I realized that over the past 4 years, the reels that get the most use, the most abuse, and the least TLC were my Shimano's. 2 stradics, a calcutta and a baitrunner. The bait runner is only 4 months old but no problems with it. Both Stradics are in their 4th year and the calcutta in its Second. All of my penns were in their 3rd.
The shimanos get the once a year breakdown and regrease and that's it. Never had one problem at all. They get hosed down at the end of the day and sprayed with Reel Magic or Corrosion X. Low maintainence is an understatement. Can't say the same for my penns.
After a mishap on Sunday that caused me to need a backup grouper reel, I was pleasantly surprised when Tin Can let me use his son's Shimano Tekota 500 reel.
Smooth is not the word. There is one reel I own which is as smooth and that is a Calcutta 250 that costs about 50% more than this reel. I was a little apprehensive about using it for grouper because of its size. Drags are always a concern with small reels and big fish. This one had no problems handling grouper in 30-40 feet of water. I was impressed to say the least. So the next day I was at West Marine. I bought the 600 and the 700. For size comparisons, the 600 is about the size of a Calcutta 700 if not a touch smaller.
Perfect for snapper, cobia, and smaller grouper. Because of the gear ratio (4.2 : 1) I don't think I would use this for kings. But that gear ratio is low enough for plenty of power, but fast enough that your arms don't fall off from reeling. Evidence of the power came yesterday in 110 feet of water. Spooled with 30# test I dropped down for snapper. When the rod doubled over I thought I might be in trouble but the reel held its own just fine. After a quick battle I was pulling a 24" gag over the side, not an 18" snapper. A big smile came over my face as I knew I had something special.
As the day wore on and the terrain changed the 30# test I was limited to on the 600 was overmatched. So I switched to the 700. This sucker is the biggest reel I've ever owned. That being said, it has virtually the same footprint as a 4/0 penn.
It was a little over matched for the rod I had it on, but it did the job just fine. This will be my AJ reel for sure.
One notible feature on these reels is the levelwind. I generally do not advocate level winds on grouper reels just because the are the first thing that breaks usually. Time will tell how these will hold up. I will tell you that I had no issues with them at any point yesterday, and it was nice not having to lay the line with my finger.
As my time with these reels increases I'll post the issues when/if they arise.
