Shimano Stradic FL (Smootheness)?

[Kurt L]

I have been looking at a couple of Stradic FL's at Sportsmans Warehouse here in Alaska and neither are smooth? Both are geary? I keep reading about how smooth they are but these aren't? are display reels turds? one is a 2500 the other is a 4000, I own every generation of Stradic back to the FG but I started to transition to a lot of Daiwa's after my 4000FK's got geary the first week of use and my Ci4+ 2500FB started to do the same... I sold them but still have all my older generations. So with limited retailers here I could use others experience with the FL!. Is it worth looking at Shimano again?

Thanks, Kurt

[Tim Kelly]

I've just bought one, a 3000HG to try out. I've not had a Stradic since the original white ones 20 odd years ago, which I didn't enjoy because of the start up inertia. I've used Daiwa reels ever since and enjoyed them, but thought I'd give the FL a go. Seems like a nice solid reel, very smooth, but the start up inertia is still ridiculous compared to the Daiwas I'm used to. I'm sure I'll get used to it, and it might improve with use, but it's a really noticeable difference between the two brands.

[Slazmo]

First flush it out and use lighter lube in the bearings and a full synthetic grease in the gears - your welcome.

It becomes a nicer reel inertia wise.

[tywithay]

I bought two this spring. One was smooth, one was meh. I think it was a lube issue more than a reel issue.

[Kurt L]

I didn't like the start up inertia on the 4000FK's at all, the Daiwa's are excellent in that respect and the feel through the handle is much better also, i can feel the thumping of spoon or spinner blade were as the FK was just knumb tension through the handle. The butter smooth gears of the Daiwa's help there too. I guess I will wait to see if I find a smooth FL... Last summer I saved up and was hell bent on buying a Stella 2500 when I was in Ca. until I felt a couple Daiwa LT's, standing at the reel counter the LT's I handled were smoother, that was the last thing I was expecting

Kurt

[TravisNY]

I’ve often lamented that ridiculous inertia while on the water with my six Stella FJ and Exsence fleet. I’m saddened that I need another of either for a rod getting delivered this week.

[tywithay]

I don't know why they didn't put the magnumlite rotor on the Stradic. Would have helped the startup inertia. Suppose they didn't want to make the Sustain completely irrelevant, only mostly irrelevant.

[Slazmo]

I don't know why they didn't put the magnumlite rotor on the Stradic.

From memory there weren't any stampings on the rotor of "PA-GF" or the recyclable ♻ mark on the rotor or anywhere else on the reel. From what I understand the reels made from recycled bottle's and straws - no information anywhere of it.

[Pastrmka]

They will probably put lighter rotor on the next ci4+ model just like they did with current model ci4+

[Kurt L]

I really like the Ci4+'s my only gripe with my 2500FB and my FK's was they started getting geary after a short time, all of my FA's and older Stradics are still smooth as new. That's my only real complaint i have with the current models I had, the smooth gears I expect in a $200.+ haven't held up. I guess that's the irony, it seems as though the more they advertise how smooth their reels are the less so it is? I was hoping the FL would have fixed that. Heck I bought Daiwa Certate LT's because they were smoother than any of the Stella FJ's I was able to put my hands on, I remember older models of Stellas that were incredibly smooth!

Kurt

[DrTrevorkian]

Last weekend fondled up a 3000XH FL and a 3000CXH Certate LT side by side. I’m glad I bought the Certate LT I did, but the new FL was no slouch in the least. I was very much impressed over the FK, which I didn’t like from the beginning. I’m leaning toward putting FL’s on my Loomis IMX rods and Daiwa’s on the custom Lami’s I have in the hopper.

Also to agree with you on another point, all my spinners up to this point are FA CI4+’s I turned into Sustain-CI4+’s (little lighter) and full-on Sustain FG’s. I think 9 total between them. The way they are wearing, they’ll be my boys’ when they are old enough not to drop them in the river. I’ll probably replace them in my rotation with Certate LT’s unless the quality tanks. I hope the new FL’s are as durable as its ancestors were.

[johnD]

I bought a 3000 FL two weeks ago. It's liquid smooth , the FK 3000 I had before wasn't that smooth right out of the box but , it never got any worse. I used it inshore for a few years , snook , reds , trout , etc.

btw , I had a heck of a time finding a place that had one in stock. Finally found one. Dealers were telling me shimanos are 8 weeks out.

[Slazmo]

I'm actually surprised that TT hasn't made a jig to measure jouls of energy used to rotate a spin or baitcaster reel.

And a jig that holds a reel again spin or baitcaster and measures its actual rotational noise via either noise or sensor via a worm style graph tracker?

How it would correlate into real world measurements would be difficult as each of us are different but it would give some idea I guess.

[johnD]

I'm actually surprised that TT hasn't made a jig to measure jouls of energy used to rotate a spin or baitcaster reel.

And a jig that holds a reel again spin or baitcaster and measures its actual rotational noise via either noise or sensor via a worm style graph tracker?

How it would correlate into real world measurements would be difficult as each of us are different but it would give some idea I guess.

Slazmo , did you see this one ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g3TbVcQN9g

[Slazmo]

I'm talking a proper jig free from all variables.