Analysis
Shimano’s reels offer legendary performance, but unless you’re willing to reach deep, deep into your pockets, you’ll never know the best they can offer.
“Unbeatable.” “Unbelievable.” “Amazing.”
Those are words that you’ll hear to describe their Stella SW line-up. And every word is true.
Put simply, this is the absolute best spinning reel for saltwater on the market. Bar none.
Sizes
Available in sizes ranging from 2000 to the massive 14000, these reels are fitted with the best tech Shimano has, no corners cut, no compromises made.
Body
Let’s start with the body. The Stella SW series are equipped with all-metal Hagane bodies that use a proprietary aluminum alloy. This lightens weight while providing outstanding rigidity. No spinning reel you’ve ever fished offers a body like this.
Drag
Shimano knows that getting spooled can happen, and long runs against big fish can melt and freeze a drag, leading to a lost fish and broken tackle. To prevent this, they’ve installed the unstoppable Heat Sink drag system, a series of carbon fiber drag washers in contact with a heat sink. This design bleeds excess heat to the outside, preventing the drag from overheating as well as protecting the spool for excessive temperatures.
The combination protects the drag washers as they heat up – eliminating any reduction in drag performance – and it keeps the spool from overheating, protecting your line.
Maximum drag settings vary by size, ranging from 24 pounds to an incredible 55 pounds on the larger models. “Smooth” doesn’t even begin to describe their performance, and “fight-winning” is something of an undersell, too.
If you want to skip a conventional reel for tuna, shark, grouper, sailfish, tarpon, and the like, this is the reel to pick.
Shimano uses its innovative Infinity Drive in these reels, simplifying the drive train and increasing winding torque by 26 percent to provide unparalleled smoothness. In these reels, this tech is paired with Silent Drive, eliminating gear play.
You can really feel the performance the Stella SW series offers with every crank, and from the knob to the handle, strength and torque are the watchwords.
Of course, these reels feature Hagane gearing with the best machining Shimano can manage.
Gear Ratio
Gear ratios vary across the range, but they all provide plenty of speed for anything you might have on the line.
That said, the 5000, 6000, and 8000 are designed to maximize performance with poppers, the 4000 and 14000 optimize retrieval speeds, and the 10000 is perfect for jigging.
The 4000, 5000, and 6000 can accommodate any line type, while the 8000, 10000, and 14000 are for use with braid only.
Spool Capacity
We’ve reported spool capacities for braided line across the range, allowing apples-to-apples comparisons. As you can see, these are exceptional numbers.
Waterproofing
Finally, Shimano has sealed these reels against saltwater intrusion better than most submarines. Rated to IPX8, there’s simply no worry that grime or salt will make its way into the rotor or guts of these reels.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for the ultimate saltwater spinning reel, you’ve found it.
Nothing else even comes close.
Source: usangler.com