MorleyRobertson Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 If this is any indication of Shimano going downhill, Bob Izumi no longer uses Shimano. He moved to Abu Garcia. 'Nuff said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookinforwalleye Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 2.5 year old thread...but I don`t ever recall buying a reel based on what a celebrity uses and I doubt Bob left Shimano because his Stradic broke!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 If this is any indication of Shimano going downhill, Bob Izumi no longer uses Shimano. He moved to Abu Garcia. 'Nuff said. What does this actually prove? You don't think pro fisherman change sponsers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landry Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 I always buy quality bait casters and am a shimano guy. However, recently I have been buying $40 and cheaper spinning reels because I can't justify the higher prices on a spinning reel. We will see how this works out for me. I figure if I get two tears out of a $30 reel then it makes sense. Today's $30 reels feel and run like yesterday's $100 reels. But how long will they last? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 generally, when turning a reel handle in the tackle shop, you cannot tell the quality of the reel.... the drag, the most important thing on a reel, cannot be tested.... nor can the reel be tested under load (which is one of the most important things with a reel).... sub $100 dollar reels are made to feel good in the store....and they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 If this is any indication of Shimano going downhill, Bob Izumi no longer uses Shimano. He moved to Abu Garcia. 'Nuff said. You are kidding right.....lol. Bob just went to the manufacturer that wrote the biggest cheque. I feel like he's a liar now for talking up shimano for so many years. He couldn't have liked the product that much if he left for the dollars. About the reel policy - too bad but it doesn't change my opinion about the gear. Top notch. Not many people use the samegear for more than 3-5 years anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lew Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 About the reel policy - too bad but it doesn't change my opinion about the gear. Top notch. Not many people use the samegear for more than 3-5 years anyway. I agree Dutch, I've been using Shimano gear for many years and if memory serves me correctly, the ONLY problem I've had was a Calcutta CT that stopped working and the boys in P'Boro fixed it up for me & cleaned it for a token fee of $5 As for the issue of no spare parts after 5 years, I can't comment because as stated above, my stuff never needs fixing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike rousseau Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 I'm under the mindset you wanna buy products that don't need repairs.... In the last 10 years I've broke 1 rod... That's it... My fault... St croix replaced the $200 rod for $30... I've only had 1 reel fail in 10 years... And that was user error.... I have lots of reels I've used hard for years with no issues... I don't buy any high end stuff with the mindset that if it does fail I can just replace it... Spinning reels I use are under $50 no problems... And bait casters and line counters diawa have been great... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCTFisher9120 Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 (edited) Yes Shimano does there best to keep production going on reels that are discontinued but to me it makes sense. They keep stock on those parts and continue to make them for 5 full years after the reel is canned. I can only imagine the warehousing on screws, spools, bails, frames, etc if they still put the $$ into producing these parts in todays age. The nice thing is these older reels are tough and with regular maintenance they should last. That $25 fee is 95% of the time all the customer pays plus the initial shipping depending if you shipped the reel to Peterborough or dropped it off. That $25 covers buddy's time to completely tear down your reel, re grease and oil all the bearings and parts as well as replacing basic parts in the reel. Like bearings, drag washers, etc…I had my Core 100MgFV send it. I paid $25 and they put in a entire new gear set into me reel both the Pinion an Drive gear for free as it was "warranty". I guess they were "worn" down. Something I was un-aware of but they took care of it. I can clean the reels myself but for $25 they do the work, spend the 20 minutes or half hour and replace all those bushings, springs and such for free. Now. If you stepped on the reel and broke something that voids regular warranty than of course your going to have to pay to replace parts. If you consider the time and hassle $25 is squat. Let's not mention that that covers return shipping. Don't hate too much. It kind of silly to expect a full stock on over 300 parts that can make up a reel. Especially when those shapes and sizes are not used in todays reels. I still send out old school reels. Some come back with a different handle, different bail but they do there best to fix up the old beast's and sometimes the reel comes back with no work done at all and a note saying no parts available to fix this reel. What can you do. If you have a reel that is discontinued, call Shimano order the parts that are most likely to fail and hang onto your older reels as well as spare parts for them. I love there service it's why I preach Shimano but the fact is they are the only brand with a proper warranty system and facility set up. MTBF Edited March 16, 2014 by MikeTheBassFisher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCTFisher9120 Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 (edited) If this is any indication of Shimano going downhill, Bob Izumi no longer uses Shimano. He moved to Abu Garcia. 'Nuff said. Hmm, Shimano Rods/Reels he loved but the conflict with Comumbia's rain gear and clothing vs Shimano's…I'm sure that's why he lost Shimano and picked up Berkley. He was always fishing gulp why not Berkley rods/reels….$$ makes the decisions Edited March 16, 2014 by MikeTheBassFisher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bacon Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 OK so someone has to play the devils advocate here.... How long would you expect a company to hold onto parts for an obsolete product? Should Ford still have shelves full of parts for a 1972 Pinto? We are always looking for improvements and new developments in our equipment and companies continue to do so, why would they hold onto an inferior product? I see nothing wrong with their policy. How about a 2002 or 2007 Ford F150. The OP needed parts for a 12 year old reel; not 33 year old reel. And parts could become unavailable in as little as five years if you bought in the final year of the model. Something to think about before buying a Shimano Stella or Calcutta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregoire Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 Try finding parts for a pure fishing product, that means abu, pfleuger and a few other reels. As far as I know they closed their Canadian customer service center. About 5 years ago I had a problem with an abu baitcaster. I managed to get a hold of someone and the problem was fixed. 2 years ago I broke the handle on a pflueger patriarch spinning reel. It was my fault and I tried to contact the manufacturer to get a new part. I could not get in touch with anyone. I like the fact that I can phone shimano in Canada and talk to them. The same thing with rapala. The ability to get in direct contact with the manufacturer and drive to a service center if need be is huge bonus to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernie Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 I have 4 Shimano spinning reels and one baitcast. The oldest has to be at least 20 years old and landed a lot of pickereyes. My latest one is probably 10 years old by now. The only problem I ever had with one was a roll pin that holds the spool sheared when hooking into a large slimey. Stopped in at a local shop (Sams Reel repair) and he fixed it right up. Nothing but good reviews from me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aplumma Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 As I tear down my reels to clean them I have been replacing the Bearings with new ones from Boca Bearings and have been very happy with the outcome. Art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lape0019 Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 This reel repair policy is not all that new either but I guess it is just getting out to the masses now. A few years ago (about 4) my buddy sent in an old white Stradic for repairs and was told the same thing. The truth is though, if you are getting 10-12 years out of your reels, you really can't complain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moxie Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 The disposable angle is being adopted by many manufacturers these days. It seems to be the trend for the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 I dont own a shimano reel thats less than 5 yrs old. They all work great. S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunker Larry Posted March 19, 2014 Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 y back in this post someone mentioned getting parts in Texas. That's Southwest Parts and they do hold a lot of hard to get parts in stock but....they only ship express to Canada at a cost of $40. Puts a damper on buying a small cheap part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmer Posted March 20, 2014 Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 People spend a lot on fishing gear! I don't think I have ever spent over $100 on a reel. Maybe one bait caster and they all seem to last for an acceptable amount of time. They function fine and I seem to catch plenty of fish. What parts are breaking on these top of the line reels? Shimano should be careful though, they have a great following because of the service they have provided in the past. Businesses suffer when they lose sight of what got them to where they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrippyJai Posted March 20, 2014 Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 When you pay more for a Stradic, you are not paying for longevity or repair-ability. You are paying because they use better material/bearings and the reels are more refined. If you need to send your reels to Shimano for repairs/cleaning. I think your better off buying cheaper reels which you can abuse for a few seasons and get the next model that comes out. A well maintained reel can last you literally forever. I do minor maintenance on them during the season and they receive a complete break down at the end of the season. Shimano has always been good when I needed to order parts. Take the time to learn how to clean your own reels, plenty of information online and not hard to do at all. I remember I paid $140 at Aikmans to clean 3 reels (1 spinning/2 bcs) and to install some bearings. Turn around time was 2-3 weeks. This was the first time I brought my reels for servicing. Now I have 10+ reels and if I can keep them in good shape myself, resell value will be better when I decide to upgrade my gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NANUK Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 When you pay more for a Stradic, you are not paying for longevity or repair-ability. You are paying because they use better material/bearings and the reels are more refined. If you need to send your reels to Shimano for repairs/cleaning. I think your better off buying cheaper reels which you can abuse for a few seasons and get the next model that comes out. A well maintained reel can last you literally forever. I do minor maintenance on them during the season and they receive a complete break down at the end of the season. Shimano has always been good when I needed to order parts. Take the time to learn how to clean your own reels, plenty of information online and not hard to do at all. I remember I paid $140 at Aikmans to clean 3 reels (1 spinning/2 bcs) and to install some bearings. Turn around time was 2-3 weeks. This was the first time I brought my reels for servicing. Now I have 10+ reels and if I can keep them in good shape myself, resell value will be better when I decide to upgrade my gear. X2 Some of my fishing reels are 15+ year old and they work just as good if not better than when they were new, It sure pays to learn and do your own reel maintenance, it also gives me something to do in the winter. I just ordered a whole bunch of carbontex drag washers for some of my reels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wormdunker Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 Hey you bashing Pinto? I owned a brand new 1973! Sorry had to throw that in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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