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VAN STAAL 275 TAKES A DRINK!


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I watched the video, then googled reviews, watched a number of review videos, they are certainly built with a purpose in mind and definitely suit that purpose👍 there were mixed reviews on the follow-up service of the company but no complaints about warranty, the 2 main issues that were most agreed apon was the stiffness of the wind and poor drag performance  (inadequate adjustment and smoothness).

They were designed with the serious surf fisher in mind (video) however most reviewers i watched seemed to suggest that for general use (peir/boat) you would be better off spending your money on one of the other well known brands, personally i like the reel being a kayak fisherman however the drag issue tends to turn me off for obvious reasons, if they were to invest in making the drag smoother then they would be a lifelong investment 👍

This of course is just my own personal opinion, and would encourage others to put there opinions forward😉

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You'd think for the price they ask for those reels they would have decent drag washers in them already.

They were popular with guys in the Northeast of the US where I'm from originally.  A lot of times in order to get to where the fish are you need to be in the water a bit. Being waist deep also helps on those rocky shores when trying to land a fish, you don't have to drag it up on the rocks and many practice catch and release anyway. Some guys took this a step further and rather than waders started wearing wetsuits. They will often swim out and stand on rocks further out, so their reels need to be able to survive complete dunkings.

The guy who started Van Staal left and now sells reels under the Zeebaas name. Unless you need to submerge your reel regularly, IMO there's better options.

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Plankton, is it a case of which came first? The chicken or the egg? These reels were designed for the such a purpose, i assume these fishermen were using other brands and complaining/asking maybe is there a reel out there that will put up with it and last longer.

I agree that the drag could be better investigated, but im of the impression that it could be a trade off for being waterproof, similar to the tightness of the wind, the price of the reals is very high, some of the reason for this is they are not mass produced, they are handmade and you are also paying for something that no one else produces.

If your after a water resistant reel there are many brands but you will pay a high price (not as high as the van staal) these reels will have a nice smooth wind and drag, athough mass produced they come with sealed bearings, and gaskets in the joins, however these will not last as long and need wasing every trip and serviced at least every year if not sooner.

I can't afford high end reels so i service mine regularly wash every trip and replace as soon as they become un serviceable  (only replaced my starter reels so far) again im a kayak fisherman and my reel get wet almost every outing, another thing to consider about water resistance,  the harder it is for the salt water to get in, the harder it is to get out, so if you wish to keep that reel in top order you should service it on a very regular basis and definitely not leave it sit for long after a dunking.

A good way to get advice on which reels are suitable to your application is ask someone who fishes your style, but remember everyone has a different opinion and usually somewhat biased 😉 so the more people you talk too reduces that list, but you have to ask them "why? What makes this reel the better choice" and other questions, the Internet is not a good place to get an informative opinion nor are manufacturers or retailers, again they are biased, don't forget to ask the most important questing "what dont you like about them" this is often forgotten but could be the one deciding factor for not choosing this reel.

I know very little about fishing and gear, the changes in the 20 years away from it have been like starting from scratch😩 however i do have 50 years experience in how to find and choose the right gear for the job, it has been said, that you dont need to buy a good outfit to catch the fish of a lifetime, but if you want that outfit to last, you get what you pay for😉

Oops sorry for another long rant😩 im blaming the meds lol

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Those Penn Z reels were a poor design externally though. The cup that surround the spool would get all clogged up with sand and salt. The Van Staal style vents are a bit of an improvement by allowing things to drain a bit. There's a reason they were discontinued and replaced by the Slammer reels, which IMO are the best surf spinners ever produced by Penn, all the best features of the earlier reels and none of the drawbacks. I pack mine with boat trailer wheel bearing grease.

The Van Staals were definitely a response to people needing a more reliable reel that could be submerged regularly without constant maintenance. If you need that sort of reel and can afford one then there's nothing better out there. But there's still no reason they couldn't come from the factory with greased carbon fiber drag washers.

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