The front cap of the spool red X is now made of plastic in all sizes expect the 30K. It used to be metal in all previous Stella generations. It is indeed a non-operational part, but it feels super cheap and flimsy to the touch, and that plastic flexes easily when pressed. This is my stickbait hitting the water during a cast.
I really wanted you to see this so I had someone take a dozen of photos as I made casts until the impact moment was captured. Let me put it in a very few words: with the exception of dedicated long cast surf and competition reels, the new Stella is the farthest casting reel I have used in my life.
Granted that when I threw poppers I had on spool the best casting braid money can buy, Sunline monster battle, still I have fished the old Stella with a variety of lines long enough to tell that there is a difference. The oscillation has something to do with it and maybe even the new coating on the lip, but I believe it's mostly due to the changed angle of the reel's foot. When the new Stella is mounted on a rod the shaft is almost parallel to the rod instead of pointing up as the previous model did.
Not sure if that's something I can capture in photos, but that new foot angle makes line go through the guides in a way that feels more natural and intuitive.
When I cast I hear less flapping as the line passes through the guides, and when landing a fish I could sense less friction between the line and the first ring. The bail mechanism is slightly altered because the rotor arm is now split.
The split looks nice and all, but it limits space and prevents the spring's sleeve from moving, so the bail action feels weird. It opens nicely, but when it's being closed it moves smoothly for a short distance then it suddenly hits a lot of resistance at the toggle point, and extra force is required to push it past that point so it could snap closed. The resistance at that toggle point is so high it feels as if the bail has hit a stop, and it needs some getting used to because giving it the usual quick flip to close won't work.
It has to be pushed hard past that toggle point. The bail wire is now made of titanium, and the bend in the bail circled is less sharp than the bend in the old reel. Still in the above photo, the bail arm red X has been redesigned, and a synthetic bushing is inserted between the screw and the arm red arrow for a smoother operation. Unacceptable amount of clearance between the bail arm and the rotor. Makes the bail arm a bit unstable. The other end of the bail wire has a plastic bushing red arrow identical to the one at the joint of the the bail arm.
The line roller screw is masterfully secured with a stop plate held down by a little screw. Love the engineering and execution. The line roller assembly. It has two ball bearings red arrows , and the line roller itself blue arrow has a story; the early Stellas had problematic line rollers which developed corrosion underneath the finish, chipping that finish and causing line damage. This happened in probably 2 out of every 5 early Stellas.
Shimano issued a recall in Japan in October and asked people to send their reels back for repairs, while they sent their international representatives replacement rollers, balancers, and a double sheet of instructions for installing them. The balancer was needed because the new roller was 1 gram heavier than the old roller, so a counterweight needed to be glued to the opposite end of the rotor to keep it balanced.
They then started putting a blue sticker on already manufactured reels that they updated, and newly produced updated reels would have a printed silver dot on the box. Here they are. They also put a little silver sticker on the foot of the updated reels. The replacement roller has been tested and proven trouble free since , so there should be no worry about that happening in the new Stella since it has a line roller made to the updated and tested specifications.
I am saying this in response to one of the questions I received a lot from people who heard about the old roller problems and were wondering about the new Stella. The knobs are interchangeable with the Stella, and the egg shaped ones are identical to the ones in that model.
The threaded shaft is hollowed out to save weight. This is a very strong part. At the end of my tests I purposely tried to strip the threads by screwing the handle into a long nut held in a vice but couldn't, and since I bench press kg on a bad day I kinda think the threads will be just fine.
The sleeve red X is unscrewed to expose the shaft red arrow in order to exchange it with the spare shaft for right hand winding sizes and up only. My main interest though is the split joint blue X. The sleeve has a stainless steel tube red X that encases the joint blue X , supposedly to reinforce it. The problem is that the stainless tube is wider than the joint and doesn't really do anything for it. This is not a bad manufacturing tolerance, but rather it was designed like this and you could feel the space between the joint and the stainless tube.
Had the tube fitted tightly around the split joint it would have supported it and increased its strength tangibly. I'm not saying that the joint is weak, after all it survived my attempt to break the threads, but just saying that when they tell us that this steel tube somehow supports the joint or eliminates energy loss caused by flexing it simply isn't true.
It does nothing. Did I say that the tube does nothing? Actually there is something that it does. It damages and removes the finish of the joint! You see, this part was originally finished for a reason, which is to prevent corrosion. And while in some special cases it might be acceptable that over many years of use the finish of some parts would show some wear, it definitely is unacceptable for the joint finish to get severely damaged beginning with the very first use!
The handle doesn't fold and must be taken off for transportation, and every time you install the handle there bound to be friction as the steel tube slides on the joint while you tighten the handle. You will see the finish beginning to go on the first use, and in a very short while it will look something like mine.
The wall and bottom of the drag stack tube have large areas that weren't anodised correctly. The metal is bare in a a large area of the wall, and the bottom has that weird looking finish flaw.
This is a manufacturing defect, not something that happened with use, particularly that the bottom is protected by an eared tube shielding it from any friction. The coating on the spool also developed those spots after some use.
I rinse my reels very well at the end of every day, I never store reels with line on, and spools get special attention and lubing after each fishing trip. The spool developed these in about three or four places. Let me put it all in perspective.
The reel is immensely strong. They went for maximum rigidity as a design concept and this was undoubtedly achieved. I jigged, popped, trolled, and live baited, and landed a combined total of roughly 2. The reliability is unquestionable and I can't see them failing on fish.
When testing a Stella or a Saltiga though you aren't realistically expecting a failure, rather it's about checking the ergonomics, quality of manufacture, resistance to elements, and seeing if the expected longevity corresponds to the extremely high cost.
Overall, the improvements in the Stella SW are casting distance, stronger body, smoother drag, and relatively better looks save for the fat gearbox.
On the downside though it has more plastic inside and out, big play in the shaft, it's tighter to spin due to seals even though they still tell us it's not waterproof, has downgraded gearing, bail closure is counter intuitive, the very useful service port is gone, and now it has become one of the heaviest spinning reels in production surpassing even the hefty Penn Torque 9.
That's all. I have a considerable disposable income and the price of a reel was never an issue for me, yet I can't help but feel a little bit of anger when I look at the reel.
When I spend thirteen hundred dollars on a reel I might not have an automatic right to expect a new world's best, but I think that I have every right to expect a reel without patchy spool anodising, side play in the rotor, spots appearing in the spool coating, and a finish that peels off the handle joint as soon as it's used.
The fact that this is a "Stella" adds some sense of betrayal as well. That's a prestigious name of which I expect a lot, but I didn't get even the bare minimum, hence the feeling that I got cheated out of my money. When I tested the Stella I wrote a review that was a virtual love poem and put it on top of my "Finest Offshore Reels in the World" list for years, but sadly the new reel won't even make the list. I'm not a fanboy nor do I have any brand loyalty. My only loyalty is to my fellow anglers and quality is where I find it, and I certainly didn't find enough of it here.
The review is finished, but need to give you a quick heads up. If you have been following my work over the past decade you'd know that a negative review is almost always guaranteed to send people into total hysteria. While there is no justification for acting like a twat, I certainly can understand why they do it since a lot of money is invested by companies, dealers, and retailer, and they would sink as low as it takes to counter negative reports.
It used to be only the garage operations who act like fools in response to my reviews, but sadly it also happened more than once with mainstream brands that I used to think were better than this.
So, there is a chance that you'll hear things such as I'm being secretly paid by Daiwa, sponsored people saying that the reel is the best thing since flavoured condoms, see a sharp increase in vocal "happy customers" who own the reel and find it to be perfect, someone recognises "special markings" inside my Stella and identifies it as a prototype or a sample that was sold to me by mistake, spineless cowardly Facebook shills saying that I test reels by smashing them on the floor, or imbecile self-proclaimed gurus posting many diagrams explaining why I'm wrong.
I usually smack those people down with facts and refute their rubbish, but this time I won't bother as I have a big family event coming up and need some time to relax and tend to other things.
I'm leaving this job to you. If someone starts posting dodgy rubbish, speak up and tell them it has all been done before and make sure no one gets fooled. I sure hope there will be no such things, but I have seen enough to make me except the unexpected from anyone. I'm not sure what my next review will be or when, but keep your eyes on the news page for updates on what exactly I'm going to do.
Was this a good read? Please click here. Eventually I verified that some improvements were indeed made that partially addressed some issues; play in the rotor has been dramatically reduced, spool finish imperfections are gone, and the seals now fit considerably better. Reviews Blog Contact Home. It even appeared in a cartoon.. Will begin with a few photos taken when I first unboxed it The box is notably larger than previous generations, it's nicely made, and sticks Shimano's habit of colouring the Stella's box to match the reel itself; the silver model came in a silver box, the blue reel came in a blue box, etc.
Two issues I have with this new look though This screw red arrow is an aesthetic abomination. Also this The body is now even wider than the previous model, which already had a pretty wide body. Well, almost everything This is the bottom spool bearing. This video taken while trolling should demonstrate how the line comes from different areas on the spool as the bail arm remains still Sorry, your browser doesn't support embedded videos.
Since the drag components come directly from the old model, the improvement certainly comes from the knob The knob disassembled.
Built to handle the toughest fish in the toughest conditions, the incredibly lightweight Shimano Sustain FJ Spinning Reel comes packed with exclusive technologies that excel against the toughest freshwater and inshore species. Comments: I wanted to try one of the higher end reels either the stella or daiwa exist. But the exist has not been available for along time, but the stella was.
First the reel looks great on any rod it cast a mile its the smoothest reel I have ever had, the drag is alsome. Its worth the cost. IF the exist ever becomes available I will give it a try and see which one I think is better. Comments: Hands down the best reel I've ever bought so smooth excellent drag price is high but worth the money I highly recommend this product. Comments: I know this is an expensive spinning reel but the money spent gets you the finest drag system on any spinning reel I have ever used.
I am not sponsored by this company. I bought this reel with my own money! Comments: If you focus on light tackle fishing like myself, then the stlxgfj is the one that you will be very happy with for a long time, it's worth every single penny you spent on it. Comments: There are many reviews out there on the Stella I don't know what more to say.
The slow oscillation mechanism also evolved and was implemented in products. It enabled anglers to feel the superb response and joy of reeling. Based on the concept of SR with R reliance added to the S-System, the model was equipped with the SR one-piece veil, which prevented twisting and breakage of the line during casting, and the SR-3D gear, which pursued elaborate and tough gear teeth based on 3D analysis and cold forging. The reel incorporated the A-RB Anti-Rust Bearing , whose rustproof performance was enhanced, to achieve rigidity and precision.
The model gained tremendous support from anglers because it changed the history of STELLA by using innovative technology that has led to the latest model. The spool dramatically reduced problems during casting. The side of the bearings was sealed with a rust-preventive material. The use of the high-strength, highly durable barrier gear reduced salt contamination of the gear caused by the ingress of saltwater.
The model pursued the joy of fishing in all scenes, including saltwater fishing. With the development of the PE line in the latter half of the s, spinning reels for jigging and casting games became indispensable models to battle with big fish in the ocean.
Extra-high gear specifications were added to the SW saltwater specifications, which required absolute strength, to battle with big fish in the ocean.
The model gained tremendous support in offshore plucking games, which requires high-speed retrieval. The design of the handle knob, which served as the point of effort in power games, was also reviewed.
Shimano also developed a new high-performance drag, which was characterized by significantly improved durability required to battle with big fish. The gear system eliminated the loss of reeling power, which was transmitted through the handle. It achieved both powerful response and a light feel by optimally arranging the pinion gear and drive gear to ensure engagement. Magnesium was used for the body material, leading to successful weight reduction while maintaining strength. This STELLA model, which became more lightweight and stronger compared to the previous model, served as a powerful weapon for anglers.
This innovative model of the SW saltwater specifications pursued ever higher strength and durability. This was an unrivaled, ultimate model of tough saltwater reels to win severe marine big games in battling with large fish, including tuna. It established a track record in fishing Pacific bluefin tuna over kg.
This became the first spinning reel to incorporate the Micromodule Gear, an innovative gear system technology for bait reels. Smoothness was improved dramatically by increasing the number of gear teeth and reducing the size. Silent Drive further improves smoothness by eliminating worm shaft and drive gear play. An all new Shimano Heatsink Drag improves performance by transferring heat away from the spool, reducing spool surface temperature by up to degrees.
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