# Lew's v.s. Shimano



## JordanVincent10 (Jan 27, 2012)

Ok, i've always gone with Shimano, but these Lew's got me interested. Anyone have any experience with them? i plan on fishing saltwater and freshwater with these reels and wondering if the Lew's will hold up like i know the shimano will. I plan on buying from Academy, simply because of their awesome return policy, but anyways, im interested in the Lew's speed spool for $99 and the Lew's speed spool tournament series for $150, both with a 7.1:1 gear ratio. 

The only thing that keeps me from buying a Shimano is that ive heard bad reviews about the G series of the Curado and Citica. 

I have a Citica E series and love it, but would like to try something different.

Any advice or help would be appreciated, thanks in advance, 

- Jordan


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## chefshwn (Apr 15, 2011)

*Lew's gets my vote.................*

I have both shimano chron 50e, calcutta 200gtb and Lew's tounament pro....the Calcutta is made like a tank and will out cast the Lew's but it is not practicle chunking lures all day.... the lews cast smooth as butter and 6.7 oz, very light and most of all very hard to back lash.... I liked it so much I got another one.... my concern was will they hold up in the surf also...... the 1st two times I got out of the surf I broke the lews down and to my suprise they were completly dry inside so Im thinking normal matinence and fine tuning once or twice a year...


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

Discussed here somewhat

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=417223


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## worstSPECKanglerTX (May 30, 2012)

Lew's reels are great reel but you're going to have to get past a good amount of arm chair fisherman on 2cool that are going to tell you that your only choice is to go with shimano. The fact of the matter is, shimano has gone down hill and other manufacturers have caught up. One more thing to consider is that most of the people here who will recommend you a reel already have a pre concieved notion that shimano is god and go into every reel that's non-shimano thinking it will be perfect. This leads to them dunking reels, not taking care of them, back lashing them once and writing them off because they can get away with that with their older, tankier, bullet proof shimanos.

The truth is that we are in salt water and if you dunk ANY reel you absolutely need to take it apart and clean it. I personally give a short maintence to each reel every single time (oil, clean raceways and frame with q tips, clean brakes with q tips and oil them - one to two drops max).

To answer your question, times have changed and I'd much rather have a reel that's 5.5-6 oz. and casts just as far as a BSF. I'm personally not into throwing a 9 oz. tank every single time I go wade fishing and I don't mind adapting to the times. I'm gonna list you the reels I have used and personally think are great as long as you take care of them. I'll review a few of the ones I have used personally:

*1. Lews speed spool tournament.* Great reel for the price. These look a lot like abu garcia's from the inside or so Dipsay says but don't let that throw you off. Keep them clean when you dunk them and well maintained like any other reel and you will be fine. I've read too many good reviews on them and have used them myself. I think they do almost everything above average to me in all categories. A great safe pick and all around solid choice as it will do everything you want well.

*2. Revo MGX.* Amazing reel but requires more maintenance than the lews. You need to wipe down the magnesium frame after every one or two outings and disassemble it when you do dunk it or it will show sign of corrosions. I take a little corrosion X on a wash cloth and gently wipe away any corrosion on the frame after every few trips. I take my reels apart after a trip or two anyways so I personally do not mind taking the extra time as it is outweighed by the awesome features this reel has. This tends to scare all the 2coolers off because they want a perfect reel that they don't have to maintain after each trip. I personally don't mind putting in 5-10 minutes to clean it each time so I'm partial to the MGX, the Premier and the Inshore line of garcias. This reel casts further than almost anything I have used and yes that includes a 200BSF. Todd over at Marburger's will be the first to tell you, he's used his abu garcia premier for a year or two with absolutely no issues and he said to be honest he hardly ever cleans it and it casts almost like it did out of the box. I think if I were you I'd make a strong case for looking into this brand if you want something up to date and casts a mile. It is extremely light which is exactly what I want when putting in all day wading sessions. Also look at the premier and inshore models as they are less pricey and basically have most of the essential perks. If lightweight, casting distance and a good feel are concerned I wouldn't hesitate to try an abu garcia.

*3. Daiwa Coastal Zillion.* I really think Daiwa is taking over the market in most areas other than this small portion of the coast especially overseas. Their products are built to last and I know that they are and will catch on like wildfire when people figure out that the coastal zillion is basically an updated BSF but once again, people just want to follow what everyone else says or what they have always used and go with their "greenies", so if you can get past that and have an open mind daiwa's entire series of zillions are great. The casting distance is unreal and reminds me of the 200BSF. I'd buy this reel if you'd prefer to not maintain it quite as much as the abu garcia revo mgx, premier or inshore. Someone notable who has been using a daiwa for 10+ years is Steve Soule and has won a fair amount of tournaments here on the upper coast using nothing but Daiwa. People will eventually figure it out.

*4. Older Shimanos.* I know I'm going to get hell for not listing the core, but I had the core 50 and my honest review of it was that the spool size is far too small for me personally. I throw top waters most of the time and the only thing I liked about the core was how light it was, but I could find that in other reels that had a bigger spool size. I was also not a fan of their braking system since you cannot perfectly dial in how you want it. 6 brakes really shimano? They need to keep up. I usually want my braking system somewhere between 2 and 3 and it really annoys me that shimano still hasn't got the memo when I can dial in exactly how I want my brakes on my Revo MGX and Coastal Zillion when throwing into nasty head wind.

If you are set on shimano - and yes, it may sound like I'm a shimano hater but I am a die hard shimano fan still, just for their older product line - I'd personally go with one of these:

- Curado series. Anything 50e (small spool size), 200e, 100d (Capt. Bill Pustejovsky swears by it) 200 BSF (classic), 200 DHSV. You really can't go wrong picking up any curado but the new one. Curado is a solid line up altogether and is a very safe choice as they require very little maintenance which is more user friendly to the majority of folks who are not down to clean every other trip.

- Calais DC. My one gripe with this reel is that it's a tank and I personally do not want to be holding this reel very long when throwing tops compared to my other options, but I have tried it and it casts pretty far.

- Chronarach. Go with the older series. Think 100 MG or any one of the older ones.

I'm sure I am leaving some good reels out but these are the ones I've personally tried. I am one of the few people who are not partial to any brand. I think you should personally try them out for yourself instead of go off what someone else says on here. Hold onto that receipt to academy - they will take it back with their awesome return policy just make sure not to scratch it or drop it. I fish almost every day to almost every other day and have used the abu garcia, lews, and daiwa brands and have actually had zero problems on my reels. Call me lucky but once again I think you will get reviews from a lot of people who are super biased because they do not properly take care of what they have. I noticed some corrosion on my MGX but that's about it, at first I freaked but then realized it wasn't a huge deal as I clean my reels a lot anyways.

This is all an opinion, so if I were you I'd personally go feel them out, think for yourself and buy which one YOU like best. Good luck.


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## pngndn (Jun 19, 2009)

I spoke to a salesman at academy and he said they have a lot of the new curados being brought back. The quality really went down. He turned me onto a Garcia revo inshore. That reel is awesome. I will use it before any of my curados


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## djduke47823 (Jun 7, 2005)

I have had my Lew's speed spool tournament pro for a year now... Great reel......


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## worstSPECKanglerTX (May 30, 2012)

pngndn said:


> I spoke to a salesman at academy and he said they have a lot of the new curados being brought back. The quality really went down. He turned me onto a Garcia revo inshore. That reel is awesome. I will use it before any of my curados


The inshore is an amazing choice. To me the premier, inshore and MGX all feel similiar. From my experiences the inshore does pretty much everything my MGX does without the cost. I think the only difference is weight but it's negligible and probably not worth shelling out a bunch of extra money for.

I'd also like to second Lew's being buttery smooth. That's actually the first thing I've noticed so if OP is set on a lew's I'd say it's a pretty rock solid choice.


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## Fishing4Life (Jan 4, 2012)

Hands down Shimano from me. Of course, I'm a Shimano guy 
And yes, stay away from the new Curado G series.
If you want the new model, get the Chronarch E series (same as old Curado E series).
Want to save some money? Find the Curado E series (send me a PM if you want this reel).


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## JordanVincent10 (Jan 27, 2012)

worstSPECKanglerTX said:


> Lew's reels are great reel but you're going to have to get past a good amount of arm chair fisherman on 2cool that are going to tell you that your only choice is to go with shimano. The fact of the matter is, shimano has gone down hill and other manufacturers have caught up. One more thing to consider is that most of the people here who will recommend you a reel already have a pre concieved notion that shimano is god and go into every reel that's non-shimano thinking it will be perfect. This leads to them dunking reels, not taking care of them, back lashing them once and writing them off because they can get away with that with their older, tankier, bullet proof shimanos.
> 
> The truth is that we are in salt water and if you dunk ANY reel you absolutely need to take it apart and clean it. I personally give a short maintence to each reel every single time (oil, clean raceways and frame with q tips, clean brakes with q tips and oil them - one to two drops max).
> 
> ...


thanks for advice, alotta good information to know when picking out a new reel


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## Smackdaddy53 (Nov 4, 2011)

Get an older model shimano, people talk about them like they dont exist anymore...tried and true


-mac-


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## JordanVincent10 (Jan 27, 2012)

Fishing4Life said:


> Hands down Shimano from me. Of course, I'm a Shimano guy
> And yes, stay away from the new Curado G series.
> If you want the new model, get the Chronarch E series (same as old Curado E series).
> Want to save some money? Find the Curado E series (send me a PM if you want this reel).


 thanks, PM sent


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## Fishing4Life (Jan 4, 2012)

PM returned.
If anyone can find a bnib Curado 200E7 for $150 or less, jump quicker than the rabits.
Last time I check on eBay, they go as high as $200.

For an used one, it's a different story ...


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## wellconnected (May 30, 2005)

I had mixed emotions about my lews when I first got it. I have since learned a few things about it and love it.


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## arthurr5150 (Apr 20, 2012)

wellconnected said:


> I had mixed emotions about my lews when I first got it. I have since learned a few things about it and love it.


Like what?


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## bubbas kenner (Sep 4, 2010)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Get an older model shimano, people talk about them like they dont exist anymore...tried and true
> 
> -mac-


x's a bunch, love my older shimanoes.There is alot more shimano support than zebco.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Nov 4, 2011)

bubbas kenner said:


> x's a bunch, love my older shimanoes.There is alot more shimano support than zebco.


Im not making fun of anyone in particular but it seems like there have been a lot of posts like this. I cant stress enough...YOU DONT HAVE TO BUY BRAND NEW MODELS OF SHIMANOS (OR OTHER BRANDS) TO GET GOOD REELS! Why but **** from academy that youll have to take back in a few months?!? Ive got 14 shimanos now, most are twins but i cant even break the first one to have to worry about using the second one. I have had most of them for years and the others ive bought either new in box (NIB) or lightly used but in great shape from the classifieds here on 2cool. I use three of them pretty much exclusively. All you have to do is clean the **** things and theyll last forever! Sorry for the rant, not singling the OP out, just trying to get a point across and i believe its valid.

-mac-


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## [email protected] (Jun 25, 2005)

A lot of people say Shimano all the way because they haven't used anything else since in years past you were almost looked down upon for not throwing a Shimano and for good reason. But that was the past and other reel companies has caught up to Shimano and even passed them in a lot of ways. I will not pay good money for a new Shimano Baitcast reel anymore. I throw a Daiwa Coastal Zillion most of the time and have a Lew's Tournament Pro Speed Spool as well that I use for tops. I have thrown a Quantum Evo as well and it's a fine reel too. I am saving up for the Diawa T-3. It has a function that allows the line to flow off the reel without going through the eyelet on the level wind that has gotten rave reviews. It's as expensive as a Shimano Calais and I hope it's just as good as the Calais which is pretty much the only new Shimano I would own. When people who used to be die hard Shimano fans start using other reels on the coast, you will hear less and less votes for Shimano. Old Shimanos were great and top of their class but those days are over. They still make a fine Spinner but that's about it.


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## worstSPECKanglerTX (May 30, 2012)

[email protected] said:


> A lot of people say Shimano all the way because they haven't used anything else since in years past you were almost looked down upon for not throwing a Shimano and for good reason. But that was the past and other reel companies has caught up to Shimano and even passed them in a lot of ways. I will not pay good money for a new Shimano Baitcast reel anymore. I throw a Daiwa Coastal Zillion most of the time and have a Lew's Tournament Pro Speed Spool as well that I use for tops. I have thrown a Quantum Evo as well and it's a fine reel too. I am saving up for the Diawa T-3. It has a function that allows the line to flow off the reel without going through the eyelet on the level wind that has gotten rave reviews. It's as expensive as a Shimano Calais and I hope it's just as good as the Calais which is pretty much the only new Shimano I would own. When people who used to be die hard Shimano fans start using other reels on the coast, you will hear less and less votes for Shimano. Old Shimanos were great and top of their class but those days are over. They still make a fine Spinner but that's about it.


Bingo. You said in one paragraph what I tried to say in like 10.


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## george.maness86 (May 29, 2012)

I love my curados. I will not buy the new g series though, the quality went way down on those. I have a few of the E series and they are great!!


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## Fishing4Life (Jan 4, 2012)

Saying Shimano downhill in quality is TOTALLY WRONG.
Their quality is still top notched.

They get a screwed up marketing scheme for 2012.
For ex, they renamed the old Curado E series to Chronarch E series and raised it to $200. The quality is still there but the price has changed ($20 more). Curado E series used to be $180.


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## speckcaster (May 5, 2012)

*older model shimanos!!!*

like the other posters after 35plus years flinging baitcasters ..... i'd go Lew's for a moderately priced inshore reel (their great reels)

however i'm an old school shimano angler (still casting the work horse of all workhorses!) Calcutta's ..... yes their heavy, harder to cast for the novices of the world...but their the best [email protected]@%%n reel ever made IMO! as close to bullet proof as you can or could buy!!!

now i have numerous older model Curado 200's and they are a close second...

heard good things about diawa coastals and zillionaires ... just moved on to shimano along time ago any never looked back..

go check pawn shops and ebay and craigslist and you can sometimes "steal" an older model shimano from somebody "not in the know"..

But lew's are great ... use to fish bass tournaments with speed spools for years... but know matter whatr reel you buy learn to take it apart and properly clean it everytime!!

i've still got abu 5000's that work like a dream and i got them from my uncle..they must be nearly 45-55 years old!!

my rant is over....


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## lip rippn (May 19, 2012)

I love my old shimanos have a pair of bantam citicas that ate awesome upgraded the bearings every couple yrs no problems..


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## JimD (May 25, 2004)

It would be amazing to guess just how many of the old Green Shimanos are sitting in people's garages and storage areas. I now that I still have 3 or 4 and buddy probably has 10. 

Gave one to a buddy and the last trip it was working great for him. Like I fig it would. I like the old super free better than the couple of E7's that I have but...

Biggest thing the old ones need is a good cleaning if not corroded completely and NEW Bearings and they should work as good as new.

The only problem with some of the old ones is Shimano has discontinued working on some of the old original series of green reels like I gave my buddy.


FWIW Did you look at the H2o's reels from Academy? Lot of the guides and others were testing them pretty hard last year. Not heard much about them this year but the price was surely right with the sales. I had picked one up and fished it a few times and it seemed to work as well as the old greenies.


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## george.maness86 (May 29, 2012)

I decided to try the lews out and got me a tournament super free spool baitcaster. I am very please with it so far.


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