I have a crap ton of both, and love all of them. Daiwa reels (freshwater) tend to feel more airy and refined in an almost dainty way. They’re still absurdly powerful and strong tho. Shimano reels feel more substantial, and are absolute butter. Not as airy tho. Both are great and super smooth
PuffySausage on
I like Daiwa spinning and Shimano casting
BANDITFISHING on
Idc both are good quality I have reels from both.
mrfowl on
I much prefer Daiwa. Tried Shimano, don’t like it. I can’t put my finger on what it is, but something about it just doesn’t jive with me. I primarily fish ultralight, and the Shimano just feels giant. I even prefer Kastking over my Shimano …maybe I just got a dud.
Jim_Raynor_86 on
I was a huge Shimano fan up until the curado went from being made in Japan to Thailand. That’s when I noticed the quality dip a bit. Switched to daiwa, grew a huge appreciation for the TWS and have never looked back. I’m up to 43 combos at the moment from heavy salt water to BFS. All daiwa baby
Independent-Emu-9795 on
I seems to like daiwa casting and shimano spinning reels
By_White on
Love my shimano trusted , got my daiwa emeraldas making cranky sound after 4 session of saltwater and yes i always rinse after heavy saltwater abuse
Anolis18 on
I run both, got mostly higher end stuff now and love their spinning reels. Shimano for conventionals though, love their tiagra and talica reels for boats.
bear0234 on
shimano spinners, lightweight and love the smooooooth drag.
daiwa saltigas and saltist conventionals reliable performance.
Shintamani on
Either or will do you good, got a ton of both and wouldn’t use anything else.
Own a line-up of Antares of various models, Calcutta Conquests, Metaniums, a Stella, Stradic Ci4’s, and a single Tatula 300.
Antares DC MD 2018 has seen several fish in the 10+ pound class, biggest being two 50 pounders. Probably has ~600 pounds worth of fish caught under it, easily my most used reel. Have replaced the spool bearings on it twice, drag to a carbontex, and it’s still running fine 5 years later of hard use.
Calcutta Conquest 200HG being my second most used. Probably ~300 pounds of fish caught on it. Nothing has been changed on it, but the spool bearings are going out. I dropped my combo directly onto concrete, reel impacted downwards and took the brunt of it. All that happened was the reel seat was bent very, very slightly. Other than that, nothing was damaged besides a slight mark on the top.
Tatula 300 being my third most used. Around ~200 pounds of fish. Absolutely nothing changed out on this one either, still going strong, but the spool clutch would get stuck occasionally in free spool, not engaging the spool back when turning the handle. The part where the pawl engages the square teeth gear was simply dirty.
Honestly they’re both great companies.
CatGrv on
I’ve owned high-end shimanos and high-end daiwas. Both are great reels. Biggest difference is that once shimano looses that “new reel” feeling, and you dont service it in time, you wont get it back. As with Daiwa, you can just put some new grease in it and its back to feeling brand new for another year.
I have a daiwa spinning, shimano casting. I want to pick up a daiwa tatula baitcaster tho
81ehx on
Bought a tatula sc tw and a slx xt both this past spring. Im likely to sell the shimano or try to trade for another daiwa. It’s not that the shimano is a bad reel by any means, I just have an extreme preference for the way the diawa feels.
Creepy-Awareness-264 on
Daiwa! I like the aesthetic and braking better than Shimano but I like Shimano too close 2nd.
homeland1972 on
I have both but prefer Daiwa.
General-Resist-3430 on
Shimano for sure if you are catching fish bigger then 10lbs. I recently got a diawa back bay. The diawa cant handle big fish it will randomly start reeling backwards. Got my girlfriend the diawa exceler same thing reels backwards under a heavy load junk. Need to spend big money with diawa to get anything decent.
PDAM1988 on
I have only Shimano Vanfords spinning and SLx XT DC casting reels, but I must admit that Daiwa spinning reels feel a bit more robust in the same price range
bassjam1 on
I was a diehard Shimano fan from the late 90’s until I had 3 different Sahara’s crap out on me, each lasted between 1-3 year starting around 2015. My previous Sahara’s had lasted 15 years and I’m still using one from 2005. I switched to Daiwa in 2020 and have been happy. A buddy of mine is having the same issues with his Shimano reels and is slowly converting to Daiwa too.
In doing research on the forums it seems anything below the nasci is crap, the nasci can be hit or miss but it’s generally good, but above that the more expensive reels are still good.
CoxswainHer on
My only experience with either is my Daiwa bg reels. I love them, that’s all I got to say.
WhenThoughtsEscapeUs on
My two cents, and I’ll try to keep it brief. Since I’ve owned some of the nicer mid grades of both, their entry point reels, to me, are both trash. I would not own a ci4 Chronarch and I would not buy a Fuego/CC. I would even say I don’t like the Tatula 103 I have, and the 22 feels like a hunk of trash. Now, every reel I’ve bought with the exception of 1 has been used, but all have been mechanically sound.
Bought a Metanium 16 in 2020, loved it. Only reason I sold it was because I was too lazy to clean it.
Bought a 17 Scorpion DC around the same time, was so impressed I bought 2 more and gave one to my brother. Big purchases for me at the time at about $240-$250 each and then to buy one knowing I’m getting it to immediately give to my brother who I have had stressed relationship with. It was that impressive.
Tatula HD Custom, love.
Curado K love.
Zillion G, will never not have one. Tat 80 has a place.
All that being said, they’re all good, to me, at certain jobs. At the end of the day, if I’m throwing big swimbaits (4-6oz) I’m trusting the centrifugal in the Curado or the Magforce Z in the HD. If I’m needing max distance casting and versatility in windy situations where I’m not having to reconfigure brakes constantly, I’m going I-DC5 or newer digital or I’m going with an SV Boost spool in something. I have probably 20 more reels that are on my short list of things I want to own, not many of them are from within the last 3 years. They both have made some of the greatest reels, that many still are using and going back and sourcing 20 year old reels in some cases.
-EmME on
I like Daiwa more. They feel smoother to me but Shimano is smooth too.
Electrical_Sun_7116 on
Honestly it’s Ford vs. Chevy. Either choice will get you there and both are fantastic in their own flavors. I will say that I tend to lean towards Daiwa for finesse baitcasting in freshwater. They just know how to chuck a light bait in a way I haven’t seen from Shimano so far.
Other than that, I’m admittedly a Shimano guy. From $30 spinners to Ocea Jigger lever drags I just love how insanely smooth and strong they are across the board. When you get into their really heavy duty stuff it becomes very impressive how silky yet powerful they are. Also I am big on maintenance and I appreciate the serviceability of Shimano- I have never messed with the ferrofluid Daiwa uses to seal their cases but if I did that would likely even the field a bit as Daiwa makes some gorgeous stuff!
Both are high quality. The differences are more a matter of preference
Piney1741 on
I did a lot of fishing when I was a kid with my dad, he always liked shimano. In recent years I started getting back into fishing as my kids are finally at that age where they are enjoying it. I bought a new Sedona last spring and used it for a bass set up most of the summer. Tried my buddies daiwa fuego and absolutely loved it. That set me on a journey to try a bunch of reels from both. I didn’t get too far into that journey before I realized I actually prefer daiwa. It’s like everyone else has said both great companies that put out quality. It comes down to personal preference.
smoothechidnabutter on
They are both top brands… About twenty to thirty years ago, Shimano was seen as the top brand, but in recent years, Daiwa has stepped up in so many ways that we are all better off for it.
Adding to the market is the now decent CDM in BFS reels, which can only be better for us all again.
12_Volt_Man on
I’ve always been a shimano/G.Loomis guy. I’ve never tried a daiwa baitcasting reel but the daiwa spinning reels I’ve used haven’t been as smooth or have as good of line lay as the shimanos.
That being said, the tatula and zillion stuff seems really good.
I have a Daiwa laguna, it’s been solid. The bulk of my reels are Shimano and have been very good. Love my metaniums.
fezken on
Both provide excellent performance and quality, atleast in the high-end segment. My experience is mostly with Stella’s, Exist’s and Vanquishes , but I also own some older Stradics Ci4+ and Biomasters, which are also very capable reels. Some bearing upgrades makes quite the difference.
One thing I really like regarding Daiwa reels are the aftermarket spools from SLP works. This has allowed me to get the drag upgrades for the Exist 22 on my Exist 18, further increasing it’s lifespan.
In terms of overhand/jigging reels both of these brands fall short in comparison with Studio Ocean Mark.
xH0LY_GSUSx on
Both amazing Brands… nothing more to say.
super_purple on
I prefer Shimano spinning reels for the reliable line roller. The line roller bearings on half of my Daiwas jammed up within 2 years of moderate saltwater use.
I like both brands equally for baitcasting reels.
sillybillybuns99 on
Are you trying to start WW3?
bigdicknorth on
Daiwa allways
kingcuda8 on
Both have amazing products, Daiwa is less consumer friendly.
peyton213 on
Based on my experience. The middle range of Diawa spinning reels is unbeatable for freshwater applications. Regal, Legalis, Exceler, etc. Amazing reels at their price point, beats out Shimano in this range. Daiwa lacks inshore and salt capabilities until you get to premium reels. The Fuego being the first of the bunch and I wouldn’t even consider this a true saltwater reel. Shimano has a better middle ground for salt based applications.
When it comes to casting. The Tatulas are the best reels on the market. I have Tranx that just doesn’t get touched because I like the feel of the Tatula a lot more, plus a wider range for tuning.
petayo on
Shimano
bassmaster50000 on
I love both but in cold weather I’ve had daiwa spinning reels act up, shimano has never failed me
OnDeDeckLad on
95% of my 30+ reels fall under one or the other and I’m yet to dislike any of them, I don’t think I could ever pick one. But I prefer daiwa rods over shimano in most cases.
Much-Expression-9909 on
I already had a Shimano Vanford 4000 and recently bought a Daiwa LEGALIS lt 3000C. I was surprised at what seems to be a relatively small difference in operation (Vanford feels a little smoother) given a $100 price difference. If I’d had exposure to Daiwa’s earlier it might have been the brand I stayed with. Plus Daiwa’s still have the ant-reverse on/off switch.
41 Comments
I have a crap ton of both, and love all of them. Daiwa reels (freshwater) tend to feel more airy and refined in an almost dainty way. They’re still absurdly powerful and strong tho. Shimano reels feel more substantial, and are absolute butter. Not as airy tho. Both are great and super smooth
I like Daiwa spinning and Shimano casting
Idc both are good quality I have reels from both.
I much prefer Daiwa. Tried Shimano, don’t like it. I can’t put my finger on what it is, but something about it just doesn’t jive with me. I primarily fish ultralight, and the Shimano just feels giant. I even prefer Kastking over my Shimano …maybe I just got a dud.
I was a huge Shimano fan up until the curado went from being made in Japan to Thailand. That’s when I noticed the quality dip a bit. Switched to daiwa, grew a huge appreciation for the TWS and have never looked back. I’m up to 43 combos at the moment from heavy salt water to BFS. All daiwa baby
I seems to like daiwa casting and shimano spinning reels
Love my shimano trusted , got my daiwa emeraldas making cranky sound after 4 session of saltwater and yes i always rinse after heavy saltwater abuse
I run both, got mostly higher end stuff now and love their spinning reels. Shimano for conventionals though, love their tiagra and talica reels for boats.
shimano spinners, lightweight and love the smooooooth drag.
daiwa saltigas and saltist conventionals reliable performance.
Either or will do you good, got a ton of both and wouldn’t use anything else.
https://youtu.be/NtfKIvNZ53E
Own a line-up of Antares of various models, Calcutta Conquests, Metaniums, a Stella, Stradic Ci4’s, and a single Tatula 300.
Antares DC MD 2018 has seen several fish in the 10+ pound class, biggest being two 50 pounders. Probably has ~600 pounds worth of fish caught under it, easily my most used reel. Have replaced the spool bearings on it twice, drag to a carbontex, and it’s still running fine 5 years later of hard use.
Calcutta Conquest 200HG being my second most used. Probably ~300 pounds of fish caught on it. Nothing has been changed on it, but the spool bearings are going out. I dropped my combo directly onto concrete, reel impacted downwards and took the brunt of it. All that happened was the reel seat was bent very, very slightly. Other than that, nothing was damaged besides a slight mark on the top.
Tatula 300 being my third most used. Around ~200 pounds of fish. Absolutely nothing changed out on this one either, still going strong, but the spool clutch would get stuck occasionally in free spool, not engaging the spool back when turning the handle. The part where the pawl engages the square teeth gear was simply dirty.
Honestly they’re both great companies.
I’ve owned high-end shimanos and high-end daiwas. Both are great reels. Biggest difference is that once shimano looses that “new reel” feeling, and you dont service it in time, you wont get it back. As with Daiwa, you can just put some new grease in it and its back to feeling brand new for another year.
https://preview.redd.it/7gscotsdd9fg1.png?width=1810&format=png&auto=webp&s=81b85c1682ded2c3aa24ecccca1bf30dfb4ce45a
I like Shimano Ultegra, there is no competition at this price range from Daiwa
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtgfkCom0m8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtgfkCom0m8)
I have a daiwa spinning, shimano casting. I want to pick up a daiwa tatula baitcaster tho
Bought a tatula sc tw and a slx xt both this past spring. Im likely to sell the shimano or try to trade for another daiwa. It’s not that the shimano is a bad reel by any means, I just have an extreme preference for the way the diawa feels.
Daiwa! I like the aesthetic and braking better than Shimano but I like Shimano too close 2nd.
I have both but prefer Daiwa.
Shimano for sure if you are catching fish bigger then 10lbs. I recently got a diawa back bay. The diawa cant handle big fish it will randomly start reeling backwards. Got my girlfriend the diawa exceler same thing reels backwards under a heavy load junk. Need to spend big money with diawa to get anything decent.
I have only Shimano Vanfords spinning and SLx XT DC casting reels, but I must admit that Daiwa spinning reels feel a bit more robust in the same price range
I was a diehard Shimano fan from the late 90’s until I had 3 different Sahara’s crap out on me, each lasted between 1-3 year starting around 2015. My previous Sahara’s had lasted 15 years and I’m still using one from 2005. I switched to Daiwa in 2020 and have been happy. A buddy of mine is having the same issues with his Shimano reels and is slowly converting to Daiwa too.
In doing research on the forums it seems anything below the nasci is crap, the nasci can be hit or miss but it’s generally good, but above that the more expensive reels are still good.
My only experience with either is my Daiwa bg reels. I love them, that’s all I got to say.
My two cents, and I’ll try to keep it brief. Since I’ve owned some of the nicer mid grades of both, their entry point reels, to me, are both trash. I would not own a ci4 Chronarch and I would not buy a Fuego/CC. I would even say I don’t like the Tatula 103 I have, and the 22 feels like a hunk of trash. Now, every reel I’ve bought with the exception of 1 has been used, but all have been mechanically sound.
Bought a Metanium 16 in 2020, loved it. Only reason I sold it was because I was too lazy to clean it.
Bought a 17 Scorpion DC around the same time, was so impressed I bought 2 more and gave one to my brother. Big purchases for me at the time at about $240-$250 each and then to buy one knowing I’m getting it to immediately give to my brother who I have had stressed relationship with. It was that impressive.
Tatula HD Custom, love.
Curado K love.
Zillion G, will never not have one. Tat 80 has a place.
All that being said, they’re all good, to me, at certain jobs. At the end of the day, if I’m throwing big swimbaits (4-6oz) I’m trusting the centrifugal in the Curado or the Magforce Z in the HD. If I’m needing max distance casting and versatility in windy situations where I’m not having to reconfigure brakes constantly, I’m going I-DC5 or newer digital or I’m going with an SV Boost spool in something. I have probably 20 more reels that are on my short list of things I want to own, not many of them are from within the last 3 years. They both have made some of the greatest reels, that many still are using and going back and sourcing 20 year old reels in some cases.
I like Daiwa more. They feel smoother to me but Shimano is smooth too.
Honestly it’s Ford vs. Chevy. Either choice will get you there and both are fantastic in their own flavors. I will say that I tend to lean towards Daiwa for finesse baitcasting in freshwater. They just know how to chuck a light bait in a way I haven’t seen from Shimano so far.
Other than that, I’m admittedly a Shimano guy. From $30 spinners to Ocea Jigger lever drags I just love how insanely smooth and strong they are across the board. When you get into their really heavy duty stuff it becomes very impressive how silky yet powerful they are. Also I am big on maintenance and I appreciate the serviceability of Shimano- I have never messed with the ferrofluid Daiwa uses to seal their cases but if I did that would likely even the field a bit as Daiwa makes some gorgeous stuff!
https://preview.redd.it/0vt2dp4u5bfg1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=0c2f7b71175e8e9efd309dfd7c0f1776c175c5ea
Both are high quality. The differences are more a matter of preference
I did a lot of fishing when I was a kid with my dad, he always liked shimano. In recent years I started getting back into fishing as my kids are finally at that age where they are enjoying it. I bought a new Sedona last spring and used it for a bass set up most of the summer. Tried my buddies daiwa fuego and absolutely loved it. That set me on a journey to try a bunch of reels from both. I didn’t get too far into that journey before I realized I actually prefer daiwa. It’s like everyone else has said both great companies that put out quality. It comes down to personal preference.
They are both top brands… About twenty to thirty years ago, Shimano was seen as the top brand, but in recent years, Daiwa has stepped up in so many ways that we are all better off for it.
Adding to the market is the now decent CDM in BFS reels, which can only be better for us all again.
I’ve always been a shimano/G.Loomis guy. I’ve never tried a daiwa baitcasting reel but the daiwa spinning reels I’ve used haven’t been as smooth or have as good of line lay as the shimanos.
That being said, the tatula and zillion stuff seems really good.
https://preview.redd.it/srwylg0xbbfg1.jpeg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f1f132fb421cc1eaa973dbb4cc2d38b1ab93d42
I have a Daiwa laguna, it’s been solid. The bulk of my reels are Shimano and have been very good. Love my metaniums.
Both provide excellent performance and quality, atleast in the high-end segment. My experience is mostly with Stella’s, Exist’s and Vanquishes , but I also own some older Stradics Ci4+ and Biomasters, which are also very capable reels. Some bearing upgrades makes quite the difference.
One thing I really like regarding Daiwa reels are the aftermarket spools from SLP works. This has allowed me to get the drag upgrades for the Exist 22 on my Exist 18, further increasing it’s lifespan.
In terms of overhand/jigging reels both of these brands fall short in comparison with Studio Ocean Mark.
Both amazing Brands… nothing more to say.
I prefer Shimano spinning reels for the reliable line roller. The line roller bearings on half of my Daiwas jammed up within 2 years of moderate saltwater use.
I like both brands equally for baitcasting reels.
Are you trying to start WW3?
Daiwa allways
Both have amazing products, Daiwa is less consumer friendly.
Based on my experience. The middle range of Diawa spinning reels is unbeatable for freshwater applications. Regal, Legalis, Exceler, etc. Amazing reels at their price point, beats out Shimano in this range. Daiwa lacks inshore and salt capabilities until you get to premium reels. The Fuego being the first of the bunch and I wouldn’t even consider this a true saltwater reel. Shimano has a better middle ground for salt based applications.
When it comes to casting. The Tatulas are the best reels on the market. I have Tranx that just doesn’t get touched because I like the feel of the Tatula a lot more, plus a wider range for tuning.
Shimano
I love both but in cold weather I’ve had daiwa spinning reels act up, shimano has never failed me
95% of my 30+ reels fall under one or the other and I’m yet to dislike any of them, I don’t think I could ever pick one. But I prefer daiwa rods over shimano in most cases.
I already had a Shimano Vanford 4000 and recently bought a Daiwa LEGALIS lt 3000C. I was surprised at what seems to be a relatively small difference in operation (Vanford feels a little smoother) given a $100 price difference. If I’d had exposure to Daiwa’s earlier it might have been the brand I stayed with. Plus Daiwa’s still have the ant-reverse on/off switch.