Having never owned a VS or a ZB, I can't really testify to their "unbelievable" dunking ability and sealed drag that those that own one praise them for.... However, what other reels out there are able to get dunked if they are rinsed after? I have a Cabo 60 that I dunked last year and just made sure to take it apart and rinse and reapply grease too and have not had any problems yet. Are there any other newer reels that can get dunked without having to take everything apart and service? I know the 704Z and other Penn oldies are awesome workhorse reels and can be dunked if packed with a lot of grease but is it the same for all reels? Would love some good feedback cause I aint getting a VS or ZB any time soon :buds:

mike

Gunpowder:

you may want to do a search on "water proofing reels" as this topic has been well debated over the past year or so. I'm sure you'll find a ton of good info.

ahh bummer.... i checked the search and just typed in dunking reels and did not find that much.... thanks for the advice

dude just man up and buy the VS or ZB lol

you will love it....no doubt! best investment a surf fisherman could ever make!

steve.... sell me one of yours dirt cheap and i'll be on my way :)

steve.... sell me one of yours dirt cheap and i'll be on my way :)

i never said anything about selling mine :bshake:

ha we'll see how many VS reels your looking to buy when your in college lol

shimano spheros can get dunked. but you have to dismantle is and wash it with fresh water aferwards. otherwise it seizes up. so i guess it really can't be dunked.

lol.... i think i just walked around in a circle with that response :rotfl:

Save your change.....

Saved mine for 2 years, rolled it up and got a VS this year.

just do what i do... get a fairly cheap reel, like $60-80 brand new.. and abuse the hell out of it.. if it's still alive by next season all the better.. but then next year just get another brand new one.. sounds expensive, but you get 10 years worth of reels for the price of one VS or ZB.
plus ya gotta remember those high end reels aren't exactly "set it and forget it reels". just like any other reel you want to last.. they need servicing too.

the only down side i can think of with the way i do it, is drag reliability/strength. but it's easy enough to swap out the standard drags for higher end parts.

so just make sure to get a reel you trust for what yer fishing for.



(yes this is how i keep from being sad i dont have a vs or zb.. )

p.s.- i did that last season.. the only reel not still goin, is an okuma baitrunner whos bait runner drag was not sealed and locked up. the rest works fine after a strip down and greasing. the only time it got a rinsing was when it rained.. (i dont have a hose)

just do what i do... get a fairly cheap reel, like $60-80 brand new.. and abuse the hell out of it.. if it's still alive by next season all the better.. but then next year just get another brand new one.. sounds expensive, but you get 10 years worth of reels for the price of one VS or ZB.
plus ya gotta remember those high end reels aren't exactly "set it and forget it reels". just like any other reel you want to last.. they need servicing too.

the only down side i can think of with the way i do it, is drag reliability/strength. but it's easy enough to swap out the standard drags for higher end parts.

so just make sure to get a reel you trust for what yer fishing for.



(yes this is how i keep from being sad i dont have a vs or zb.. )

p.s.- i did that last season.. the only reel not still goin, is an okuma baitrunner whos bait runner drag was not sealed and locked up. the rest works fine after a strip down and greasing. the only time it got a rinsing was when it rained.. (i dont have a hose)


What else did you use? I use a 710 and 704 that will probably never die, but an trying a tica this year as well.

I have a Shimano Stradic 4000 FH that has probably been dunked a hundred times and is still going strong. All I do is fill the body of the reel with Abu Silicote reel lube and rinse it with fresh water when I'm done. Based on other feedback I hear about Stradics getting wet I wouldn't recommend buying one for this purpose but the one I have is great.

I have been thinking about getting a VS for a few years but the price tag is hard to swallow...

What else did you use? I use a 710 and 704 that will probably never die, but an trying a tica this year as well.

i'm not even sure.. the only other reel i used last season was lent out by a buddy.. i think it was a northcoast or something like that.. (all the print is worn off) all that had to be done on that, had nothing to do with dunking. but from catching tons of bloos.. it had a felt based drag. and some of the felt got worn out. and the fibers gunked up. so removed the globs of worn out felt fiber.. and its working just as good as new.
and he has had that for a while i think. but that didnt get dunked.. as it wasnt mine.. i mean it went under a few waves.. but never took a serious dunking.

but i dont see any reason why a reel with a sealed drag, thats is properly washed down and maintained shouldn't last for as long you care for it. i think most people gear doesn't last cause they don't properly care for it. god knows i dont. (which is another reason i wont be getting a VS anytime soon. would be a waste.) but when i treat it like crap. i don't expect to be using it the next year. so if it is.. then all the better.

my understanding is that a VS can be used all season long and be completely submerged on every trip, and then never rinsed, never lubed, never anything, and just sent out for the yearly service for $50 or whatever it is and the thing will last forever. Tell me if I'm wrong though guys! that for me, would be worth the price if that is in fact true.

I use Penn's and although I never "dunk" them, meaning completely submerge them, they get soaked pretty good from time to time by waves. when they do get soaked, all I do is rinse it off with fresh water (I keep a large spray bottle in my car and spray the thing down gently) then I put the Penn anti-corrosive spray on there and they are good to go. I try to get them serviced once a year, which entails a complete breakdown and lube, other than that, I never take them apart in season.

Thanks for the feedback guys.... Question: is it ok to pack any reel with a lot of lube or grease? will this affect the reels performance overall or do most people do that to help in case the reel gets dunked?

my understanding is that a VS can be used all season long and be completely submerged on every trip, and then never rinsed, never lubed, never anything, and just sent out for the yearly service for $50 or whatever it is and the thing will last forever. Tell me if I'm wrong though guys! that for me, would be worth the price if that is in fact true.

if that is true.. that would make it worth it to me as well. but my understanding is it just holds up much better to dunking, with proper care. (aka.. a good rinsing after) and when you have it serviced, you pay shipping, plus the service, plus the cost of replacement parts. (which if parts are being replaced. you pretty much just getting a new reel every year anyway.)

the only times i ever hear about VS and the like is from guys who send them in. i would love to hear from that one guy who didnt care enough to send it in. and see how many years it lasted before he had to have it serviced.


and gun powder.. dont take my word on this cause i have no idea.. but the 3 reels i took apart this spring, (first time diy for me) they all looked exactly the same on the inside. i don't see why some would be able and some wouldn't. i always though there would be a ton of things goin on inside them. i was wrong. just very simple gears.

If you're going to constantly wet it/dunk it get a VS.Case closed.

There's a good reason guys are scratching together the $ to get the VS or the ZB. If you're going to swim, you really need one of those. I did it for years with the Penn 706, but it meant tearing the reel down every day and repacking it, and occasionally replacing the main bearing. Sounds worse than it is; it's actually really easy to rebuild the 704 and 706. Maybe a 10-15 minute job.

rockdoc

From my own experience I fished a Penn Slammer all season, more then 100 trips. I don't know how many waves rolled over it or how many dunks it took while releasing fish but it was a lot. Cleaned the drag every few week and sprayed body with fresh water after every trip. When I opened the body to give it it's end of year cleaning the internals were all in good shape and the grease was OK. Three years on this reel and never a problem. When I first got it I used to break it open monthly now unless something really unusual happens it's once a season.

Prior to using Slammers I used the Penn SS models. With them I used to pack the housing with grease. While this made them a little stiff to reel I never had any real problems with them from dunking.

If your one of the wet suit guys where the reel spends half the time under water that would be a different story. But to me the need for a VS or a Zee is way over stated when your fishing for stripers. 45-years of fishing and I've lost my share of nice fish but I really don't remember the reel ever being the problem.

I'm also looking forward to the fact that I can use my rod as a walking staff when trudging through the water and I don't have to do a pirouet to keep my reel out of the water when I lose my balance.

nobody has answered my question though, can the VS take the abuse day in and day out with only once a year service and nothing else?

nobody has answered my question though, can the VS take the abuse day in and day out with only once a year service and nothing else?


That ability is the number one reason people buy them. :)

I'd advise a weekly freshwater rinse, or even better a 15 second post-every use rinse, but it'll make it either way.

We used 704Z and 706Z for 30 years in the surf without any problem. Take the drag washers out and clean them every other trip or every trip if you are under water a lot. I use to pack the gear box with white lithium grease. I never had a problem. Take the bail off and put on a bailess kit. They will last forever.

I have a green 704Z thats 30+ years old and I could fish it today if I wanted.

For the last 10 years I've used 2 Penn SS models, they've been through everything. Twice a season i break them down and repack the grease other than that they get a quick rinse with the hose after each trip. This year is the first year I've actually replaced parts, the bail arm assembly.

I'm also looking forward to the fact that I can use my rod as a walking staff when trudging through the water and I don't have to do a pirouet to keep my reel out of the water when I lose my balance.

Good point. The price of a VS or ZB is a pittance compared with a hip fracture or shoulder tear.

Save your change.....

Saved mine for 2 years, rolled it up and got a VS this year.

Took me 5 years of pocket change in a fishbowl to get my first VS have 4 years worth now in that same fishbowl one more year and its a Zeebass or another VS.

Ohh and to answer your dunkability ? my vs is under water alot in a few places i fish i also use my rod as a walking stick.when i get home i just rinse with my garden hose and hang my rod up and no worries.i do my own maintanence to my VS in the winter mainly just clean and change the oil.Dam thing is as tough as an m1 tank.

I've never used this reel but its supposed to be dunkable http://images.cabelas.com/is/image/cabelas/s7_122889_imageset_01?$main-Large$



Here's what Cabela's says:
Dunk it, drag it or drown it, just rinse it off with fresh water when you're done and the Sabalos
will be ready to fish again the next day. The lightweight aluminum body and the components of the Sabalos are totally impervious to saltwater, so you never have to worry about corrosion. The 9+1 ball bearing system with infinite anti-reverse won't let you down, no matter how hard you fish. The smooth front drag system uses dual discs and loves to be tested by big fish in harsh conditions. Thick power bail, long-life bail spring and anti-twist line roller.

nobody has answered my question though, can the VS take the abuse day in and day out with only once a year service and nothing else?

hell yes!!!! :bgi:

my VS is in the water 90% of the time i am fishing...all i do is rinse it down after each use and im good to go...have yet to see or found any problems.

That Sabalos is made by Eagle Claw, second only to South Bend as a junk-maker :doh:

Cheap Chinese knock-off of a Saltiga--here's the real thing--compare and decide for yourself who Wright and McGill is trying to fool :rollem:

yah tell me about it.... as soon as i looked at i was like wow, that sure looks alot like the daiwa saltigas that cost ummmm $500 bucks more :shocked: who were they trying to fool :rotfl:

The only regret I have about getting a VS is that I did not do it sooner... That is all I need to add here.

I put hundreds of OTW hours per season on my two reliable but ancient manual pickup 706Z's. I stuff them FULL of multipurpose (greasegun) grease. Do not use wheel bearing grease; it is almost fibrous and a little too viscus. I do not like that white lithium type grease either. The grease can be bought in tubs; it is cheap, and doesn't seem to change with temperature extremes.

The idea is...the more space stuffed with grease in the reel, the less room for the water.

Now, after you stuff the reel, it is a little messy for a few cranks or casts (assuming you have "ordinary" reels like me), but then it all settles down.

I put hundreds of OTW hours per season on my two reliable but ancient manual pickup 706Z's. I stuff them FULL of multipurpose (greasegun) grease. Do not use wheel bearing grease; it is almost fibrous and a little too viscus. I do not like that white lithium type grease either. The grease can be bought in tubs; it is cheap, and doesn't seem to change with temperature extremes.

The idea is...the more space stuffed with grease in the reel, the less room for the water.

Now, after you stuff the reel, it is a little messy for a few cranks or casts (assuming you have "ordinary" reels like me), but then it all settles down.

VS-I fish it, I rinse it, then I sleep...no grease packing, just :sleeps:

Simply put...There is no comparison.

If VS was out of the picture for me I'd stick with the Penn Z's or Greenies.ZB needs a few more years under it's belt before I would attempt it.Just wish VS made more lefty reels in different sizes.

Yes, I'm finally getting the message that I should reward myself with a VS upgrade. But duplicating my supply of 706Z spare spools will be additionally $$ painful.

Yes, I'm finally getting the message that I should reward myself with a VS upgrade. But duplicating my supply of 706Z spare spools will be additionally $$ painful.

The VS is actually an investment, I used to keep 5- 704's loaded and ready for the season, the end of the season they all got overhauled, then a switch to Shimano's, had 5 of them that I kept in the circuit. Bought a VS, (really 4) :rolleyes:, all the reel buying and repair stopped instantly-no more problems, no more repairs, no more worries. Just small maintenace every couple of years.

Yes, I'm finally getting the message that I should reward myself with a VS upgrade. But duplicating my supply of 706Z spare spools will be additionally $$ painful.

With as much as you fall in and as far as you cast, you'd do better with a handline.