If they open it up for service they have to make them current.Too much trouble if they don't.I don't deny being a VS man,I'll even admit to being let down one time when I was left holding the crank with a 25# in the middle of the ditch.OUCH!!The last two I won which really makes me happy.I even caught a 180# tuna on a VS last year,performed flawlessly.Keep your fag daiwa piece of shiznit and ask yourself why you wasted all that money rather than sticking with $100 40# catching Penns.

You and I have been over this many a time :rotf2:... I fish what I fish cause well its a convench who cares :rotf2:.. But when you have a person who has limited time to fish like yourself, or I will this year thats when it not effing up matters or NOT having to tear it apart... I think it really is a " to each their own" thing cause in the end if you can justify the cost then you will be happy. And the fact is a sucker is born every minute.. So its not like spending 8-13 hundred on a reel is gonna MAKE you catch 40+ lb fish all the time.. In the end its personal choice/ happiness in what you fish... And Thumper just cause people have money does NOT make them smart we have been over that also...:cheers2:

dam im returning mine then :biglaugh:

Dont tell her then :rotf2::rotf2:.. You still at the wives or you able to get back to the house and have power now??

haha no i will never return that thing. ya man still here and no power or way to get to my house. we have been looking at places a little north or here, just glad we didnt pull the trigger as some of thoes places are underwater.

Back on topic tho, i think everyone is going to find something wrong with any reel, unless i guess it was custom built for you or if you built it yourself. it is sadly just like buying anything else these days. hopefully like anything in life the good outways the bad. :fishin: :soon:

I'm actually in agreement with you. I purchased my saltigas back when they were $450-$500. This was about the same price a VS went for at the time.

I'm not so sure I'd puke up $700-$800 for any reel at this point, regardless of its performance. Been looking to purchase a third spinning reel and can't bring myself to spend the asking price for any or these high performance reels.

With either case, VS will not be on my short list when I get my next reel.....unless I win one or two of them like you did, oh great one...

I think one of the main things it comes down to is "how you fish". If you are on the rocks all the time be it the Ditch, Narragansett, the Block, etc and don't "wetsuit" then you don't NEED an $800 reel. If you are one of the "young guns" who wetsuit and have your reel constantly submerged then you NEED a tank for a reel. Note the operative word here is "NEED".

God know, that in the 70s and 80s there were those of us who experimented with Cracks and Luxors. We almost to a man, either went back to Penn 704s or 706s or Sqidders. Those 3 reels probably have accounted for more Stripers than all the VS reels ever will.

I am not bashing the VS. They are great reels and I fished one for 2 years but I do not wetsuit so my reel stays dry enough so a rinse and drag washer cleaning every so often is all I need to do. if you are afflent enough to be able to afford a VS or Saltiga and just want that luxery, then go for it. It's like owning a Mercedes. You don't NEED one to go grocery shopping but it's a nice car to own.

Now thats funny

Brian,Looks like they did some good things to that reel.Like SD siad to make thm current.They had an issue with some of the spools and drags.The drag would actually loose as line came out.I have watched Steve C do try to get the drag stack out on some older ones it is not easy..They changed the drag configuration in the spool It will be much smoother...They installed a sleeve on the inside with new bearings and washers they replaced the line roller and bearing...Them little parts add up.And you should not have most of that expense in the future.
It will be better with a smoother drag.Ya it cost some but you will be happy..
Me I maintain em myself.Mobil one 50 weight oil.Fells like my Penns did.I love it.
I also lubed the drag stack up with the cal's grease.I jammed like three spoonfulls in there an squeazed out the excess.. smooth as silk.You can also use a yamma lube.stay away from teflon grease with the VS as it will eat the rubber seals.

Read the last line of Redlite's post...:hee:

Its called the marching soldier swim. Its a cross between a one handed dog paddle and a one handed breast stroke :ninja:

My Saltiga does go under many times and I just rinse it off at the end of the night.:bath:

Makes sense. I sink like a stone in the water, so the concept of swimming with one arm out of the water would never cross my mind.

Last year I used a Stradic that was dunked quite often. It's a great reel, but I know it's just a matter of time before a trip gets cut short due to it seizing.

I use the Stradics also...the issue I ran into was the Handle seizing.

I disagree slightly. Every hardcore guy needs a dependable tank. The reason I decided to buy a Saltiga (direct from Japan for $550 when the exchange rate was favorable) is because I had a Mitchell Nautill %$%$%$%$ the bed on me with a 25# on in the canal--the spool came detatched from the base, and I had no drag. The fish got around a bridge abutment, got itself hung up, and I had to listen to Slip and Mac crack my nuts about not knowing how to fight a fish for the 20 minutes it took me to somehow get the fish to move off the snag, and then palm the spool the whole time cranking it around the bridge and into the rocks. We had to keep the fish because it couldn't be revived.

I don't think a VS is just for swimming. If your in the rocks and in the surf its not bad to have one. I will rock hop waist to chest high and not worry about the reel going in the water and can use the rod with the reel submerged to find holes. And when I do fall or set up in heavy surf. I'm more worried about falling and my safety and not concentrating on trying to save my reel. I beat the CRAP out of my 250 last year and had no problems I washed it down maybe 25% of my outings. When I opened it it was clean as a whistle. If it last a couple more years of heavy abuse I would say it was worth the $.

Saltiga Game 3500
 

I wish Daiwa would bring this reel to the American market. They don't make any decent smaller higher end spinning reels for the salt from what I can tell.

DAIWA SALTIGA GAME 3500

I'd already have one if I had a place to get it serviced.

They'll service it at the San Diego heaquarters, I'm sure. Both of my reels came from a vendor in Japan with japanese instructions and I still have mine serviced in SD. Some folks mentioned they wouldn't service it in the US, but that was BS. If its a Daiwa product they'll service it, I'm sure.

Why don't you sell me your Z and buy the new game 3500? You know you want it and now there's no excuse...:uhuh: Besides, they don't need expensive weekly service...its not a VS, you know...:hee:

I'm keeping an eye on the BST forum. :laugha:

It's all about who you talk to like anything else. I called Daiwa myself and they told me no. I'm sure the next person would give me another answer. Maybe I'll send them an e-mail and give it another try. At least that way I could send in the documentation with the reel.

My Z isn't going anywhere. Neither are the VS's. I should have my new gold bling 275 any day.

You are a certified reel whore, or a CRW...:btu:

Every Saltiga I ever heard about came with a Japanese language manual. There's no way to tell a US market Saltiga from a JDM Saltiga. The reel graphics are in English, but all the paperwork in the box is in Japanese. If Daiwa sells the reel in the US market, they will service it.

all this reading and bickering,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
 

and i still haven't found out where

to get my Chinese VS ripoff??? same technology, same alloys
smeared serial ###'s, for about 350 on the black market!!!!

C'MAWWWN China, i thought you were better than that!
:grins: :wall: :wall: :wall: :grins:

Shame the old Mitchells don't all work with braid. Load them with vasaline and fish them submerged all you want with few problems. You can do the same with the penns today. Landed loads of big fish with them and still use some when I can find the parts for them.Between them and the old Penns the new stuff is poor at best in comparison and doesn't hold up long when used hard. Ron

If I shared price info on how I scored a VS 200 at cabelas using a combination of THEIR offers........... you would vomit.

true story, i almost craped my waders :biglaugh:

Thumper... i think I ran into you the day after I got it! Funny thing is, for the first month, I actually didnt like the reel very much, and considered ebaying it... There is an adjustment period... but now I wouldnt be without it

We ran into him down the hill that night it was crappy... But yes good deal on that...

I would actually appreciate knowing in case I wanted to try pulling the same scam in the future. I'm sure others would be interested also. :)

reel was on an un-advertised sale for 501.00, combine that with a free 150$ store gift card for spending 500$ or more... brings the reel to 351.00
Not sure why it was on sale, but I didnt ask... Cabelas often mails card holders coupons that offer 150$ gift cards for spending 500$ or more... so a 750$ reel would be 600 bucks... I have also convinced cashiers to combine multiple coupons...

80 bucks, you got off easy for what they did

so what does "LIFETIME WARRANTY " REALLY MEAN?.......Does it mean that they will service your reel for $ 200-300...WTF KIND of waranty is that? I think I need to send mine in cause I put some grease in there last year and it seems to be emulsifying...but I am going to send them a letter with it saying if YOU think it needs all these new parts just send the F#$$$@$ THING BACK AND DONT TOUCH IT...I am pissed cause I aint forkin over 2-300 bucks for that %$%$%$%$

They are generous with the coupons.

Wow, what did I start! :eek:

1. I love my VS. It is an older model and I bought it on ebay in ~2001? for under 400.00. It has been back once outside of service for an issue, but otherwise it is a workhorse of a reel and I beat the snot out of it.

2. My main issue, after the sticker shock wore off, was not a rip off in what they did, but rather what I view as a lack of communication on their part. While they stipulate they will not notify unless over 150.00, with shipping came to 149.00... WTF.. I would have a appreciated an email saying we have updated some parts and to do all of the replacement work will be X dollars over the 50.00 service charge. I was expecting 50.00 for a cleaning and such, and be back fishing. Could have avoided a case of sticker shock, b/c I still would have moved forward with the work!

regardless I got my M-1 reel back, now just waiting 6 more weeks till she gets wet...

I hope we answered your inquiry.

Whatever plug poser.
:smash::jump1:

I have an older 3 digit 200, have had little trouble but maintenance costs really irk me. Went to a Saltist 5000H, at $200, for the Canal, can't wait to try that and don't expect any real problems that will cost mucho $$...

You can always sell it! , they do hold there value [resale].
Something people I guess need to know of VS is maintence is costly.