fox fx9 or ultegra 5500 xtd reels

[chris2505]

hi im going to get some new reels and ive narrowed it down to these 2.

i dont need really big pits so these seem to fit the bill.

which one would you choose and why ?.

also has anyone had any problems with any of these.

thanks.

[bluelabel]

Shimano's.... all day every day... they've been making quality reels almost forever....

[spr1985]

I have three xtd 5500 and two 14000xtds and can't fault them lovely reels 

[salokcinnodrog]

Shimano aaaalllll the way

[chris2505]

ok cheers guys, shimano it is then.

[chillfactor]

Would normally agree .... but these xtd reels arn't as good as people think , I personally think your just paying for the super slow oscillation / line lay 

Break down the parts used & plastic casing & you find only 1 shielded bearing & cheap parts , & the parallel reel to rod, i can't see any benefits in .

If you could stretch to them go for the ci4 version miles better components & will last many years longer .

[spr1985]

I think you have hit the nail on the head their chillfactor...... you have to increase the price bracket to find better. When I was looking I couldn't find anything in the Same price bracket to compete 

[chillfactor]

That has to depend on what your looking for in a reel . 

The bearings in the fox reel mentioned on this thread are of a better quality than in the xtds. 

What shimano have done with this reel is work out a way of offering the line lay of far more expensive versions at a budget price ( no bad thing) but this has hit the overall quality of the rest of the reel .... but like you say for around the 100 £ mark still a good reel .

Anyone looking at buying shimano should do so quick as a lot of suppliers are basically going to boycott ordering from them until there prices become stable, when you have 1or 2 outlets selling them at what most others have to buy them at something has to give .

This more than likely will mean  in & around  rrp's stuck to , so these deals you see at the moment might disappear for a while at least .

[salokcinnodrog]

Must admit I have moved over to the Beastmaster XTA's, and found no fault with them, playing fish, or retrieving heavy weed, but I do know a number of people have found cheaper Shimmy's are now fitted with cheaper plastic gearing inside, compared to the old brass or decent quality aluminium gearing.

 

I'm also wary of Fox, Nash, Wychwood or Okuma reels from working in a tackle shop and the numbers returned with faults, compared to very few Shimano's.

 

I know a few years ago Shimano went to regional distribution; a big tackle shop was supplying other local smaller shops. Obviously the bigger shop was getting best discount prices, however they seem to have gone back to the older supply system, but biggest shops with pre-orders still get best price and biggest discount, so are able to sell at the best price to the end user.

 

To be perfectly honest I looked at Baby Big Pits and never quite felt comfortable with them, preferring Aerlex's or now the Quick Twist front Drag Beastmasters.

[chillfactor]

34 minutes ago, salokcinnodrog said:

 

I know a few years ago Shimano went to regional distribution; a big tackle shop was supplying other local smaller shops. Obviously the bigger shop was getting best discount prices, however they seem to have gone back to the older supply system, but biggest shops with pre-orders still get best price and biggest discount, so are able to sell at the best price to the end user

Yes Nick it was me that told everyone about that change too , something will definitely be changing again at some point. 

[chris2505]

19 hours ago, chillfactor said:

Would normally agree .... but these xtd reels arn't as good as people think , I personally think your just paying for the super slow oscillation / line lay 

Break down the parts used & plastic casing & you find only 1 shielded bearing & cheap parts , & the parallel reel to rod, i can't see any benefits in .

If you could stretch to them go for the ci4 version miles better components & will last many years longer .

i would love the ci4 but funds wont let me stretch that far unfortunately. i can get either of the others for around  £75 to £90 each.

[chris2505]

i have just seen though that there is a 2017 version of the fox fx9 which has a new handle and upgraded gears. i do like the look and size of the ultegra 5500xtd but if the internals are not that good i think i will stay clear of it.  i have seen the ultegra for sale in a tackle shop for £75 and i was wondering why they have been reduced so quickly.

to be fair after the comments im leaning more towards the fox now lol.

[salokcinnodrog]

7 minutes ago, chris2505 said:

i have just seen though that there is a 2017 version of the fox fx9 which has a new handle and upgraded gears. i do like the look and size of the ultegra 5500xtd but if the internals are not that good i think i will stay clear of it.  i have seen the ultegra for sale in a tackle shop for £75 and i was wondering why they have been reduced so quickly.

to be fair after the comments im leaning more towards the fox now lol.

Have a look at these

https://www.anglingdirect.co.uk/shimano-beastmaster-xta-reel

line capacity is about the same as the other two

[chris2505]

i seen that one but its like a proper big pit and its a small one that im after thanks though.   i use the nash scope rods in 9ft so just wanted something smaller than a standard pit reel but bigger than a baitrunner. also i still prefer the front drag option instead of the baitrunner.

[gwl78]

I know it's not shimano or fox but have thought about the wychwood mini pit reels I have been using  wychwood solace 55QD mini big pit reels on my 9ft scopes for the last two years and they have been great only £70 each and mine have been faultess so far. 

 

Edited July 30, 2017 by gwl78

[chris2505]

i ended up buying the shimano 5500 xtd in the end and to be honest im pretty happy with them so far but i suppose time will tell.  thanks for all the help and comments.