Van Stall users
 

how many owners have had the same problem if any with there reel's
need to know if is just mine !!

happy user.

About 3 years ago I had a problem with a 150. I mailed it back and it was fixed pronto. Customer service was exceptional.

The screw on the handle keeps coming loose during fishing on my 150 but fixed it with loctite. If you consider that a problem.

got 3, no problems at all. did loctite my 150 before any loosening. they really stand up imho.....got slammed into a boulder this am reel first- just another character mark.....my elbow is another story- wish IT was a vs:bl:

The seal on my 200 is shot getting oil on the shaft the reel is still fishable as of now but it does need to be fixed.I'am sure it won't be a problem as I have been very happy with there sevice.the only other problem I have had is I was geting water in my drag at one time sent it in and problem was fixed.I fish my reels hard and feel the vs to be the most reliable reel out there.I don't expect anything I own to be problem free.

I am a very happy VS user

my only problem is that its not a conventional reel :hihi:

i love mine.you can fish them night after night and they dont let you down.

coming soon :bl:

Been hearing that for at least five years. We'll see.

I was hearing it when Rob Koelwyn still owned it. :bl:

Maybe the fact that people are actually paying $400 for a Daiwa Saltiga Surf conventional, which probably casts and fishes no better than a $100 Sealine SHA, is piquing Zebco's interest.

A $400-$600 conventional when you can buy a P-series Newell or an Avet for under $200---please :rollem:

Back in Oct 06 my drag clicker broke off and stripped the threads....
a few weeks ago my eel snagged some seaweed and came out with no problem until i realized my reel was reeling backwards so my buddy says hit the lever to lock it, he didnt know VS has no such lever like a Penn, VS says they'll take care of it.....
also broke 2 more drag clickers in 1 week a few weeks ago also...
I still love my VS :)

Why do you want a drag clicker--the only useful purpose it has is to alert other people that you have a fish on. I cut mine off the second I took my VS reels out o the box ;)

Satisfied Owner

Drag clicker? What's that?

Every year when I send mine back they put them back on. I have about a dozen in my parts box.

Absolutely love my VS200. The thing is a work horse.

My 200 never had a problem for 4 years until I sent it in for cleaning and then the next two years it froze solid near the end of each season. My 150 old style had the shaft sleeve wear until it was loose, they fixed that for free. It happened again and they replaced the entire shaft with the titanium (gold) one again for free, no problems since.

I'm with Mike on the drag clicker, took mine off day one. Now everytime I send it in they replace it, I must have six of them in my odd parts box :wiggle:

I agree with the drag clicker and how it attracts others over when they hear it scream. usually fishing in the spots i do fish in I havent seen others out there but there are times when the clicker does come in handy.

bump

No problems yet, this is my second season, vs 200. So far have no complaints. 1000x better then penn 6500 which i had to clean about every 10-14 days! My reel is constantly submerged and abused.

the nice thing w/ the vs is the clicker can be bent out of the way no need to cut it off this way they don't replace it and you can always bend it back in place if you want to .

I have had it for the season so far, so not sure I can really comment on it, but so far it's been flawless ... even slipped on the rocks the weekend (up on a jetty) slammed my backside real hard and the reels as well ... doesn't seem to have impacted it, so I am happy. Heard my headlamp go scuttling down into the abyss though.

They also don't replace it if you never send it back ;)

I'm :devil: , but at this point, I'm just going to run them into the ground and not replace them when they die. I have no more need for a waterproof reel now that 95% of my fishing is in the Canal. I know there's still oil inside, and at this point I think it'll do more harm than good to open one. As long as the handle turns, I'm good with them. I've received good value for my investment (they were both bought in the $400 days and are 8 and 9 years old, respectively) and at this point, dropping $100 a year for service on the pair is just stupid IMO.

VanZebco, hahahahaha, you are all brainwashed!!!!!!!!!!! It might be built well (except for the fact they are not at all smooth) but it is in no way shape or form on God's green earth what you pay for them. That reel should go 250.00 tops and even then there are alternatives.

As for a VanZebco conventional, I just bought a Tekota yesterday that is as fine as any out there. Stripers are not very good fighters and many many many have been hauled out of Elizabeth Island rocks with $55.00 Shimano Trident 100 and 200s. One of my 100s is 18 years old and except for one ball bearing change and drag washers each year, it's still hauling them. Some people give bass way to much credit. I love them but I except the reality.

not brainwashed.

Its a purpose built tool, if youre dunking it, thats what theyre made for. Theyre purpose is not to be used on open beaches to look like a yuppy in the know, if its all scratched beat to hell submersed, theyre being used right. Theyre not a boat or open beach reel by any stretch of the imagination to me. The casting distance with that spool design is just not there.

Bet if they sent you one free we'd finally hear the end of your ph#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g whining.

The idiot running gibbs now builds display fixtures, no clue on quality. The dude hires temp folks builds enough bodies to fill their orders for a year and then lays everyone off. How gibbs expects ANY type of quality out of that is beyond me.

No issues with vs300b 4th or 5th season:kewl: self service and I treat it like its disposible ;)

When Im not planning on dunking the reel I stay with 7000 abu's and a avets. when I plan on going swimming like Im about to in about an hour I bring the vs.

flap why do you insult people because you dont like VS?

because they wont send him one free :rotflmao:

TT where your wading up to chest level, flaptail's wading level would just about reach his knees. :rotflmao: that is why he doesn't have a need for a VS.

never had a problem with mine

my suggestion about a conventional VS is about having all of the qualities that the spinner has- water proof drag and gears... how hard is it to do this on a conventional reel?? imagine- a conventional reel you can dunk night after night, hose it off and have it work well all season-
Id buy one.

I can't see how you could ever design a waterproof conventional that would cast worth a damn--the spool needs some free play and you can't seal that.

Rinse it, your kidding right? you can't wash the Mojo off :pop: :pop: :pop:

Nonbelievers need not post :wave:

Had five failed VS's in one and a half seasons. Three from water intrusion, (seized bearings) one loose shaft that would rub, (and bind up) against the rotor while fighting a fish and one gear strip while fighting a fish. That is why I now use the bullet proof, totally serviceable, easy accessible seals and bearing, if needed, powerhouse of a reel, ZeeBaas!
All season long and not one glitch despite the fact that it is attached to my walking/wading stick and is always submerged with every step I take.

Sounds like somebody has an agenda...

It's gotta be some kind of record for wrecking Van Staals, at least. I think he even beat out Toby and cowhunter. ;)

This was between me and my fishing partner, MDM. Got to the point where we had to buy back up reels.
As far as an agenda! It wouldn't surprise me to know how proud you are of that spiffy boat photo your sporting at the bottom of your post.
When it came to buying it, I'm sure you didn't cheap out.
The Van Staal is a great boat reel as far as I'm concerned, but doesn't hold up to constant dunking like a ZeeBaas. I'm just offering my feed back here so buzz off!

the way I envision it, the spool and the shaft are sealed. but the difference is the spool does not spin on the shaft. the shaft fits into a housing on each side plate that is not water tight, but has seals to hold in a lot of grease to protect the bearings- I wouldnt expect it to cast a million yards, but i think distance casting is over rated when your fishing in deep water or skishing.

Another thought is that only the main gears and drag are totally sealed and the spool/shaft are not- so you would still be able to dunk it nightly and the reel would only need a quick break down and minor washing every night to keep it tr#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g all season long. It would be nice if the design made it easy to break down with no tools too... not wing nuts, but knobs you could use with your fingers...

..how long have the zbass been out on the market and how many are out there? vs' have withstood the test of time imo..i submerge mine almost daily and no problems...know a BUNCH of swimmers who swear by vs also. i'm sure if zb's prove to be the bomb i'll someday own one.

i've had a vs250 for 5+ years now and it gets fished hard in the spring and really hard in the fall. i bought a second 250 last year.

my vs250 has never let me down. i have never had a problem with it and i did send mine back each year for the servicing, which i do not mind in the least. my reel is under water the majority of the time i take it out fishing as i wade to my rocks and the rod is used as a cane for balancing myself as i wade out between rocks. how many times have i gone night to night w/o rinsing the reel and fished it again the following night w/o an issue. i used to love my penn z's, but they cannot do that night after night w/o servicing the drags and cleaning the gear case every other week. that alone is worth the money to me and the reason why i bought one in the first place. it's all in what and how you value your time and fishing experiences.

i cannot comment on a zee bass. it seems like it may be a nice alternative, but the model i had in my hands 2 years ago was too small for my taste. i also didnt like the 2 rollers. maybe the new larger model coming out will be a nice option. time will tell. as far as i am concerned, the reel is still new to the market. the diawa saltiga hit the surf w/ high hopes, but i have seen several fail, break, or have some issue. those 3 reels are the only true reels that i have seen that can handle the extremes of serious surf fishing - wetsuitting, skishing, and a pounding surf.

no, you do not need a vs for the boat, but it does serve the purpose just fine. i know of many large sb and school tuna handled by the reels. if you think this is a lot of money for a reel, go check out the high end freshwater baitcasters.