# I no longer recomend Vanstaal



## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

..and I wont until they can be maintained locally. 600 for the reel and hundreds of dollars to maintain them just isn't feasible. I love the reel but won't purchase another. just got a call that I wll be billed 161.00 for misc parts and labor. It worked ok when I sent it off!


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## John B. (Oct 2, 2007)

tell them to send it back...

i won't send mine in for this exact reason, hell, the warranty is only for 1 year anyways... 

so, until the reel stops working, i'm not sending it anywhere!..

sorry about the $160 bucks... not sure why they wanna fix something that isn't broken?


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

I've actually owned it fora while and have yet to send it off. I'm taking it for Striped Marlin to Cabo and I want it relubed, its the last time I'll send it back, thats for sure. I'll just fish it till it explodes.


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## Garbo (Oct 2, 2007)

I love mine, and find them a pleasure to fish with. Worth every cent. I understand your frustrations, and the cost is high, but I seem to be able to justify it on every cast. 

Simply love em.


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## John B. (Oct 2, 2007)

> *gator7_5 (11/7/2007)*I've actually owned it fora while and have yet to send it off. I'm taking it for Striped Marlin to Cabo and I want it relubed, its the last time I'll send it back, thats for sure. I'll just fish it till it explodes.


a buddy of mine took his to cabo and caught a striped marlin on his 250... i'm assuming it's a 300 you have, right??

i wanted to catch a white this year on my 250, but never had the time to go:banghead, maybe next year!... good luck!


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

no itsa 250... I've talked to some people over there. Its tough - but not impossible. as long as you avoid the 200+ pounders.


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## John B. (Oct 2, 2007)

yeah, that's the only thing that sucks.... AVOID THE BIG ONE!:banghead


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## seanclearly (Sep 28, 2007)

I've caught stripers in Cabo and you should have no problem catching them on a 250. They do get pretty big but the majority are in the 100-200 lb range. They are awesome to sight for. Have a great trip.


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## MR.STAAL (Oct 22, 2007)

yea not good.... i love staals but ou have to be nice to them hahaha nah i wont send mine in until it freezes up. an for the name van staal its not supposed too.


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## John B. (Oct 2, 2007)

> *MR.STAAL (11/7/2007)*yea not good.... i love staals but ou have to be nice to them hahaha nah i wont send mine in until it freezes up. an for the name van staal its not supposed too.


the only way yours will lock up is from a 2" thick layer of dust!!!... haven't fished with you in a while!


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

> *MR.STAAL (11/7/2007)*an for the name van staal its not supposed too.


The company Van Staal hasn't been "in the game" for long at all. Personally, I hate bail-less spinning reels. But that is biased. In terms of quality, there were originally developed for STRIPER fishing, not the grueling demands of bluewater fishermen. They are pieces of shit. Take a company like costa del mar for example: when my $300+ swordfishes mess up (which has happened like, ONCE in the last 8 years), they sure as hell replace them for free or repair them for a minimal cost. As in, less than $30. Van Staal as a company is worthless. They mark up their products something ridiculous like 900% of production costs. I'd much rather put my dollars and trust into a name such as Shimano or Penn. And this isn't coming from a once-a-month fisherman. We have nearly the entire line of reels made by both Shimano and Penn on our boat, and we fish them every week of the year, from Venice down to the Bahamas.


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## Travis Gill (Oct 6, 2007)

Man so far I only know of one Van Staal that has locked up. I don't even know how many times I have had penn spinning reels break. Anti reverses are bad, and van staals don't have them, one less useless thing to break. I've caught big fish on Van Staals and love them. IMO they are the best spinning reels made.


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

we maintain and lubricateour tackle as if we are going to put it on display. OCD about it. too expensive not to.


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

> *The Blue Hoo (11/7/2007)*
> 
> 
> > *MR.STAAL (11/7/2007)*an for the name van staal its not supposed too.
> ...


VS's are NOTpieces of shit. Unless you can verify your opinion with facts - its just worthless opinion, like most of your posts seem to be.

FACT: I HAVE busted a Penn reel while fighting fish. In seven years I have never had any problem with my VS

FACT:You have never seen a VS malfunction.

See how that works...I started the thread andnever said the reel wasn't a fine product - just to expensive. IMO, its still one of thebest spinning reels on the market.

In fact - here's an excerpt form a conversation I was having with a captian in Cabo about using spinning reels on Stripeys.. Seems your just as expensive Stella's weren't up to the task

*"The Saturday before we did 61 with anglers from Brazil and they bought 3 x Stella 10 000's. Great to cast for the person who cant cast a trinidad and for long casts but all 3 literally blew up with bits and pieces flying all over the place fighting these striped marlin. I can see the benifits for long casting on smaller models but when we had bigger fish they could not put the drag to them and then the reels exploded. 
We put 30 lb Spectra tuff line hi vis yellow topped with berkley Hi test 30 lb clear and 90 lb Seagar fluro snelled to the 8/0 eagle claw circle hook."*

BTW,

I think Costas are total pieces of shit. I've broken at least 3 pairs, just by dropping them. Thats why I wear ocean waves.


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## seminolewind (Oct 1, 2007)

I think VS are great reels but they are overpriced like VS200 said the warranty is only one year fish with them till they explode then send them in. As for Costa the new glasses are pieces of shit seems like they started producing so many glasses they forgot about quality. When Iworked at Boater's World a few years back Costa's were not as popular but the quality seemed alot better.


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## BlackFlag (Oct 23, 2007)

> *gator7_5 (11/7/2007)*
> 
> 
> > *The Blue Hoo (11/7/2007)*
> ...


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

> *BlackFlag (11/7/2007)*
> 
> 
> > I have heard alot of mixed reviews lately about van staals and most of them were negative.
> ...


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## Garbo (Oct 2, 2007)

I have 2 Van Staals that were bought in 92, and both perform flawlessly today. Never had a problem with either, and you can't have one any older than these two, and they used to get fished alot harder than they do now but they stillget their gametime.

I have 8 of the little VS100's and not had a problem with any one of the 8, ever. 

With that said,I also have never had many problems with some very old 706z's either, and they cost alot less toown. 

I would have to think that anything that goes through the riggers that the saltwater enviroment can dish out, has to be taken care of, and I do take care of my gear. But I also can't see how a anyone could call anything as well built in both function and detail as a Van Stall reel a POS. 

I am going to order a ZeeBaas and I look forward to fishing it, I don't see anyway it can be worth what they cost, and I will be glad to let you know what I think about it, but I can promise you that Robert Koelewyn didn't, hasn't and won't design, machine and produce anything that would deserve to be called a POS. The man is a true Craftsman.


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

> *gator7_5 (11/7/2007)*
> 
> 
> > *The Blue Hoo (11/7/2007)*
> ...


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## Boardfeet (Sep 27, 2007)

Why not a Stella 8000..................no maintenance.PERIOD SMOOOOOOOOOOOTHE


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## Travis Gill (Oct 6, 2007)

> *Boardfeet (11/7/2007)*Why not a Stella 8000..................no maintenance.PERIOD SMOOOOOOOOOOOTHE


because it has a bail.


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## Wharf Rat (Sep 27, 2007)

> *Freespool (11/7/2007)*
> 
> 
> > *Boardfeet (11/7/2007)*Why not a Stella 8000..................no maintenance.PERIOD SMOOOOOOOOOOOTHE
> ...




cane pole then?


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

im a big fan of both the thunnus and the stella. AND the ss spinfisher from penn. pretty much our goto rods when we come across a weed line, or tuna blowing up.


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## Bigg J (Nov 7, 2007)

kinda high dollar, are they worth the money?


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

> *The Blue Hoo (11/7/2007)*
> 
> 
> > *not saying shimano or penn is necessarily better,* but i'd rather have them as opposed to VS. and in reality, i'm sure all reels have failed at one point or another. but on our boat, we have seen 3 different $800 VS reels fail, and we'll never waste our money on them again. oh and about your costas-lesson learned-don't drop your shades. :banghead wear straps. you asked foran opinion-whether you agree with it or not, and i just gave it to you.
> ...


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## Bigg J (Nov 7, 2007)

true that on dropping the costas, i've seen two pairs dropped, gone forever. hell i even pin a key float on mine


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

Zebco 33 :clap:clap:clap


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## Bigg J (Nov 7, 2007)

screw the zebco, i'm going shakespeare, WAL MART baby.


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

The Zebco Snoopy series whips ass on any Shakespeare except for Othello.


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## Bigg J (Nov 7, 2007)

you're right, snoopy is the man.:bowdown


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

> *gator7_5 (11/7/2007)*
> 
> 
> > *The Blue Hoo (11/7/2007)*
> ...


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## seminolewind (Oct 1, 2007)

Like I said earlier I think VS are great reels but are overpriced so are Stellas. I have thrown a couple Shimanos in the trash from freezing up and personally think the new Penns suck. All reels are going to fail alot has to do with how they are maintained and cared for.


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## Deeplines (Sep 28, 2007)

Wasn't they just a post about reels????????

I would think that a company that charged $800 for a reelwould stand behind for more than a year,but that is just me. :boo


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

> *Deeplines (11/7/2007)*
> 
> I would think that a company that charged $800 for a reelwould stand behind for more than a year,but that is just me. :boo


BINGO!!!!!!


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

> *The Blue Hoo (11/7/2007)*
> 
> 
> > *gator7_5 (11/7/2007)*
> ...


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

nm im done


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

I'll "sit on the side lines" for the next daily bluehooo confrontation


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## MR.STAAL (Oct 22, 2007)

i love them hands down.....


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## MR.STAAL (Oct 22, 2007)

an chicken... i do use it, i just done fish the ol pier like i used to.... im always on a boat now.



well was. i have no more money to put in the gas tank...


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## Deeplines (Sep 28, 2007)

MR. STALL...........

I would just like to know. If you paid $800 for a spinning reel would you want the manf. to insure it for more then a YEAR. maybe like a lifetime. 

That is like paying $18,000 for a refig. and they only saying it is only under warnt. for a year. ????????????????


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## flats stalker (Oct 2, 2007)

i would not pay 800 for any spinning reel,you gotta be crazy.better come with a hooker and a massage .


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

> *Deeplines (11/8/2007)*MR. STALL...........
> 
> I would just like to know. If you paid $800 for a spinning reel would you want the manf. to insure it for more then a YEAR. maybe like a lifetime.
> 
> That is like paying $18,000 for a refig. and they only saying it is only under warnt. for a year. ????????????????




I think everyone missed the original point of the thread..



The reel is warrantied for a year, every time you send it in to get serviced. I waited 7 years to send mine in. They called yesterday, said "Its done, and warrantied fora year" Every reel should be serviced yearly. So, if you do that, it has a lifetime warranty. Does Penn or Shimano have any warranty at all? I dont know - serious question. My problem was the expense of sending it off. Vanstaal needs to supply the capability to its dealers, toservice the reels. its a fine reel and worth the money up front - but sending it off @ 60.00 a pop to get it regularly serviced sucks.


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## Xanadu (Oct 1, 2007)

Mr. Gator, Accurate provides free annual service for the garage queen reels. VS ought to as well, and since you bring it up, I have personally seen a VS blow up. Stick on this thread long enough and LiteCatch will chime in about WayneO's Zebco becoming schrapnel as well. It happens. Personally, I don't own one, but I do have a Stella 20000 that I like. Its handled some school YFT and a couple big AJs without a problem, but any piece of precision equipment put under extreme stress is going to have issues.



Now, please tell me who in Cabo you were "Having a conversation with."


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## LITECATCH (Oct 2, 2007)

it was WayneO's Penn that lost us that big fish. the Zeb-stall was almost locked from the start.


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## cobiaphil (Oct 8, 2007)

opcorn opcorn

Hey Scott pass me a "Lite"


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

> *Xanadu (11/8/2007)*
> 
> Now, please tell me who in Cabo you were "Having a conversation with."


pm sent


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## seminolewind (Oct 1, 2007)

> *Deeplines (11/7/2007)*Wasn't they just a post about reels????????
> 
> I would think that a company that charged $800 for a reelwould stand behind for more than a year,but that is just me. :boo




Shimanos reel warranty is only one year from the date of purchase and the stella is in the same ballpark price of the VS. I like shimano reels thats all I fish inshore with but they don't make a manual reel as a matter of fact I beleive VS and Zeebaas are the only companies that are producing them now. 



Shimano warrants to the original purchaser that this product will be free from non-conformities in material or workmanship for the period of one year from the date of purchase.


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## captwesrozier (Sep 28, 2007)

please help me understand...you fished with this reel for 7 years...then sent the reel in and it cost you $161.00 to be fixed RIGHT. If i am not wrong that figures out at $23.oo a year?

That is pretty good for service!

help me here what am i missing?

capt wes


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## seminolewind (Oct 1, 2007)

Thats a pretty good way of looking at it Capt.


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## Caspr21 (Oct 4, 2007)

:grouphug if all this is over spinning reels I would sure hate like hell if we were talking about 80wds!:moon


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

> *captwesrozier (11/8/2007)*please help me understand...you fished with this reel for 7 years...then sent the reel in and it cost you $161.00 to be fixed RIGHT. If i am not wrong that figures out at $23.oo a year?
> 
> That is pretty good for service!
> 
> ...


the point is that a fishing reel used often should be serviced much more often than once every 7 years. Every year my VS performed a little worse than the year before. I getall of my otherreels srviced yearly.It would bemore than 23.00 yr/ closer to 65.00 after shipping charges . If they gave the tools and the ability to Outcast andthe other VanStaal dealers- it could be done cheaper, and more conveniently. Forgetthe warranty, I just want it maintained regularly without breaking the bank. The whole point of this thread is to point out the fact that havingto send a reel off to be serviced annually kindof sucks and is more expensive. That was it.


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## yucarenow (Oct 3, 2007)

the forum sucks because of threads just like this......"i know from my experience"......"when i was out with my..."........"when i caught the bigger fish"......nobody outside of you and your mom cares............give an opinion and step away........opinions are opinions...sheesh


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

really... I just got on to vent about how much of a pain and expensiveit is to send off a fishing reel, and how great it would be if they could be serviced locally - that was it... and it turns into areel manufacturerpissing match.. I really regretstarting the thread, it'll be my last one I start - thats for sure..


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

> *gator7_5 (11/8/2007)*it'll be my last one I start - thats for sure..


that's probably a good idea.:clap


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

> *yucarenow (11/8/2007)*the forum sucks because of threads just like this......"i know from my experience"......"when i was out with my..."........"when i caught the bigger fish"......nobody outside of you and your mom cares............



wow. you should probably sit on the sidelines as well. people start sentences with your aforementioned phrases to show experience and god forbid, firsthand authority on whatever subject is at hand. for example, regarding this thread, would you want someone who doesnt have any experience with van staals chiming in? i sure as hell wouldn't.


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## Flounderpounder (Oct 3, 2007)

Just wondering.......how are y'all going to get the piss stains off? :banghead :grouphug


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## John B. (Oct 2, 2007)

WOW apperently alot has happened since yesterday!!!... not sure who it was that said it, but they were right on.... it was something along the lines that all reels are gonna have their problems, regardless of price... i'm sure an international or tiagra have met their end from hooking up on a huge billfish, and god know there has been a zebco 33 blown up at bob sikes on a bull red... i live the VS because the have a manual, and they offer the size reel for the fishing that i do... if i wanna catch a marlin, i may try to catch one on a VS, but i'm damn sure not gonna hang one and try and put the brakes on 'em.... they're tough reels, but not that tough... any reel is going to have problems, it's pretty much unavoidable unless you buy the reel and never touch it... there's no way you can fish a reel to the limit and not exspect it to f**k up... and unfortunatly, VS has such a high markup on their reel, and such a big ego about their company, that they charge an arm, leg and possibly you first born child for a reel... i have a few VS's and personally love them, but they are a little over-priced... i mean, it's a pretty basic reel... 

anyways, i don't know what i'm getting at...:sleeping


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## John B. (Oct 2, 2007)

> *Flounderpounder (11/8/2007)*Just wondering.......how are y'all going to get the piss stains off? :banghead :grouphug


lots of soap and water:banghead


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## Caspr21 (Oct 4, 2007)

probably going to need a little soft scrub with bleach. Don't know whats in these boys' piss!:sick


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## yucarenow (Oct 3, 2007)

> *The Blue Hoo (11/8/2007)*
> 
> 
> > *yucarenow (11/8/2007)*the forum sucks because of threads just like this......"i know from my experience"......"when i was out with my..."........"when i caught the bigger fish"......nobody outside of you and your mom cares............
> ...






thanks coach, i will! 



i don't have a van staal and nor do i care about their warranty.....my point was that a simple thread like this always explodes into an argument over who is more knowledgeable or who has more experience....don't get all pissy with me....i wasn't coming after your bluewater pride or whatever you're throwing out.....you obviously know more than me....i'll check back in at halftime and ask you for some playing time!:letsdrink


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## Xanadu (Oct 1, 2007)

> *gator7_5 (11/8/2007)*really... I just got on to vent about how much of a pain and expensiveit is to send off a fishing reel, and how great it would be if they could be serviced locally - that was it... and it turns into areel manufacturerpissing match.. I really regretstarting the thread, it'll be my last one I start - thats for sure..






See, here we are. You posted a bitch thread about not supporting VS reels anymore. But you've abused one for 7 years without maintenance and now you're pissed because you can't get it serviced locally. No offense, but if you had done the annual, you wouldn't be having the big problem. And, VS isn't even the same company now as 7 years ago.



Anyway, If you fished enough, you got your money's worth years ago. If not, that's your fault.



The funny thing is that for someone who "supports VS reels" you knew all along that they didn't have local service and then you skipped it for SEVEN years. Now, you're here bitching about it. 



Buyer beware.


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## Bigg J (Nov 7, 2007)

vanstaal too bookoo money anyway


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

> *Xanadu (11/8/2007)*
> 
> 
> > *gator7_5 (11/8/2007)*really... I just got on to vent about how much of a pain and expensiveit is to send off a fishing reel, and how great it would be if they could be serviced locally - that was it... and it turns into areel manufacturerpissing match.. I really regretstarting the thread, it'll be my last one I start - thats for sure..
> ...


well, yeah, no shit. Its more of a question why these companies don't make it easier to maintain their reels. I love my VS and knew what I was getting into. I just was hoping someone here would tell me why they cant be serviced on the local level.


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## Xanadu (Oct 1, 2007)

> *gator7_5 (11/8/2007)*
> 
> 
> > *Xanadu
> ...


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## John B. (Oct 2, 2007)

seems like he got a fair deal to me... the annual cost for the reel to be sent of is $36 dollars, and varies from year to year, add the cost of shipping to and from oklahoma, and you've got something that will cost upwards of $50 bucks a year.... as Capt. Wes said, the $161 bucks you had to spend to get it serviced diveds out to around $23 bucks a year... now, i'm no math wiz, but it sounds like you got a fair deal:letsdrink


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

> *Xanadu (11/8/2007)*
> 
> 
> > *gator7_5 (11/8/2007)*
> ...


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## Xanadu (Oct 1, 2007)

Well, glad we got that out of the way. Tell D Brackmann I said hello and good luck in Cabo. You'd be better off fishing with the gear provided on the boats though than trying to make transport your zebco all the way to hell and back.



Look up Fred Archer while you're there . He can tell you all you ever want to know about Shimano too.


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## redneck (Oct 4, 2007)

having read three pages of this stuff I am reminded of an old confuciose saying. Opinions are like assholes, every one has one, and some of them stink. LMAO


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## Deeplines (Sep 28, 2007)

> *captwesrozier (11/8/2007)*please help me understand...you fished with this reel for 7 years...then sent the reel in and it cost you $161.00 to be fixed RIGHT. If i am not wrong that figures out at $23.oo a year?
> 
> That is pretty good for service!
> 
> ...


Here is what you are missing!!!!!!!.. What did he PAY FOR THE REEL?????? Lets take a low estimate and say $300... plus his $160 = $460 so he paid $560. DIvide that over your years and he paid $80 a year. 



I bought a PENN longbeach 60 in 92 or 93 AND HAVE NEVER GREASED it. Different pole for different usage but still.......... I paid roughly $90 for the POLE AND ROD. SO that has cost me about $4 a year. ?????????????????????????????????????????



When a company chargers you that much for a reel it should be for AT LEAST 5 YEARS if not a lifetime. JMHO. NOT 1 YEAR. :banghead:banghead:banghead


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## d45miller (Oct 2, 2007)

one time I was fishing a sailfish tournament in Antarctica and I had a reel freeze up on me. Some toolbag poured water on it b/c it was smokin!!! Hiiiiiyaaah!


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## kingfish501 (Oct 7, 2007)

When the Van Steals start making it to the age of the reels that he stole the design off of, let me know.My Luxor 3 was made in 1953, easy to service and they used them striper fishing on the upper east coast because you could swim them out to the offshore jetties , fish all day, rinse them off that night and start all over the next day.Feed them a little grease (or vasoline if you are gonna swim it) every now and then and they are happy.No changed spool design each year so buying a new spool means buying a new reel to fit the newly redigned spool.

I know of 4 VS300s that have bit the dust cobia fishing.


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## jigmaster (Oct 27, 2007)

VanZebco

A budy of mine has owned one for eight years and has sent it in every year for Service told him withwhat he paid in service, he could have had a new one and just kept the old one for parts. He did say last time it went in was 130.00 nothing was wrong with his either that he could tell anyways ~who knows guess they have to run the lights.

VanStaal was also purchased by Zebco in 2003 i have not seen where Zebco has improved any. Buy then again i havnt purchased one either.

Just FYI not to offend any Vstaal/Zebco owners.


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## Bigg J (Nov 7, 2007)

i have a couple of 706z's. are they still in production.


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