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“but i am intrigued by the idea of making a reel with a one piece, machined body.”
Could I interest you in an automobile featuring quad-design rotary mobility? If so, then you just bought a car with four wheels.
Hi, welcome to the fishing tackle industry, where there’s more hype than originality. I hate to take a giant steaming sh*t on Bates reels, because I never fished with one, but I am willing to bet it’s made at the same factory as other big boxes but with one very important difference: at the end of the assembly line a Bates sticker is attached to it.
And there you go. Very few companies do anything proprietary. It’s cheaper and easier to just order what someone else has already made. Refer to my note above about marketing. Don’t spend the thought-juice thinking of something new, it’s too risky.
C’mon guy. Everyone says their reel is a “oNe piEce aloOmiNum bOdy” because that’s how they’re all made.
Not sure? Here’s a little sleuthing:
From Seviin: “Lightweight & rigid one-piece aluminum frame”
https://seviinreels.com/products/gs-casting
From Lew’s: “one-piece aluminum frames”
https://www.louisianasportsman.com/fishing/fishing-reels/
From Shimano: “including a one-piece machine-cut aluminum frame”
https://www.shimano.com/en/100th/history/products/result.php?id=54
From 13 Fishing: “one piece HD aluminum frame”
https://reelcatalog.com/brands/13-fishing/concept-txz
From Daiwa: “saltwater reel designed from a one piece aluminum frame”
https://daiwa.us/products/saltist-star-drag-1
And I can go on and on because I’ve BTDT in the tackle industry and know better. Literally just word search “one piece aluminum frame <insert brand name>”.
Now, this doesn’t mean all the companies are full of crap, it doesn’t mean no one makes a good reel. There’s a lot that goes into a good reel and that’s why I preach learning tackle specifications instead of blind brand loyalty.
What goes into selling a reel is a lot more than the reel itself. There’s marketing and customer service. Those go a long way to make the sale and go on damage control when the product sucks.
That and people in the tackle industry know folks are completely unnecessarily and foolishly tribal about their tackle. It’s kinda like Chevy vs Ford: you would think these companies pay people to use their stuff, not the other way around. I think those people should place their loyalty to themselves and not some distant company who doesn’t talk to them or give a sh*t about them.
C’mon guy. If I wanted to sell all of you on one lure or another I could and I would have thousands of people eating out of my hand as I cash a sponsor check every month. But you know what I caught a limit of trout on yesterday? A frikkin’ sparkle beetle.
–> And that’s because the concern for myself and anyone else in the realm of inshore fishing is having good tackle that stands the test of time and doesn’t break the bank. The way to achieve that end is education. <–
I think a good step to that end is to post here asking what’s good and what’s not. At least myself can chime in, and there’s a slew of other talented, experienced anglers who can chime in as well.
Thank you.
