Van Staal Reel Servicing Turnaround = 6 Weeks!

[mikecc]

he has a nice puddle of oil around him in the water..looks like a chum slick

[Flaptail]

I can hear Toby already, , but who would really want to own one of those hunks of chit? A shop in Falmouth now stocks them and for the life of me I don't get it. Get a Daiwa Saltiga if you want to pay big dough. I have played with both and at least those reels seem like they "might" be worth it.

VS=

OK Toby, you may fire at will.

[fishweewee]

Originally Posted by Flaptail

I can hear Toby already, , but who would really want to own one of those hunks of chit?

Steve,

Try fishing Squibby or Gay Head from the beach (up to your neck in water) with anything else, and you'll appreciate what a Van Staal can do. Heck, you don't even have to go that far. Go snorkeling in Falmouth with one.

[Mr. Sandman]

For me service is everything and everything needs service.

(Remember shimano platinum service = 48 hours...and if you have a real problem you have a new reel in your hands)

[Flaptail]

Ben, I guess your right in one respect. Maybe Squibby or Gayhead you might need one but I still would be fine and my reel would be out of the water, me being so tall and you being a tad shorter. Here on the cape, even in Falmouth, the bass have this habit of swimming right up close to shore. Maybe if you guys weren't walking around in the water with them and scaring them half to death all the time they would do that where you fish. True surfcasters out where I surf fish on the outer cape never set foot in the suds (cept bassmaster and that drives me nutz when I fish with him). In %%%%%%% we have this spot called *&****&^*$#. It's pretty good in the spring and fall. Reminds me alot of RI. All rocks but the best fishing is right in them and around them. ( if Bassmaster sees this he will go nutz but everyone knows the place anyway) I fish that whole shoreline in November almost every night including all the jetties to the point and if you put one toe in the water they spook, a good 3/4 of a mile of rocky shoreline mixed with sand flats and boulders. Awesome needle spot ( they luv stubbys with feathers there bigtime). My old 704's would get dunked in water and sand all the time and they still work and my Spheros' and Stradics do too and all you do is hose em down and a touch of WD-40 and your off. I still don't buy it, at least not for the cape and try not steppin' on em it might work to your advantage! Salters soon! (Saltiga)

[Backbeach Jake]

Geeze, learn to cast and you won't have to stand up to yer neck in water. OK, that was my funny for the day. I've read countless VS threads, and they've convinced me NOT to buy one. What I've learned is: 1;They are pricey as all hell. 2; You gotta send 'em back for service every year and add another half a c-note. 3; Their lightning service will get it back in a couple of months, maybe, if they don't change hands again. I honestly don't get it. You coulda had 6 or 7 704z's which you can service yourself. Really wish I had that kind of ching. Not putting anyone down, mind you. It's just that my checkbook won't let me rationalize that way.

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by Backbeach Jake

I've read countless VS threads

I have too, especially on SOL. What I find amusing is that one out of ten guys who post to those actually owns one. The rest "heard from a friend whose buddy" had one crap the bed on him.

The two I own have never been to any of the various owners for service. I could give a crap about the warranty at this point, since they clip you for "wear and tear" items anyway. They're even simpler inside than a 704 or 706. The hardest part is getting the plate off, after that, anyone can clean and grease them. Oil leaks and you can't find the O-rings and seals? No prob, just grease them like you'd do any other reel.

When I look at the schematic of a Stella or a Saltiga, I

[spence]

I'm on the fence about VS. I used an older 250 last season that I picked up at a good price on several rods. I need another reel so I've got a backup and so I don't have to swap out so much.

Mulling through the options, nothing seems as good. I like the VS but don't want to spend the dough for another, nor do I want multiple reels that I can't service.

So instead of a VS250/200, what reel should I get for my 1204? Probably braid, and won't be dunked as much as I do the VS.

-spence

[Slipknot]

Originally Posted by Flaptail

spot called #########.

. ( if Bassmaster sees this he will go nutz but everyone knows the place anyway)


Salters soon! (Saltiga)

dangerous spot





Saltiga is looking good to me too.

I like what Mr. Sandman says about the service on the Shimano also

[tlapinski]

Originally Posted by Flaptail

I can hear Toby already, , but who would really want to own one of those hunks of chit? A shop in Falmouth now stocks them and for the life of me I don't get it. Get a Daiwa Saltiga if you want to pay big dough. I have played with both and at least those reels seem like they "might" be worth it.

VS=

OK Toby, you may fire at will.

Already made the switch. At the start of last season, I owned 5. This season is about to start and I own 1. I did buy a pretty Saltiga not too long ago. I dumped the VS's for the reason stated by Ben, paying for the yearly service. That is my major gripe with them. This damn Saltiga better work out. As I told Ben when we were talking this past weekend, I spend all this $$ on spinning reels and still throw conventionals 75% of the time. My problem lies in the times I do throw spinning, I need something that is capable of being under water, handling braid, and is "fail safe". It would be so much easier if I didn't fish so damn much.

[Mr. Sandman]

I don't get the expensive service and no decent warrenty on a costly reel. I could probably use a saltiga for those exteme nights but I would like to hear how diawa handles the service first. So I am waiting for Toby to test drive it first. Next year. For now I will stick with what is working for me.

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by Mr. Sandman

I could probably use a saltiga for those exteme nights but I would like to hear how diawa handles the service first.

I'm thinking you could probably get it done at any Daiwa warranty center. Is Bucko's a Daiwa service center?

Dunno how Daiwa's factory parts/service folks are--I've only used them to get a spare spool and some bearings for my old Sealine Slosh-30. They shipped the parts fairly quickly and billed me later.

And I don't think you'd void any warranty by doing self-service. Altho I don't know whether I'd like tackling a 15 bearing gizmo.

[fishweewee]

I recall reading a thread (somewhere) where a U.S. Saltiga owner tried to get Daiwa USA (located in California) to service it.

Daiwa USA service department punted to Daiwa Japan.

...

[BCY]

I got my Saltiga from a tackle shop in NJ that will service the reel for free. Just pay for shipping to the shop. I would expect that parts would be extras.

[Mr. Sandman]

Originally Posted by fishweewee

Daiwa USA service department punted to Daiwa Japan.

...

If this is indeed the case, this would be my main concern...

As for "fixing it yourself"...sure you can pump some lube in it but I have reels I thought were fine and worked well, when I send them back, lots of parts got replaced (at no or little charge to me) that I would have not considered replacing. In some cases entire reels were replaced with new. Also, these new bearings are pretty high tech. Each has a version number. When you send the reel in for service they replace the bearings with the current state of the are version (again , no or little charge). (these are not cheap to buy off the shelf either) So I think it really pays to have someone who really knows what he is doing and knows where the key wear points and typical trouble spots are. This is why service is so important to me. I don't want to become a reel mechanic and I don't want to stock lots of parts....I have enough problems with plugs and jigs as it stands.

[fishweewee]

Originally Posted by tlapinski

This damn Saltiga better work out.

Am very interested to hear your feedback on that very pretty reel. I might re-assess if the reviews come back positive.

[JoeP]

Fishweewee-

From talking to Toby a little over the past few months I don't think I put my reels through the same abuse as him (I don't skish or reel underwater but I do get my reels splashed & dunked alot), but to give you a quick review I fished 2 Saltigas all last year and they are as good as new still. Also, I did not pay $800 for them, you can find them around the same price as a VS.

This is after I fished 2 VS's for the 2 years before that and had albeit "small" problems with them (leaking oil & a tempermental drag knob), but still problems. I liked the VS's, but not nearly as much as the Saltiga's.

Joe

[chris L]

good thing your not an australian or a southern baptist !