It seems there there is major name reels in price ranges from $20 to $400.
Is a $200 reel four times better than a $50 one, or is it more a matter of prestege.
I think I am living in the past when a top of the line reel was less than $50 and a weeks wages at a Union Shop were less than $100.
I would like to hear comments from the Pros as well as the hobby guys like me.
Thanks for reading.
Roger 
Interested in what people have to say. I do know this, I bought a $20.00 reel at sportsman guide and within an hour of fishing it broke. I think the more expensive reels like everything are better made. Metal versus plastic, smoother drags and better gear ratios.
Ya gets what ya pays fer.
Of course, there are a few diamonds in the rough. Every now and then, you’ll pick up a $15 or $20 reel that will be smooth as silk and last for years, but if you’re looking for consistency you need to put down a few bucks.
I have several Pflueger Presidents. For 50 or so bucks, they are a very, very good bang for the buck, IMHO. I have fished once with a $400 shimano something and while it was nice, it was nowhere near $350 better than mine. In fact – after using it and comparing it to my Presidents, I thought it should be a good value at 80-90 dollars.
T
I run shimano sedonas and have been very happy with them. They are about $70. 
I pretty much stick with the 3 S’s….Sedona, Sahara, Symetre. I have Saharas ands Sedonas that are 10 years old and never a problem.
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I have several Pflueger Presidents. For 50 or so bucks, they are a very, very good bang for the buck, IMHO. I have fished once with a $400 shimano something and while it was nice, it was nowhere near $350 better than mine. In fact – after using it and comparing it to my Presidents, I thought it should be a good value at 80-90 dollars.
T
totally agree. I have them on just about every pole and ice fishing rig I own.
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I pretty much stick with the 3 S’s….Sedona, Sahara, Symetre. I have Saharas ands Sedonas that are 10 years old and never a problem.
Same here and I do prefer them over the one phlueger president I own.
I run mostly Pfleuger Arbors. I’ve been very happy with them. They go for around $80 and have a large arbor reel which casts very nicely and hooks up well too. I have one Shimano Symetry, which is also nice. I don’t think it casts as quite as nicely as the Arbors but everything else about it is just as good if not better. I’ve used it for probably 8 years without and been very pleased. They run about $100 I believe. As far as the expensive reels, I also have a Shimano Stradic CI4. I love this reel and everything about it except the price. They run about $200. As much as I love it, I don’t think I’ll buy another simply because of the price. The Arbors work great for me and go for less than half the price.
I guess it is what you are happy with. If you want a $150-200 reel and like it and it make you feel good fishing more power to you. Same thing goes with the expensive rods etc.. Like some other posters say you get what you pay for which may be true but there is the issue with diminishing value.
I have been replacing my more expensive Shimano Symetre’s with Cardinal’s. I like the Cardinals better and have had less issue’s with them and a bonus being that they are 1/2 the price.
Now if you were asking about bait casting reels I would say pay some extra money and get a quility one. The extra $ for these make a lot more difference then in spinning reels IMO.
Buy the best that you can afford without going into the poorhouse. The Sedona, Sahara and Symetre are moderately priced as are the Pflueger Presidents. The Cardinals aren’t a bad reel for the money either. All of these reels possess the all-important refinements to the drags that make them what they are. You can spend a bunch more money on reels with 38 ball bearings if you want to but smoooooooth isn’t always any better in those slick reels. And if you are fishing in a boat or on open ice at 25 degrees, all those nice little bearings can get pretty stiff.
I’d suggest looking for a mid-range model in the brand you prefer and go for it. In the case of the Sedona, Shara and Symetre, the Sedona is least expensive and does everything the other two does for you. Around home here, the Sedona gets around $60.00. Sahras will get about $80.00 and those Symetres will suck about $90.00 out of your wallet.
I have several Symetre reels and they have been really good. I have a stradic as well and that is really nice. I also have some diawa capricorns. All have been great reels.
The best thing to do is find a close out sale on year old models and buy a couple of them. I think I have at least 3 or 4 spinning reels still in the box that I found on close out deals and bought so when the ones I have crap out I am ready to go with reels I like already.
The thing is…the symetre reels I am using are showing no signs of slowing down and they are 7-8 year old and have been through 4 years of tournament fishing.
Personally I have always figured spend more on the reel and less on the rod.
When I first met James Holst some 10 years I used all Shimano Symetres. He mentioned he had switched from Shimano to Fin Nor as a 200 days per year Guide on P-4. The Shimanos were simply wearing out from the daily use.
I bought four Fin Nors ($80 ea) and they were awesome, but went out of business a few years later.
Guiding puts more than average wear/tear on a spin reel…Dean put me on Pflueger Arbors some years ago and they have been really good…the couple service needs I had were promptly taken care of.
You do get what you pay for… 
A 20-30$ reel is probably not going to handle a smoking run from a Chinook Salmon but may be fine for smaller fish. Ugly Sticks aren’t light or sensitive enough for me , but lots of people love them. The problem with cheaper reels is the quality of the materials, gears, bails, etc is lacking…and the drags are usually not very smooth.
I have two 2007 Shimano Stradics and they are wonderful reels.( MSRP was $200)
I have four Pfleuger Arbors that fish just as well ($80)
I have four Lews SS200 spin reels on guide rods that are nearly as smooth and have had no hiccups yet,(2 seasons) even on some large Bass, Walleye and Pike (can be found under 50$)
IMHO a 50$ reel would be my baseline for the average angler, for a dependable spin reel w/o breaking the bank.
BTW…not 100% sure , but I think James may be back with Shimano…maybe he’ll clarify that. 
Naturally companies are in business to make money and I run a family that tries to spend the LEAST amount of money. Just like most other people. I think the hardest place that many sportsmen/women invest money is into what they feel is quality equipment. Rifles, Scopes, fishing rods, and of coarse reels. Tough to lay out $300 on a reel, and much more so when someone will only use it a dozen times a year at most.
Everyone needs to identify what their needs are, anticipated life expectancy of the equipment, and buy accordingly. I have burned up so many reels in the last 30 years that it makes me sick to even think about it. Granted, selling a box of broken reels on ebay for $450.00 took a little sting off of it…
There are two major categories that are accounted for in higher end euipment. 1. better parts. Corporate America has driven the bus so far in the direction of profit and producing it as cheap as they can. That’s why that bubble wrapped reel that was filled with grease felt so smooth at the store. A week of use later, and it feels like sand paper is smoother. That market of about $70 and less is so un Godly like competitive amongst all manufactures. It’s a game! Throw in a 10 bearing reel at a $60.. price and beat your chest and claim you have the better product???? Reality is they used the bearings with the absolute worst quality rating. You don’t see that on the package. But it is reality. Better equipment with quality parts will cost more. How much more? That’s why they have such a varity to choose from.
The second aspect of cost that is always over looked is research and envelopment. It costs to have companies designing and engineering stronger, lighter, better equipment. Don’t kid your self, a company needs to bury that cost into its cost of manufacturing.
Are they worth $300 to $400??? All depends on what your expectations are and if you found a reel that exceeds it. I run all Quantum TE’s, Smokes, and EXOs as my primary reels. Are they worth that kind of money for every situation – NO. But they are worth their weight in gold to me for the longevity and flexibility. For a guy that will catch 10 trout/salmon a year they are usually an over kill. For me, I need equipment that will withstand the large number of slamon/trout in the great lakes and be ready to go for bass or eyes the next day. All a matter of what you need to accomplish and how you want to do it.
Did not have good luck with the Arbors. Have 2 in the junk pile. Did not last a season. 
Also, both Mike and I didn’t really like the performance of the bail closure. Seems to pop open unexpectedly on occasion.
In the under $100 range. Had “reel” good luck with the Presidents and the Rapala branded spin reels.
-J.
There are many good reels out there for under $100. I have also had good luck with the Shimano line.
When I fished the FLW as a co-angler, many of the pros would set me up with spinning combos that had expensive rods and $50-$75 reels. These guys have a lot of money on the line and are putting this combo in the hands of someone that could have very little fishing experience, but they trust that it will get the job done.
To me the most important thing is the drag system and how reliable it is. In the past 3 seasons I haven’t broken any reels and I haven’t lost any fish due to the line breaking, so I can’t see a reason to upgrade. I would rather spend the money on a better rod. Trolling setups I have the complete opposite approach.
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Is a $200 reel four times better than a $50 one, or is it more a matter of prestege.
Roger
Both a Cadillac and a Kia will get you to the grocery store. Is one better than the other? Pay what you want but pick a reel that meets your needs. For some guys it would drive them nuts fishing with a $60 reel knowing there supposedly much better ones out there that they could of spent more on. If its going to ruin your day fishing with a cheap reel spend more.
Do the cheap ones get the job done? I would say yes. For me cheap is in the $50 to $100 dollar range. Catch plenty of fish every year on reels in this price range. With a lot of use I seem to be getting 2 to 3 years out of a reel. Heck by that time I just want to try something else anyways.
If I didnt have to by 4 to 6 reels at a time there is a good chance I would be looking at reels in that $100 to $200 price range. Looking for things like lighter weight, better drags, longer casting, ect.
One thing that is very nice nowadays is that there does seem to be a lot of very nice quality reels on the market at many price points. Did some work for a older gentlemen yesterday right next to his old fishing pole rack. Many metal and bamboo rods with the older style metal bait caster reels. We are fishing at a great time guys.
I used Symetres until they had the huge price increase a few years ago. I then went to Sedonas and they are fine. Last two years, I’ve added Presidents. I think the Presidents are the best of all three. I think the Symetres require more care than the others as well.
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I have several Pflueger Presidents. For 50 or so bucks, they are a very, very good bang for the buck, IMHO. I have fished once with a $400 shimano something and while it was nice, it was nowhere near $350 better than mine. In fact – after using it and comparing it to my Presidents, I thought it should be a good value at 80-90 dollars.
T
Spending more money does not always get you a better reel. I had been having good luck with the Gander Mountain tournament series so I got another one last year. It had factory defects and I upgraded to their next higher, Titanium series about $80. NOT WORTH THE MONEY! Had issues with that one after four days of fishing and the bail has a bad design.
Rumor has it that Gander changed from having Pflueger make their in house brand to somebody in China. This may explain the change in quality but after multiple of the house brand I will NOT buy another.
Good to hear more feedback on the Pflueger Presidents from above. I think that will be the replacement.
Reels are one thing I think that quality follows price.$50 reel will do fine for someone who fishes once in a while. If you fish a lot{like I use to} you will see more expensive reels last longer.Now I have all Stradics,some going back to when they were $129 retail and I would pick them off for $80 or $90 on clearance. Picked up 2 CI4’s last year and they are sweet. If you go to manufacturers websites what you find as price goes up you eliminate plastics,then pot metal and cast aluminum.When you get to the $100 $200 range you find more machined parts and alloys. In over 20 years I have never had on break down. The oldest ones I have have been in for one tune up. That took less than $10 in parts that showed signs of wear not failed for six reels. Right now there are some screaming deals on Saharas,I picked a few up for my wife to replace some junk she was using. Got one for $49,Thats half price for a very good reel $59 is common.
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Did not have good luck with the Arbors. Have 2 in the junk pile. Did not last a season.
In the under $100 range. Had “reel” good luck with the Presidents and the Rapala branded spin reels.
-J.
As I was set up well with Symetres and dad was getting rigged. He wanted to try the Arbors. He has a pair and I ever do is hear him complain about them. They aren’t as good as I think they could have been (or were hoping to be).
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Did not have good luck with the Arbors. Have 2 in the junk pile. Did not last a season.
What problems have you had with your arbors the bail,I have had 6 of the 30 series for 2 years and have NEVER had an issue with them 
I added an Arbor to my fleet a while back and am very disappointed. It now sits in my garage. I have a couple Stradics and a few Presidents. Both are good models. I think I may like the Presidents a little better than the Stradics especially in cold weather. Presidents are a great cold weather reel.
Arbors were a complete disappointment. Complete junk couldn’t stand up to the abuse I give reels on crappie. Went with US reels. After 2 years the first 2 are starting to act up but 3 more in reserve. I only fish about 6 hours a day more if they are biting.
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What problems have you had with your arbors the bail
If you turn the bail down with the reel handle, the line will not seat on the line bearing about 50% of the time. If you set the hook and the line is not seated on the bearing, the bail pops open. You need to close the bail by hand and finger the line over or you risk losing fish after fish.
None of that matters as the cheap plastic gears lunch out within a year.
On the flip side. Yes, they do cast nice and the drags seem to be smooth out of the box. But it’s all down hill after that.
-J.
I have several Presidents and love them. I have a supreme and haven’t been impressed with that one either. One thing that really irritated me about the supreme was that the decals fell off the first time I used it. I don’t think it casts as far as my presidents either.
I’m a firm believer in “if it aint broke, don’t fix it”. That’s why it’s all Presidents for me from now on.
I have used numerous reels from the $40 – $130 spectrum. I have used Presidents, Cabelas prodigies, sedonas, saharas, symetres, and pflueger Supreme XTs.
All the shimanos are rock solid. I have had bail sticking issues with both presidents I have and the Cabelas reel. The Supreme has been excellent. My choice would be a Sedona for bang for buck type. Lightest weight bang for buck I would go Supreme XT. But because I can afford it, my next reel will be the CI4. The Symetre is great but because of the weight I would go with the Supreme XT in that price range. IMHO
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What problems have you had with your arbors the bail
If you turn the bail down with the reel handle, the line will not seat on the line bearing about 50% of the time. If you set the hook and the line is not seated on the bearing, the bail pops open. You need to close the bail by hand and finger the line over or you risk losing fish after fish.
None of that matters as the cheap plastic gears lunch out within a year.
On the flip side. Yes, they do cast nice and the drags seem to be smooth out of the box. But it’s all down hill after that.
-J.
Same issue I have had. Even with flipping the bail down by hand the line does not seat on the bearing. Go to set the hook on a fish and the bail pops open. This is a issue that if it was just me fishing the reels I would get used to looking out for. As far as guiding goes not a chance I could hand this reel to someone and watch them miss fish with it.
Interesting…My Arbors are all 5-6 years old also and do not have those issues…Is there a bad batch out there? 
Has anyone contacted Pfleuger?
BTW…Land Big Fish has some reels on 50% off…then I would bet by Black friday there will be some 2012 closeouts… 
I would probably consider the Pfleuger Supreme XT, Shimano Stradic C-14, Orra XS or Quantum PT1-B for a personal reel purchase, especially if they go on sale!
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