Shimano Super Match RE > Reviews > Super super super match RE

Author's product rating:   

Durability
Ease of Use
Value for Money

Advantages:	Excellent deals now available for cheap price
Disadvantages:	Back spinning bail arm

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Through a lot of experience with actually using them, and also from taking time to look around when buying them, I have come to the opinion that Shimano reels cannot be beaten for quality.

I have owned this reel for a couple of years now, and although its single handle is not as smooth as its double handled brothers, I can't fault it in any other way. It may not be quite as aesthetically pleasing as some of its more expensive elders (by that I mean its just because I like silver - and I like silver / grey reels), but have you ever seen a shimano reel that was not lookin' pretty amazing!! Their matt painted finish is very classy.

The only real problem I had with it, is that when you leave the anti-reverse off (which a lot of match anglers like to do so that they can play fish by simply back-winding), the reel will spin backwards by itself sometimes, allowing your line to get in a bit of a mess. I have had bad tangles caused by this. You get used to it after a while. All you have to do is remember to leave the bail set in the right position. Bit annoying though!!! It just appears to be too free running.

The reel has a rear drag system, as most do these days (if they have one at all). It has a wide range of settings, but I rarely use this anyway. The reels body is very smooth and feels very non-stick even in the rain.

I've really not had to do much to look after this reel over the last couple of years. I don't think that I have once yet actually opened it up to apply any extra grease or anything. All I do is rinse it off under the tap every so often to remove any mud or bait. They're definitely built to last (which makes them definitely worth the money).

I've used mine for all sorts of fishing. Carp, feeder, and for silver fish too. It takes it all on. It's 2 spools (less than some - but fine because it really is meant for only one purpose - float fishing). Both shallow match varieties. I have mine filled with 2.5 and 4 lb lines. They take over 100m of each.

These reels retail at £90, but the deals around today make them available for half of that. This is cheap quality. You won't find many better match reels.