Hi gentlemen,
Random question, why is it that Okuma can produce their top of the line reels that are packed full of top end features and still sell them for sub £100 yet other manufacturers can be 6x the price for their top end models?

Are they actually packed with 6x the quality / better materials or is it more the fact they probably have to charge more due to advertising and or because "tackle tarts" will simply pay the prices to have a certain manufacturers name on?
I know the latter happens in a lot of other hobbies / clothes etc but was just wondering.

In reply to Post #1
True answer is probably a bit of both. Top end Daiwa / Shimano reels do have better quality insides, and they are lighter, but lots of time is spent on making them look good. Shimano and Daiwa know they will sell less of the top end reels but they price them accordingly.

In reply to Post #2
Makes sense.

I have a pair of older Shimano ultegra 5500 xtb reels and was thinking of upgrading.

I saw the Okuma 8k reels but was wondering what the catch is as they offer so many "features" that other manufacturers charge loads for.
I can't personally see how there is too much difference in quality that equates to the monetary difference.

In reply to Post #3
The catch is they weigh a tonne and if anything should go wrong you throw them away, they don't get repaired like Daiwa and Shimano...

In reply to Post #1
Exactly the same scenario was being explained last night by a guest on GB News; “Bish Bosh Beds” founder Tommy Skinner.

He was asked exactly the same question you're asking – he said it's simple “ You the customer are being ripped off, paying for the name not the product, we use better materials, make to better quality standards, all made in the UK, we don't be greedy and sell 2/3rds less the price the Big Names sell their inferior products for"


Sound familiar

In reply to Post #5
Exactly...

In reply to Post #5
To be fair Keith, he would say that wouldn't he!

...and GB news? Jesus wept

In reply to Post #7
So would any honest guy , just as I do

~ GB News, nothing wrong with GB news, at least the presenters are not infected with woke

In reply to Post #4
Okuma have a 5 year warranty!

And they're so cheap you could replace them every 5 years.

Okumas are fantastic reels ,as are the centrepins,..

Mainstream media,is controlled by the government, you only see what they want you to see..

It's called mass media control, used in the many instances, for example,by Goebbels,in the propaganda against the persecution of Jewish,Gypsies and Homosexuals..

And that didn't end well..

Same as the lies from the BMA..!..fearmongering.

I had the Okuma 6000 Inc on my Barbel Rods, absolutely superb reels – in fact I've took both of them off my Barbel Rods, got a 3rd and put them onto my 12ft 3.5 tc Gravity XFW's!

I now have to get another pair to go onto my Barbel Rods; as I can't get on with the Bait Runners I fitted.


~ Other option would be the Penn Affinities, another superb, sensibly priced Reel

How is every thread on here just lately turning into more bull**** about media,government,control of us all.Its a thread about reels ffs

In reply to Post #11
I have a INC 6000 on my stalker rod, not had much use, but a brilliant reel

In reply to Post #12
“They” want you think that it's about reels

The Forum was set up by the deep state to distract people with arguments about Daiwa vs Shimano and Fox vs Delks

In reply to Post #14
Daiwa reels havee a gps tracking device inside them, it can also receive 5G

In reply to Post #15
Daiwa reels have a gps tracking device inside them, it can also receive 5G

It's about time they suck something of value inside them

(Sorry could not resist)

In reply to Post #3
I have a pair of older Shimano ultegra 5500 xtb reels and was thinking of upgrading.

For me the 5500 XTB was the start of the demise for Shimano .... the biggest USP of these reels at the time these came out was the size .... but they were very poor reels at the original selling price (as were the XTC version) and once other manufactureres started catching up it became clearer and clearer .... The Okuma Inc 6000 is streets ahead and best pound for pound reel on the market imo and at fraction of the cost

In reply to Post #17
And dacia duster maybe the best pound for pound car on the market but I still don't want one

In reply to Post #18
fair point .... but to be fair the Okuma Inc 6000 is no Dacia Duster

Haha well that escalated quicker and in to a different direction than I was expecting.

My other hobby is "home cinema" I saw an interview from a company boss that sells cables, the presenter asked why they sell a £7,000 power cable for a speaker when one for £10 would do the same job.
To be fair to the bloke he said the honest reason it because they have customers that will pay that much for it.

I'm definitely interested in these Okuma reels, I may have to go and have a look at them and see for myself.

In reply to Post #20
I've just bought 4 of the Okumas.

First impressions are good and 3x Shimanos have gone. I still have 2x Ci4 5500's which I don't really like - so if the Okumas are as good as I think they are then the Ci4's will go too.

I've decided I don't need fancy gear so I'm trading down to older or cheaper gear, 3x decent Harrison rods also gone this week.. My catch rate will probably stay the same unless I suddenly have to start fishing at serious range......

In reply to Post #1
In my collection of reels I have okuma trio rex tx 60 , okuma 8k , okuma cassien , okuma epix pro (originals) and okuma coronado cdx 65 and have to say they have not missed a beat ... outstanding value for money .... I also own many daiwas inc different tournament models & and many shimanos ..
The only down side with okuma is getting parts , when I got my coronados delivered one of the ambidextrous screw in handle caps was missing and I contacted everyone associated with okuma on the Web worldwide to get a replacement ( countries were America , Taiwan , you name it i contacted them) and they could not help me find this part , in the end the tackle dealer ( who was not helpful at all ) who I purchased the reels from sent me the cap from a trio rex as I told him I was going to send the reels back for a refund and lucky enough although a slightly different colour the cap was the same size and fitted....
So my point being ....Okumas are fantastic reels for the money but to get spare parts is very difficult....

In reply to Post #22
I've just brought the okumia 8k to go with my greys gt2 fantastic reels feel very well made.

In reply to Post #23
I had a look and play with the inc6000 in a shop the other day and was shocked at how solid / smooth the reel was.
How does the weight of the 8k feel on your rod when spooled and in hand?
I have Aircurvs and am thinking about the 8k.

In reply to Post #23
What is the length of the spool on the 8k reel?

In reply to Post #1
I have an Okuma 6000 and a Daiwa Emcast 25A, and although nice Reels, they are no where near the same quality as my Shimano Ultegra 5500s .
You get what you pay for.

In reply to Post #25
45mm

In reply to Post #26
I have an Okuma 6000 and a Daiwa Emcast 25A, and although nice Reels, they are no where near the same quality as my Shimano Ultegra 5500s .
You get what you pay for.


I cant disagree with that more .... I had 9 Ultegra 5500 XTB/XTD (still have a couple somewhere) and they are the most over rated reel on the market imo. They are an average reel at best and lack the quality of previous SHimano reels by a country mile ... Give me the Inc 6000 Inc every time (i now have 6 of them)

In reply to Post #26
Rubbish

In reply to Post #27
Thanks

In reply to Post #26
what an absolute load of ********

In reply to Post #26
Cant agree with that

So I sold my ultegra xtb 5500's and bought a set of Okuma 8k's...
So far I've just been questioning myself why didn't I do this before, they're ridiculously good, can't beleive how cheap they were either.
Now to decide what line to spool them with.

In reply to Post #33
so you're basing your review on a reel you've spun round in your hands a few times with no line on and not fished with them??

I'm not doubting they could be good but to compare them to reels you've fished and used isn't exactly comparable yet

In reply to Post #34
I'm sure there's a saying about assuming and how it can make someone look an arse...

I was lucky enough to purchase the reels second hand from someone, they were in brand new condition and spooled with 15lb avid line... I've only used them twice and had one carp of 26lb.
I'm not a fan of the line so wanting to change it.

However, I would agree only using said reels or any other item come to that matter twice isn't much use at all to give it a review, but so far I'm impressed, I've never said this was a review, it's just my opinion early on.

I'm sure you can appreciate by feeling different items in a shop you can still tell what's built well or not, it's not difficult to form an opinion, even if it was the situation you alluded to.

In reply to Post #35
I've also been told by reel servicers that the internals in the Okuma reels are bad. 'Throw away reels' was one comment on them. 'monkey metal' for gears. Bit like the fox internals, I had the mag 12000xt serviced once and the state of the inside was shocking..worn down gears. 'Cheap white metal' was said.

now I'm not saying i wouldn't buy cheap reels because I have no issue upgrading every few years but just be aware the internals wont be like the better Shimano and Daiwa reels. Hence the price I guess.

probably why you never get a response from fox when you ask what the 'mesh-tec' gearing is actually made of. Presumably some sort of diecast metal compound is my guess.

The new Prologic range is interesting. they are only bringing out reels with torque shift 1 at moment which is entry level diecast gearing. however there is torque shift 2 (machine cut aluminium gears) and then torque shift 3 (machine cut drive and main gear) coming. At least they tell you what's inside to a certain extent.

In reply to Post #36
I can imagine there has to be a quality difference somewhere with such a monetary gap, but it's like most things, does the money really reflect the true quality difference.
Things like advertising, endorsements etc.

Also not forgetting the reels I had before were quite old reels so had a lot of abuse over the years, obviously things loosen up / bed in and so on, in time this would just become the normal feel and what my last impressions of said reel are.
I'm sure if there was a brand new set of xtb's along side the 8k's they would be much more comparable due to no wear etc.

In reply to Post #37
things have changed, carp fishing has changed. Even the cheaper reels back in the day were decent. just about profit now and exploiting the popularity of the sport. be interesting to see what the top end prologic reels will sell for. The most expensive torque shift 1 is 150. Also okuma and prologic are both owned by svendsen sports so maybe the features will eventually roll out across theirs too.

I currently use daiwa emblem 35 scw reels , a mid range reel i would say. be nice to know what the insides are like in them

In reply to Post #36
Certain models will have cheese for gears, as do all manufacturers. but they make what is considered the best sw spinning reel with stainless gears. May be an interesting read for some, well worth reading through his site link

In reply to Post #38
" Also okuma and prologic are both owned by svendsen sports so maybe the features will eventually roll out across theirs too."

I think that's due to change soon.

In reply to Post #39
Why don't they do same for their carp reels

In reply to Post #41
Dont think they would sell as many at £650 each

In reply to Post #42
Surely a gear and and drive in stainless steel or brass etc isn't that much extra? In this day and age, machined cut aswell . Mass produced shouldn't mean reel is 650. I always thought it was the body material that made these reels so much more expensive. 200/300 should be able to produce a decent reel with decent gears

In reply to Post #42
And the weight may put most off.

In reply to Post #44
the okuma 8k weighs less than a Daiwa 6000TS. Yes of course its heavier than a Basia or a Mag tech but at the fraction of the cost, but with as many features as those high end models. Its a trade off isnt it.

I sold my Shimano Ci14000 XTBs and bought 8k okuma. Theyve never missed a beat, do everything the XTB ever could and have, so far, 2 seasons in have proven a great change.

In reply to Post #39
His main site covers quite a bit, and very detailed.


https://www.alanhawk.com/

In reply to Post #45
Have you done a straight comparison between the reels as far as distance casting. I.e with all other things being the same, how much difference in distance is there between them?

In reply to Post #47
Most carp fishing reels spend the VAST majority of their lives sat on buzzer bars, not being used, and yet some folk seem to think they take as much hammer as working poppers for GT's... 🤣. Even on a runs water, they'll be wound in maybe 15-20 times per day, including a few mis-casts. Spod and marker reels are a different ball game, they take far more hammer, and the same is true for regular, sustained range fishing or perhaps in weed. Think about it, in most general use, carp fishing reels simply don't take that much grief, and a lot of people are over-gunned in price, perhaps so they can wave their (obviously small) willy at the next man... 🤣🤣🤣👍

In reply to Post #48
I agree, but given the choice I'd prefer anything made the best it can be in my budget.

My thoughts are similar to the earlier posts, consumer rip off but the same could be said for most big brand names. You want quality, it comes at a cost.

The thing that is questionable is the quality. I used Daiwa reels for near on 30 years with a few shimano in between, 6000 bait runners etc. Over the last few years I have used mainly Shimano, just because I spent so much time on Diawa's and I can.

Most of the modern reels don't appeal to me, far too much cheap plastic bling, and I am guessing that is for a few reasons, they can charge a premium to replace them and they can soon make them obsolete so you will need to upgrade?

Some of the worst shimanos I bought were 4 x XTC 14000 for a distance set up, the only way I could describe them is cheap crap with an aluminium spool. The line guards failed on 3 of them in no time at all and in use they just felt cheap and nasty to me

I have an Okuma EPIX as a floater reel for around 15 years plus, cracking little reel, never let me down. They make quality reels.

I have just bought a stradic 4000FL for spinning, Shimano again with the thinking of a quality reel that will stand the test of time, time will tell though

Ultimately its about catching fish not what looks nice on a pod for me

In reply to Post #47
Mark, being a tart ive owned several versions of Basiz, Techniums, XTBs. TBH ive had most. My fav was the GS9000/TS6000. Superb, bombproof and slow but its was great fro casting. Heavy beast as well but, to answer your question, Ive found no difference between all those high end shimanos and daiwas compared too the Okuma. I can fish 'long' as eaily with the 8k as I could with all those other reels as it has ALL the same features.

Apart from price. I paid £62 for a 8k. The features it has are only available on the higher end shimano and daiwa and 4x the price.

The gears are brass. they will last as long as I need them. People laugh at Okuma but they have the pedigree. Theyve been designing and selling reels for other companies for years.

In reality, the 8k can compete against all the others, easily.

In reply to Post #51
It may have a brass pinion gear but their site mentions nothing of the main gear. Except a cgi of a silver one.
Bargain still though regardless of that. A replacement brass or stainless main gear for a high end reel would probably buy a set of 3 of these

In reply to Post #52
Noj, correct....they aint no Saltiga or Makira but, i am serious impressed by the whole Okuma range, especially the 8k. Really impressed and Ive not found fault with it after long term use. I even managed to buy the shallow spools from Slovakia for £14 each. Bargin

In reply to Post #51


And a bargain price

In reply to Post #52
maybe brass pinion but cheap metal for gear and drive

I honestly believe that Shimano build quality has gone far downhill.

I had the original 3500 Baitrunners, then the Aero 4000 GTE's, onto 6010's and up to Aerlex 8000's. All of these reels took the serious abuse I threw at them, (except the theft of the 4000's...)

I still use a grey/bronze Aerlex for spodding even now, or at least until last winter.

I got DL10000's for Brackens, and while not bad reels, they just did not feel top notch, little bit shabby, and I managed to bend the reel handles slightly, followed by bending the central spool rotapin and breaking a reel handle totally.

To upgrade for long casting in a weedy water I got 'budget' Beastmaster 7000's, (around £60), and they felt a whole lot higher quality, I'm still using them now, and in weedy water.
One is used on the Marker/Spod rod, so that gets some abuse.

A mate had some Okuma reels, and yuck. Within a year they simply packed in, as he reeled the spool turned, the clutch failed and the spools turned with the bail and rota.


Bear in mind over the years I gave worked in tackle shops so had a choice of reels to play with, I found the Shimano models of 6/7 years ago you either had to buy top dollar or absolute budget range. The mid price £100-150 reels were naff.
As for Daiwa, again I found the original Emblems (blue and red backside baboons?) were the nicest.

Seriously if I was looking out for reels now I probably think Penn would be on the list.

In reply to Post #56
Vintage shimano or daiwa for me.
Recently changed to shimano ultegra xt 10000 from daiwa emblem x 5000a, both jap built when quality and robustness was king.

In reply to Post #57
Similar thoughts to me

It's a tarts game now all about the look, bling, bling and more bling

Fishing reels have one major purpose for me other than the obvious, to take some proper kosh, not to think where you must lay your posh reel so it doesn't get marked up whilst you then contemplate where you will unhook your fish

Still, if they were churning out Tournies and infinity's that last 20 year they wouldn't be selling much. I bet they make loads now with after sales, bits of plastic crap to replace etc