Can anyone justify a €500 reel

Just a quick question

Was in local tackle shop
Guy pulls out a €500+ reel.
I place it in my hand have a look over it.
Lovely feel to reel and spins beautifully.
I own a shimano rareium and an Okuma and daiwa.
The shimano was €220 Okuma was €90 daiwa was about €50.

Okuma pin dropped and needs repair after 1 month. Free in shop where I bought it.

Question is would a high end reel really give you years of fishing ( I know all reels need a wash grease etc which I do

But would the high end reel really be that much better or is it just bling ?




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If you are wearing out the parts on a €100+ reel every year, then you may be justified to go up to a reel made to higher tolerances with better materials. I'd imagine lads casting heavy weights etc are going to be a lot harder on reels than those that go out lure fishing a couple of times a week.

Modern reels are so well made these days, that with proper maintenance they are going to last a long time.
I still have a Shimano Aero match reel that I bought 20+ years ago. It's the only float / feeder reel I use. I've replaced bearings and a couple of washers on it.

To be honest, I think a lot of it is just Tackle Tartiness. You often see blogs with more close ups of the high end rods / reels than anything else. It's the same in all sports and hobbies . Some people get pleasure out of using the best equipment they can afford and will upgrade to the latest models every season. More power to them, as it keeps the second hand market going strong

The high end reels can suffer problems also none of them bombproof unless your willing to double your €500 and get a zeebass or van staal. If your fishing regular you might be better off going with a €200-€300 level reel but get it serviced as it needs it .

thats a lot of money to spend on a reel

No harm in paying €500 for a reel if you have it, I dont

Cheers lads
No I haven't the money for one.

As the fellow who had it had it in for repair.

After 2 days the bearings sealed in it.

Yet I have a daiwa spinning reel the kids bounce off rocks never wash out and seen some hard uses

Still throws out lures like a champion and holds onto good fighting fish.




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I don't think there is any need to spend €500 for the fish that we catch in Ireland . Recently I have fished in Florida and the skipper had Penn Spinfisher reels. He uses these daily & they are trouble free even after 2 seasons use.

Daiwa make excellent reels that are relatively inexpensive.

Shimano also have some excellent cheapish reels.

An angler can always justify whatever he spends

Yep there are pros and cons regarding reels and the expense... Over the years I have had cheaper reels, mid range and what I would call high end. I am not the greatest maintainer of reels so other than a bit of a clean and the occasional strip down my reels do not get much TLC. Therefore I am happy going mid-price on spinning reels. At least if I only get a couple of years out of it I don't complain
I tend to like Penn Multipliers - 525, 535 etc. these are fairly bomb proof and are worth the money over other multis. I have Abu's, Daiwa and even persisted with an Avet for a while.

Imagine shelling out €1300 for a Daiwa Exist

I have never used a multipler.
Must look into them but not that one Jim


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Don't forget to add another few hundred for a spare spool Jim.....

Don't forget to add another few hundred for a spare spool Jim.....

What! For that money I'd want a babe to wipe it down after each use not to mind a spare spool

Just a quick question

Was in local tackle shop
Guy pulls out a €500+ reel.
I place it in my hand have a look over it.
Lovely feel to reel and spins beautifully.
I own a shimano rareium and an Okuma and daiwa.
The shimano was €220 Okuma was €90 daiwa was about €50.

Okuma pin dropped and needs repair after 1 month. Free in shop where I bought it.

Question is would a high end reel really give you years of fishing ( I know all reels need a wash grease etc which I do

But would the high end reel really be that much better or is it just bling ?




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the answer is yes, it is much better. For the fish around our shores not needed,
rarely even need a drag on the reel, its needed for much stronger faster fish in
tropics and other waters.

That's fine if you have tropical water


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depends all on the angler some people find it hard to shell out 50 for a reel never mind 500 its own preference really