Which Baitcaster????

[Lightningboy]

You want purty Shimanos? 

Skip the Core.  Search under "Shimano Aldebaran" or "Antares" or "Metanium" or "Scorpion".    You can get a lot better performance and bling for less money buying Shimano (JDM).

The Core weighs 6.1 oz.  A Scorpion MG 1000 tips only 6.25 oz, plus gives you SVS 4X4 external adjust braking.  For $100 less.  I've been using Scorpions for 4 seasons; tough like an old Curado & very smooth.

Most of the best stuff from Shimano stays in Japan.  As I heard it put once, "It would be dishonorable to sell a substandard product in Japan".   

[Cheetam]

You want purty Shimanos? 

Skip the Core.  Search under "Shimano Aldebaran" or "Antares" or "Metanium" or "Scorpion".    You can get a lot better performance and bling for less money buying Shimano (JDM).

The Core weighs 6.1 oz.  A Scorpion MG 1000 tips only 6.25 oz, plus gives you SVS 4X4 external adjust braking.  For $100 less.  I've been using Scorpions for 4 seasons; tough like an old Curado & very smooth.

Most of the best stuff from Shimano stays in Japan.  As I heard it put once, "It would be dishonorable to sell a substandard product in Japan".   

The only problem with buying Japanese Domestic Market reels is their warranties aren't honored here (unless it has changed recently).

[Durand Dan]

The only problem with buying Japanese Domestic Market reels is their warranties aren't honored here (unless it has changed recently).
[/quote]
I have found that when buying reels manufactured by Japanese companies that some will be labeled Made in China, Made in Korea and Made in Japan. I have seen Stradics with China and Japan labels and have selected the Japan constructed reels when I can find them. These have been my longest lasting and most dependable reels.

[BryanP]

Believe it or not, a lot of the high end Japanese tackle is actually manufactured in Korea, especially a lot of the high end Japanese rods and reels.  In general, the quality produced in Korea tends to be much better than China, and Korea has a lot more high end factories as a result.

[motocross269]

Hopefully Ardent will come up to speed with their reels..They are doing pretty well for a new company but I don't think they are quite there yet(as compared to Shimano)...It would be great to buy American made Reels and Rods and support American workers.....Especially in this economic environment...

[ROI Outdoors]

Thanks for the advise fellas! It looks like I'm gonna match up a citica with my st.criox, I'll let you know how I like it against my quantums!

Has anyone used a shimano core? I have always shyd away from shimanos because i figured that if i was to spend that much on a reel, they could at least put enough into it to make it look good! The core is the only purrrrty one they make! I realize that its also $350, but hey, i might hit the lottery!!!! It could happen!

Don't know if you've gone out and made that Citica purchase yet; if you did its a great reel for the money - I just bought a 201E this November to see what a Lefty was like and ended up whacking some good fish with it the last 2 weeks of November.  It has a solid drag but for a centrifugal braking reel I feel it should cast farther.  Shimano's VBS (variable braking system) uses different centrifugal brake weights which is meant to provide a better freespool and longer casts.  The VBS in the Curado is easy to adjust but the VBS system in the Citica is much harder to fine tune which can be a little frustrating when you have to cast into the wind.  I prefer centrifugal braking system reels over magnetic ones except when casting lighter lures in windy condtions.  Centrifugal braking systems are the best for slow speed casts (flipping/pitching) but have no adjustability in the meduim range and then offer some adjustability on the high end (longer casts).  Magnetic braking systems lack adjustabilty on the slow end, they're decent on the high-end and excel at medium ranges. 

In my opinion the best overall value available out there today is the Daiwa Advantage Super-Tuned HSTA  - this reel says "Super-Tuned" on it because it is the first and only brake system to have the profile proportional to the cube of spool speed - it has an advanced magnet brake system with a centrifugal control system.  To my knowledge this system (Mag Force V) is the only one system that addresses a wide range of adjustabilty at all speed ranges. 

The Daiwa Advantage HSTA also has one of the smoothest retreives of any reel I've ever felt, it makes the Citica feel like your turning a meat grinder.  It is a work-horse and weighs a hefty 8.5oz, if you can get past the weight and the medium-large profile than it is the best overall reel under $200 - most stores sell them around $170 but if you look you will easily be able to get one for under $140. The Citica is a good reel for the money but the Diawa Advantage HSTA is the BEST reel for the money, at least in my opinion .

[Lightningboy]

I'm usually not concerned about warranties, since I buy used when possible.  There's a big enthusiast market for JDM reels, so many with low mileage are available on the net.

[mikesmiph]

Very good point LB. I wasn't planning to buy new yet either.