View Full Version : 'Pure fishing' Reels....same reels, different brands
I'm sure this happens all the time in marketing, but I found something interesting about Pure Fishing (umbrella company) reels. I was at Walmart the other day and looked at a Spider brand reel....eight ball-bearing, $39 bucks CDN. Then, at Canadian Tire, still shopping for a reel, I checked out the Mitchell Outfitter...eight ball- bearing...hmmmm...similar, no, SAME body as the spider, and same handle grip...everything the same except the paint job. I looked at the manufacturer on the back, yep, Pure Fishing as well. The Mitchell however went for $67. Now, what am I to think here? Is the Spider reel actually the same reel for cheaper or are the inards (like bail spring, quality of bearings etc) different ie. cheap crapola? What do you think? I'm thinking with the excellent return policy at Walmart, it's worth trying the Spider reel. NO?
-J-
Einstein
08-20-2003, 11:03 AM
NO, just go get a Shimano, made by Shimano, and take all the guess work out. You may not get as many bearings for the dollar but you will likely find it is just as smooth or smoother. You also will find you won't have to replace it in two or three years. The number of bearings a reel has is a selling point that really is not what you should be looking at. Bearings are great in a few places but once you get those three or four places covered extra bearings are not going to make much of a difference. Machining quality is more important and the tollerances Shimano uses combined with the quality of components they use make their reels last a long time. This is a case where top named brand is better than just about all others at any price range. If you have a Gander Mountain near you the Shimano's are on sale/clearance.
bob oh
08-20-2003, 11:08 AM
This has to be the most Shimano-friendly site in the world :-) I would try the Spider reel and if you don't like it you're out $39. Or you could buy a Shimano and if you don't like it you're out whatever it cost. Buy what you want. Yes, Pure fishing owns both companies and also Abu, Berkley, Fenwick and Red Wolf...
I have 2 shimano sahara spinning reels and they both have faults
sometimes the bail slips on hook set and a few times the line spooled between the drag knob and the spool
I am thinking about going back to my quantum energy spinning reels that are about 3 years old and no problems at all
rebs
I too have had many Shimanos over the years....most, if not all, have had problems. My current Shimano, a front drag model (can't remember name) was a mid-priced reel ($100) and it often binds on me. For no reason whatsoever, I'm reeling and start to feel the reel bind up. I've also had many with crappy drags, and too many bail springs have gone to even mention. Yes, Shimano are great when they work, but they are not infallable. I recently also bought an inexpensive Shakespeare Sigma reel ($40) and think it's a decent reel for the money.
Yes, I will buy what I want, I was just interested in the unusal practice of packaging two identical reels, selling them under a different company name, marketing them to different retailers, and hope the public is none the wiser. Are you guys getting soft?
-J-
Cangl
08-20-2003, 01:25 PM
Theres nothing unusaul about it everybody does it.
>Theres nothing unusaul about it everybody does it.
My first line in my first post was "I'm sure everybody does it."
I've just never seen it with fishing reels, and I do shop for them from time to time...you'd think I'd notice over the last 20 years.
Who else, specifically, does it?
bob oh
08-20-2003, 01:43 PM
Well let's see -- Bass Pro Shop, Cabelas, or anyone else who sells reels under their brand made by the normal reel companies.... I would bet that there are some minor differences in the reels you mentioned -- like metal spools, heavier metal or better metal in the take-up, roller bearing in the retrieve ????
>Well let's see -- Bass Pro Shop, Cabelas, or anyone else who
>sells reels under their brand made by the normal reel
>companies.... I would bet that there are some minor
>differences in the reels you mentioned -- like metal spools,
>heavier metal or better metal in the take-up, roller bearing
>in the retrieve ????
>
There is a difference. Canadian Tire & have their own tire brand....made for them by other manufacturers....be it Firestone, Goodyear, whatever. There is a huge difference between a company out-sourcing the manufacturing of their housebrand for their own convenience and having TWO DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT COMPANIES in the eyes of the public putting out the exact same product on the shelf. I know they have the same corporate Head, but it doesn't make it right. I don't see Storm lures packing up Rapala lures and marketing them as their own, even though they are owned by the same company.
bob oh
08-21-2003, 07:53 AM
You've got all the answers dude, so why ask???
>You've got all the answers dude, so why ask???
I was wondering if the components inside the reel were the same. If the 'outfitter' had premium parts and the 'spider' lesser quality parts...all put into the same housing. This is what I don't know, and would like to know. Perhaps they are the same reel and Canadian Tire has a bigger markup on the same wholesale price. Perhaps it will remain one of life's mysterys like stonehenge. You're not a Druid, are you?
J
Powerdive
08-21-2003, 11:42 AM
J, this is common. Many reels from the same mfr are built on the same frame and have similar features due to the high cost of retooling, etc. Einstein has a pretty good read on how it works--materials and machining comprise the main differences, and these are applied according to the perceived selling points of each brand. It's not always easy to see what those differences are, but they can amount to quite a difference in price.
Are they the same reel, with different graphics? I'd be surprised. Give the public some credit--wouldn't take long for them to sniff it out and cry foul. And on the other hand, the mfr would not want to dilute the higher brand by offering a comparable product at a lower price.
So, you'll have to look a little closer to find the differences. (Unfortunately, you can't always depend on the packaging to spell it out for you.) Kinda fun, ain't it?
Mike at Bass Pro
>
>Mike at Bass Pro
Yeah, the packaging, on both reels, has shamefully little info., and I'll bet the paperwork inside isn't much better.
Mike at Bass Pro? Cudos on your 4" magnum flipping tubes and stick-os. Great product.
J
Powerdive
08-21-2003, 02:45 PM
Thanks - I'll pass it on. Good luck on your reel decision.
Mike
marcbodi
08-21-2003, 06:38 PM
Hi,
Quantum and Browning.Same Company.
May I be fishing somewhere Tomorrow
>Thanks - I'll pass it on. Good luck on your reel decision.
>
>Mike
Well (insert drumroll), I bought the Spider brand reel. Took it home, fastened it down on the rod, and it feels like a solid reel. The bail is strong, the retrieve is smooth, the drag seems excellent. I see up the board there is now a whole thread dedicated to Shimano reels 'binding' or 'sticking'. It sure don't hurt to give another manufacturer a crack once in a while....sometimes you win, sometimes not. Here's hoping...
J