I can see it now.A 60+ cat next to the boat on the end of a high tipping repeat customers rod and the new reel gears give out.Lost fish,pissed client and BK sobbing in the back of the boat”Why did I change from my tried and true Abu”s?”
You didn’t trade the wife in when a new model came along,why the reels? Best of luck BK. 
Shimano stands by their products. You get what you pay for. He will be fine with those reels! I bet they will out last any 7000
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Shimano stands by their products. You get what you pay for. He will be fine with those reels! I bet they will out last any 7000
I bet you a buck that he has problems with at least one this season! 
Shimano might stand behind their products,but what good is that after the loss of the largest cat of your life?
I think he made a world class mistake! 
But what do I know.I don’t even fish.I just come here for the sports talk! 
In these deals I don’t think there’s a single best approach. All things equal, I think you do get what you pay for and higher quality gear is better in the long run (especially rods). But, all things are not equal.
I’ve tried to get the best gear I could within my budget. Salt Striker (Okuma) baitfeeder, Salt Striker (Pflueger) baitcaster, Tiger Lite, Abu, and Shimano rods..but I got great deals for most all of it.
I think Steve makes a great point 
about some of the less prestigous gear such as Shakespeare. I think they make a good product at that pricepoint. I replaced a nice Abu (pre-China) MAG reel with an SKP2000 not long ago. More loinme capacity, a clicker, and I could buy a handful for what a new Abu costs at normal prices. I like the Pflueger made (basically Trion 6.6) baitcast best, but as an extra the SKP is fine and surprisingly durable…plenty good for tossing live baits and cheese for channel cats and flatheads. 
Well, it wasn’t really my intent to start a thread of which who’s reel were better. I was just looking for feed back on a reel that I’m switching my guide boat over to.. and it seems I received that.
I’m almost afraid to post that I’m thinking of switching out my 5 6500’s to a lighter reel for channel and sturgeon fishing.
why not add one more rep to this one…
Brian – you crack me up! 
These discussions always boil down to personal preference, among other criteria. No wonder everyone has an opinion, and there’s not always consensus among anglers.
I think there’s quite a few viable options for reels that there’s not too many bad choices (other than maybe using a zebco 33 for flathead fishing…), if you stick with reputable manufactures (another topic of hot debate).
I’d definitely argue that selection of the best catfish rod to suit ones needs is a lot tricker. I think catfishermen have a wider range of preferences when it comes to rods. Probably why there are so many specialty manufacturers out there.
My original Berkley Reflex didn’t get a lot of use until I decided I liked to use it fishing dead baits for channel cats. I’d never buy a catfish rod again without being able to do my own inspection and “load-up test.” Last time, I brought a spooled up reel with me, unpacked the rod I had ordered from Cabela’s for in-store pick up and checked out the flexibility and strength for myself before leaving the store.
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