Mr. Sandman
09-05-2007, 06:51 AM
Well, after using the saltiga now for the better part of a month I have some initial thoughts:
1) When I first got it it seemed kind of stiff to turn the handle, not nearly as smooth as the stellas I had been fishing with. But after a trip or two it seems to have "broken in" a bit and feels better. Still not as silky smooth or as easy to crank but better then when it was new. It was noticeably stiff out of the box though.
2) The body seems more watertight then the stella just looking at it, time will tell but it does appear to be more solid construction. The bail is manual and is very heavy duty (I love this), the handle however feels kind of cheap and is not anywhere as ergonomic as the stella which is a a very comfortable egg shape (or a huge power T handle I use on my tuna spinning reel). It is also at the wrong angle for my wrist and it bugs me constantly (like the VS reels do and is the main reason I don't use a VS... I hate the handle!), You get a awkward machined type feel where your wrist has to compensate on each crank. I recently replaced the handle on the statiga with a "power handle" from Japan tackle and this was a huge improvement. Much more comfortable, it is a ball shaped and helped relived the awkward feeling somewhat ( not completely but a lot) but it is machined metal so it might be cold. But I do like the feel much better (and it looks cool too). (the handle was 78 bucks ) ( last item on this page http://www.japantackle.com/Tuning_parts/Tuning_handles_Daiwa.htm )
3) Drag: The drag is excellent. Very smooth and is watertight and a similar design to the stella. The adjustment is not quite as slick or precise as the stella but it works perfectly and is reliable.
4) Handle braid flawlessly. I think it is probably the best braid handling reel I own. The stellas work fine but this for some reason works slightly better. Even on casting really light lures into the wind.
5) I have not serviced the reel yet so we will see how that end of the deal goes. Shimano has done a great job for me on my platinum service reels with 48 hour turn around and overnight shipping even in mid season. (My other reels would take 5-10 weeks to get serviced) I will send it in once Dec comes around.
6) Looks: I really don't care what a reel looks like as long as a works and feels great but with the new handle the reel looks serious. The shimano has more glitz but glitz tends to take a beating and dull with heavy use. Out of the box I think the shimano is a prettier reel but both look great.
7) weight. I think the saltiga might be slightly heavier but it seems fine. I don't notice any real difference one way or the other
8) Handles grit and sand better then the stella. Both reels are finely machined and sand can be a nightmare but this seems to have paid more attn to this and has an edge on the shimanos.
9) casting...both reels do a great job.
10) Price. These are not cheap, like the stellas and vanstalls it is hard to justify for the once-in-an-while fishermen but for the surf fishing afishianado these are all great reels and a huge improvement over what was previously used in the surf IMO. It amazes me that the cost of one of these spinning reels is on par with a Tiagra 50 wide (offshore two speed reel) but it is what it is I guess.
Overall I like the saltiga a lot so far. It seems to take the tough nights in the surf just fine. I am a little concerned about service but I have so many reels now I can subsuite while I wait.
I want to thank others on the board who have posted their thoughts about this reel as it was what drove me to try it.
1) When I first got it it seemed kind of stiff to turn the handle, not nearly as smooth as the stellas I had been fishing with. But after a trip or two it seems to have "broken in" a bit and feels better. Still not as silky smooth or as easy to crank but better then when it was new. It was noticeably stiff out of the box though.
2) The body seems more watertight then the stella just looking at it, time will tell but it does appear to be more solid construction. The bail is manual and is very heavy duty (I love this), the handle however feels kind of cheap and is not anywhere as ergonomic as the stella which is a a very comfortable egg shape (or a huge power T handle I use on my tuna spinning reel). It is also at the wrong angle for my wrist and it bugs me constantly (like the VS reels do and is the main reason I don't use a VS... I hate the handle!), You get a awkward machined type feel where your wrist has to compensate on each crank. I recently replaced the handle on the statiga with a "power handle" from Japan tackle and this was a huge improvement. Much more comfortable, it is a ball shaped and helped relived the awkward feeling somewhat ( not completely but a lot) but it is machined metal so it might be cold. But I do like the feel much better (and it looks cool too). (the handle was 78 bucks ) ( last item on this page http://www.japantackle.com/Tuning_parts/Tuning_handles_Daiwa.htm )
3) Drag: The drag is excellent. Very smooth and is watertight and a similar design to the stella. The adjustment is not quite as slick or precise as the stella but it works perfectly and is reliable.
4) Handle braid flawlessly. I think it is probably the best braid handling reel I own. The stellas work fine but this for some reason works slightly better. Even on casting really light lures into the wind.
5) I have not serviced the reel yet so we will see how that end of the deal goes. Shimano has done a great job for me on my platinum service reels with 48 hour turn around and overnight shipping even in mid season. (My other reels would take 5-10 weeks to get serviced) I will send it in once Dec comes around.
6) Looks: I really don't care what a reel looks like as long as a works and feels great but with the new handle the reel looks serious. The shimano has more glitz but glitz tends to take a beating and dull with heavy use. Out of the box I think the shimano is a prettier reel but both look great.
7) weight. I think the saltiga might be slightly heavier but it seems fine. I don't notice any real difference one way or the other
8) Handles grit and sand better then the stella. Both reels are finely machined and sand can be a nightmare but this seems to have paid more attn to this and has an edge on the shimanos.
9) casting...both reels do a great job.
10) Price. These are not cheap, like the stellas and vanstalls it is hard to justify for the once-in-an-while fishermen but for the surf fishing afishianado these are all great reels and a huge improvement over what was previously used in the surf IMO. It amazes me that the cost of one of these spinning reels is on par with a Tiagra 50 wide (offshore two speed reel) but it is what it is I guess.
Overall I like the saltiga a lot so far. It seems to take the tough nights in the surf just fine. I am a little concerned about service but I have so many reels now I can subsuite while I wait.
I want to thank others on the board who have posted their thoughts about this reel as it was what drove me to try it.