zeebass...personal observations and comparisons

[Mr. Sandman]

I have been using this pretty hard since I got it a couple months ago. I've caught a few hundred fish with it and these are my personal observations.

The positives:
The reel operates flawlessly and is very light for the amout of line it holds. It has an outstanding drag and can put heavy steady pressure on a fish...and it has very rugged construction. It is really waterproof and takes a dunking and sw rinse without problem. I think it is worth the money if you are really serious about your equipment.

The neg's.

No real neg's (besides the price). But there are some design mod's I think would help.
1) The handle is the not that comfortable and it is a little stiff or tight. The stella has the best handle hands down. They need to build a similar angled arm design for this reel. The "power handle" is not much of improvement IMO. You need that angle and more comfortable grip. When I fish heavy bucktails all night my tendinitis in my elbow gets inflamed. This doesn't happen with my other high end reels. An improved handle would this an even better reel IMO.

2) The reel stem is kind of small even for the biggest reel. The typical Fuji reel seat threads will almost bottom out and you don't have the max grip on the stem. It holds it OK but you have to keep an eye on in.

These are minor issues. The pluses FAR outweigh these minor personal issues. This is a really strong reel and can take a beating. I like fishing with it when I am getting wet every wave. It is not as comfortable as the stella but it will take more abuse.

FWIW this is how I stack up spinning reels based on my own personal usage.

ZeeBaas = Hummer H1
Stella = Escalade
Diawa Z4500 = Yukon Denali
VS = Ford Excursion diesel