Van Staal

[afterhours]

to me they are worth the $$. i use a 150 and a 250 and think that they are a precision built and very durable reel. i view them as an investment in quality fishing tools. i wade alot of dangerous spots and it's nice to dunk your reel when you use your rod butt as a wading staff and not worry about getting your reel wet. there are alot of other reels on the market for less $$ that do a very good job, but for me the vs' does it all. btw- they maintain their value pretty well.

[spence]

I don't think you can answer the question until you've used one.

But you can't really compare them to the price of other reels alone. Factor in total costs of ownership in context with your lifestyle and it may not be quite as dramatic...

There are a lot of people who fish hard enough to really get the value out of them. But for most of us, there are probably a hundred other things someone could/should be putting their resources into

-spence

[libassboy]

Afterhours hit it. It a great thing to be able to use the rod as a walking stick, espeically on slippery rocks wading far from shore. Also its the piece of mind that goes along with having one. For a long time i swore i wasnt going to get one cause of the sticker shock, now that ive had it for a while i cant imagine not having one. I dont use it all the time, only in extreme places like M, and some of the points in Orient. The rest of the time lately ive been using a sustain and its a great reel. Ive dunked,dropped,beaten etc that reel and it refuses to quit. I would say if ure not gonna be basically swimming out to ure spots consider that reel, less than half the price of a vs too.

[Clogston29]

While the answer varies for everyone, for me it is definately worth the expense. I have not lost a fish this year because of a sticky drag which I did several times last year which alone is worth it. But for me the main thing that makes it worth the money is not having to take the reel apart and clean it every week, gives me more time for fishing since the wife does not consider the time that I used to have to spend cleaning my reels as quality time with her. I'm buying a second one this winter. I don't see how anyone could use one and ever go back to a penn or shimano after, they are just a joy to fish and not have to worry about.

[striperondafly]

Im finally gonna get one after years of knowing I would eventually, but could never justify having one.

I'm slowly building a Lami 1084 - out off until Jan now and I am gonna put a silver 150 on it when I get my tax return in February

[winchmaster]

Van Stall makes fishing lures??????

[Nebe]

I had 2 Vanstaals at the beginning of the season. Then i taught myself to cast a conventional and i have never looked back. NIB has my old VS-250 and i kept my 200 incase i took up wetsuiting. If your not wading up to your neck every night you dont need one. I'll take an Abu Garcia 6500 or 7000 over a VS anyday for the type of fishing i do., which is mostly off of rock piles, jetties, and the occasional shallow wade.
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Now if VS made a totally sealed conventional, i might Lay down some $$ agian.