For a long time i have wondered about the future success of
Van Staal. They were purchased by Quantum, raised the price of all their reels by 8% at the beginning of 2007 and started machining parts in China, yet they still remain the dominant high end surf reel. This is mainly due to a lack of competition. Sure, there's
Zeebaas, but they can't produce enough reels to satisfy demand and still don't have a full range of sizes.
Penn does not have reel that compare in quality, neither does
Daiwa or Quantum. Only
Shimano, with their line of
Stellas compares in quality to the
Van Staal's. But, and there's a but, the
Stellas are not dunkable reels, making them a poor choice for the surf. While being constructed of a composite makes them very light, they will not stand up to a drop on the rocks.
So here comes the gossip. I have heard that
Shimano will release a competitive product to the
Van Staal Spinning Reels sometime in 2008. I assume it would be at the iCast show. If
Shimano is able to build a durable, dunkable high end spinning reel, similar to their
Stellas,
Van Staal will take a huge hit.
Zeebaas will take less of a hit, with their limited numbers, and as their are still a lot of people who crave "Homemade" reels, especially in the Northeast.
Sincerely,
Josh
J&H Closeouts
(866) 506-6600
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