years, with only basic maintenance and a new bail spring. Its replacement is now 8 years old and going strong - although I've not given it the same level of usage.

The 6000s get used for Mahseer, barramundi, catfish, arapaima, gar, various carps and even GTs, although I usually use an 8000 jigging reel with a lower ratio in the salt.

My Stradic 4000 is my go-to reel for barramundi and mangrove jacks, as well as long range pike lure fishing. It's currently 15 years old and probably at the end of it's working life.

I wore out my fist Stradic 1000 after about 5 years of lure fishing. I have another, that I use intermittently, but the Sustain is a step up.

I was lucky in that I was able to pick up quality reels in Singapore at a fraction of the UK price. Unfortunately, though, those days are gone.

Barbel fishing really isn't a workout for a 6000 size reel. This is a workout.

[Whitty]

Horses for courses Ken,didn't realise your types of fishing,no doubt drags could burn out etc,all of my fishing is done with various 4000 sized reels,if I fished different styles I might need bigger,I have two 500's and one 1000 for life and that's it.

[Tigger]

 

If you think about it a guru reel is made by daiwa for guru, the same reel is likely to be at least a hundred quid cheaper if it were to be marked by daiwa.

So, if your looking at guru reels, then look at the daiwa reels first as a 200 quid reel from daiwa themselves will prolly be as good or better than the guru reel at 300 quid.

Regarding front or rear drag, I have found my rear drag reels every bit as smooth as the front drag models, infact, I prefer a rear drag reel.