Forum | A shimano fan no more....

lilmule said:Both my Zebco and the 9 dollar Freedom reel made in china,have interchangable handles,one side or the other, they will operate left operate right handed,merely by inserting the handle on the other side.Something more expensive reels often do not have,and no they dont have to be cumbersome to have it the freedom reel is rather small.

It seems you are refering to spinning reels as I'm not aware of any baitcaster manufactured by Zebco. Most all spinning reels have that feature but I've almost stopped using spinning reels. I believe you could toss a feather with the Diawa SOL, though I've yet to try it. The lakes I've been fishing are known for big fish and I'm more comfortable with a baitcaster in those situations. Unlike Steve I've yet to use braid on a spinning reel, except for one, that did not cone up and cause problems or require frequent "to the other side of the boat" casting to get it to lay back on the spool right. Mybe that's something y'all can show me when I get over that'a way!

I've been using Shimano's, Curado, Citica, Chronarch plus severl models of their spinning reels, for the last 10 years. But…. this year while searching for a lightweight low speed reel I was forced to go to another manufacturer. I chunk n' wind left handed by choice and for whatever reason Shimano offers nothing in their mid-grade reels in a left handed model. Soooo… started looking around. At the time I was concerned with reel weight but didn't want to pay the price for the premium line of reels. I ended up with a Diawa SOL for this particular application. At 350.00 Diawa is not giving these reels away, that's for sure. But it's still less expensive than the Mag. 50/100 from Shimano. It has a 5.8:1 retrieve which was a tad faster than I really wanted at the time but I've gotten to like that ratio pretty well. It's smaller than a curado and fishes much more comfortably. It also sports an exellenct magnetic brake system that works flawlessly. Virtually every bait I cast with this reel is a breeze to cast – even in a breeze. I've been simply amazed at the trouble free castability. I would buy another in a heartbeat – if I had the money.

After winning a new rod at one of the tournaments well of course I "had" to get a reel for it. Having been pleasanly surprised by my Diawa SOL purchase I decided to investigate other reel manufacturer's offerings. I looked at Abu Garcia's Revo line up and did not like the way they had set up access to the centrifical brakes. I did like the drag rating which was just about double that of the Shimano's. Then I happened to pick up a Revo STX… It, like the Diawa, had the magnetic braking system. "IT" was also on the discount table selling for 129.00 vs the normal retail of 199.00. Well that sealed the deal and the STX was taken out of the ophanage and given a real home! Just like the Diawa it is simple to adjust the braking system. Both seem to provide a degree of adjustability not found in the simple centrifical braking. The STX is heavier than the Diawa, but not terribly so. It is also smaller than the Shimano line and much more comfortable for me to palm and fish all day. Unlike the Shimano, which is fustrating to no end to get line from the spool through the reel line guide, both the STX and the SOL have line guides that are easy to see and access. The STX has a retrieve ratio of 6.2:1(I think).

As I replace my reels I will be going to the Revo STX. I luv the Diawa but the cost is prohibitive. Over the course of the next year I will begin replacing the reels I have. I've got some Curados that are 15 years old, still in service and still functioning fine. I do maintain them on a regular basis. There is nothing wrong with Shimano reels. They just don't make what I'm looking for and I think, for the money, they've been a bit outclassed by the offerings from Diawa and Abu Garcia.