SirWhite Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 Thinking of buying one due to its price range. Looks like a step below the Calcutta B? Would be for a Pike / Musky reel (Suicks and heavy baits) Figured someone here would have used one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aplumma Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 I have but it was not long before it was trashed. Save up a little more for a better series of reel. Art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muskymatt Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 Had one, got rid of it. Not a great reel for a Shimano. I use almost exclusively Shimano for muskie and I have to say the Cardiff was a dud. It didn't last and felt like low quality. Save your money and buy a Curado, either a used dsv or new 300e, they will last for many years, and you'll enjoy them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey buoy Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 Had one, got rid of it. Not a great reel for a Shimano. I use almost exclusively Shimano for muskie and I have to say the Cardiff was a dud. It didn't last and felt like low quality. Save your money and buy a Curado, either a used dsv or new 300e, they will last for many years, and you'll enjoy them! What price range would these reels be in?. May want to look into one myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muskymatt Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 For a used dsv you could expect to pay anywhere in the $100 to $150 depending on the seller. The new 300e is going for about $275 I think. The Calcuttas are over $300 but are super tough reels. Any one of these reels would give you years of reliability. The Tranx is out soon but at over $500 its a bit pricey, even for an obsessed muskie guy like me lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan668 Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 300e you can find for $200 if you look around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bondar Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 The 300e curado is online for under 220 these days , good deal ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fang Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 Used an Abu 5500 for years hauling big baits, bucktails, trolling lake O for spring kings. Sold mine when I bumped into a cardiff pretty cheap. Should have not sold the Abu!!! My Cardiff got a little rough as it aged and the casting was never as good as the Abu for the lighter baits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Live2fish85 Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 What price range would these reels be in?. May want to look into one myself. The Curado 301e goes for $280.00 give or take depending on the shop you purchase it at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 I have 2 of the old model Cardiffs. I've never had problems with them but they are not made for big baits. The new models are entry level at best...so were the old ones I suppose. As far as I can tell they are Shimano's replacement for the old Corsair. You have to go to a 400 sized reel to even have borderline gearing (5.2:1) for larger baits. Anything smaller than a 400 size has 5.8:1 gearing and I'm sure that most people can burn one in an afternoon of casting big baits. Let's not even mention trolling. Don't say that a reel is crap if you're not using it for its intended purpose. If you want to cast and troll large baits on a budget go with Abu. Best bang for the buck. I use both Abu and Shimano for pike and muskie and they are great reels if you use the right tool for the job you want done. Let the war begin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muskymatt Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 I have 2 of the old model Cardiffs. I've never had problems with them but they are not made for big baits. The new models are entry level at best...so were the old ones I suppose. As far as I can tell they are Shimano's replacement for the old Corsair. You have to go to a 400 sized reel to even have borderline gearing (5.2:1) for larger baits. Anything smaller than a 400 size has 5.8:1 gearing and I'm sure that most people can burn one in an afternoon of casting big baits. Let's not even mention trolling. Don't say that a reel is crap if you're not using it for its intended purpose. If you want to cast and troll large baits on a budget go with Abu. Best bang for the buck. I use both Abu and Shimano for pike and muskie and they are great reels if you use the right tool for the job you want done. Let the war begin. I burnt out a Cardiff in a weekend casting bucktails, bucktails are not big baits. In my opinion these reels are not big bait reels, not even heavy use muskie reels and borderline not muskie reels. I have owned Abu's and just about every type of muskie reel out there and have made hundreds of thousands of casts with the dsv-300e's and they are muskie reels, good muskie reels. Cardiffs, as a muskie reel, are junk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 I burnt out a Cardiff in a weekend casting bucktails, bucktails are not big baits. In my opinion these reels are not big bait reels, not even heavy use muskie reels and borderline not muskie reels. I have owned Abu's and just about every type of muskie reel out there and have made hundreds of thousands of casts with the dsv-300e's and they are muskie reels, good muskie reels. Cardiffs, as a muskie reel, are junk! Yeah..like I said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirWhite Posted February 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 The feedback is appreciated! I had never heard of the Cardiff until now, so I guess, that would be why.lol. I guess maybe ill wait a bit longer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msp Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 I just sold my old Cardiff 101 and I loved that reel. I used it for 10 years throwing smaller jerkbaits and topwaters. It held up just fine and Im pretty tough on my equipment. No complaints from me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dabluz Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 I just sold my old Cardiff 101 and I loved that reel. I used it for 10 years throwing smaller jerkbaits and topwaters. It held up just fine and Im pretty tough on my equipment. No complaints from me. I also have a Cardiff 101A. It's a good reel. I use it for walleye. It casts great and looks great. It's a round reel and some people feel that grabbing a round reel is more comfortable than a low profile reel. However, the Cardiff has a recessed reel foot so it's very low on the rod. I use 18 lb braid on this reel and when well adjusted, I don't even have to feather the spool with my thumb in case of backlashes. It casts 1/4 jigs and swimbaits very well. It's super smooth and the instant anti-reverse is flawless. The brake is very smooth. I paid 60 dollars for mine....less than 50% of the original cost. The only problem is that I now prefer baitcasters with the handles on the right side. But, only the 101A was on sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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