At 14 my son has really excelled in his bass fishing. Really mindful fisherman. Very proud of how well he has taken to the sport.

With that said Ive gifted him a few rods and he has saved up his earning from working summers and was interested in purchasing some nice reels to top them off with.

Fishing buddy swears by Asian portal but I thought Id run it by the group here to see what experiences people have had.

He was going to get a couple Shimano Stradics...

Any opinions or help would be great, thanks!

I’ve ordered from there and have had no issues. Fast shipping and good prices. 

Asian Portal is excellent.  I've bought 3 rods, 5 reels, and countless lures from them.  

Another place to look is Digitaka.  

Full retail on tackewarehouse.  Never mention buying jdm again or it all colapses.  You either know or you don't.  If you don't know you don't need to. All good things come to an end and we are not ready for the gravy train to end.  Normies, ignore this hack and buy full retail plus tip on tackle warehouse.

Digitaka and Japan Lure Shop are my go tos for reels but I've bought from Asian Portal several times too. Find the best price with shipping and go for it. Also be aware that PayPal has their own exchange rate that isn't favorable so use a credit card if you can.

I have purchased rods, reels and many lures but their shipping on rods has gotten pricey. I think the last time I looked it was around $65. 

8 minutes ago, FishTank said:

I have purchased rods, reels and many lures but their shipping on rods has gotten pricey. I think the last time I looked it was around $65. 

OUCH! yea luckily my sons after reels. He was gifted some nice rods by myself and an uncle...With his purchase he should be good for many years...

When I started out it was cheap ugly sticks, this kid is swinging Megabass and G Loomis!

 

Thanks everyone for your input, much appreciated.