I know several of you were waiting to see how the reel has held up, so I figured I would give a little update. I have been using this real pretty hard so far this season. From the early season back in April, through the summer, and into the start of this fall, it has been a great reel. I started off using 50# Stren braid, but swithed back to 50# Whiplash last week on Cutty. The reel has spent many nights under water whether wetsuiting or just deep wading. Not even a slight sign of jerkyness in the drag or any reduction in performance. The reel absolutely out performs any other spinning reel I have tried so far, and I think I have gone through them all. I didn't even touch my VS's until last week, and that was just to see how it would feel after not throwing it in a while. I will probably be picking up another one of these reels this off season and retiring my back up VS250 all together.

The reel has several 30#ers, and more 20#ers than I can count under its belt so far. I am 100% happy with every aspect of this reel so far.

Ok, now for the ONE issue I have had so far. Last week, somehow, about a 3/4" piece of the reel foot broke off. The reel still functions perfectly, but I am in the process of contacting Daiwa to get it fixed/replaced, or whatever they will do. It may have the stress of one of the greatest blitzes I have ever experienced, or just a slight flaw in the reel. Not sure yet. The reel did go through about 60 - 70 fish in 3 nights, with about half of them over 20#'s, so it took some serious abuse.

Well, it's off to Block today, so hopefully I'll be back on Sunday with more big fish under its belt. :vamp:

You Suck Toby! You get to fish Cutty and Block back to back, tons of sweet fish, and really work out that reel. I hope you have lousy time on Block and only get one fish (a Fifty :hihi: ) and really test out that reel!

Good luck - sounds like a real sweet reel!

Thanks & good luck,


John

I cannot believe how much they jack up the price for a spinning reel.
I have to agree though, daiwa dominates on quality.

Saltiga Baitcaster is $400 to bad its hard to work a plug with one :crying:

good report, thanks for the info toby.

agreed, good report toby. i still cannot believe you wetsuit for those 20#+ scup!

so, who else has a saltiga to critique after the season thus far? i'm still pleased w/ my vs250 in the wash and rocks. of course, nothing like the pressure put on a bass w/ an abu 7000c3.

toby, has the reel seen any sand?
thanks

I saw one of those on that AUCTION SITE at the time high bid 220.00 buck. If I wasn't going on a hunting trip I would be biding. THomt

Awesome feedback and good luck out there!

This is my second full season with the Saltigas, and while I don't fish as hard as Toby from reading his posts, my reels are as good as new. The reels have experienced plenty of dunks, splashes, and some nice fish.

These have been my only years without any reel problems, and that includes 2 years fishing Van Staals and a few years fishing Ahab's.

i've got a saltiga blast 4500 that's landed 2 bluefin, countless blues to 16 lbs, and lots of bass to 5 or 6 lbs, and it has yet to see a drop of oil. this is pretty sweet, those regular saltigas must be awesome!

I have been using these reels for two full seasons now and have skished with them, swam to rocks with them and still have not sent them for servicing, they still have not missed a beat. The first paragraph of Toby's evaluation is on the money.

Regarding the question of "have they seen sand?" Mine have as when you are coming back in from skishing you get tossed around like a rag doll at the surf line usually and in one particular case the rod and reel were dragged on the bottom so much that the reel was covered (literally) in sand and the guides had sand build up on the corners (I was worried....) I washed it off, took it out again later that night and it was like the sand was never even on the reel, smooth, quiet and without flaw in it's operation.

I have already made my any other reel, including my VS reell the back up's to my two saltiga's and am considering getting another one in the 5000 or 6000 range to replace the VS 300. If you consider getting them, there is source that always has them in stock (they can be hard to find), they are an online dealer based in NJ and turn the order around very quickly.

Rock Hopper

Read this (http://www.fishyforum.com/component/option,com_forum/Itemid,40/page,viewtopic/t,636/postdays,0/postorder,asc/start,0/)

and this (http://www.caranx.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=1690&st=0&p=30528&#entry30528)

check out the video too

ouch.not sure the same stress is involved in striper fishin.for the most part.a good fish in the canal could probably do it.

I'll let you know. :D

But, I seriously doubt it - not with the 5000Z.

Now there seems to be another issue with the reel. Over the weekend, a noise developed. At first I thought the roller bearing was shot, but I still hear the sound with the spool removed. It is sort of a "swooshing" noise from within the reel. Definately sounds like some sort of bearing crapped out.

BM - I got a bit of sand in the reel this weekend as I was fishing a rocky/sandy beach. More than a little sand got under the spool as I took a few waves. One quick dunk, and she was nice and clean. The reel didn't grind up like a VS or 706 does when sand gets in it. By the design of the spool, it seems to let less sand under the reel.

I'll let you know. :D

But, I seriously doubt it - not with the 5000Z.





U know a giant is coming.Its in their now.

I'm lookin forward to the day U break the record.
Gorilla style.He-Man fishin.
Any youngster can put on a wetsuit an get on a rock to fish.PFFFFFFFt
trow a 5 oz jig all yr.
that 5000Z is a big reel.is that the one u use.i know someone who has one for sale.I wonder why the tuna guys don't use the bigger one.

NIB

If the 5000Z should break on a canal fish, It'll be the least of my problems.
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I may need help lookin' for my arm though. :o

Jim, I'll see you out there :) in a few hours :spin:

NIB, find out how much he wants for it???? :call:

Slip,

I'm thinkin' midnight ±

Must be a cast frame on those reels, judging by the video and Toby's breakage. They certainly look cast. It seems like a nice reel, but for what they ask for it they really should step it up a notch and go with a machined frame. Daiwa would never have to worry about a video like in Leptar's link or Toby ripping the foot off ever again. The VS frame is machined and the reel costs less... :confused:

looks like they could at least machine the foot.I recently bout a 250 VS.I am a old 706 guy.i would like to try a 300 but alot of people tell me its to big.which is why i want one.any comments would help.the size of a 706 does not bother me down to a 9' spinner.

300 has a lot of cranking power but to me seems a little overdone from the surf.Also too slow to jig the canal.Love the 200 on my nines and a 1204 but a250 is great for the fall.VS= great drags!!!

One kid in college and my wife's new car, (long sigh) I won't be getting one soon but wish I could. Why do I have to be responsible with my money? I would love to try one on a good stand up spinning rod for tuna. No spare money= no Saltiga for Stevie. I'm bummed.

I traded in my VS300 for this reel. It was a great size on a 10' rod, and I even used it in the spring on my 9' heavy duty Lami. It really is a sweet reel. My two gripes with the VS's were the slow turnaround on repairs and the fact that the drag was a bit small and weak for what I want. The Saltiga has a beast of a drag, and I'll soon know about there turn around on repairs.

One kid in college and my wife's new car, (long sigh) I won't be getting one soon but wish I could. Why do I have to be responsible with my money? I would love to try one on a good stand up spinning rod for tuna. No spare money= no Saltiga for Stevie. I'm bummed.


If u start savin now u could have one by the surf shows in march.it only a hunfdred plastic swimmers.I know u have a few of them.I would guess ur like me easy to nickel an dime out of my pocket but savin to spend 600 is like pullin teeth.U just gotta have some restraint.He He He
They also make some lesser type reels in the 400$ range along the same line as the saltiga.Not as extreme though.Anyone ever use any of them.

I traded in my VS300 for this reel. It was a great size on a 10' rod, and I even used it in the spring on my 9' heavy duty Lami. It really is a sweet reel. My two gripes with the VS's were the slow turnaround on repairs and the fact that the drag was a bit small and weak for what I want. The Saltiga has a beast of a drag, and I'll soon know about there turn around on repairs.


That drag nob looks like something i could cross thread pretty easily.They have some small threads on the top of the shaft.Plus I'm kinda worried bout sand with that type of reel.do u think it would look funny with tape holdin it on my rod.I am also afraid of he lack of representation in the states its almost like they don't care.will be interested to see how they work with ur problem Toby.I just don't like leapin in head first to any kinda new fangled technology.Plus I'm cheap.

NIB, get up here, you're missing it :eyes:

stella 10000= #1 IMHO

300 has a lot of cranking power but to me seems a little overdone from the surf.Also too slow to jig the canal.Love the 200 on my nines and a 1204 but a250 is great for the fall.VS= great drags!!!I agree. The 300 is slow for jigging. You have to reel like a mad man at the end of the swing to keep from losing too many jigs.

Mac sell me urs.

Repair update:
I sent the reel out on October 5. they have the reel, but "will not be opneing up the box" until some time next week as it was inventory time last week and the service department was closed. This caused a back up in reel service which will make this about a 3 week turn around... :bsod:

At least when I sent my VS's in I could call up and bitch and they would get right on my reel. I tried to explain to the service rep on the phone a few minutes ago of the urgency of getting this reel back and he repeated to me that it would be 2 - 3 weeks.

That just blows.U buy a 700 dollar reel to use for striper fishin an its gonna miss the best part of the fall run.Damned if u do damned if u don't.
My first reaction would be to really give em hell.not sure thats gonna fix ur reel any faster though.I would call every day.

Mac sell me urs.


Sorry, can't sell you a 300 since I don't have one anymore. I like and use the 250 jigging. It works awesome. Has 50# calcutta on it right now but will be changing it over to 65# whiplash next week :happy:

Thanks for the updates on the Saltiga guys. I've only used mine a couple of times so far but it has worked well. Its been hit with some sand and I hear it sort of grinding out but its back to normal after a few seconds.

Are you guys noticing better casting than a large spool diameter such as teh VS?

Also, what is the best way to service this reel, and how much do you think it will cost? I'm guessing it would be a good idea to bring it to an anuthorized Daiwa dealer?

Thanks!

whats up TLap,,,I don't know but.. I'ld be PO'd haveing to send in that reel and it hasn't gone through one fall, I know you fish it hard but still. And whats up with the service department being closed? Being that the pricey reel is fairly new to the public, they couldn't keep the so called service "department" open during this time of year?.. at least for the high end reels.

They should really have a counterpart to Shimano's "Platinum Service Plan" for reels like the Saltiga.

Your just asking to piss off customers when you sell something that expensive and then tell them to pound sand for a few weeks when it comes time for repairs.

My only thoughts about having the reel serviced at a local Daiwa dealer would be the parts issue. I'm not sure they'd have any on hand since it's a relatively rare reel. But maybe.

Damn !@#$ing Japanese!

We should nuke 'em a THIRD time. :af:

I think you need to go up the food chain. You need to talk to the National Sales Manager, not some peon from the service dept.
Try asking for Terry Pederson.

Bernzy

Are you guys noticing better casting than a large spool diameter such as teh VS?
MUCH better distance and acuracy than a VS! When you cast a Saltiga, the line feels like it rockets off the spool. Since I have fallen back on my VS, it feels like the line is falling off the spool on a cast.

If I do not have a good answer by next Monday, 1.5 weeks into this process, I will be asking to speak to someone above a service rep.

I truly hope your experience with Daiwa's Customer Service is better than mine. It took them 6 weeks to repair, not replace, a reel that came broken in the box. I spent considerable time emailing and phoning with 0 satisfaction. Granted this was not a $300-$400 reel but I missed most of June and all of July using it.

To top it off, when the reel was returned, it had been put back together incorrectly and I had to fix it. Dawia will not be getting any more of my money.

Guys-

Check this reel out.

http://www.accuratefishing.com/pdfs/TwinSpin-30.pdf


For some reason it's production & distribution is being delayed...


Toby - how are you making out with your Saltiga?

I will ditto on the crap service with daiwa....a few years ago I bought a daiwa emblem XIA for bonito fishing he derby....loved the reel and then smoked goes that bearings...3 week turn around and two outings later back to the factory...three weeks later it comes back....a week of fishing and back to the factory....reel never was right again...in my basement for two years now as I got tired of fighting with daiwa....

I just bought the Emblem Pro for distance spinning but do not trust Daiwas customer service

Guys-

Check this reel out.

http://www.accuratefishing.com/pdfs/TwinSpin-30.pdf


For some reason it's production & distribution is being delayed...



They've been working on that bad boy for years. 2+ that I've known about at least. They've told me it's going to be surf friendly, but I'll belive it when I see a final production model I can take for a spin. Their real focus is the West Coast tuna crowd.

The 2 prototypes I've seen were bulky and heavy and didn't seem sealed in any way. That reel in the pdf definitely looks like a more refined reel then what I've seen though. Expect big $$, but also an incredible spinning reel.

Yeah -- seems much more like an offshore boat reel...

I truly hope your experience with Daiwa's Customer Service is better than mine. It took them 6 weeks to repair, not replace, a reel that came broken in the box. I spent considerable time emailing and phoning with 0 satisfaction. Granted this was not a $300-$400 reel but I missed most of June and all of July using it.

To top it off, when the reel was returned, it had been put back together incorrectly and I had to fix it. Dawia will not be getting any more of my money.


This is my biggest concern. I really want to get one for those nasty condition nights but I am waiting to see how Toby's reel is delt with (service wise, I can't live with a 6 week turn around.) I now how 5 stellas and had my first issue with one of them right before the derby. While IMO they are not as heavy duty as the saltiga's they approach that price point and are in the same league. Shimano's service is fast with the platimum service plan that comes with stellas, I got mine repaired within 24 hours and overnighed back to me...charge: $0.00 (I did pay for the shipping out to them though)


Speaking of excellent reels, have you seen that new shimano Torsa? Jezzzz, I don't think I have ever held a piece of precision machinery like that before, simply unreal.

This is my biggest concern. I really want to get one for those nasty condition nights but I am waiting to see how Toby's reel is delt with (service wise, I can't live with a 6 week turn around.) I now how 5 stellas and had my first issue with one of them right before the derby. While IMO they are not as heavy duty as the saltiga's they approach that price point and are in the same league. Shimano's service is fast with the platimum service plan that comes with stellas, I got mine repaired within 24 hours and overnighed back to me...charge: $0.00 (I did pay for the shipping out to them though)


Speaking of excellent reels, have you seen that new shimano Torsa? Jezzzz, I don't think I have ever held a piece of precision machinery like that before, simply unreal.

Sandman-

I have both the Saltigas (4000 & 4500) & Stellas (5000 & 8000). While I tend to "baby" the Stella more in the surf because of the feeling that it is not as "waterproof" as the Saltiga, I really think both reels are about the same when it comes to strength, drag-ability, cranking ability, ability to handle nasty conditions. Also, if you look at a Stella diagram there are plenty of seals in the reel to somewhat "waterproof" it. I love fishing the Saltiga's but I like fishing the Stella's just as much. I am starting to think it may be just that Daiwa advertises the Saltiga as "waterproof" while Shimano does not, leading to the feeling that the Stella is not as durable.

When you throw in the Daiwa service thing, which I will experience this offseason when I send my reels in, it may be just that the Stella is as good an option as the Saltiga.

Ok, finally have time to post up again.I got the reel back on November 2, I think.

It took about 27 - 30 days to get the reel back. I had to call Daiwa again and bitch at them about sending a $700+ reel in and losing it for the peak of the fall run. After expressing my discontent with the entire situation and telling them I should have bought a Shimano as they send a new reel when you kill one, I got my reel right back. I was psyched to put the reel back in the water after she came home, and left for Block the next day. I fish 4 straight nights out ther with it, submerged for a good amount of the time. While I didn't tangle with any big girls, the reel worked flawlessly again. They replaced the entire foot section and side of the reel connected to it, as well as the bearings and did a greasing on the reel. I was very happy with how the reel came back to me, even if it did take a lot longer than I had anticipated.

Since receiving the reel back, I have spoken to several Daiwa personel and I have built a bit of a relationship with them. Everything seems to be in order, and I am happier than ever about the reel.

So, after a season of beating the cr@p out of the Saltiga 4500, I would recommend it to anyone looking to get a high end surf spinning reel. I am seriously contemplating selling my last VS and buying a second Saltiga this off season.

Ok, finally have time to post up again.I got the reel back on November 2, I think.

It took about 27 - 30 days to get the reel back. I had to call Daiwa again and bitch at them about sending a $700+ reel in and losing it for the peak of the fall run. After expressing my discontent with the entire situation and telling them I should have bought a Shimano as they send a new reel when you kill one, I got my reel right back. I was psyched to put the reel back in the water after she came home, and left for Block the next day. I fish 4 straight nights out ther with it, submerged for a good amount of the time. While I didn't tangle with any big girls, the reel worked flawlessly again. They replaced the entire foot section and side of the reel connected to it, as well as the bearings and did a greasing on the reel. I was very happy with how the reel came back to me, even if it did take a lot longer than I had anticipated.

Since receiving the reel back, I have spoken to several Daiwa personel and I have built a bit of a relationship with them. Everything seems to be in order, and I am happier than ever about the reel.

So, after a season of beating the cr@p out of the Saltiga 4500, I would recommend it to anyone looking to get a high end surf spinning reel. I am seriously contemplating selling my last VS and buying a second Saltiga this off season.


27-30 days without the reel.And they replaced the entire foot section and side of the reel connected to it as well as the bearings.But you're happy with with it.Whoa.I understand that you fish harder than most but you bought a $700+ reel it broke and you waited a month to get it back and you're gonna give a thumbs up?

Don't take this personally or do but you sound like someone trying to justify spending 700+ bucks on a reel that didn't make a full season and you got crappy service to boot and yet you'll buy another and recommened it to others.Did I miss anything?

how much did the repair cost, or was it warranty?

Christian, it was all warrantee covered. :smokin:

Daiwa now offers not only the Saltiga SA-Z4500, but the new Saltiga Blast SA-B4500. They appear to be very similar. The former has 14 BB and is listed as MH action, the latter has 9BB and is listed as H action. Has anyone compared the detail specs between the two. Anyone know the price difference? Any preference between the two?

Biggest difference = NOT waterproof.

I'll have each reel in the shop this spring.Price of the blast is about 30% less.
The differance being 5 bearings and the blast is not sealed. also the handle on the Saltiga is machined and the Blast is HD cast.

Mike, what sizes will you be stocking? I am still trying to locate a 5000 to see in person.

the blast may not be waterproof, but it still works great and catches everything from schoolies to BFT w/out skipping a beat. i don't fish the surf a ton, but mine has been splashed and dropped in the sand and dropped on rocks numerous times and it still works like it did out of the box.