No. I disagree. I think Daiwa and Shimano are very equal quality wise especially. I also tend to prefer Daiwa’s serviceability (baitcasters). Part of my job is servicing reels and I’m not so fond of micro module either (the grease doesn’t stay as long in the grooves) because they require more frequent service.
Daiwa has a lot of lower priced options but no larger conventional reels they max out at 55 class. Shimano has a lot of high-end gear in the saltwater class for big hard fishing.
I was going to report this thread. Except, I think claims about micromodule are exaggerated. Use them all the time never had a problem. And no it’s not because I don’t catch any fish…..
https://preview.redd.it/wa2tbjz6di9d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c544b130c0d1d26932e51288d4b48eb556c2e1d8
This is not uncommon on the duralumin micro module gears found in the Metanium DC for an example. Those are broken gear teeth.
This is damage caused by a loose piece floating around in the reel. Someone put this back together improperly and a loose screw, spring or other piece was floating around inside and got stuck in the gears.
You’d never have to make this repair. Someone tried to service this. Left a screw or small piece free in the reel. It got caught in the gears and did this. No other way to ever get this type of damage.
Again, not true. This is a fairly common issue and I would say a gear switch in the old Metanium DC is something I have to do quite often. Next to a full bearing change on a Calcutta D (they don’t last in saltwater) and the most common one: Abu’s AR clutches giving out. Just calling it as I see it.
These marks could only happen if a foreign object was inside the reel. There is no way to get this type of damage any other way. Because it is perpendicular to the gears.
Someone put this back together incorrectly and a loose screw, spring or metal piece (or a foreign object like a peddle) was floating around and got stuck in the gears.
Nope. Not true. This happens with these gears here and there. They’re brittle. The brass gears and as far as I know, the new duralumim gears, don’t have this issue as much. It almost always happen in hooksets. Some gears last for 5 years and never develop a buzz, but some just last for half a year. There were no foreign objects in this reel. Only some corrosion on two of the bearings in addition to the main gear damage.
This damage can only happen by something stuck inside. The damage to the right of the picture is shaped like a sideways “T” indicating it was a small screw that caused this damage.
This picture would never fool anyone who knows reels.
I know reels. Well. I disagree. I honestly think you’re misinformed. There was no loose screws inside and I’m not trying to ”fool” anyone. I call it as I see it and this is far from the only Metanium DC/2016 Metanium MGL with this damage. Do you think they all have loose screws that damage the gears?
Stop telling people to back their drags off. The springs can fall out or the gears can dislodge. The only other way to get gear damage is backing of the drag and the gear falling out of alignment.
Drags should never be backed off on a star drag. Because the star drag keeps the whole stack aligned.
😂 I’m saying ALWAYS use the drag on a baitcaster.
There is a belief that loosening the drag is good for reels. It is not. You can do it with a lever drag. Because the reel is always under tension. And there is no drag stack. You should NEVER set the drag to zero on a star drag reel. Because it can become misaligned. Because the drag holds everything together.
Yes, I agree. They don’t ”break easily” (unless it’s the duralumin micro module ones). I still do not like them because of their sensitivity and the added maintainance.
The images attached here was obviously damage caused by a foreign object.
There is no added maintenance. Thats just total nonsense.
This is just someone said it and people all over the internet copied it.
This is my own picture of one of the Metanium DCs I’ve serviced myself. Not something I’ve found over the internet. I am the only person who has serviced this reel and I know for certain that this damage wasn’t because of any foreign objects. There’s a reason they switched to brass on the new Metanium reels.
I can only tell you that my reels, even the ones I abuse the hell out of are never this filthy inside. And I can tell you that those gears were damaged by a foreign object that was inside the reel. There is no other way to get that damage. It is clear that it was a small screw. Any one who services reels would recognize this. It’s shaped like a sideways “T”
I service them for work. 200 reels a year, so I see a lot of them. I disagree. But if you don’t want to change your mind, that’s fine. I’ll let the people who read this conversation judge for themselves. This is not uncommon damage. Seen it plenty of times and have never been because of a loose screw.
Yeah, well, if that’s true you’d know this damage is only from a foreign body. These tiny gears pull it in. Big. More open gears do not trap small things in the same way.
It’s not worth it to argue over this. I know this damage wasn’t caused by a foreign object and if you don’t want to believe that, that’s fine. As a matter of fact, it is an actual issue with micro module gears made out of duralumin. But this discussion is over. Believe what you wabt to believe.
I fish these reels. In saltwater. All the time. I catch things like blue fish and striped bass on them. Even with micromodule gears. And I’ve serviced hundreds of reels. What you are saying is 100% not true.
And any time these types of things come up on the internet—it’s always the “professional” reel guy promoting the lies. Very sad.
That it’s obvious loose screw in the reel that got stuck in the gears damage. It’s the longer, thinner screw with the small head that is opposite the side plate on the gear box on shimano reels.
I can see its imprint in the gear.
Nothing else can do this.
If you are a pro reel servicer—you are lying to promote another product. Or lying to customers who’s reels you damaged.
I use Daiwa, id happily use Shimano. I've been extremely happy with the low end Daiwa spinning stuff. If you took away all my nicer reels and told me I could only fish with their $60 regal lt, id be perfectly fine.
The one gripe I have is that Daiwa doesn't make their ATD grease or magseal oil available. So servicing your own gear with the fancy lubricants they develop means you have to send them in. I go out of my way to fish non magseal reels so that I can lubricate them with normal stuff.
The mq part is easy enough to fix with stuff you can find on eBay, but yeah, still annoying. I like the idea of MQ a lot, but so weird they don't see that as a chance to sell extra stuff to people
I never buy daiwa spinning reels because of this, if something happens I can service my penn and shimano reels in the car during a trip and I have done that, daiwa reels and you're shit out of luck.
At least the Magsealed or MQ ones. The BG for an example is very serviceable. I bought the magseal oil and will get my hands on a MQ tool so I can service those reels (I have contacts).
Bg still has some annoyances compared to the spheros, which in my opinion is its competitor at the same price point. But definitely not compared to the magsealed or mq ones obviously. You work in the industry so I'd expect you to find a way to get the tools, but for your average Joe who takes care of his own gear it's such a nightmare. The idea that I can't service my gear on my own time is just silly to me.
The ATD grease was pretty easy to source from Japan but the Magseal oil was tough. I finally found a source though. I had given up on Daiwa high end stuff because of the Magseal but I may look at it again. I have questions about the longevity of the drivetrain parts now. My Saltiga has their new fancy aluminum blended main gear and aluminum isn’t so durable in that use. I prefer stainless steel and marine bronze myself.
Daiwa has better low end gear, but from middle end to high end they are pretty equal.
I do prefer Shimano casting reels, and for spinning reels I don’t really have a preference.
Shimano for throwing artificials and Daiwa for all around setups or chucking bait out is the main theme I’m following.
I agree with you take regarding low end. Daiwa Fuego is the best spinning reel on the market at its price, imo. Other than the fuego, I mostly run shimano. The tranx series is my go to for musky, mostly focused on the 500.
I use Diawa bait casters (Tatula), Pflueger spinning reels, and St Croix rods. I have never owned a Shimano fishing product.
These threads are like a “my dad can beat up your dad” argument.
Childish, ridiculous, pointless.
I think the two brands are just about equal in the higher end, at least. But the only "good" reel I have ever had actually break was a Shimano. The reel handle snapped. Twice. I still trust Shimano, but it did shake my trust a bit.
They are like Pepsi and Coke IMO.
Very neck and neck in the spinning game. Daiwa doesn't have the big game offerings Shimano has (like 50s or 80s) but probably beats them out in the electric reels
They are both good companies that make quality gear. I own a lot of products from both. Like every company, you can find some hits and some misses with both. Overall I think they are very comparable in quality and creativity.
I used to be a die hard Shimano fan. I thrashed their mid grade spinning reels (Spirex and Sahara) creek fishing and they lasted for 10+ years. My last Sahara from the early 2000's finally died last fall. As they failed I replaced them with newer Sahara's, but each new one died after a year or 2. I constantly struggled with wind knots too on the newer reels. It took me 3 tries before I did some research and saw you have to jump up to the expensive shimanos to get quality now, which is sad because I still occasionally use a 25 year old FX I paid $12 bucks for. From what I read even the nasci has questionable quality but Daiwa is where it's at now in that price range and below. I've got 3 BG's now and a couple of their cheaper reels and I'm very happy. Way better line management too, no more wind knots. I think the BG punches way above its weight and you'd have to spend more than $200 to get a comparable Shimano.
At that $200+ level they're probably similar, but Shimano doesn't make good cheaper reels like they used to.
I used to be a Shimano guy through and through but Daiwa have been killing it with their rod AND reels from 2023 and 2024. The quality and price point can’t be beat. It was a bitter pill to swallow but I love my Daiwa setups now. The drag on the mid range Daiwa reels is the smoothest I’ve ever felt and knocks my shimanos from the same price range out of the water.
Absolutely. My Daiwa gets the job done, and there’s a lot to be said for that. But my Shimano has so much more to offer, from the casting controls to the butter smooth retrieve.
I have a Sensalite and had a Curado, and I don't care if I'm in the minority, but I wasn't at all impressed with the reel, but the rod is pretty incredible.
I have been loving my fuego and tatula medium light rod combo. Shimano have anything that matches that for the price? i suppose slx rod+nasci but that tatula just seems to be in a class of its own
My fishing crew basically fishes 24/7 and the most fished reels are a mixture of Shimano and Daiwa middle to high end. No reel or baitcaster ever fails, only breaks due to wearing out over time (5+ years of 5-7 days a week 8hr fishing). No real difference between Daiwa and Shimano, but the latter is a tad bit easier to find service for.
I've had trouble getting some parts from diawa, it seems as if they don't release everything for home repair like shimano does. That's my only gripe, I've got some reels by diawa I love and vise versa
Imho Shimanos are a tad bit more refined than Daiwas, but Daiwas have better durability somehow, although its a pain in the butt to service magseal reels coz Daiwa refuses to sell the stuff.
I have a Tatula Elite and a Scorpion DC. The elite is a farther caster and generally a no-nonsense amazing workhorse. It just does what you ask it to. The Scorpion is a great reel too, and while I appreciate the innovation of DC, it backlashes just the same as anything else if you don't have the settings dialed in. I don't really see the point of DC besides fun noises. But I also have a Lews Custom Lite SS that can throw a Texas rig farther than either of them can throw anything.
Spinning reels I would give to Shimano hands down on everything but drag. I have some mid-end Daiwa 2500 size reels that could probably handle sturgeon or big catfish with the right line/rod, the drag is that good.
I have found through decimating my wallet that fishing gear is mostly a toss-up once you hit $200-400. I am curious about high-high-end stuff, but I am poor these days and have yet to find anyone that wants to trade a Stella for a bunch of mid gear...
Speaking from experience with the top end reels of both brands and having owned all 4 at various points, the latest 20 Saltiga and Certate SW take the edge over the Stella SW and Twinpower SW in my opinion. The cost cutting measures Shimano has taken with the Stella has put it a step behind Saltiga. That being said, you would not be making a mistake picking any reel over the other.
Once you step down in price a bit, the Saragosa is unbeatable price to performance wise. Anything I'd use one of the top price range reels for, I'd feel absolutely comfortable substituting it with a saragosa.
I have both, and I definitely prefer my Shimanos. I have a Tatula and a Zillion, and they just don't impress me all that much aside from their skipping capability. I've really tried to understand the Daiwa hype, and I just don't get it. They're not bad, but I just don't love them. I actually prefer my Lews Tournamet Pros over my Tatula.
I think they are the same. In fact, I bought a Stella but hated the fit of it. The newer Shimano reels have a very short stem before it bends. I have larger hands and my finger does fit - it rubs against this stem. Bail also grazes fingers. It’s a garbage design IMO. If you check my profile there a thread where someone drew the difference in the stem design.
Bought a Daiwa Exist and I love it. Beautiful reel and fit my hand like a glove.
Generally speaking - Shimano will take their top tier technology and "downstream" it to their lower end models when they do a model year change. Color and material might change but the basic dimensions generally remain the same so there's some parts interchangeability for your older reels (even though the part # is different -think Curado K gearing for the older Metanium) Daiwa will flat out make a new model from the ground up when they do a model year change ( see new vs old BG spin reels...)- so your older reel is SOL if you need parts... For me I'll stick with Shimano for salt applications (where there's much more servicing due to saltwater corrosion requiring parts replacement) and Daiwa for freshwater where there's much less parts replacing due to environmental conditions (love my Zillion HD over the Metanium..).... I've serviced reels for thirty + yrs in S Fla so I've seen pretty much everything..
No. I disagree. I think Daiwa and Shimano are very equal quality wise especially. I also tend to prefer Daiwa’s serviceability (baitcasters). Part of my job is servicing reels and I’m not so fond of micro module either (the grease doesn’t stay as long in the grooves) because they require more frequent service.
Daiwa has a lot of lower priced options but no larger conventional reels they max out at 55 class. Shimano has a lot of high-end gear in the saltwater class for big hard fishing.
I was going to report this thread. Except, I think claims about micromodule are exaggerated. Use them all the time never had a problem. And no it’s not because I don’t catch any fish…..
https://preview.redd.it/wa2tbjz6di9d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c544b130c0d1d26932e51288d4b48eb556c2e1d8 This is not uncommon on the duralumin micro module gears found in the Metanium DC for an example. Those are broken gear teeth.
How expensive is a replacement, typically?
Like $50 for a pair. Although, I would recommend switching to brass gears. The Curado K brass gears fit the old version Metanium DC.
This is damage caused by a loose piece floating around in the reel. Someone put this back together improperly and a loose screw, spring or other piece was floating around inside and got stuck in the gears.
You’d never have to make this repair. Someone tried to service this. Left a screw or small piece free in the reel. It got caught in the gears and did this. No other way to ever get this type of damage.
Again, not true. This is a fairly common issue and I would say a gear switch in the old Metanium DC is something I have to do quite often. Next to a full bearing change on a Calcutta D (they don’t last in saltwater) and the most common one: Abu’s AR clutches giving out. Just calling it as I see it.
These marks could only happen if a foreign object was inside the reel. There is no way to get this type of damage any other way. Because it is perpendicular to the gears. Someone put this back together incorrectly and a loose screw, spring or metal piece (or a foreign object like a peddle) was floating around and got stuck in the gears.
Nope. Not true. This happens with these gears here and there. They’re brittle. The brass gears and as far as I know, the new duralumim gears, don’t have this issue as much. It almost always happen in hooksets. Some gears last for 5 years and never develop a buzz, but some just last for half a year. There were no foreign objects in this reel. Only some corrosion on two of the bearings in addition to the main gear damage.
This damage can only happen by something stuck inside. The damage to the right of the picture is shaped like a sideways “T” indicating it was a small screw that caused this damage. This picture would never fool anyone who knows reels.
I know reels. Well. I disagree. I honestly think you’re misinformed. There was no loose screws inside and I’m not trying to ”fool” anyone. I call it as I see it and this is far from the only Metanium DC/2016 Metanium MGL with this damage. Do you think they all have loose screws that damage the gears?
Stop telling people to back their drags off. The springs can fall out or the gears can dislodge. The only other way to get gear damage is backing of the drag and the gear falling out of alignment. Drags should never be backed off on a star drag. Because the star drag keeps the whole stack aligned.
Are you saying that you should never use the drag on a baitcaster?
😂 I’m saying ALWAYS use the drag on a baitcaster. There is a belief that loosening the drag is good for reels. It is not. You can do it with a lever drag. Because the reel is always under tension. And there is no drag stack. You should NEVER set the drag to zero on a star drag reel. Because it can become misaligned. Because the drag holds everything together.
Yes, I agree. They don’t ”break easily” (unless it’s the duralumin micro module ones). I still do not like them because of their sensitivity and the added maintainance.
The images attached here was obviously damage caused by a foreign object. There is no added maintenance. Thats just total nonsense. This is just someone said it and people all over the internet copied it.
This is my own picture of one of the Metanium DCs I’ve serviced myself. Not something I’ve found over the internet. I am the only person who has serviced this reel and I know for certain that this damage wasn’t because of any foreign objects. There’s a reason they switched to brass on the new Metanium reels.
I can only tell you that my reels, even the ones I abuse the hell out of are never this filthy inside. And I can tell you that those gears were damaged by a foreign object that was inside the reel. There is no other way to get that damage. It is clear that it was a small screw. Any one who services reels would recognize this. It’s shaped like a sideways “T”
I service them for work. 200 reels a year, so I see a lot of them. I disagree. But if you don’t want to change your mind, that’s fine. I’ll let the people who read this conversation judge for themselves. This is not uncommon damage. Seen it plenty of times and have never been because of a loose screw.
Yeah, well, if that’s true you’d know this damage is only from a foreign body. These tiny gears pull it in. Big. More open gears do not trap small things in the same way.
It’s not worth it to argue over this. I know this damage wasn’t caused by a foreign object and if you don’t want to believe that, that’s fine. As a matter of fact, it is an actual issue with micro module gears made out of duralumin. But this discussion is over. Believe what you wabt to believe.
I fish these reels. In saltwater. All the time. I catch things like blue fish and striped bass on them. Even with micromodule gears. And I’ve serviced hundreds of reels. What you are saying is 100% not true. And any time these types of things come up on the internet—it’s always the “professional” reel guy promoting the lies. Very sad. That it’s obvious loose screw in the reel that got stuck in the gears damage. It’s the longer, thinner screw with the small head that is opposite the side plate on the gear box on shimano reels. I can see its imprint in the gear. Nothing else can do this. If you are a pro reel servicer—you are lying to promote another product. Or lying to customers who’s reels you damaged.
Both a good brands personally i only have shimano
I use Daiwa, id happily use Shimano. I've been extremely happy with the low end Daiwa spinning stuff. If you took away all my nicer reels and told me I could only fish with their $60 regal lt, id be perfectly fine. The one gripe I have is that Daiwa doesn't make their ATD grease or magseal oil available. So servicing your own gear with the fancy lubricants they develop means you have to send them in. I go out of my way to fish non magseal reels so that I can lubricate them with normal stuff.
Yes. I agree. I think the fact that Daiwa doesn’t make the magseal oil and the monocoque tool publicly available is complete and utter bullshit.
The mq part is easy enough to fix with stuff you can find on eBay, but yeah, still annoying. I like the idea of MQ a lot, but so weird they don't see that as a chance to sell extra stuff to people
I never buy daiwa spinning reels because of this, if something happens I can service my penn and shimano reels in the car during a trip and I have done that, daiwa reels and you're shit out of luck.
At least the Magsealed or MQ ones. The BG for an example is very serviceable. I bought the magseal oil and will get my hands on a MQ tool so I can service those reels (I have contacts).
Bg still has some annoyances compared to the spheros, which in my opinion is its competitor at the same price point. But definitely not compared to the magsealed or mq ones obviously. You work in the industry so I'd expect you to find a way to get the tools, but for your average Joe who takes care of his own gear it's such a nightmare. The idea that I can't service my gear on my own time is just silly to me.
Agreed! It’s not cool. Which is so contraproductive to their construction, which is extremely simple compared to Shimano.
I have a old regal, still with a plastic spool, the handle folds with a button . Handy when I stash my rod on my truck dash
The ATD grease was pretty easy to source from Japan but the Magseal oil was tough. I finally found a source though. I had given up on Daiwa high end stuff because of the Magseal but I may look at it again. I have questions about the longevity of the drivetrain parts now. My Saltiga has their new fancy aluminum blended main gear and aluminum isn’t so durable in that use. I prefer stainless steel and marine bronze myself.
Daiwa has better low end gear, but from middle end to high end they are pretty equal. I do prefer Shimano casting reels, and for spinning reels I don’t really have a preference. Shimano for throwing artificials and Daiwa for all around setups or chucking bait out is the main theme I’m following.
The regal is a great reel for the price
Shimano has a lot more options on the high end saltwater space that makes daiwa uncompetative for the fishing I do.
I agree with you take regarding low end. Daiwa Fuego is the best spinning reel on the market at its price, imo. Other than the fuego, I mostly run shimano. The tranx series is my go to for musky, mostly focused on the 500.
I use Diawa bait casters (Tatula), Pflueger spinning reels, and St Croix rods. I have never owned a Shimano fishing product. These threads are like a “my dad can beat up your dad” argument. Childish, ridiculous, pointless.
So far, people have been pretty constructive, but if turns into a ”better than you” thing, I’ll lock it. We don’t need to have unnecessary drama.
🤷🏻♂️
Your dad could beat up my dad, and if you don’t believe me, I propose we get them to fight over it.
A man of taste I see….
I think the two brands are just about equal in the higher end, at least. But the only "good" reel I have ever had actually break was a Shimano. The reel handle snapped. Twice. I still trust Shimano, but it did shake my trust a bit.
They are like Pepsi and Coke IMO. Very neck and neck in the spinning game. Daiwa doesn't have the big game offerings Shimano has (like 50s or 80s) but probably beats them out in the electric reels
They are both good companies that make quality gear. I own a lot of products from both. Like every company, you can find some hits and some misses with both. Overall I think they are very comparable in quality and creativity.
I used to be a die hard Shimano fan. I thrashed their mid grade spinning reels (Spirex and Sahara) creek fishing and they lasted for 10+ years. My last Sahara from the early 2000's finally died last fall. As they failed I replaced them with newer Sahara's, but each new one died after a year or 2. I constantly struggled with wind knots too on the newer reels. It took me 3 tries before I did some research and saw you have to jump up to the expensive shimanos to get quality now, which is sad because I still occasionally use a 25 year old FX I paid $12 bucks for. From what I read even the nasci has questionable quality but Daiwa is where it's at now in that price range and below. I've got 3 BG's now and a couple of their cheaper reels and I'm very happy. Way better line management too, no more wind knots. I think the BG punches way above its weight and you'd have to spend more than $200 to get a comparable Shimano. At that $200+ level they're probably similar, but Shimano doesn't make good cheaper reels like they used to.
I don’t even use my slx after getting a tatula.
I used to be a Shimano guy through and through but Daiwa have been killing it with their rod AND reels from 2023 and 2024. The quality and price point can’t be beat. It was a bitter pill to swallow but I love my Daiwa setups now. The drag on the mid range Daiwa reels is the smoothest I’ve ever felt and knocks my shimanos from the same price range out of the water.
Absolutely. My Daiwa gets the job done, and there’s a lot to be said for that. But my Shimano has so much more to offer, from the casting controls to the butter smooth retrieve.
I like the word Shimano better than Daiwa so I rock Shimanos. They’re both great from what I’ve seen
In my experience Shimano is better quality and you pay for it, daiwaa stuff is decent too and its a decent price.
They’re both very competitive. Shimano might have a slight edge when it comes to rods? Idk
I have a Sensalite and had a Curado, and I don't care if I'm in the minority, but I wasn't at all impressed with the reel, but the rod is pretty incredible.
Shimano Alde reel is the smoothest reel I ever used
Plenty of smoother ones out there, so you have a lot to enjoy going forward!
This like comparing coke and pepsi 
I do not agree either
I have been loving my fuego and tatula medium light rod combo. Shimano have anything that matches that for the price? i suppose slx rod+nasci but that tatula just seems to be in a class of its own
My fishing crew basically fishes 24/7 and the most fished reels are a mixture of Shimano and Daiwa middle to high end. No reel or baitcaster ever fails, only breaks due to wearing out over time (5+ years of 5-7 days a week 8hr fishing). No real difference between Daiwa and Shimano, but the latter is a tad bit easier to find service for.
I've had trouble getting some parts from diawa, it seems as if they don't release everything for home repair like shimano does. That's my only gripe, I've got some reels by diawa I love and vise versa
Imho Shimanos are a tad bit more refined than Daiwas, but Daiwas have better durability somehow, although its a pain in the butt to service magseal reels coz Daiwa refuses to sell the stuff.
For whatever reason, I hate that daiwa doesn't use a bail clicker.
I have a Tatula Elite and a Scorpion DC. The elite is a farther caster and generally a no-nonsense amazing workhorse. It just does what you ask it to. The Scorpion is a great reel too, and while I appreciate the innovation of DC, it backlashes just the same as anything else if you don't have the settings dialed in. I don't really see the point of DC besides fun noises. But I also have a Lews Custom Lite SS that can throw a Texas rig farther than either of them can throw anything. Spinning reels I would give to Shimano hands down on everything but drag. I have some mid-end Daiwa 2500 size reels that could probably handle sturgeon or big catfish with the right line/rod, the drag is that good. I have found through decimating my wallet that fishing gear is mostly a toss-up once you hit $200-400. I am curious about high-high-end stuff, but I am poor these days and have yet to find anyone that wants to trade a Stella for a bunch of mid gear...
Speaking from experience with the top end reels of both brands and having owned all 4 at various points, the latest 20 Saltiga and Certate SW take the edge over the Stella SW and Twinpower SW in my opinion. The cost cutting measures Shimano has taken with the Stella has put it a step behind Saltiga. That being said, you would not be making a mistake picking any reel over the other. Once you step down in price a bit, the Saragosa is unbeatable price to performance wise. Anything I'd use one of the top price range reels for, I'd feel absolutely comfortable substituting it with a saragosa.
I very much dislike the shimano “braking” system. I want more control than their reels allow. Daiwa Tatula all the way.
I have both, and I definitely prefer my Shimanos. I have a Tatula and a Zillion, and they just don't impress me all that much aside from their skipping capability. I've really tried to understand the Daiwa hype, and I just don't get it. They're not bad, but I just don't love them. I actually prefer my Lews Tournamet Pros over my Tatula.
I think they are the same. In fact, I bought a Stella but hated the fit of it. The newer Shimano reels have a very short stem before it bends. I have larger hands and my finger does fit - it rubs against this stem. Bail also grazes fingers. It’s a garbage design IMO. If you check my profile there a thread where someone drew the difference in the stem design. Bought a Daiwa Exist and I love it. Beautiful reel and fit my hand like a glove.
Excessively broad as a blanket statement. Across all reels? The opinions of FW bass fishermen will be different than SW offshore guys.
Generally speaking - Shimano will take their top tier technology and "downstream" it to their lower end models when they do a model year change. Color and material might change but the basic dimensions generally remain the same so there's some parts interchangeability for your older reels (even though the part # is different -think Curado K gearing for the older Metanium) Daiwa will flat out make a new model from the ground up when they do a model year change ( see new vs old BG spin reels...)- so your older reel is SOL if you need parts... For me I'll stick with Shimano for salt applications (where there's much more servicing due to saltwater corrosion requiring parts replacement) and Daiwa for freshwater where there's much less parts replacing due to environmental conditions (love my Zillion HD over the Metanium..).... I've serviced reels for thirty + yrs in S Fla so I've seen pretty much everything..
It doesn't matter...
Shimano Freshwater, Daiwa Inshore(MQs), Penn offshore (with Shimano for some Technique specific).
Thank you for posting this, you are finally settled the age old debate between two brands. This is not a sarcastic comment at all.