i was looking at some spinning reels and saw those US reels. has anyone tried them? any feedback? they are definitely light and not going to break the bank. they have a very large arbor and i am curious how that will affect using the smaller guides. using the new concept system i think straight line measuring instead of spool diameter may be the way to go. any comments or opinions?

The US Reels are nice reels. My wife has 2 and she loves them, I only wish they had a better handle. They hold an unbelieveble amount of braid and small diameter mono w/ a good drag system.

I set mine up with new concept system using spool diameter on a light surf rod. It work well. The reels have a very nice drag. I do not like the bail. Mine kept closing shut during a cast. Not so good.

Contrary to their claims, the larger spool diameter reduces casting distance, a bit. It also works the drag washers a bit harder. Not saying they're bad reels, but there is some marketing hype involved.

Remember 15 or so years ago when everybody switched to smaller, longer spools for increased casting distance?

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These US reels have the best drag in their price range. The return to the "larger dia. spool" design is their differentiator, but then, Penn never really stopped making those either. We haven't noticed a difference in casting distance - not just us, but most of the folks we fish with who have tried these reels.

I'm not sure about the spool-size vs effect on the drag washers issue. Van Staal and the new Accurate spinning reels both use the larger-spool-dia design and are almost universally rated as having some of the finest drag systems made. In the case of the Van Staal, Gary and I can personally attest to that.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

You misread my statement - nowhere did I say that the drags in those reels weren't good.

As the spool becomes larger, the drag washers could also become larger. Quick used to install very large diameter washers in all their spools. They gave up line capacity to contain those larger diameter washers which allowed them to distribute pressure and dissipate heat better. What many of the larger spool models have done now, is to actually put smaller washers in the spools, which means there is less surface area to distribute pressure and dissipate heat.

Granted, the larger spool can pay out the same amount of line with fewer revolutions, but a tremendous opportunity has been missed for including very large diameter drag washers.

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