Mechanical differences in Stella FK lineup?

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Thenewrick
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Mechanical differences in Stella FK lineup?

Post by Thenewrick » Fri May 26, 2023 7:17 am

Howdy, I recently got a Stella FK1000 and I really like it. I'm thinking about getting a larger size for some inshore fishing with a larger rod and more line capacity.

I looked at their lineup and was curious about what makes the specs the way they are.

Image

The two main things I'm wondering are:

When going up in size from 1000-2500 the drag max increases from 7 to 20. Is this because there's a significant improvement in the drag mechanicals that would allow for a much more robust system, or is it simply a minor tuning adjustment to the same hardware? Are you getting more actual engineering with the 20 drag sizes and better value/longevity?

Are you getting any better engineering/mechanical improvements like bigger better quality gears or anything with the larger sizes? The weight goes up substantially from 5.8 to 7.4 oz just going up from the 1000 to 2500. Is that simply because they make the body larger to fit on larger rods, or is the spool made from a different material and cut deeper for more line? What could cause it to gain 1.6 oz and only going up slightly in line capacity? I'm hoping it's a completely different gear set and drag setup with much heavier duty components and not just a heavier case with the same internals as the 1000.

Hopefully there are some Shimano experts out there that might know the ins and outs of why they specs are curiously different. I've searched and haven't seen any breakdowns or explanations for the big weight differences.

Slazmo
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Re: Mechanical differences in Stella FK lineup?

Post by Slazmo » Fri May 26, 2023 9:13 pm

They're also most definitely using that new cross directional 'Duracross' felt material, 1 vs 3 washers to achieve that difference.

Thenewrick
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Re: Mechanical differences in Stella FK lineup?

Post by Thenewrick » Sat May 27, 2023 5:05 am

So the FK1000 doesn’t get the duracross new special drag system tech?

reason162
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Re: Mechanical differences in Stella FK lineup?

Post by reason162 » Sun May 28, 2023 7:40 pm

Thenewrick wrote:
Sat May 27, 2023 5:05 am
So the FK1000 doesn’t get the duracross new special drag system tech?
1 drag washer vs a stack of 3 accounts for the difference in output.

There's a body/gearing size jump from 1000 to 2500. The C3000 has a 2500 body and a deeper spool.

Many more models on the JDM side, including my favorite the 3000MHG which is a 4k body/gearing and a 3k spool/rotor.

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Re: Mechanical differences in Stella FK lineup?

Post by Thenewrick » Mon May 29, 2023 8:36 am

reason162 wrote:
Sun May 28, 2023 7:40 pm
Thenewrick wrote:
Sat May 27, 2023 5:05 am
So the FK1000 doesn’t get the duracross new special drag system tech?
1 drag washer vs a stack of 3 accounts for the difference in output.

There's a body/gearing size jump from 1000 to 2500. The C3000 has a 2500 body and a deeper spool.

Many more models on the JDM side, including my favorite the 3000MHG which is a 4k body/gearing and a 3k spool/rotor.
This is the kinda info I'm looking for.

I'm looking for a smaller spool with the extra durable gearing and it sounds like that 3000MHG is the spot.

Any other changes between USDM and JDM? I love the new line management tech (infinity)

Looking at this chart I'm not so sure.

Image

It shows the 3000MHG, medium spool high gear, as being slightly less weight but same gear ratio as the 4000MGH. Is this weight difference solely from case/spool size being deeper but has the same gearing or am I misunderstanding?

Did you mean to say the C version which is compact?

Could you elaborate?

reason162
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Re: Mechanical differences in Stella FK lineup?

Post by reason162 » Mon May 29, 2023 12:23 pm

Thenewrick wrote:
Mon May 29, 2023 8:36 am
It shows the 3000MHG, medium spool high gear, as being slightly less weight but same gear ratio as the 4000MGH. Is this weight difference solely from case/spool size being deeper but has the same gearing or am I misunderstanding?

Did you mean to say the C version which is compact?

Could you elaborate?
I don't know what you're asking re the Compact version, but afaik the 3000mhg shares the same body/gear size as the 4000mgh, the difference in weight is the spool and rotor sizes.

The "C" sizes are just deeper spools of the next body size down, ie C3000 is just a 2500 body/rotor with a deeper spool. Ditto the C5000 vs the 4000.

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Re: Mechanical differences in Stella FK lineup?

Post by Thenewrick » Mon May 29, 2023 1:31 pm

I'd be interested in the opposite of the C I suppose.

A smaller shell/spool with the biggest strongest gearset and lowest weight.

This is massively confusing for me but I'm trying to sort it out mentally.

So each tier in the lineup by size 2500-3000-4000 has a C version which is essentially the lower tier body/gears with a larger spool. And each tier has 1-2 models that are a larger body/gears with a smaller or essentially appropriate for their tier sized spools.

So the C2500S is a compact meaning everything but the spool is smaller, but S means the spool is also smaller. Very confusing.

I'd be looking for either a 2500 or 3000 series with the biggest/strongest gears and drag and handle but with the lightest weight, best drag. What would be the 2500 version of the MHG you mentioned?

How do you know the 3000MHG has the gearing from the 4000 series? I can't tell by looking at the chart. Just something you know from personal experience?

reason162
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Re: Mechanical differences in Stella FK lineup?

Post by reason162 » Mon May 29, 2023 2:08 pm

Before you confuse yourself further, look at this chart and pay attention to the columns "body size" and "rotor size."

https://i.imgur.com/w04HSF4.png

Image

It's taken from here - https://fish.shimano.com/ja-JP/content/ ... index.html

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Re: Mechanical differences in Stella FK lineup?

Post by Thenewrick » Mon May 29, 2023 3:25 pm

Good resource thanks for the link.

Is the “rotor” the main gear that is directly driven by the handle and the part that takes the most beating when reeling in a heavy fish hard?

Very interesting that the rotor material changes from magnesium to aluminum. Weight jumps a good bit with that. I suspect the aluminum is more durable?

It’s all pretty curious.

My story is I bought a Triza Ahega rod but it’s too long and heavy for my Stella FK1000 so I decided to make it my saltwater rod because it would balance better with a larger heavier reel and on a boat the extra length isn’t a hindrance like it is bankfishing.

And I love my Stella FK1000 so I sort of just decided I’d stick with that in a larger size. But I don’t need huge spools or huge weight. Just sort of medium size/weight, small spool, and lighter weight would be nice. I figure 2500-3000 size. I like large handles and low gear ratios for the extra torque as well.

reason162
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Re: Mechanical differences in Stella FK lineup?

Post by reason162 » Mon May 29, 2023 4:52 pm

Rotor is the thing that holds the bail and spins when you turn the handle. The alum rotor paired to the Mg body is what gives Stellas their signature feel...very robust, very refined, but not the lightest package.

My advice is get the USDM 2500HG if you're going to fish it in saltwater. Should fit your rod just fine. JDM models = no warranty and service/parts aren't guaranteed.

If you insist on JDM and care about weight, get the new Vanquish.

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Re: Mechanical differences in Stella FK lineup?

Post by Thenewrick » Mon May 29, 2023 6:09 pm

Why do you think they switch to aluminum rotor for some models instead of mg? Just heavier duty for heavier fish?

What's the difference between the JDM 2500 SHG and the USDM 2500 HG?

I don't mind saving a little money buying JDM, especially if I can get a model that's more suited to what I'm looking for. I never use warranties anyways.

So when a "body size" is larger, that's the assumption that the gearing inside is also larger? And the spool size seems to be 2500 on most models.

So I'm looking for the largest "body size", the largest handle, the smallest line capacity, and highest drag combo. That seems to be either the 2500SHG, or the 3000MHG. The 3000MHG has a slightly lower gear ratio, almost double the line capacity, double the drag, more weight and size, and has a T shaped handle.

Another weird thing is the 2500SHG and the 3000MHG both have the same size spool but completely different line capacities. How does that make sense? Wouldn't that just be unnecessary weight and size on the 2500SHG without the line capacity?

Any idea if the USDM 2500 HG has the 2500 body size? I can't seem to line up the specs of the UDSM 2500 HG with any of the JDM versions. It seems to be unique. I can't really tell how it compares to the JDM versions and which one it's closest to. The drag of 4kg and 20lb seems to closely match the 3000MHG. The 8.2 oz of the 3000MHG is more than the 7.4 of the 2500HG.

Could you sort of help me compare and contrast the JDM 2500SHG, 3000MHG, and the USDM 2500HG? It seems like the USDM 2500HG is sort of a combination of these 2 JDM reels with the smaller body size, less weight, but higher drag rating like the 3000MHG. Confused and not sure what is best.

Also, I can't translate line capacities. There's too many different specs and they won't use the same numbers between models. One reel says 10# 100 yards, then the next reel says 12# 120 yards and I'm like hmm I don't know how to do that math to compare.

I probably only need a "medium/small" amount of line capacity. The fish I catch wouldn't pull out a lot of line, but they can be really heavy, up to about 55 lb, and I'd want some good strong gears and torque to crank em in without a 15 minute fight wearing the fish out to exhaustion.

reason162
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Re: Mechanical differences in Stella FK lineup?

Post by reason162 » Wed May 31, 2023 11:06 am

My guess is the 1k sizes are for trout/panfish and very light lures - there you want a lighter rotation so you can actually feel the lure coming through the water.

Body size is ofc correlated to gear size.

50lb+ saltwater gamefish on a 2500/3k bass spinner doesn't sound reasonable to me, at all.

I have no comment for your other questions, except to say that at some point you'll just need to make a decision, buy one, and if it works out great - if not, sell it and buy another one.

And you need to chill - the nervous energy coming off your posts is insane lol.

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Re: Mechanical differences in Stella FK lineup?

Post by Thenewrick » Wed May 31, 2023 12:05 pm

I get really into details and learning new things. I'm like this with all sorts of hobbies. Particularly when I'm shopping for expensive stuff. I've already bought the wrong thing a few times and had to return or cancel orders so I try and triple check before pulling the trigger.

The 3000 MGH with it's 4000 series body sounds like a great choice for light saltwater inshore style fishing and beach surf fishing.

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