5000 GTE-C v XTEA v 4000 XTRA v D

[Chris Jones]

On the topic of XTEAs, my understanding was that the Shimano XTEA 10000was brought out in a rush to compete with a reel from a competitor (probably Diawa, can't remember). I believe that the XTEA was little more than a tarted up version of the XTE.
Chris will probably know, but I wonder if the 5000 is just a smaller spool version of the 10000?
I can certainly remember XTEA5000s going for around the £60/70 mark about a year ago. Give it a while and their value will drop back again, when the next "must have" reel appears. Does anyone on BFW use Daiwa reels? I don't understand the preoccupation with Shimano.

No, the 5000 sized reels were oddities in that the bodies (as well as the rotors and spools), at least on the GTECs (I have both 10000s and 5000s), are smaller than the 6/8/10000 size reels. Probably why they've done away with them.

As for the tarting up thing, it could easily be argued that the GTE/GTEA/GTEB/GTEC etc are just basic tarted up versions of their predecessors. That's the way Shimano have worked for years. Nothing much changed with the basic look of the reels beyond colour schemes and the odd shiny bit, for 15 to 20 years plus.

The same sort of chronology is exhibited in the XTE, XTEA, XTRA, etc etc, the same basic reel with different internals, different spools, different colour schemes, different handles etc. Same goes for the STFA, DLFA, XTFA and D. Different handles, different spools, different internals etc etc, same basic design.

 

[Jim Foxall]

Reels

I guessed Chris would know the answers. If there are so many Shimano variants, then, after a while, sourcing spares becomes a nightmare. Abu spares are still obtainable for the Cardinal series 54, 55 & 57, but Abu weren't bringing out new models every couple of years. As I have mentioned in previous posts, just a shame Abu never made a baitrunner.

I do believe that the early Shimanos of the 1980/1990s were tougher reels than their more modern counterparts, but many spares are no longer available. Japanese society has, as long as I can remember, been "throw away" after a few years, they never were much into repairing things. I see no reason why their phillosophy should change now. You won't have an XTEA for life, but the chances are you will in the case of an Abu.

 

[Chris Jones]

just a shame Abu never made a baitrunner.

They did, even when Abu were still Abu as you are thinking of them. Unfortunately, they were rubbish compared to the Shimanos of the day and very few people bought them. Modern Abu baitrunners exist now, sadly, the modern Abu isn't the brand that you recall.

 

[David Gauntlett]

Talking of ABU....I stayed in Sweden for a short while around 1970 (shacked up with a young blond lass as it happens ) I visited a tackle shop ASAP, excited at the thought of stocking up on some decent reels at a great price in their country of origin. Bleedin gutted...they were twice as dear as in England

Cheers, Dave

 

[Ben Jennings]

Does anyone on BFW use Daiwa reels? I don't understand the preoccupation with Shimano.

I've got my daiwa exceler x 4000 which is going to be my new barbel reel after years of using a 5010. I've not used it yet but playing about with it the drag seems superb much better than my old shimano. I'm going to get the shimano serviced and keep it as a spare. You are right Jim shimano seem by far the most popular barbel reel on here. I did buy a 5000 xtea and used it a few times but the thing that put me off all new shimano baitrunners is all the ones I've tried since my 5010 they just seem to be getting heavier. I do a lot of wandering and the xtea just felt totally unbalanced on my rod so I sold it stupidly cheap last year as it was just gathering dust. The daiwa is about 140grams lighter ad feels so much better balanced when I place it on my rod.

 

[Jim Foxall]

I've got my daiwa exceler x 4000 which is going to be my new barbel reel after years of using a 5010. I've not used it yet but playing about with it the drag seems superb much better than my old shimano. I'm going to get the shimano serviced and keep it as a spare. You are right Jim shimano seem by far the most popular barbel reel on here. I did buy a 5000 xtea and used it a few times but the thing that put me off all new shimano baitrunners is all the ones I've tried since my 5010 they just seem to be getting heavier. I do a lot of wandering and the xtea just felt totally unbalanced on my rod so I sold it stupidly cheap last year as it was just gathering dust. The daiwa is about 140grams lighter ad feels so much better balanced when I place it on my rod.

Hi Ben, I have heard many good comments about the Exceler X. It will be interesting to hear your view in, say, a year's time.

 

[Chris Jones]

I've got my daiwa exceler x 4000 which is going to be my new barbel reel after years of using a 5010. I've not used it yet but playing about with it the drag seems superb much better than my old shimano.

You are comparing a front drag Daiwa to a rear drag Shimano. That's like comparing apples to oranges. If you try a front drag Shimano you may just find a similar improvement in the quality of the drag. It's the nature of the beast, front drags are generally superior to rear drags.

 

[Jim Foxall]

You are comparing a front drag Daiwa to a rear drag Shimano. That's like comparing apples to oranges. If you try a front drag Shimano you may just find a similar improvement in the quality of the drag. It's the nature of the beast, front drags are generally superior to rear drags.

Very true, Chris, regarding the drag systems. It's an overall impression of a reel. It's a case of which reel would you sooner pick up and go fishing with the Shimano or an ExcelerX (at an equivalent price)? All very subjective, I know. But we all have favourite bits of tackle which we flog to death and the rest, perfectly good, get left in a drawer.

 

[Chris Jones]

Very true, Chris, regarding the drag systems. It's an overall impression of a reel. It's a case of which reel would you sooner pick up and go fishing with the Shimano or an ExcelerX (at an equivalent price)? All very subjective, I know. But we all have favourite bits of tackle which we flog to death and the rest, perfectly good, get left in a drawer.

Absolutely, but for a fairer comparison the Exceler should be compared to a similarly priced front drag Shimano (non-Baitrunner). If compared to a rear drag Shimano baitrunner, even a more expensive one, I'd expect the Exceler to have a superior drag. For a start it's front drag compared to rear and there's no baitrunner feature to divert some of the costs.
A closer comparison would be something like the Exage FC to the Exceler X/S. Not for one moment am I suggesting that the Daiwa is in anyway way inferior though, just that this would be a fairer comparison.

As you say, it comes down to preference. I generally stick to Shimanos because I've had good experiences of them. The (very) few Daiwas I've owned, I've hated. Those I've tried and liked have been too expensive, even for my relatively expensive tastes.

I suspect that the reason for the aforementioned preoccupation with Shimanos on here is because many, possibly most, use lever operated baitrunner reels for barbelling. The Shimano baitrunner reels are generally much more highly regarded than their Daiwa equivalents, which, rightly or wrongly, aren't particularly well regarded. Where Daiwa really score is in their non-baitrunner "match" reels and "big pit" reels

 

[David Gauntlett]

Hi Chris,

What I don't understand about the dearer Daiwa reels (£600<£1000 each) is the fact that apparently the huge price is a product of not just superior quality parts and/or technology, but the fact that they are produced in comparatively small runs because they don't expect to sell many reels in the upper price range.

Which surely begs the question-why not compromise slightly on components...and mass produce them, thus keeping the price down. They might then have reels to compare favourably in quality and price with the Shimano models.

Cheers, Dave.

 

[Chris Jones]

Dave,
it may have more to do with exactly where they are made rather than the components or economy of scale. A perfect example is the front and tri-drag Twinpower Ci4 reels. The front drag reels look pretty much the same, have pretty much the same specs but are almost twice the price. For quite some time I couldn't work out why. Only on finding out that the front drag version has the magical "Made in Japan" on the reel foot did understanding dawn. The Tri-Drag version, along with all of the Shimano rear drag reels and most other Shimanos under around £200 are made in Malaysia.

I'll put money on the top end Daiwas being made in Japan too and I bet that Shimano don't sell many more of the likes of the Aero Technium MgS than Daiwa do of the Tournament Basiair.