Never tried a Lews....
Bob, do they make their own reels instead of rebranding and what is it that makes them tick compared to other reels?
Mike I'm no reel tech...I use them, have them serviced and abuse them till they croak. I have been doing a lot if heavy jig fishing past couple of years and much of it involves heavy braid, 3/4-1 oz jigs and moving those jigs fast in deep water grass to get the needed penetration when fish burrow.
Moving rods hard with no stretch braids seems to place a lot of stress on the gearing and spools, causing them to develop slack in the system....after a season or two of this, some reels are not "tight" anymore. That kind of abuse croaked those two Shimanos after 1 1/2 seasons. The Lews OTOH held up without a whimper
Anti reverse gets sloppy. The Lews OTOH, and my OLD Shimano Chronarchs, have stood up better to the abuse dished out by braid. When I discovered this I started using my old Chronarchs which had been in moth balls.
Like I said I am also on the internet looking for those old Chronarchs. Take a look.....there is a brisk market in the older Shimanos with metal gearing.The newer Lews are built like that.
I don't know who makes the Lews,and I have not abandoned Shimanos by a long shot...it depends on the technique. But I have maybe 10 Lews right now and friends and I have been very happy with them. They are well built and stout and have been used hard. I have not had any returns of Lews for a single repair.
I keep 50-60 rods rigged and ready for each bass season. The majority use Shimano. But not all of them and the Lews are gaining a lot of favor.
