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[firstlight]

I remember oogling Mr. C,s reel everytime i seen it in his garage or when he was loading or unloading his stuff while on his way fishing.
The red drag button on the front would catch my eye like a shiny thing to a Crow.
Mr. C. had a couple different sizes of Dam Quicks and he could barely sneak home with them without me spotting his car pulling in and me running over for a report on his day.
Ahh the good ol days......

[Blue_Fox]

i really like my shimano symetre. Think it was about $90.

The cool thing about the Shimano Symetre is that you can use the Spirex double padded handle on the reel if you have the same model series size.

I actually sold my Symetre 4000RJ reel with a Spirex 4000 double padded handle to a user on this board for 40 bucks in pretty much mint conditon. That's how much I disliked the reel - LOL! The damn reel had very little feel to it - no soul and it had cheap components, except for the awesome long cast design spool and double padded handle which came from the Spirex.   

[Brian the fisherman]

My 2cents-if you want to talk bomb proof spinning reels then Dam Quick.  My dad used one buzz bombing in the salt for years still going.  I know families that have fished the Bella colla for 20 years of  spring fishing seasons and still going.  Personally for smaller fish - tributary chum and coho I swear by quantum anything  in the PT series.  My preference is size 20 - perfect for coho with a really smooth drag system.  Reels can be had for under 100$ whenever they put out a new version though cabalas or any other big outlet.  In smaller trout sizes browning makes a nice reel also - with technology improving in leaps and bounds it is definitely having a trickle own effect and cheaper reels are increasing the number of ball bearings and other higher end features usually found only in higher end reels even up until 5-6 years ago.

i agree. i use quantum reels of all sizes and types. They are solid.

[clarki]

I can't say who makes the best but I have been very pleased with my little Shimano Sedona 1500. Have had it for number of years (maybe 7?) and it has put in countless hours on the beach and has landed all manner of pinks, coho and a ton of cutthroat trout. Every so often it gets dunked in the brine, but a freshwater rinse and a little spray lube and it is as good as new.

Very happy with it

Still has a ways to go before it catches up with my venerable spinning rod. Have had that little baby for more than 26 years and it still does a yeoman's service on the beach. Who'd ever thunk I'd still be using a Daiwa product! 

[yakideath12]

Aka shimano stella?

all depends on how much willing to spend?

[buzzbomb]

My faves right now are my Shimano 10000 XTE-A baitrunners.  The pair cost $340 incl postage from Sheffield (Billy Clarke Tackle) but they're smoother than my 4500's and I was even able to snag a third one in new condition off English ebay for $120 posted for my extremely jealous fishing partner.  I usually start shopping by reading reviews and even though this model has now been out of production for 2 years I couldn't find a single unfavourable review of them.  The foreign purchase came out cheaper than the equivalent in Shimano's new North American line and I think I got something nicer.  

[bcguy]

I picked up a Phlueger Medalist last year to mount on my HMX last year for Coho and Pink on the fraser and love this little reel, nice smooth drag, even landed a 15+ chum after a bit of arguing.
If I was going to buy another reel, I would probably buy a Shimano Stradic CI4, excellent little reel
One thing about spin casters that drived me nuts is the finish on them. I am not interested in paint, or moulded plastic, or plastic chrome. If I spend 2  or 3 hundred on a bait caster I get a nice clean alminum construction (ie Calcutta/Luna) But with spin casters they always seem to look like crap in a couple years of good use due to the material used

[Dogbreath]

Zeebas

Van Staal

[buzzbomb]

S

Zeebas

Van Staal

I knew about Van Staals but Zeebas was totaly new to me.  For a grand they should be nice!

[mzmann]

Zeebas

Van Staal

Only problem is the weight of them......and the cost, lol.............really i think they are more of a "status symbol" reel as in my eyes I can get a damn good reel for 2-3hundred TOPS that would more than likely last a lifetime that probably weighs close to half as much.....even if one had to buy 2 of em he would still be way ahead.......now thats still not saying that I wouldn't buy one as some people just like nice things...however I think I would probably only fish it a couple times and then it would more than likely just sit on display as I would be scared to fish it, lol.

[fishbandit66]

My faves right now are my Shimano 10000 XTE-A baitrunners.  The pair cost $370 incl postage from Sheffield (Billy Clarke Tackle) but they're smoother than my 4500's and I was even able to snag a third one in new condition off English ebay for $120 posted for my extremely jealous fishing partner.  I usually start shopping by reading reviews and even though this model has now been out of production for 2 years I couldn't find a single unfavourable review of them.  The foreign purchase came out cheaper than the equivalent in Shimano's new North American line and I think I got something nicer.  

I tried spin fishing with my Shimano baitrunner 800GTE and it was just way too clunky with all the knobs and buttons and extra drags etc. also the spool is so big that any hint of wind just meant tons of tangles. well built reel though, in the right conditions perfect for fighting monster sized fish.

[scheng53]

Zeebas and Van STal, Both good reels!!  pricy too.  As others have noticed, they are heavy reels.  Don't know about the Zeebas, but the Van Stall you need to have a strong arm to crank those handle bars.  I fished once with it on a boat for a full day out jigging.  THe next thing i did is dropping by Shoppers for a Ben-gay. lol

[skaha]

--price... especially since the original poster was thinking about $100 for a reel.
--those heavy duty salt reels... I can see the value for a guide who wants to provide an experience for the guest... have equipment that is used every day in salt for larger fish.
--when competing for business quality equipment can mean the difference of working all the time vs only working when others are booked.

[Trout Slayer]

Ryobi, all Japanese parts and precision built, don't break the bank either.