Eric 26

I think you meant to say “flashers are alive” 🤪

Although I’m not trying to muddy the waters anymore than has been and without quoting anyone I’m going to add to this thread again. Number 1 yes that’s the reel which after looking back I paid $116.70 to my door in Illinois which included the more “expensive” shipping but as all their orders do included a free “gift” which was a Megabass 110 jr. I also purchased through JLS a Tatula 80 that I absolutely love every bit as much as my SLX MGL 71 that came with a “Jack Hammer” chatterbait and as has been pointed out on this site has a heck of a parts aftermarket available including bfs spools and everything else from bling to bearings at a wide range of costs. Lastly if I’m not mistaken and I welcome being called to the carpet for a public flogging if I am wrong the reels I just mentioned are produced in the same factory regardless of what market they are headed to with the exception of a few different parts which in my mind means the parts should be/are available in case something happens to the reel but I don’t feel the warranty means much other than the initial purchase if you receive a defective reel. Lastly although I don’t use my equipment as much as many others on here I’ve not experienced any problems with any of my gear including several “other” branded reels which again there are quite a few guys on here that have way more experience with all of the above mentioned points . Best of luck with your decision and I’m looking forward to reading what you ultimately wind up with.

😉

@HawkeyeSmallie Although I’m not trying to sway your decision for any brand I want to show you some examples of why you should strongly consider buying from Japan. I’m going to use one of my favorite small reels the SLX MGL and one of @MiceNReets favorites the SLX DC. If you have any more questions ask away or you can send me a pm and I’ll be happy to help as will a ton of people on this thread.

Greetings from New Lenox Illinois 👋🏻

@WackyWormNedRig Keeping it simple and cost effective is something that still deserves a couple pictures 😉

@Ryanralston07 I for one would like to hear about the rest.

Although I don’t need anymore reels I’m pretty upset that I missed that deal even though I searched for fishing gear during the Prime days sale

@Jayd0976 I realize you pulled the trigger so congratulations on a nice setup and I’m still going to share directly from the Daiwa website anyway. The only difference may be the colored accents as I don’t remember the scheme but I believe the 6.3:1 is gold which is what you bought the 7 speed is red and the 8 speed was purple if I remember correctly.

@Jayd0976 I’m not sure if this is the reel in question but if so the attached photo is directly from the US Daiwa website along with the original MSRP so it’s a good deal. As it’s been said it’s a great reel as are all Daiwa’s imho with the only drawback being that reel is not as compact as some of the newer versions but I would not let that scare you away. As far as rods if you’re looking to keep the combo on the lower end the Daiwa Aird X receives a ton of praise both here and elsewhere, although I don’t own one I’ve handled them a good handful of times enough so that I would recommend the 7’-0” medium powered rod vs the 7’-0” med. hvy. that will no doubt be recommended for the reason that I generally fish smaller retention ponds which require lighter/smaller lures that generally speaking load better on a 7’ med. powered rod, again imho.

As an absolute sucker for color matching combos I REALLY dig this😉

⬆️🆙⬆️

@Donald Tyson For what it’s worth I have 10 pound Suffix Advance Monofilament on a few different bait cast reels and I really like the way it handles. Also I haven’t felt the need for it but KVD line conditioning comes highly recommended on here.

@e2m Although it appears you’re trying to stay on a really tight budget I’m going to suggest looking at a Piscifun Viper X for $37.00 (500 size) or $40.00 (1000 size), although I don’t own one I have 3 of the next line up Carbon X reels and they’re great reels imho. The biggest problem is the parts support is really non existent but I’ve had zero issues with my Carbon X reels.

@Darrell Shep DVT is a site sponsor so if you reach out to him or google his site I’m sure he can share some photos. P.S I’ve never pursued photos as I’m not in the custom rod market currently.

The last 2 days I’ve stopped at my favorite retention pond after work. Day 1 was being harassed by the bluegill throwing a spinner bait so went back an hour later with an ultralight and caught 1 bass. Day 2 yesterday brought a light powered rod with a VMC marabou jig and picked up 3 bass, a crappie, a bluegill and 1 really nice bass for the size of the retention pond. The biggest one was my first catch and it was a blast on the light powered rod 😃

So I’ve been thinking about this question for quite awhile, I drive a truck so a lot of alone time to think about it 😉 and I know my immediate response was a aw heck no to question number 2😆As far as how much I’d personally spend, for me it boils down to I don’t really know what a “great” reel such as a Daiwa Zillion/Steez or Shimano Metanium or Abu Zenon feel like but I’m sure I would if money were no object. Thinking even longer, remember I drive a truck 😜 I can say I really love @bulldog1935’s ZPI Alcance and also his custom builds so I would say for reels I would tap into the skills of not only bulldog but many others on here and have something built to my specific wants including a killer powder coating job as seen on here by @evo2s197 As far as rods go I’m a little OCD for color matching so I would probably tap into site sponsor DVT to build my rods to match my killer new reels based on his recommendations after I fly down for a personal consultation. On a side note it’s funny as I had a close to this conversation with site member @MiceNReets not very long ago.

@August After hearing about Japan Lure Shop from this site I’ve purchased a few reels from them including 3 Shimano reels. They have 2 tiers of shipping and they include a bonus lure which helps offset the shipping costs. The prices are shown in yen but as an example you can purchase a slx mgl shown on site as 24 slx for 15,960 yen which converts to $101.34.

I feel the answer is wherever your budget lies. As an example for me at least I try to stay around or under $150.00 for rods or reels and I’m at the point in both my life and my current collection that I can be extremely patient. It also helps that I’m not the type that has to have the “latest/greatest” so I don’t mind having a few leftovers if you will. Case in point a handful of years ago I bought a Daiwa Tatula Type R for $99.00 brand new in the box that was supposedly found in the unsold stock 🤔 I didn’t care as it was brand new and a reel I wanted for quite awhile. Conversely I think my personal best bang for buck purchase has been my Shimano SLX MGL from Japan Lure Shop. As I just saw bulldog1935’s reply my next purchase;hopefully next month) will be a JDM Alphas 800 SVTW as I again personally feel that’s a reel to not miss out on at the current Japanese prices.

@DitchPanda I’ll second that sentiment especially when I see what the current price is. I will add I picked up a mixed 12 pack of Three Floyd’s from my local grocery store last night and so far the standout for me is the “Age of otters” IPA 😋Although I will say the standout can graphics for me at least go to the “Zombie Ice Double Pale Ale” even though I prefer the former for taste.

Welcome from Illinois 👍🏻