Favorite Spinning Reel?

[jlang95]

Ordered a Certate and a Sustain for anyone interested lol! Excited to try them!

[slipperybob]

The Stradic has always been a favored workhorse spinning reel for me. However I've always been a sucker for Titanium nitride spool lips. So for a time being when the Sustains had it, they were my preference. So now being that the Twin Power FD offers it, I picked that one up. I used the TP1000FD for ice fishing and some spring fishing and for one thing the solid handle does make a difference in reducing the flex feel compared to same sized Stradic 1000 reels. The feeling is that the TP seems to punch above it's own class weight. I also picked up a 5000 sized one for some catfishing, but haven't gone on my catfishing trip yet.

[slipperybob]

The Stradic has always been a favored workhorse spinning reel for me. However I've always been a sucker for Titanium nitride spool lips. So for a time being when the Sustains had it, they were my preference. So now being that the Twin Power FD offers it, I picked that one up. I used the TP1000FD for ice fishing and some spring fishing and for one thing the solid handle does make a difference in reducing the flex feel compared to same sized Stradic 1000 reels. The feeling is that the TP seems to punch above it's own class weight. I also picked up a 5000 sized one for some catfishing, but haven't gone on my catfishing trip yet.

[dragon1]

I love my Zebco Cardinal 3, which is the US variant of the European ABU Cardinal 33. It isn't as smooth or refined feeling as the new stuff, but that's what makes it charming to fish with. Yeah, it's 7 ounces, but it's built like an anvil and will take quite a beating. One of my customers bought two of them for steelhead fishing back almost 50 years ago. One of them is still in the box unopened, never had to do it. The drag is very smooth and consistent, even more so with carbon drag washers. They can be outfitted with a plethora of aftermarket parts, but are still plenty good in factory form nonetheless. I run the Avail CD0490R spool, which is shallow and has a tapered lip to facilitate casting. This reel can also be modified to enable manual bail return and a one-way needle bearing instant anti-reverse.

WOW.

[Kurt L]

I have to give the Luvias MQ some credit, I was leery after ready some of the reviews but I took a chance on a LT-3000-XH and was very surprised and now I have a FC 2000-XH as well, I also have four Certate's and a Luvias Arity. The only knock on the Luvias is that it's made in China Vs the other two being made in Japan and assembled with more care. With the Luvias you get a noticeably higher quality reel for the price of a Vanford, (I still prefer the Ci4+FA over the FB and the Vanford!) in my experience anyway and that makes the Luvias a smoking deal. FWIW; The Certate is my favorite of the three.

Kurt

[DirtyD64]

I have to give the Luvias MQ some credit, I was leery after ready some of the reviews but I took a chance on a LT-3000-XH and was very surprised and now I have a FC 2000-XH as well, I also have four Certate's and a Luvias Arity. The only knock on the Luvias is that it's made in China Vs the other two being made in Japan and assembled with more care. With the Luvias you get a noticeably higher quality reel for the price of a Vanford, (I still prefer the Ci4+FA over the FB and the Vanford!) in my experience anyway and that makes the Luvias a smoking deal. FWIW; The Certate is my favorite of the three.

Kurt

My 2500FA Ci4+ is still a monster too!!! Because it was my oldest reel I moved it to a 6'Light with 6lb Nanobraid, but I love it. We both fish the combo more than others because panfish are easier to catch and more plentiful. Sometimes I wish I had bought a 1000FA Ci4+ when they went on sale...

[Kurt L]

I have to give the Luvias MQ some credit, I was leery after ready some of the reviews but I took a chance on a LT-3000-XH and was very surprised and now I have a FC 2000-XH as well, I also have four Certate's and a Luvias Arity. The only knock on the Luvias is that it's made in China Vs the other two being made in Japan and assembled with more care. With the Luvias you get a noticeably higher quality reel for the price of a Vanford, (I still prefer the Ci4+FA over the FB and the Vanford!) in my experience anyway and that makes the Luvias a smoking deal. FWIW; The Certate is my favorite of the three.

Kurt

My 2500FA Ci4+ is still a monster too!!! Because it was my oldest reel I moved it to a 6'Light with 6lb Nanobraid, but I love it. We both fish the combo more than others because panfish are easier to catch and more plentiful. Sometimes I wish I had bought a 1000FA Ci4+ when they went on sale...

I think the Ci4+ FA is the best of the series, I have a 2500 that has well over a hundred Salmon to it's count and is still smooth as new, I bought an FB when they came out and after using it a couple times I hit up all the stores and found 3, 3000's and bought them all!, I sold the FB and never looked back, so when the Vanford came out I had to have the latest and greatest so I bought a 2500 and fished it side by side with my 2500FA both spooled with new 10lb smackdown when I got home I returned the Vanford, it wasn't as smooth or as comfortable.

Kurt

[DirtyD64]

I have to give the Luvias MQ some credit, I was leery after ready some of the reviews but I took a chance on a LT-3000-XH and was very surprised and now I have a FC 2000-XH as well, I also have four Certate's and a Luvias Arity. The only knock on the Luvias is that it's made in China Vs the other two being made in Japan and assembled with more care. With the Luvias you get a noticeably higher quality reel for the price of a Vanford, (I still prefer the Ci4+FA over the FB and the Vanford!) in my experience anyway and that makes the Luvias a smoking deal. FWIW; The Certate is my favorite of the three.

Kurt

My 2500FA Ci4+ is still a monster too!!! Because it was my oldest reel I moved it to a 6'Light with 6lb Nanobraid, but I love it. We both fish the combo more than others because panfish are easier to catch and more plentiful. Sometimes I wish I had bought a 1000FA Ci4+ when they went on sale...

I think the Ci4+ FA is the best of the series, I have a 2500 that has well over a hundred Salmon to it's count and is still smooth as new, I bought an FB when they came out and after using it a couple times I hit up all the stores and found 3, 3000's and bought them all!, I sold the FB and never looked back, so when the Vanford came out I had to have the latest and greatest so I bought a 2500 and fished it side by side with my 2500FA both spooled with new 10lb smackdown when I got home I returned the Vanford, it wasn't as smooth or as comfortable.

Kurt

I still think my Stradic FL is the most smooth. The FB Ci4+ I own is slightly smoother than the FA, but it is a rigid, more precise feel. My FA has a loose, low startup inertia feel. Both the FL and FB Ci4+ also have better knob and other tolerances. Still like the FA though, even the stock EVA knob has been okay with me. The only thing that skews my comparison is that the FA normally throws crappie/panfish plastics lighter than 1/8 while I do throw 3/16 and occasional 1/4 dropshots on the other two newer Stradics.

[FamKench]

I have to give the Luvias MQ some credit, I was leery after ready some of the reviews but I took a chance on a LT-3000-XH and was very surprised and now I have a FC 2000-XH as well, I also have four Certate's and a Luvias Arity. The only knock on the Luvias is that it's made in China Vs the other two being made in Japan and assembled with more care. With the Luvias you get a noticeably higher quality reel for the price of a Vanford, (I still prefer the Ci4+FA over the FB and the Vanford!) in my experience anyway and that makes the Luvias a smoking deal. FWIW; The Certate is my favorite of the three.

Kurt

Funny I prefer the Ci4+ FA too over the FB and Vanford!

A few years ago I bought a Ci4+ FB to complement the FA. Out of the box, the FB just didn't feel right and was slightly louder. When the time came to sell some reels for extra bait monkey money I sold the FB and kept the FA. It could have just been a fluke but that was my experience.

I also recently bought and plan to return a Vanford 3000. My FA is super old and it's still quieter and as smooth as the Vanford.

I'm probably going to keep the Ci4+FA forever since it was my first foray into the $150+ reel purchase and for nostalgia reasons.

[RustyHook]

Stradic FLs are my workhorses and my Certate LTs are my total pleasure to use reels.

My Certate LT 5kD is the smoothest quietest spinning reel I have ever used. My Certate SW 6k is extremely close.

If it were not for how consistent my Stradic FL are I would be getting more smaller size Certate LTs plus the Stradic FLs are easier to do maintenance on.

[dragon1]

In the $250-$300 range, I cast my vote for the Shimano TwinPower FD...solid literally and figuratively in just about every single aspect.

[Thunderblack1984]

Shimano stradic
Daiwa ballistic MQ

[Johnny A]

Certate 3000 CX-H

[John2204]

I would get a Shimano Twinpower 2500 or 3000, you can get one under 3000 from any of the tackle retailers

[RustyHook]

At the top of your price range Certate LT all the way. I have the 5000D. IMO at its price point especially if you get it thru Digitaka for mid $300s I do not think it has a match. I would recommend either the C3000 or the reg 3000. Both give you options down or up r s pectively in spool size capacities should you choose to. My 5k gets used as much for SW as FW.

For low $200s IMO the Stradic FL. It also offers plenty of options to tinker as so many other lines share its spool and main shaft specs. I have a couple 1000s and a C3000.

I can say as smooth as the Stradic or even the current Stella is the Certate LT is the smoothest spinning reel I have used to date. It's on the light side as well.