My cousin is getting has been taggin along with me to the canal lately and is bitten pretty bad at this point.

Wants to buy himself a better spinning reel and ditch the bennys special.

Does anyone have any experience with the new Exceler 4500 reels or the Saltist 4500? Saltiga is out of the question at this point.

I've been using the Saltist 4500 pretty regularly for a little while now and like it a lot. I don't know what the gear ratio is for the Exceler, but I would think that the high speed of the Saltist makes it a good choice for Canal use. I'm not a Canal regular though, so take that for what it's worth. Just saying I'm happy with the performance overall.

i've been using the Saltist 6000 all season. I have heard about some problems others have had with it, but i have yet to experience these. the biggest advantage over the Emblem Pro is the retrieve. Other than that, if you are looking to save a few bucks id go with the Emblem.

Talk him into the Saltiga. Insist he needs one if he's gonna attempt to fish the ditch, then take it off his hands for half of what he paid once he gets sick of snagging the bottom.

I'm curious the reviews on the new Emblem Pro. Have him get that, then report back here on if it is worth my money.:devil2:

I have used the new exceler 4500 alot this yar. Gear ratio is 4.9:1
same capacity and drag as the same size saltist, but $50 cheaper.

The other nice feature with the Saltist is the manual bail.

I'm curious the reviews on the new Emblem Pro. Have him get that, then report back here on if it is worth my money.:devil2:

No one has them yet ;)