PSFGC guide to stupidly expensive reels you might actually need... or not

[corsican dave]

back on topic, this is well worth a watch. an amazing story and quite something to see the machining process about half-way in
https://vimeo.com/105772946

[corsican dave]

Winston Rods

excerpt from a review. i thought it was kinda' cool  : :

"Winston is the kind of place where employees take pride in their work and feel an ownership in it. Any employee can, at any time, take any part out of production if they find it to be anything other than perfect. They are expected to do it, and what's more they are expected to take it back to the person responsible for the imperfection. It's the kind of place where if you do your job well, you get more responsibility. The kind of place where your work ethic matters more than your resume

Nothing I saw on my visit to the Winston rod shop summed up the company culture more than a young man named Jessie. Jessie cuts the precise sheets of graphite, boron and fiberglass which are rolled to make a rod blank. It's done by hand and must be within a few thousandths of an inch. "What's your fuck-up rate?" asked my friend Steve Duda. Without hesitation, Jessie reached for a clip board and pointed out a column titled "waste" with a string of zeros.
"This goes back for years," Jessie replied. "My fuck-up rate is zero." "

[attachimg=1]

[Lochan_load]

Love it! Whenever I can afford one my next rod will be a winston, things of beauty!

[Mark]

So heres a question. If you had 200 quid to spend on a reel for trout fishing what would you buy?

Has to be robust, this will get knocked and dropped.
Will get dunked under water every trip
Ultra lightweight not necessary, has to balance 10 and 11' rods
Good drag
Spare spools not needed.
Large arbor


Asking for a friend 

[corsican dave]

well, from experience i would maybe go for a Danielsson.
i have one and i like it. for what it's worth i'll do a personal review tonight. i was going to at some point, anyway

meantime, here's a pretty objective review online. these guys seem to have a good take on things
https://www.yellowstoneangler.com/gear-review/2014-8weight-reel-shootout-nautilusnv-einarsson-galvan-tiboreverglades-hatch-ross-orvis-tfo375-tfobvk-hardy-danielsson-islander-abel-cheeky-loop-bauer-sage-lamsonreels

i think Fred (and others?) would endorse Vosseler. Fred's one looks like it's seen a lot of service!  :

[Wildfisher]

i think Fred (and others?) would endorse Vosseler. Fred's one looks like it's seen a lot of service!  :

I'd say it was virtually indestructible. It's German though so might suffer from faked performance stats and high emissions.  :lol:  Spare spools are very expensive.

[Mark]

ha, pesky Germans.
Is it the DC2 you have?

[Wildfisher]

DC3 I have Mark, it's an old model now.

[Highlander]

Another vote for the Vosseler, Whilst not owning one I have had a loan of one for a few days (DC2) they are a well made reel. If I was buying a new modern reel I would go for one without any qualms.
Having said that I am probably not the best to answear this question as I have never owned a large arbour.
All my reels are click & pawl with most made in the 60s/70s (J.W. Young) I have a thing about older stuff.
Manufacturer I would recommend though is the American Ross Reels . I had a Ross Cimarron C1 for about a week on loan & it is a superb bit of kit & would not break the bank.

If you really want a stupidly expensive bit of kit go no further than this.

http://www.houseofbruar.com/saracione-deluxe-sd-salmon-reel/

I have to say though they are beautiful bits of kit. You can get the "cheaper" Trout reel for £850 if you like.
:roll:

[Robbie]

I would happily recommend a Danielsson reel, well made and reliable. Orvis Battenkill and Hydros reels also fall into that price bracket and may be worth a look.