Van Staal VS Spinning Reels Review

VS150 China Made Is A Great Reel, 2011-04-17
Reviewer: Scott

I was a bit hesitant to buy a new Van Staal since they are all china made now and apparently not as good as they used to be when made in america. But I am very pleased with the quality and design of this reel. I plan to take very good care of it and maintain it after each season. The VS 150 is the perfect size reel with 30lb powerpro on it for a lot of south florida fishing.

Sealed To Perfection, 2010-05-17
Reviewer: Jack

If you are a beach fisherman like me than this is a must have if you are serious. The sealed real will eliminate the need for you to constantly baby the reel from the sand.

VS100 4.75:1 11.2 oz. 225/10-mono, 2007-01-08
Reviewer: puppet

van staal vs100

This reel is hands down the best reel I have ever owned. I have had it for a year now and have used it to surf fish southern calfornia. Although the price may deter purchasing, in my opinion it is worth every penny.

I have had this reel for nearly a year now. It has been rolled in the sand, dunked, and submerged serval times. I have not performed any maintenance on the reel other than a rinse off after every outing and a couple drops of oil on handle of the crank....just because it was squeaking...which may be the result of salt build up. The reel actually functions better now than when I bought it, as it is broken in.

This reel is kind of over-kill for the species caught from the surf on this coast, but because it is simple and built like a tank, I can fish worry free.

I have caught several bonito, and legal halibut with this reel... as well as a few shovelnose guitar fish...one of which was about 45 lbs.

This reel is bailless, which is really not as much of an issue as you would think, and actually a preference for me now. If you fish artificials, I consider this an advantage. It takes about a couple of hours to get used to but it makes a lot of sense. The bail has always been a nuisance, and after using this reel you will wonder why other companies have not provided a bailless option. It may not be ideal for soaking bait, but it is a tremendous feature when you are throwing artificials.

If you are looking for a reel that will last you a lifetime you will not go wrong with this one.

VS100 4.75:1 11.2 oz. 225/10-mono, 2007-01-08
Reviewer: puppet

van staal vs100

This reel is hands down the best reel I have ever owned. I have had it for a year now and have used it to surf fish southern calfornia. Although the price may deter purchasing, in my opinion it is worth every penny.

I have had this reel for nearly a year now. It has been rolled in the sand, dunked, and submerged serval times. I have not performed any maintenance on the reel other than a rinse off after every outing and a couple drops of oil on handle of the crank....just because it was squeaking...which may be the result of salt build up. The reel actually functions better now than when I bought it, as it is broken in.

This reel is kind of over-kill for the species caught from the surf on this coast, but because it is simple and built like a tank, I can fish worry free.

I have caught several bonito, and legal halibut with this reel... as well as a few shovelnose guitar fish...one of which was about 45 lbs.

This reel is bailless, which is really not as much of an issue as you would think, and actually a preference for me now. If you fish artificials, I consider this an advantage. It takes about a couple of hours to get used to but it makes a lot of sense. The bail has always been a nuisance, and after using this reel you will wonder why other companies have not provided a bailless option. It may not be ideal for soaking bait, but it is a tremendous feature when you are throwing artificials.

If you are looking for a reel that will last you a lifetime you will not go wrong with this one.

Van Staal Review, 2006-12-15
Reviewer: Striper Lips

I own 2 Van Staal reels---the 100B and 150S. They live up to everything that's written about them by the manufacturer. I use them primarily for surf fishing the pacific coast for stripers, halibut, and surf perch. They aren't smooth like a high end daiwa or shimano. Instead they have very manual feel to them-----kinda stiff and may take some time getting used to but it's not that bad. It's probably due the fact that it's completely sealed to protect the internal gears. I love the manual bail. No worries of bail malfunction or anything like that. Many view it as cumbersome, but I really enjoy using it. The drag is pretty good. It doesnt seem to have the surface area of other drags, but it functions just fine. Overall, the look is what's most appealling. It just looks good and on top of the that, they are lighter than may other reels. It would be nice if they made an ultra light version for freshwater or light saltwater use. The only thing you need to be careful of is spooling braided line. If you don't spool it tight enough and you are using light lures, there is a great potential of line digging. I found that out the hard way which is why I switched back to mono last year.