Gear that won't die.

[Drewski Canuck]

If you ever see an old "Damm Quick" at a garage sale, get it. They were built in Germany. Otherwise a Mitchell 300, or if you can find the old Shakespeare spinning reels, they were pretty good.

The new reels actually are pretty smooth with all the extra ball bearings, and the materials on any Abu Garcia are really very high end. The Chinese have driven the quality for price ratio to deliver some pretty good value. Reels used to be pretty expensive to get quality products.

All the same, there are some classics out there that you can fish your whole life with and be happy.

Drewski

[metalwrench]

My father's got a lot of Shimano gear and it's still going strong after 10 years.

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by Drewski Canuck

If you ever see an old "Damm Quick" at a garage sale, get it. They were built in Germany. Otherwise a Mitchell 300, or if you can find the old Shakespeare spinning reels, they were pretty good.

The new reels actually are pretty smooth with all the extra ball bearings, and the materials on any Abu Garcia are really very high end. The Chinese have driven the quality for price ratio to deliver some pretty good value. Reels used to be pretty expensive to get quality products.

All the same, there are some classics out there that you can fish your whole life with and be happy.

Drewski

I had a DAM reel a while back and it was a pretty tough reel. Somehow the drag washers got lost at some point and I threw the reel out rather than try and find new ones. I now regret this because I've had pretty good luck punching leather washers out of old welding gloves and greasing them up.

At some point I'd like to try a vintage Penn, but I've really developed a liking for the old Mitchells, and at this point I've got several reels that will probably outlast me, so who knows if I'll ever get around to buying one.

The new reels beat the old ones in every department except longevity. I happen to fish quite a bit, and as I get older I've developed a general distaste for disposable items, so I'm learning to live without double digit bearing counts, silky smooth operation, and instant AR in return for much a longer service life. I don't think it costs me any fish.

[EZM]

I have some really really old Mitchel and Abu Garcia reels that are still pretty darn smooth passed down from my dad. I don't use them anymore, but keep them for mostly as sentimental objects.

In my opinion the best stuff out there for mid to high end reels are still Abu Garcia and Pfluger stuff.

Shimano is and excellent product but comparable, in my opinion, only at the high end of their product line - For the mid range stuff (like $120-$200 per reel) I prefer Abu Garcia over a Shimano - silky smooth drag.

Most of my stuff is Shimano, Abu and few Pflugers and some Okuma reels for baitcasters, level winds, spinners, counters, etc..

I've had bad luck with Quantum and Rapala reels. I purchased mid priced products expecting at least a comparable products and was disappointed. The Rapala level wind blew up and gears jammed after 90 days of use. The quantum's drag was jerky and sticky with a lack of finite adjustability you would expect from a $150 purchase. It also got loose and sloppy after some moderate use.