Shimano Stradic 4000FH, continued issues!

[mconnole]

Yet the approach of another Fall run for me here in Rhode Island and for the 3rd straight year, at about the same time of the season, the reel I bought only 3 years ago has to be sent back to be repaired for the same reason. Like clockwork it seems, a stress crack on the handle assembly, (part number 7990) develops and causes difficulty in the retrieve. Whatever that is made of it doesn't hold up. This is the 3rd year in a row that I have experienced this without failure. In the past I have paid the $35.00 shipping to have it sent back and it comes back as good as new. However it is a major inconvenience to say the least. Especially when the Fall run is starting to shape up. When I first bought the reel I was impressed with it and loved the way it complimented my St. Croix. It seemed perfectly balanced. As a back up I used a Penn 5500 that was a good substitute. In any event I broke down and bought a Quantum Cabo 40. Hopefully I won't be writing a similar post this time next year. In any event the Stradic goes back for repairs only to become my new back up. Anyone with similar issues please let me know. I would be interested in knowing if anyone else has had the same thing happen to them.

[bdowning]

Hmmm, I was thinking of buying a Stradic this weekend, until I heard about your handle problems. Knowing the way I maul equipment, I'll eat those handles for breakfast.

Don't know much about Quantum Cabos. Looking for a reliable high capacity spinning reel for beach and surf use, mostly for long casting big plugs, jigs, and weighted sluggos, occasionally eeling. Won't be used (er, abused) on the Canal. Suggestions appreciated. I can go to ~ 200 bucks, if necessary. Forget Van Staals, way out of my price league.

-bd

[CHUCKNDUCK9]

No handle probs on mine. However, the drag system is suspect. Particularly when wet. It really gums up between the washers, almost like the composite ones are melting. And its not from catching numerous large fish :mad:

[john hollenberg]

Bill I don't know what reel you should get. On impulse I bought a cabo and have had trouble with the drag changing tension significantly while fighting fish under beach conditions.

[mconnole]

Bill,
The Cabo falls right into that price range. The one I have is the Cabo 40. I believe there is a 50 and a 60 with varying price fluctuations. There is a lesser Quantum reel The Boca that is similar in price to the Stradic 4000. If possible do a side by side comparison. I got a decent deal on the Cabo, but I was going to go for the Boca because of the size and price range. Just had it for 2 days and knock on wood, so far so good.

[mconnole]

Bill,

You should read the related threads from last April.

[bauerman]

I have used one for 2 years of hard use great reel . Just bought another.
I like the Shimino Symerete 4000 also very smooth.

[sage fly guy]

I own 5-6 Stradics and never ahve had a problem with them.

I would send the reel to the Shimano Service Center in Irvine, CA, add a note explaining the issues and what can be done to resolve them.

In the meantime, grab a Shimano Spehros, extremely durable.

chris

[masssalt]

The Quantum Cabo is the first spinning reel which has ever lasted one full season for me in the surf-And I don't use spinning gear that often.

I am done with Shimano, in my experience, the worlds largest purveyor of junk reels. And please don't tell me that if I spend umpteen hundred dollars they make a great reel.

[OceanRunner]

For what it’s worth, I have four Stratic 4000s that are all over five years old and I beat the snot out of them. I give them a good power rinse after each saltwater trip, I have never greased or cleaned them, have brought them on numerous Caribbean/Bahamian and keys trips and caught countless small tunoids, big bass (one over 50lbs), probably thousands of blues and bass, a few big bonefish (laser fast runs), a few punishing jacks and tarpon, a few small sharks, and even hooked and fought a couple of Bluefin by accident… and these reels function like new.

That said, with the newer Stradics that are slightly more expensive, (I have 2 that are about 2yrs old) I have had issues with the drags. I guess it pays to stick with the cheap stuff.

On the high-end, I have 3 Thunnus reels and have used a few Stellas while fishing with guides, and these reels are top notch. They take all the pounding and punishment of big gamefish without an issue.


Just my $0.02

[dondkim]

I am also done with Stradic. There are too much plastic parts, especially the handle part. It looks like a metal but it is actually plastic. If you keep on tightenning the handle the plastic part cracks. They just look pretty outside. :mad: :mad:

[lowwall]

I FF 90% of the time amd use Pen 450ss, 550ss, 650ss ,the other 10%. I Have guys on the boat all the time who have never fished and use/abuse these reels . The older ones are definetly beter made. I do have bail spring amd anti reverse issues yearly that are easily fixed.
Mike

[Cliffisher]

Was once a big Shimano fan; my Stradic handle cracked on the third week I had it fishing under normal conditions, surf and boat. I had it replaced and it was cracked again by mid-summer. I returned it to Cabela's, NQA. Since then, when I see the name Shimano, I see the name: shimaNO. I fished the Thunnus reel though and it seems right nice!

[ducatiboy]

Whatever you do, don't buy a Penn 5600 live liner, it worked good for 2 years, then failed miserably the other day,(of course with a Good size fish on) they discontinued the reel after 3 years of production. If i write Penn, think they will replace it with a GOOD reel ? Anyone ever get a free replacement reel ?

[Living Waters]

No handle probs on mine. However, the drag system is suspect. Particularly when wet. It really gums up between the washers, almost like the composite ones are melting. And its not from catching numerous large fish :mad:

I spent some time last night picking melted composite drag washers out of my drag system on a Stradic 8000. A tuna might have been a lot ask of this reel, but I have seen larger tuna taken on smaller reels made by other manufacturers. I decided to send this reel back to the minors, bluefish duty.
Thankfully, it came with an extra spool. I also own two 4000's which I let friends use, I have yet to have any trouble with them.
Overall, I think Shimano makes a decent reel. Value wise though, other manufacturers make better reels for less money. I don't own any Cabo's, but have heard nothing but good about them. In that price range, I like the original Daiwa SS Tournament reel, it was the standard for many years in the Keys on the flats. They have great drags!

[bdowning]

I'm looking into the Cabos, based on the feedback here. Thanks.

-bd

[Cliffisher]

If i write Penn, think they will replace it with a GOOD reel ? Anyone ever get a free replacement reel ?

I got a reel good deel from Lamson/Waterworks - sent them an OLD OLD OLD Lamson 'Permit' (#4) that finally crapped out after 10 years.

Story goes: I called H20Works, the new owners of Lamson, looking for parts - none. So they had me send in the Permit and allowed me to buy a new Waterworks reel of my choice for 50% off retail. I was ECSTATIC. I think that Penn should do AT LEAST the same if not better. What if anything of a warranty does Penn offer? Or what reel warraties are out there in any event?

[sage fly guy]

I see sveryone has differnent experiences with many brands of reels.

I own probably 30 Shimano reels, Trinidad's, Stradics, Thunnus', Spheros', Stella and 7 Tiagra's of various size(16w-50lrs).

Not a single issue with any of them. These reels are not babied, well except the Tiagra's, they get treated like royalty. Minimum maintenance is needed. There service center is second to none, I sent in 5 spinner's two season ago for cleaning, not only did they not charge, they replaced 3 of the Stradics with brand new ones for cosmetic reasons.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, when there is a particular company/brand that constantly get compared to by every other in the world, that one is usually the gold standard which every one tries to measure up to.

In the world of fishing reels that company worldwide is Shimano.

chris

[fatkenny]

I have had a great experience with calcuttas, stradics and spheros. The service center was great once I got an email address and a real person to communicate with (JMaloy@shimano.com). I would send you reels in "attn; Josh Maloy," and then email him to make sure everything works out.

Regarding the cracked handles; is it possible you are over tightening them? When I switch from right to left handed, I usually just snug the handle up; no need to torque the heck out of it.

One other option is Okuma. I have never used their spinning reels, but the SOL guys seem to like them a lot. Most of the reels look like shimano knock-offs, but that's not a bad thing. If $$$ is an issue, I think Okuma can't be beat.

[Fish On]

I have a stradic 6000 that has been good to me for the last two seasons, however just recently the bail, when closed would not stay perpendicular to the spool. It put tons of twist in my power pro. and caused those nasty mini birds nests.

I've heard good things about their service...we'll see.

[The Grudge]

I have never had problems with my Stradics. I have taken some big fish on the 4000 and the drag was been nice and smooth. I only had a problem with my spheros. The bail snapped outside of the warranty period. Shimano would not fix so I bought the parts for $40 and did it myself. Just make sure you always wash down your reels and they should be fine.

[fatkenny]

I think it would have been less than 30 bucks to have shimano fix that bail. It takes a few weeks to a month (especially if you send it back during season) to get it done, but it would have cost less.

My Spheros 5000 bail broke and was replaced for around 20 bucks. Cost me 5 dollars to ship. Took about 6 weeks turn around in the may/june (peak season).

The washing down is important; the bearing on the bail makes funny noises if I don't wash down, on all my shimanos.

[kayakninja]

I have had the Stradic 4000-5000 for 3 years now with no problems. Just added a 2500 for smaller bass and Florida trips.

If you give a Stradic a good dunk in the salt you might as well send it back to the factory. I only recommend dealing with the factory with these reels. I do
a light spraydown with the hose and drag tightened. Then loosen the drag and let dry. Add Reel Lube every once in a while to handle and outside moving parts. When I don't rinse I have problems. Every year or two years depending on use the reels gets sent back to Shimano.

[Kuskus68]

Try getting the 4000 mgf handle as a replacement it`s a better handle .

[ikan besar]

I had problems with my Stradics and finally realized they weren't really designed for what I was doing with them. I switched to Stella's and have been very pleased ever since. Now the only spinners I fish are the older Penn 6500/7500SS spinning reels or Stella's and both work great within the tasks they were designed for.