SHIMANO’S NEW VANFORD REELS

Starlo offers a few interesting thoughts on the role of “fashions” and “fads” in the world of fishing tackle, before taking a close look at the latest spinning reel upgrade from Shimano.

Each year at the AFTA Fishing Tackle Show on Queensland’s Gold Coast, Australia’s tackle manufacturers, importers and wholesalers come together under one very large roof to showcase their latest ranges to both the trade (tackle retailers) and the general public. This show typically takes place in mid-August, right at the tail-end of winter, and it offers these companies an opportunity to unveil all their new gear in time for the coming spring and summer seasons.

These days, the “churn rate” of new or upgraded tackle is increasingly hard to keep up with, even for someone like myself who lives and breathes this stuff! For a more casual angler, and especially the occasional dangler, it can be all rather bewildering. What’s the best gear for your requirements? Do you really need the latest and greatest? How much should you spend? What are the advantages of Brand X over Brand Y? And why is this latest rod, reel, lure or spool of line better than the near-identical product that was on offer last year?

BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

I’m on record as stating that fishing tackle consumers like you and me have never been better off in terms of the “bang” we get for our “buck” than we are right now, in 2024. Even the more “economical” or lower to mid-priced gear on the market these days (most of it, anyway) is significantly superior in its out-of-the-box performance to the equipment that was available when I was a young bloke, back in the previous century. Surprising as it may seem, this modern gear is also a lot more affordable now in “real” terms: in other words, how many hours we typically need to work to buy it. But the flip side is that there’s so much more choice today — and that can be confusing.

It’s trendy these days to bemoan the fact that change has accelerated so rapidly, and to glamourise the so-called “good old days”, when life was said to be simpler, and consumer items were (supposedly) made to last. Those who push this line claim that today’s consumerism is all about inbuilt obsolescence, and that nothing is built to last any more. While there may be a grain of truth in this, it’s not quite as simple as that.

Starlo has been using Shimano Vanford reels for a couple of years now and loves them. The latest model offers upgrades, but that doesn’t mean the older ones aren’t still great!

CHANGING TIMES

Think of cars as a case in point. When I was a kid, people tended to hang onto their cars longer than most of us do today. However, I’d argue that this was less to do with the superior durability of 1960s and ’70s automobiles, and more to do with economics, habits and prevailing social norms.

Just think how prevalent rust was in the body panels of those older cars! I clearly remember helping my father cut out, rub back and “bog” big areas of badly rusted metal in our family car. Today, this is much less common: and by that I mean both the occurrence of rust, and also our willingness to deal with it as a DIY project. Times have changed (and, happily, both metallurgy and the corrosion-proofing of auto parts have also improved dramatically).

The upgraded drag is silky smooth

It’s a bit the same with fishing gear. While some folks wax glowingly about how “indestructible” older reels were, they tend to forgot just how much of our weekly pay packet was needed to buy one —as well as the fact that, following such a significant investment, most savvy fishos did a lot more home maintenance to protect their investment than they do today… We had to!

LIGHTER, SMOOTHER, BETTER!

Sure, there’s more plastic and infused carbon fibre in today’s lighter, smoother fishing reels, but the quality of metals and other materials used in them — not to mention the sophistication of the gearing, bearings and other componentry — is light years ahead of a 1960s equivalent. Looked after, today’s models should actually last at least as long as their predecessors. Modern consumerism and so-called inbuilt obsolescence are often more about our own attitudes and habits than the actual build-quality of the items we so often discard after just a season or two. That said, often times, newer gear and so-called upgrades actually are improvements on the ranges they replace.

As a practical example of this, Shimano (a company I have a long association with) made a big song and dance about the release of the latest iteration of their Vanford upper-mid-priced spinning reels at this year’s tackle show. I’ve used the original Vanfords extensively for a few years now and I love them. But is there really anything “new” and “better” about this latest FA series, apart from flashier, classier cosmetics? Well yes, actually there is!

GENUINE UPGRADES

Shimano have managed to reduce the weight of these latest Vanford FA reels even further, without sacrificing strength or rigidity. In particular, a significantly lighter rotor head assembly means it’s super easy to both start and stop cranking these reels, giving amazing control over your lure or bait. The manufacturers have also incorporated a couple of significant features that have “trickled down” from their topof-the-line (and much more expensive) Stellas.

Yes, that much-touted anti-twist fin actually does seem to make a difference!

A lighter rotor assembly means fast, easy starting and stopping, which is important for lure manipulation

The Vanfords are a “finesse fishing” reel and are therefore significantly lighter than many others in their class

These Stella-born features include the much-touted anti-twist fin that’s located under the bail roller assembly on the new Vanfords (and is now also found on several other newer Shimano spinning reels). At first, I was a little sceptical about just how much difference this seemingly simple little part would make, but I must say, it definitely seems to reduce the occurrence of those annoying loose loops of line on the spool that can easily turn into casting knots, especially when using braided lines. It’s a bit hard to explain in words exactly how the anti-twist fin works, but if you watch the video review I did on the reel, it may be easier to understand. (You can see that review by scanning the QR code hereabouts or going to my Starlo Gets Reel channel on YouTube.)

Also borrowing from Stella technology, the newest Vanfords feature an upgraded gear train assembly that’s even silkier than it was before, plus an improved drag system that’s both smoother and supposedly more durable… I haven’t been using these reels long enough yet to vouch for the durability part of that claim, but that drag certainly feels very good to me!

For me, however, one of the most exciting things of all about the new Vanford FA series is the fact that Shimano Australia have now added a diminutive 500-size model to the line-up: something I’ve been waiting years for! (There was a 500 in the earlier Vanford series but it wasn’t imported into Australia.) I reckon this little 500 Vanford reel is going to be a game-changer for fans of ultralight spin tackle. I can’t wait to try it on some of my favourite trout streams this spring!

MORE THAN SKIN DEEP

So, the changes incorporated into these new Shimano Vanfords are definitely more than skin deep. And, believe it or not, they’ve done all this at the same or even a slightly lower price than the previous model! That’s right: the recommended retail prices for some of the new Vanford sizes are actually less than the original Vanfords. I suspect this might have something to do with the slightly stronger Aussie dollar in recent times. Whatever the case, it’s most welcome!

Scan this QR code to watch Starlo’s review of the new Vanford FA reels

Fighting a big black bream on one of the original Vanfords

Does this mean that if you bought an earlier model Vanford a year or two ago, you should immediately get rid of it and upgrade to the latest FA? Absolutely not! I intend to keep right on using my older Vanfords. But if you’re considering buying a new reel in this upper-middle price range today, should you look at the new FAs? Definitely! However, something else to bear in mind is that — just like cars — many dealers will be offering “end of model run-outs” now on the previous range, often with significant savings. This can be an attractive option, too, especially for those of us on tighter budgets.

The bottom line is this: modern fishing gear is exceptionally good and offers amazing value for money. It’ll also serve you for years if you look after it. You don’t have to keep up with every new trend or feature, but it’s certainly nice to know that when the time finally comes for a new purchase, the latest tackle is likely to be even better than the gear you bought just a few years ago. For me, that’s a good news story!