It is currently 28 Mar 2024, 15:50


1, 2  Next New Topic Add Reply
Author Message
Chinese fly reels.
Post 05 Sep 2021, 07:25 • #1 
New Member
Joined: 08/30/21
Posts: 20
60+ years ago, my dad, an avid fly fisherman, told me a fly reel is just a place to store line.
As an Orvis store owner, I taught fly casting and got into expensive reels, Orvis, Hardy etc. as much for appearances as utility..
Zoom ahead 30 years, built a 7 piece pack rod for my hunting pack, as I sometimes run across ponds in the woods and spend a little time fishing. I needed a light cheap reel and bought a Chinese piscifun 4 weight. <40 bucks
The thing was amazingly well made (machined) & butter smooth. Have used it quite a bit.
Last year, I decided the old beat up hardy princess on my Orvis All Rounder needed replacing.
At the risk of being accused of blasphemy, I put another one of those reels on it. Just back from salmon fishing trip to AK and still can find no shortcomings with the things. Anyone else leaning this direction?
Stuck that old nasty looking hardy on eBay & got enough to buy a half dozen of the cheaper reels..
Greg


Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 05 Sep 2021, 08:30 • #2 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/06/17
Posts: 2498
Location: South of Joplin
No.


Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 05 Sep 2021, 09:21 • #3 
Sport
Joined: 04/17/15
Posts: 67
Location: Colo/Wyoming
No for many reasons.


Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 05 Sep 2021, 11:16 • #4 
New Member
Joined: 08/30/21
Posts: 20
I’d be curious as to the many reasons. Other than a desire to buy American, which I share.. all things being equal.
Maybe I’m missing something?

I fished for a week back in the 70s with Tom McNally of the Chicago Tribune. He was an amazing fly fisherman. He showed me a reel he’d had custom machined. That reel was amazing for the time. These Reels are at least as well made as that one was.
I’ve been using a Korean reel on my salt water rod(s) for 5 years now & see Hardy is having a lot of theirs made there. Also have read that some American reels are assembled here, but most of the parts are made.. you know where. :)


Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 05 Sep 2021, 12:06 • #5 
Master Guide
Joined: 01/14/06
Posts: 720
Location: US-CA
"Other than a desire to buy American, which I share"
From your posts, it doesn't seem like it.
Not against anyone buying an affordable nice reel but it is nice to support the people trying to make it in the US or other like countries that have labor and environmental laws.
It has gotten pretty hard to buy US now days.


Last edited by Riffling Hitch on 05 Sep 2021, 12:34, edited 2 times in total.

Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 05 Sep 2021, 12:17 • #6 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 05/22/16
Posts: 1760
Location: SJC
It's funny, most spinning reels are made in China these days, even Tica, Daiwa, and Shimano and arguably spinning reels are more complicated pieces of machinery.

I have a bunch of Chinese fly rods, some branded Echo, Redington and Fenwick. They work fine. Some are better than others. I don't expect them to be as good as, say, the Orvis Superfines I also own (I have a ********* on order).

But I have not had such good luck with Chinese fly reels, with a few exceptions: the newer Pfleuger Medalist is made in China, for example. I think the Orvis Hydros is as well, as are the Orvis Battenkills. The rest have been a bit underwhelming, for whatever reason. I usually prefer Korean or US made reels.

I think for generic disc drag freshwater fly reels Chinese reels are probably ok, if you don't mind the extra weight. But I've not liked most of the lightweight click pawl models I've seen (the Medalist is kind of a tank, the Battenkills are ok).


Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 05 Sep 2021, 12:53 • #7 
New Member
Joined: 08/30/21
Posts: 20
Your last sentence pretty well sums up the situation. All or substantial parts of almost everything we buy are internationally made. We’ve become a world economy. And a lot of “made in the USA” fishing gear is just assembled here. All we can do is go by value, all things being equal.
There’s a formula that meets the made in USA labeling requirement, IIRC it’s something like 51% of the labor must be US.

Don’t know what I said, that makes you think I’m anti American ;)


Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 05 Sep 2021, 13:05 • #8 
Administrator
Joined: 01/10/06
Posts: 7811
Location: Holly Springs, NC
There's nothing wrong with Asian made gear. In this particular case it's just not very attractive. Like far too many modern reels, the maker screams, "I have a CNC machine shop and I'm not afraid to over program it!"

This reel is not alone. Lamson/Waterworks, Sage, Redington, Ross, and many others produce downright fugly fly reels. The makers advertise their special grade aluminum, then cut most of it away in an exercise of irrational over design. All that remains is a spindly cage eerily reminiscent of the disturbing opening credits of Peter Chung's Aeon Flux.


And please note: I realize you are new here. This forum is about fiberglass fishing rods and their accoutrements. This forum is not about debating the state of the world economy, what we do with the fish we catch, what qualifies as made in the USA, or any other topic likely to start a flame war. Please, consider that we are a specialty forum about glass rods before posting.


Tom


Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 05 Sep 2021, 14:25 • #9 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19078
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
I was involved with CAP reels and FishOn China manufacture of those click-pawl trout reels.
None of those reels came from the factory with the correct feel in the click pawl.
For both mine and many purchasers who sent reels to me, I swapped spring and pawl with Hardy parts to make them function properly.

Image

Image

I'm also going to stand up that Tica has been made in Taipei since 1960, and they make reels for Daiwa.
Shimano's offshore production is Malaysia.
Lew's, Abu Garcia, Hardy, Orvis are all made in Korea.
Where's your China - it's not there.

And actually, this is a forum about Classic Fly Reels.
Image


Last edited by bulldog1935 on 05 Sep 2021, 16:06, edited 2 times in total.

Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 05 Sep 2021, 15:20 • #10 
New Member
Joined: 08/30/21
Posts: 20
Okay Tom. Thought this was a forum about fly reels.
My bad.

But with all due respect. Just about any opinion, these days, on anything..can start a flame war. :lol


Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 05 Sep 2021, 16:10 • #11 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 05/22/16
Posts: 1760
Location: SJC
Re: spinning reels -- I bought a Tica Cetus SB800 and a Daiwa BG2500 within the last few months. Both had "Made in China" stickers on them. I do have a couple of older model Daiwa's (SS700 and BG15) that were made in Thailand. Otherwise, all the spinning reels I presently own were made in China -- whether branded by Okuma, Quantum, or Daiwa.

Re: weak springs in Chinese reels -- yes, I tried out a Maxcatch clone of the Redington Drift a few years ago. It had basically the same problem.

I bought a Chinese saltwater fly reel a couple years ago, but returned it. Looked to me as though they hadn't considered the possibility of it being used in the surf. Maybe OK for use on a boat, though.

I like to support US workers and so on, and I do for some things, but for the most part that ship has long since sailed ...


Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 05 Sep 2021, 16:17 • #12 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19078
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Taipei is Taiwan, so a reel made there will say made it China, whether it's branded Tica or Daiwa.
Most Japan manufacturing moved there in the 1980s, including the best of the world bicycle industry.
Without question, their 60 years of reel-making separates them from most made in China reels.
Roro is Hong Kong, which is also a distinction; Ray's Studio is Thailand.
Many quality parts you buy on Ali Express, if you follow tracking, they are imported first into China before finding their way to an Ali shipping container.
Weak springs was not the issue, but stout and teeth-chattering.
I've seen "bench-made" reels from China - with a fan club, even - that self-machined internally and any search on this forum will turn them up.


Last edited by bulldog1935 on 05 Sep 2021, 21:55, edited 1 time in total.

Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 05 Sep 2021, 16:26 • #13 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 05/22/16
Posts: 1760
Location: SJC
Now that is interesting -- I've seen "Made in Taiwan" on other manufactured goods, which perhaps shows my age :) You would think that a manufacturer in ROC would want to distinguish themselves from PRC...


Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 05 Sep 2021, 16:40 • #14 
Guide
Joined: 08/11/21
Posts: 208
Location: Tucson, AZ
There is something about fishing a reel that matches the vintage of the rod that appeals to me...it just feels right.

They can be a little heavier and the drags may not be always a good as the modern reels, but they match up nicely and do the job. They are easy for a not-so-mechanical guy like me to rejuvenate..and the sound of a clicker on a running fish (which I do not hear that often, fishing mainly for warmwater species) just sounds right.

Guess it is mainly aesthetics, but all those things just seem to come together in the best possible way hooked up to a fish on a glass rod and a reel of similar vintage.

That said, the Galvan Torque series of reels...with discontinued maroon finish.... with a modern drag, machined, etc. has the look of the classic reels and can feel right on a cane or glass rod


Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 05 Sep 2021, 21:40 • #15 
Administrator
Joined: 01/10/06
Posts: 7811
Location: Holly Springs, NC
Brayhaven wrote:
Okay Tom. Thought this was a forum about fly reels. My bad.

But with all due respect. Just about any opinion, these days, on anything..can start a flame war. :lol

The thread was about fly reels. But for unknown reasons there was a post only about the world economy, USA labeling requirements, and suggestions about someone being anti American. Or something.

Basically, as long as the discussions are in some way related to fishing, fine. When the conversation drifts completely away from that, a flame war is likely. Please, don't go there on purpose.


Tom


Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 06 Sep 2021, 06:20 • #16 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/06/07
Posts: 1437
Location: US-VT
I have owned fished Abels, Islanders, Ari Harts, etc etc. Sold all but one Abel TR and a old Orvis Odyessy III, and for the past several years I have fished with LL Bean Pocket waters and a couple of the LA reels they sell now.


Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 06 Sep 2021, 11:40 • #17 
Guide
Joined: 12/21/17
Posts: 100
Location: US-MN
In regards to the original subject the reason I would not buy a Chinese reel is because come time to trade or sell 10 years from now it wont be worth much and hard to sell. I bought a Nautilus FWX about ten years ago and now see them going for about the same price on the auction sites used. I have somewhat of an interest in finding an Abel Creek and they sell for more now today then when new. A reel I regret selling was a hard alox Lamson Litespeed- when a good one does show up on the auction site they go for more today used then when new. So for me its kind of a value issue


Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 06 Sep 2021, 13:42 • #18 
Guide
Joined: 11/15/17
Posts: 101
Location: SanDiego,California
I think that because this forum’s founding interest is fiberglass fly rods, allows for the fact that many of our members also have and collect the reels that were made at the same time as the rods. The 1950’s to the 1980’s is when most of the fiberglass fly rods & the reels to go with them were made and a good portion of them were “Made in the USA”. Companies like Pflueger, Shakespeare, Ocean City, Martin, and others made good quality blue collar reels. I don’t know who was the first to start making reels overseas but soon everybody thought they had to do the same. So the era of “Made in the USA” had ended and with it a piece of American quality & pride.
However the reels of that era can still be collected and fished with and that is why many of us are members of this great forum. I consider any reel made within that time period to be “vintage” now. I have many vintage fly reels and really enjoy matching them up to the rods from the time period when they were made. For me it is like having a time machine and going back and fishing in the “Good Old Days”. It’s like having and driving a 56 Chevy instead of a more modern car.


Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 06 Sep 2021, 18:41 • #19 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19078
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
I think most of us got here rejecting the new high tech - you don't have to think too long and hard for high tech fly fishing to become a glaring oxymoron.
For me, it was too much insulation between me and the fish, catching fish after fish, and wondering why I was harassing them.
I was one step away from clipping my hooks and counting coup. This is also why you see people running down the bank of the San Juan with a monster trout on their 3-wt.

You can get five or six outfits that will appreciate in value for one new.
We should all be bad consumers - and that's the economy we should integrate.


Last edited by bulldog1935 on 07 Sep 2021, 12:09, edited 1 time in total.

Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 07 Sep 2021, 11:03 • #20 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 12/05/06
Posts: 2087
Location: US-PA
COO matters a whole lot to me and I'm willing to pay for what meets my criteria so I only buy & use American and English fly reels and Japanese conventional reels.


Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 07 Sep 2021, 19:22 • #21 
New Member
Joined: 08/21/20
Posts: 22
Location: Whangaparaoa, New Zealand
While Mrs Kiwiscanfly is watching TV at night, I'll sit there beside her, opening, closing and fiddling with a vintage reel, marveling at its solid engineering and wondering what stories it could tell me.

While they may not be as efficient, or technologically advanced as todays reels (including the Chinese reels), I personally think an older reel looks better on a glass rod. But that's just me, and everyone has a different opinion. What did Clint Eastwood say about opinions again?..


Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 08 Sep 2021, 07:42 • #22 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/21/06
Posts: 3081
Location: Orygun
Personally, I like reels that work. I like the look of classic reels (in particular the old Young's, of which I only have one), but I also like the functionality of a large arbor reel and more modern drag (you really need something like that for tuna although, my System 2 would work fine too). My personal 'collection', if you can call it that, consists of Chinese reels, Korean reels, USA reels, English reels & probably some other COO that I'm missing, cheap reels, expensive reels. I use them all & they all work. I mean shoot, I recently bought a 3D printed reel (yes, right here in USA) for my musky fishing because of the colors he could print it in (Denver Broncos orange and blue to match the white/orange/blue rod). It's ugly as hell, but it works great (I would use it for carp too) and floats well enough to float my 10wt NFC Iconoglass...pretty cool if you ask me. Some people care where their reels are made, others don't. There's nothing wrong with either.

Same goes with rods, although I am a little bit more picky when it comes to that.


Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 08 Sep 2021, 10:33 • #23 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19078
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Certainly drag reels have their place.

We still have plenty of good choices out there. Ebay shopping is not what it was a dozen years ago when it was still the world's garage sale. But etsy, garage sales, and even craigslist can find good tackle.


Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 08 Sep 2021, 10:39 • #24 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 05/22/16
Posts: 1760
Location: SJC
So far all this thread has taught me is that (a) "there's no accounting for taste", and (b) "made in China" is not necessarily a bad thing.

:)


Top
  
Quote
Re: Chinese fly reels.
Post 11 Sep 2021, 16:56 • #25 
Guide
Joined: 12/28/19
Posts: 129
I have a few Piscifun reels and a bunch of Fariland reels . I like them a lot . Never has one disappointed me . I dont like spending big money on line holders when these are just as good looking and work as well . The most expensive reel I have is a Maxcatch semi auto at $139 and change . It works just fine on my 1K sage .


Last edited by jigsup on 12 Sep 2021, 11:47, edited 1 time in total.

Top
  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  

1, 2  Next New Topic Add Reply



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 16 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Jump to:  
Google
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group