Shimano downgrading their tackle

[Sevric]

The baitrunners are a good example ...... It was pointed out to me by a mate & when I had a look I saw what he meant ( the original series of baitrunners were just awesome - hall of snapper fishing fame stuff )


Chris

I will second a bad experience with the new baitrunner series. A mid range reel that has suffered badly in this period of downgrade and building for profit margin. The original was a genuine work horse which deluded me into the purchase of another reel, fortunately only one. Shimano to their credit have fixed the problem with my reel and just last night caught some nice fish with it but i am unsure it will earn the reputation of it's predecessor.

[NAGG]

Penn and a few other brands are going to the single dealer sort of setup, as in say BCF can sell them, but your small local guy can't or won't, Shimano tend to be moving in that direction too, rather than being able to buy them anywhere, you will need to go to (say) Kmart to get them, whether this is good or bad in the long term is anyone's guess, and thinking about it, to the big end manufacturer, it means a single account (sort of) rather than a thousand small guys buying maybe 2 or 3 reels at a time, the big multi nationals can just buy a palet of reels, whack them on special, clean up on sales in a week, and move on to something else. By the way, I only used Kmart and BCF as a reference, do not torch me for quoting them.

It's interesting & I think you are right to some extent ........ Shimano have also pumped a hell of a lot of point of sale displays into the better tackle stores - certainly worth some coin.
On the other hand we see Daiwa move in their own direction & seem to be focusing on the middle high end of the market (they have their tournament dealer network) ....... & no doubt you make a hell of a lot more on a $550 certate than you would on a $200 tierra - particularly when a lot of the technology / tooling / componantry is shared.

I guess in the end though that if you move volumes of the cheap stuff you will still make money

Chris

[Tangles]

Its funny how certain companies gain reputation for different reels, just my experience or preference but i reckon its also about how the reels feel to you, an old favourite, or a new shiny piece of bling which matches or doesnt match your expectations?

Baitrunners, have both new and old, the older ones certainly feel right and the new ones havent broken, but i still take the new ones out in preference, dont know if the new ones are better, feel smaller, they are lighter, more drag but if i would take the old 6500 out first

Spinners, well Daiwa all the way, catalinas, certates ( including the new 3000) love them, absolute favourite reels, have a Sargossa and dont get on with it,

Overheads, most are Shimano, Toriums, Tlds and Tyrnos, love the Toriums ( which a lot here dont) and also the Daiwa Saltist LW, but that now has corrosion problems after a few years? , hated the Tld at first but now after upgrading the drag and handle love it,

Maybe sometimes the newer reels sometimes dont feel right, bit like an old 80 series or a 200, ones a 4wd and ones a shopping trolley, ,, one is a old, chunky and one is full of gizmos, bad analogy i know but?

I find im going smaller and lighter all the time but still the old friends bring back fond memories, be it an Alvey or a new Certate,,, has the quality dropped, dont know personally.

[NAGG]

Its funny how certain companies gain reputation for different reels, just my experience or preference but i reckon its also about how the reels feel to you, an old favourite, or a new shiny piece of bling which matches or doesnt match your expectations?

Baitrunners, have both new and old, the older ones certainly feel right and the new ones havent broken, but i still take the new ones out in preference, dont know if the new ones are better, feel smaller, they are lighter, more drag but if i would take the old 6500 out first

Spinners, well Daiwa all the way, catalinas, certates ( including the new 3000) love them, absolute favourite reels, have a Sargossa and dont get on with it,

Overheads, most are Shimano, Toriums, Tlds and Tyrnos, love the Toriums ( which a lot here dont) and also the Daiwa Saltist LW, but that now has corrosion problems after a few years? , hated the Tld at first but now after upgrading the drag and handle love it,

Maybe sometimes the newer reels sometimes dont feel right, bit like an old 80 series or a 200, ones a 4wd and ones a shopping trolley, ,, one is a old, chunky and one is full of gizmos, bad analogy i know but?

I find im going smaller and lighter all the time but still the old friends bring back fond memories, be it an Alvey or a new Certate,,, has the quality dropped, dont know personally.

Shimano used to cover the range / styles pretty well .......... just today they are muddying the water a bit . It will be interesting to see their new offerings.
They still do damn fine game reels

Chris

[gunna]

Interesting observation in the latest American Legacy tackle shop's newsletter.

"Shimano has redesigned several casting and spinning reels, some with obvious improvements. Some (in our opinion) not so much so. Certainly one of the most popular low profile casting reels out there is the Curado which originally came in a 50, 200, and 300 size. That has changed. The Curado "G" is now only offered in a 200 size, the 50 size now being offered in the new Chronarch. The 300 size stays the same and remains a Curado "E". Our take is that the new Curado "G" is a nice reel, but comparing it to the last Japanese Curado ("E") is somewhat disappointing. First, the new Curado 200 "G" series reels are made in Malaysia, not Japan. (the 300 series, we believe, will still be made in Japan - for now). OK, we understand this as the Japanese yen has strengthened and is now hovering at about 80 yen to the US dollar. A year ago it was about 20% cheaper (around 98 yen to the dollar), which means the cost of the Curado was reasonable. Not so today. So production moved to Malaysia and the new Curado "G" is actually $20 less than the old, made in Japan Curado. Now $159.99 vs. $179.99 for the Japan model. But....the new Curado has 4+1 bearings vs. the older Curado's 5+1. Hmmmm. The finish isn't as slick and, in our assessment, the new Curado has been "dumbed down". A great reel, but, in our opinion, not on par with the just replaced Japanese Curado's".

[MudRiverDan]

Re Above:I think they even dropped the Japanese model Curado's down to $150.00 in the end.

I bought the new Luvias 2500R, very nice reel.
When I took it out for a test I didn't even notice I was using it.
I think it is made in Malaysia from memory.
I was looking for a powerful mid range 2500 sized reel.
Nothing took my fancy in the Shimano range, except maybe the twin power.

[Strewth]

Regarding the American Legacy post: Shimano has been forced to do this because the US dollar/economy has tanked and they weren't selling many of the old Chronarchs at the US$300 price point (using US prices). What we have now is New Chronarch = Old Curado 200E/50E, and a new Curado which has fewer bearings. In my view, this has downgraded both the Curado and Chronarch brands. Of course we still have the Calais and Conquest models, which are top shelf, and the Scorpion XT1000 (a JDM equivalent of the of the Curado 50E) is a great reel for around A$260 shipped from Japan. The gear metal in the Scorpion is different to that in the Curado, and gives a much smoother retrieve (almost as smooth as my Calais 100a).

[NAGG]

Well if anyone has any doubts - check out the new Chronarch E ... WTF are they thinking ?
The Chronarch has gone from a benchmark BC when they released the Chronarch A during the 1990s & peaked with the desirable "B" version - particularly the BSV ....... since then we have seen a gradual decline ( certainly in aesthetics / finish & materials used) ......... The D just lost it and was quickly overshadowed by the cheaper (Green) Curado.
Now we have the "E" - gone is the aluminium side plate & has adopted a colour scheme that has you squirming . No longer does the Chronarch stand alone in the Shimano range - it now shares its appearance with the cheaper Citca.
I'm pretty sure the devotees of the Chronarch range will be disappointed with the result while the boys at Daiwa , Quantum , ABU , Pflueger & Shakespere would be rubbing their hands together

Chris

[NAGG]

Well if anyone has any doubts - check out the new Chronarch E ... WTF are they thinking ?
The Chronarch has gone from a benchmark BC when they released the Chronarch A during the 1990s & peaked with the desirable "B" version - particularly the BSV ....... since then we have seen a gradual decline ( certainly in aesthetics / finish & materials used) ......... The D just lost it and was quickly overshadowed by the cheaper (Green) Curado.
Now we have the "E" - gone is the aluminium side plate & has adopted a colour scheme that has you squirming . No longer does the Chronarch stand alone in the Shimano range - it now shares its appearance with the cheaper Citca.
I'm pretty sure the devotees of the Chronarch range will be disappointed with the result while the boys at Daiwa , Quantum , ABU , Pflueger & Shakespere would be rubbing their hands together

Chris

Chronarch 100D5

When I was younger I used to drool over
Shimano Calcuttas and Chronarchs. I am talking the very first models here.
I
always loved baitcasting reels and back then, could only afford ABU and
PENN.

Today , I bought my first Chronarch...not the latest E6, but the
preceeding CH100D5.
I had to buy this reel when I saw that it was $140 off
the normal price and that it has the same breakweight access as my Calcutta
TE200. The brake case is mounted to the reel body and not the sideplate .
The
latest Chronarch has the brake case mounted to the sideplate the same as the
Curado.

In my humble opinion, this is a backward step, as the spool can
fall out when the sideplate is opened.
Anyhow, I guess you only get what you
pay for...so I think I got a bargain

Funny that .........

Chris

[reggy]

All this goes to make your older Shimanos more desireable and valuable.

[Si]

Shimano used to cover the range / styles pretty well .......... just today they are muddying the water a bit . It will be interesting to see their new offerings.
They still do damn fine game reels

Chris

yes the tiagra, torsa and talicas are exceptional reels. made in Japan still too. very nice bits of gear imo

[Jakers 69]

Been a Shimano fan all my life, but must agree that the latest low to mid range reels won't get my knot.
Lost t curve and static at tangalooma, dive it out the next day with fish still on, still use them today.
Stella,s never failed me.
But must say, I'll use a satiga at any day as well.

J

[RAT-KING]

Its definitely not looking too good for Shimano, friends of mine have been starting to buy pelagic brand rods and reels, i,ve seen them on ebay and thought why bother wasting your money but after seeing these rods and reels in person, I was really surprised the rods look really good and have fuji components,the reels look and feel great some of the larger reels claim to have up to 30kg of drag pressure and the drags feel really smooth, they have infinte anti reverse and are just a solid reel, how the stand up in the heat of battle im not sure, but when there are all of these components in a reel and you can find them new with warranty for under $100, I'm a shimano man theres only one reel that i own that isn't a shimano and its an old school sea-line 900 that ive had for a long time, I definitely wont be changing the way i feel about them any time soon but the big boys of tackle supply really should watch their back.