Crazychef Posted April 20, 2020 Report Share Posted April 20, 2020 Hi all M looking to replace my old wychwood equinox big pits but am on a bit of a budget. Ideally I want to spend no more than £60-70 per reel and I want three reels.I'm torn between either the daiwa black widow 5500 or the sonik dominator x carp reels, both I have found for the same price at £160 all in for 3. It seems you get more for your money on the sonik in terms of spare spool, double line clips and a whole host of other bits where as with Daiwa, in my mind you get peace of mind having owned multiple daiwa reels in the past. I have never owned or used anything from sonik so any advice on either would be appreciated? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazychef Posted April 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2020 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yonny Posted April 20, 2020 Report Share Posted April 20, 2020 Realistically you're not upgrading mate. Assuming the Wychwood's still work you're not going to gain anything with the BW or the Soniks. I'd save up some cash and go for a genuine upgrade later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazychef Posted April 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2020 That's the thing, the bale arm is knackered on one of the wychwoods and not worth repairing in my opinion. I've booked a french trip to abbey in 2021 and need to completely overhaul my gear as I haven't done for years so money is tight, hence the limited budget. I'm also buying new rods, extra bedchair for my son plus a ton of other stuff, all of which wont be cheap so, although I say 'upgrade' I mean it loosely. I would love a set of daiwa basis hahaha but the wife may have a thing or two to say about that! Are either of these reels worth the money? yonny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazychef Posted April 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2020 1 minute ago, Crazychef said: That's the thing, the bale arm is knackered on one of the wychwoods and not worth repairing in my opinion. I've booked a french trip to abbey in 2021 and need to completely overhaul my gear as I haven't done for years so money is tight, hence the limited budget. I'm also buying new rods, extra bedchair for my son plus a ton of other stuff, all of which wont be cheap so, although I say 'upgrade' I mean it loosely. I would love a set of daiwa basis hahaha but the wife may have a thing or two to say about that! Are either of these reels worth the money? Sorry, that's daiwa BASIA's 🙈 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yonny Posted April 20, 2020 Report Share Posted April 20, 2020 4 minutes ago, Crazychef said: Are either of these reels worth the money? For sure. I would go with the Daiwa simply as they are so well established as a manufacturer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazychef Posted April 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2020 1 hour ago, yonny said: For sure. I would go with the Daiwa simply as they are so well established as a manufacturer. Brilliant, that's what I'm looking for. I am off a similar mindset but do think the sonik look good for the money. Just slightly concerned about quality as read a few reports about inferior sonik rods, hence why I am seeking real life experiences as opposed to a sales pitch (which is 95% of my internet searches so far including youtube) Anyone else had experiences with either reels? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmoputney Posted April 20, 2020 Report Share Posted April 20, 2020 17 minutes ago, Crazychef said: Brilliant, that's what I'm looking for. I am off a similar mindset but do think the sonik look good for the money. Just slightly concerned about quality as read a few reports about inferior sonik rods, hence why I am seeking real life experiences as opposed to a sales pitch (which is 95% of my internet searches so far including youtube) Anyone else had experiences with either reels? I've got a Sonik vader spod reel and it's a bit noisy and doesn't feel that great tbh, I would also go with diawa simply as i a always find them good quality products, I have 3 old emcast evos and if they died tomorrow they would've still given me many happy years of service yonny and Crazychef 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salokcinnodrog Posted April 20, 2020 Report Share Posted April 20, 2020 Have you thought about Shimano at all? I use the Shimano Beastmasters on the reservoir, and used them on Nazeing. Good for long distance, and playing fish once you get used to the front drag and baitrunner spool Shop around for prices, but around £62 a reel https://www.anglingdirect.co.uk/shimano-beastmaster-xb-reel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazychef Posted April 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2020 I think I am going to go for the daiwa black widow 5500's . Fishing republic are doing a 10% discount at the mo due to Corona so it works out at just over £55 per reel. Fingers crossed they are decent. May also buy the matching rods for my 14 year old lad as his first set 👌 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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