Best Bang for the Buck Spining Reels

[jeffro9023]

I have seven Symetre's (2500's) and 3 saharas (2500 and 1500) and have never had a single issue with any of them in 8 years.  Then again I NEVER use the reel to close the bail either and I grease and lube them annually.   My guess is closing the bail with the reel is your issue.  Not sure who you fish with or see fishing, but 20 to 1 the people I fish with and see fishing flip the bail over by hand and not with the reel.  Soft or hard water, I don't think I have flipped a bail by reeling in 20 years.  I have not had a single bail issue a spinning reel probably 15 years.  I have had other parts wear out on reels that are not Shimano, but never the bail.

Isnt the reel supposed to be designed to close automatically by cranking the handle? I dont think im understanding why you are doing it manually.

[Get_the_Net]

Isnt the reel supposed to be designed to close automatically by cranking the handle? I dont think im understanding why you are doing it manually.

They are designed so that is one way to trigger the bail after a cast as is doing it manually.  It does cause undo force on components that are continuously being made lighter and out of non metal components as the mechanism that flips it over using the reel is done so by 2 parts colliding in the reel.  It also causes line issues with loops and twist when using the reel to close the bail.  Any time you have 2 parts running into one another something is going to wear out over time.  Manually flipping the bail avoids this wear and tear and thus the reels last much longer.  At one time 20+ years ago a lot of people used the reel to flip the bail.  Now days, I don't think I have seen anyone use that method unless they are new to fishing or only fish a few times a year.  If you surveyed 1000 serious bass or crappie fisherman I would be surprised if you found 10 that flipped the bail using the reel handle.

[libo]

i've had problems with shimano reels. not the bail but the bail roller bearing. this was on older, lower end reels [sahara, sedona & spirex. line would wear a groove in bearing face causing line to fray. shimano always good about replacing them. reels used mostly for steelhead on light line. third time was the charm, have not been back since. i do love their baitcasters. also heard they fixed the problem with the bearing a few years later. i flip the bail manually except when drifting a bobber for steelies. like pfluegers now. i do have a older stradic, but rarely use it.

[Jig_Head]

I'm sure it was said several times already but I didn't read the other replies. Phluger president. No question

[TightLinesMaine]

I have seven Symetre's (2500's) and 3 saharas (2500 and 1500) and have never had a single issue with any of them in 8 years.  Then again I NEVER use the reel to close the bail either and I grease and lube them annually.   My guess is closing the bail with the reel is your issue.  Not sure who you fish with or see fishing, but 20 to 1 the people I fish with and see fishing flip the bail over by hand and not with the reel.  Soft or hard water, I don't think I have flipped a bail by reeling in 20 years.  I have not had a single bail issue a spinning reel probably 15 years.  I have had other parts wear out on reels that are not Shimano, but never the bail.

What (and where) do you grease them with, if you dont mind sharing.  I think my symmetre is in need of some grease.  Went out to use it one day and the handle kept locking up when i tried to reel in.  A quick dunk in the water fixed it but probably not good for the reel

[Get_the_Net]

What (and where) do you grease them with, if you dont mind sharing.  I think my symmetre is in need of some grease.  Went out to use it one day and the handle kept locking up when i tried to reel in.  A quick dunk in the water fixed it but probably not good for the reel

LOL at the dunk in the water.  I would not recommend that.  You must be comfortable with completely disassembling and rebuilding the reel to properly grease and oil them.  This is a must because you have to remove the old grease before adding new will do any good.  Too much grease is just as bad as not enough or no grease on a reel.  The reel schematics can be found online or if you don't want to go that route then video the tear down so you can reassemble in the reverse order. 

As for the grease you can get the quantum hot sauce brand.  They have both reel oil and grease.  Most shimano reels (symetre and up) come with a small tube of reel oil, but no extra grease.  I have used the hot sauce on shimano reels with great success.  As for where to grease them, you will see when you take it apart which gears and pieces have grease on them.  It is important not to put to much grease in a reel.  A light coat is usually more than enough.  One drop of oil goes a long way too.  Do not over oil your bearings.

If all this is too much, there are places you can ship your reel to and they will service them for you for 12-16 bucks a reel.  If you go that route I would send a bunch to save on shipping them one at a time.

[TightLinesMaine]

LOL at the dunk in the water.  I would not recommend that.  You must be comfortable with completely disassembling and rebuilding the reel to properly grease and oil them.  This is a must because you have to remove the old grease before adding new will do any good.  Too much grease is just as bad as not enough or no grease on a reel.  The reel schematics can be found online or if you don't want to go that route then video the tear down so you can reassemble in the reverse order. 

As for the grease you can get the quantum hot sauce brand.  They have both reel oil and grease.  Most shimano reels (symetre and up) come with a small tube of reel oil, but no extra grease.  I have used the hot sauce on shimano reels with great success.  As for where to grease them, you will see when you take it apart which gears and pieces have grease on them.  It is important not to put to much grease in a reel.  A light coat is usually more than enough.  One drop of oil goes a long way too.  Do not over oil your bearings.

If all this is too much, there are places you can ship your reel to and they will service them for you for 12-16 bucks a reel.  If you go that route I would send a bunch to save on shipping them one at a time.

Thanks for the info, i talked to a shimano rep on the phone about a year ago and they told me the oil they give you with the reel purchase is basically mineral oil.  Would a store like walmart carry mineral oil?

[Get_the_Net]

Thanks for the info, i talked to a shimano rep on the phone about a year ago and they told me the oil they give you with the reel purchase is basically mineral oil.  Would a store like walmart carry mineral oil?

They probably do, but most WM's will also carry the quantum hot sauce products too.

[TightLinesMaine]

They probably do, but most WM's will also carry the quantum hot sauce products too.

I swear ive heard of people putting that "hot sauce" in shimano reels nulls the warranty tho... ill have to double check with shimano

[Get_the_Net]

I swear ive heard of people putting that "hot sauce" in shimano reels nulls the warranty tho... ill have to double check with shimano

Their reels have a 1 yr. warranty.  If you are having to regrease them before one year of use, then they are not properly greased at the factory.  If a baitcaster you should add a drop of oil to certain bearings (the manual will show you where) every 5th or 6th time out depending on use, but with a spinning reel you should get a full season out of them with little to no maintenance.  If you are submerging them in water, then all bets are off and leaving water inside the reel would probably void the warranty anyway.