Why are self centering spinning reels (with a trigger for the bail) so hard to find?  When I was a teenager these were the first kind of reel that I upgraded to after spincasting, but now I think the Shimano Spirex is the only one I've found that's decent quality.

I've always though it was so much easier to grab the line and the trigger at the same time.  Holding the line and flipping the bail with my other hand just feels clumsy now.  Is it because they have some built-in backplay instead of instant AR?

No back play, better feel with contact baits and better hooksets. 

The Spirex and the Solstace are the only ones I can remeber right now, why are they hard to find ? because they are not popular for a reason: they have a lot of handle backplay, which is necessary for the self centering required to align the QuickFire trigger. The general consensus is " I don 't like the handle backplay".

The chain reaction goes like this:

I don 't like the handle backplay --> reel has a lot of it --> I don 't buy it --> dealers don 't stock a low rotation item ( business is busines, time is money ) --> hard to find

I just sold a Solstace for $5 at my garage sale and probably would have given it away.  It used to drive me nuts when fishing a tube for Lake Erie smallies and when you tried to set the hook you got that CLACK as the spool spun backwards to it's stop point plus the slop in your line.  Glad to see it go.

Outdated , good for kids learning to cast but really almost useless compared to the new stuff.

It's obviously a business decision to eliminate trigger reels; not enough people care for them. I used to use them and had no problems. I think the problem with hooksets is hugely overstated. Backplay occurs when there is no resistance to the handle. Since my hand was always on the handle, there was resistance, thus no backplay on hooksets or elsewhere.

If someone likes trigger reels for whatever reasons, I see no reason for them not to use them because of fears of losing fish.

It's obviously a business decision to eliminate trigger reels; not enough people care for them. I used to use them and had no problems. I think the problem with hooksets is hugely overstated. Backplay occurs when there is no resistance to the handle. Since my hand was always on the handle, there was resistance, thus no backplay on hooksets or elsewhere.

If someone likes trigger reels for whatever reasons, I see no reason for them not to use them because of fears of losing fish.

x2

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It's obviously a business decision to eliminate trigger reels; not enough people care for them. I used to use them and had no problems. I think the problem with hooksets is hugely overstated. Backplay occurs when there is no resistance to the handle. Since my hand was always on the handle, there was resistance, thus no backplay on hooksets or elsewhere.

If someone likes trigger reels for whatever reasons, I see no reason for them not to use them because of fears of losing fish.

I have a rear drag Solstace 2500 purchased in 2001 and I swear I 've never lost a fish or had any problem hooking a fish with it in 9 years, actually and even though I have nicer reels I really like that reel, completely trouble free, a few drops of oil every now and then and a little greasing that 's all it needs to function flawlessly, btw, I like the Fighting Drag function, has saved me from loosing fish several times.    I understand Shimano from the business point of view, if people don 't like them then why waste resources that can be used elsewhere.

I've had some of these spinning reels and liked them, especially for teaching newer folks - it is an easier reel for them to learn to use.

I find it ironic that many of the same guys who tell you to never use your drag on spinning reels (Backreel only!!!) also hate these types of reels because of the lack of instant anti-reverse. :

I have a Spirex 2500FG on an Allstar American Classic 6'6" M/MF spooled with 8# Trilene XL. I bought as sort of a beater reel I could keep in my truck or take to work or whatever. It was relatively inexpensive - amout $55. It's become one of my favorite reels.

It is excellent line management. It lays line evenly and line twist is minimal - less than with Cardinals I've owned. It's smooth. The double crank makes it feel really good for moving baits.

The good part about a reel without instant anti-reverse, or some back play, is that it allows you to become more attched to your set up. It gives you extra feel through your reel. As much as people lament the back play in some Shimano baitcasters, that was always an advantage to me. I can feel my bait better on through Curado better than I can through a Zillion, all else being the same. The Spirex is no exception.

The self-centering aspect is no disadvatage. It's just different. I rarely use the trigger, but rather hand-open and close the bail.

It's a great reel. Give it a whirl.