# Van Staal VM150 - anyone got anything bad to say about them?



## BIGKEV

I was going to say something bad and comment on their price, but at $300 you seem to have negated that comment.....


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## kayakone

No way Mike. That can't be waterproof...it's full of holes! 

Trevor


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## feelfree09

they definately look "the goods" i'd buy it just coz it looks freakin awesome!


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## SharkNett

I saw this on the dinga site you posted in the other thread and wanted one straight away. Could not find anyone else matching thier price either (not checked postage yet tho). Unfortunately I my work contract will be ending in the next few weeks so can't take advantage unless someone offers me a job before the sale ends. If they do I may celebrate with a purchase.
Maybe PM Sunshiner as I seem to remember he has at least one Van Staal.

Rob


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## Marty75

http://www.motackle.com.au/index.cfm?pr=product&product_id=8164


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## SharkNett

One of the locals just may have caught them out on thier pricing policy and be the reason for that discount ;-)

Rob


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## haynsie

I'd love to read your review of it Mingle, I've been lusting after Van Staal reels after I saw one in the US a few years ago. They are so frick'n sexy it's not funny.

Cheers

Tim


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## Guest

haynsie said:


> I'd love to read your review of it Mingle, I've been lusting after Van Staal reels after I saw one in the US a few years ago. They are so frick'n sexy it's not funny.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Tim


+1 i'm interested to see what your thoughts on it are too.


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## spooled1

Here's a review I wrote back in June 2011 on the (waterproof) VS150 series: http://www.fishingworld.com.au/news/tes ... taal-vs150

It's now end March 2012 and my VS150 got another walloping today on the yak. In more than 18 months ownership and smashing it with often full saltwater immersion I have NEVER needed to open this reel - not ever. It just get a freshwater rinse after every trip and about every 2 months I spray the outer case with Lanox.

Upsides: Absolutely 100% waterproof internals, really tough, strong drag, good line capacity, loud clicker, defintaly the best yak reel I've owned for reliability without needing maintenance.
Downsides: Weird hourglass line lay (on my reel with 30lb braid), drag knob a bit small and you really need to work it to tighten the drag, in lumpy or very windy seas the line sometimes lifts off the unbailed roller bearing - For the yak I'd choose the bail armed option if I had a choice. Also, the cranking doesn't have that mega smooth feeling of Stellas etc, where the handle keeps spinning. It feels more like a solid workhorse that you keep winding up.

Re: The VM series - It isn't classified as "waterproof" so if I had the $$$ I'd choose the VS series because they are.


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## sbd

eric said:


> Is it left/right interchangeable?


It doesn't need to be, the handle is already on the correct side ;-) .


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## RedPhoenix

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## feelfree09

what lb braid you running on it? and how much did you fit on there? considering one myself. cheers


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## Marty75

Just bought one (couldn't help myself). Gotta love Mo's price match policy....


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## Beekeeper

I'm really pissed with these reels... reason being I haven't got one!
Jimbo


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## Marty75

Anyone else experience free play in the handle with their VM and stiff/sticky rotation of the handle? I got mine a few weeks ago from Mo's and actually sent it off to the Jarvis Walker repair centre in SA to get checked. Apparently all normal according to the tech I spoke to...

Re the stiffness of the rotations I can understand that the reel is more sealed than most reels and I was never expecting anything like my smooth Daiwas or Shimanos but in my case even spinning the handle as fast as I can doesn't even spin it one full rotation after letting go??? :?

There's also about as much free play in the handle as my cheaper Daiwa Advantages (2500 & 3500) as well as my Oceano 4500?

All from a new reel straight out of the box. Seems very solid though and I'm glad I got one for it's water resistance and strong drag.

Anyone else who has one experience the same symptoms?

Thanks

Marty


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## paulo

Marty, I can report all the same symptoms as you. I was amazed how quickly the spool stops when you let go of the handle and at the amount of free play in it. My drag clicker was also shagged (out of the box) and on inspection the retention spring seems to have lost its spring. Mine is also in the repair shop in SA but not before I taught it a lesson or two on a half dozen longtails to 16kg. (without drag clicker). 








Spooled with 20lb Aldi braid, it never missed a beat (aside from the drag clicker). I find it quite a bit heavier that a Daiwa or Shimano 4500 reel but it sits fine on a 10-15kg stick. All in all Im pretty happy with it.


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## Marty75

Thanks for confirming Mingle and Paul,



mingle said:


> As for the free-play in the handle, when exactly do you feel the free-play?
> I have my VM150 in front of me now and the only free-play in the handle is if I hold the rotor and then turn the handle (as if I was winding in),
> then I feel about 1.5-2.0mm (at the handle-grip) of 'slack' as (I'm guessing) the main and pinion gears come together?


Yep, that's exactly the same as mine (and the same as my other cheaper reels). Not sure what I was expecting as I've never spent close to $300 on a reel (or any other piece of tackle) before but glad it's not just mine. From what the JW service centre tech said it is something to do with the meshing of the gears and something I can live with, just wanted to check it wasn't only mine with it.



paulo said:


> I was amazed how quickly the spool stops when you let go of the handle and at the amount of free play in it.


Same here Paul but again something I can live with if it means the reel will be more water resistant and therefor should last longer. Having said that I don't think I will be using the reel for spinning with lures purely due to the stiffness of the retrieve but more for trolling with live bait and lures and possibly beach fishing down the track. Did you catch your tuna caasting and retrieving or on the troll? Also how did the drag perform and the rest of the reel tangling with larger fish? How would you compare it to say the Daiwa Catalina 4500 which I recall you also use (other than being heavier)?

I've got some 40lb Daiwa Samurai braid to go on the reel and plan on using it up at SWR which I get to a couple of times a year and during kingie season. I bought a second hand Nitro Godzilla for it but will probably end up matching it to one of my older Silstar Crystal Tip solid glass rods purely for trolling and bait fishing duties.

Thanks again for the feedback guys

Marty


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## paulo

Had mine on a Nitro Godzilla Marty and got most fish just drifting a 3" plastic out the back. Though I did get one casting a plastic from the same outfit. I also used it on an 11' beach rod and it casts very nicely on the longer rod as well.
As compared to the Catalina its difficult for me to compare. A combination of Aldi 20lb braid and the fact that I dropped the first four fish due to a variety of f&@#ups saw me not fish the VS outfit as hard as I do the Catalina with 50lb braid. That said the reel handled each fight flawlessly and I felt it always had more to offer. 
Perhaps the only thing I noticed is the lower retrieve ratio when the tuna swim back at you after the initial run. At 4.9:1 I had to work a lot harder to take up the slack line than I would normally have to on the Catalina. On smaller pelagics like these its not much of an issue but on the larger beasts you're likely to encounter at SWR, the additional aerobic effort required to retrieve the line when they run all over the place, could be a contributing factor in the battle against fatigue and ultimately the fish.


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## keza

Sorry for the slight side step but seeing as 2 of you just mentioned the Nitro Godzilla, I have used one a couple of times and am finding that the butt is just too thick and heavy.
I love my vipers and thought I would love the godzilla but I think I would prefer a slightly thinner butt.
I may be spoilt with my saltiga 63, which I just love on the kayak.


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## Marty75

I haven't used mine yet Kerry and not sure as to when I'll be getting out next to target something with it so maybe I'll find the same thing. The butt length more than the thickness might be an issue and have noticed some people cut down their butts but don't think I'll be doing that. Will see. Hopefully get to tangle with something worthy up at SWR ar some stage. :twisted:


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## paulo

Agreed Kerry but it seems to be less of an issue sitting down. I normally fight the fish with the butt under my arm. The Catalina is on a Saltiga 63 and I have to say I prefer the jigsticks for fighting the larger fish but the Godzilla gives you other options jigsticks cant like casting bigger poppers or slugs and the additional 7" gives you the varied trolling height on your two rods allowing two lures out without risk of tangles on the turns.


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## keza

I like the sensitive tip it has but I would need to change the knob on the butt to get it into my rod tubes.


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## grant ashwell

These weapons look the goods and at $300 I just wanted to put the cost into perspective.
I have just had my Stella back from its annual service-the drag system had taken a battering this year and the service people replaced the drag washers, 3 bearings and the line roller.
I have no problem with the excellent service or cost however, it did come to $210 with regular postage. That is just about a new reel a year so I think that you fellows are doing pretty good for what you are paying for a sexy looking tool. Happy fishing

Grant


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## paulo

grant ashwell said:


> These weapons look the goods and at $300 I just wanted to put the cost into perspective.
> I have just had my Stella back from its annual service-the drag system had taken a battering this year and the service people replaced the drag washers, 3 bearings and the line roller.
> I have no problem with the excellent service or cost however, it did come to $210 with regular postage. That is just about a new reel a year so I think that you fellows are doing pretty good for what you are paying for a sexy looking tool. Happy fishing
> 
> Grant


Yes Grant I came to that conclusion after last years service bill for 3 reels came to $700. . A $1k reel will actually cost you $2k over five years to keep it running. There seems little point when perfectly useable kit can be had for 200-300 dollars. Im sure the manufacturers are happy to sell us new kit each year and is possibly some of the motivation behind the hike in servicing costs in recent years. The only problem I have with it is the landfill created by buying a new reel each year. :?


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## Marty75

One of the appeals if the Van Staal was the (less) number of internal components compared to similar offerings from other brands and supposed ease of servicing and maintenance. Time (& patience) will tell.


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## imnotoriginal

I just got mine and the only problem I had was trying to get the bloody handle shifted over. It took a shifting spanner with a towel around the handle joint to get the handle cover and dust cover to move.
Joel


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## Marty75

Let us know what you think of the reel Joel. I'm yet to test mine as yet.

Is your handle stiff to wind too?

Marty


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## imnotoriginal

Marty75 said:


> Let us know what you think of the reel Joel. I'm yet to test mine as yet.
> 
> Is your handle stiff to wind too?
> 
> Marty


Like they previously said, it's stiffer than an equivalent sized shimano or daiwa. I still find it ok to use though, the reel test (boom boom) will be how it winds with a fish on. It's a little freaky having the holes in the top of the spool and being able to see your line through them.



mingle said:


> Glad to see you finally got it shifted!
> 
> The caps are a bit tight, but the trick of using a strip of inner-tube rubber to grip the cap worked well.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Mike.


Yeah, finally got it last night. A few scratches in the finish but that won't worry me, it just makes it look like I've had more chances to use it :lol:

Joel


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## din

Hi all,
my VM 150 clicker doesnt emit any sound when the line is pulled out,
Anyone knows whats the problem and how to rectify it.
Thanks in advance

Din


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## paulo

din said:


> Hi all,
> my VM 150 clicker doesnt emit any sound when the line is pulled out,
> Anyone knows whats the problem and how to rectify it.
> Thanks in advance
> Din


Yup, mine had exact same issue. I sent it back to Mos for warranty repair and rec'd it back inside 10 days.


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## din

Hi Paul,

Im from Singapore, no agent here!

Have to live with that

Thanks for your reply 

Din


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## Stevie

Big reels, I compared the VM150 with the VS150 up at MO's last week, and its a hell of a lot bigger and heavier, almost double the weight for the same spool size, and not its fully water proof. Why no save the extra cash up if waterproof is your thing? VM150 is lighter and fully waterproof and a lot less chunky. I will admit though getting used to the non- bail takes a few trips but its not hard.


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## BIGKEV

You blokes did well picking up those reels when you did. I can't find one at that price at the moment.

So are you still as much in love with them now after using them for a while?


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## Marty75

Hi Kev,

Mine's only spooled up at the moment, haven't used it yet.

They still have them listed on this website.

Marty


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## yakfishar

Any updates on how these reels went?


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## Pedrosunnycoast

Iv'e taken a vm150 out on average once a week for the last two years.
I did have an issue with the bail arm c-clips, the thing exploded in my lap on the water, amazingly all the bits were recovered.
I put it down to opening the bail arm in line with the self release, putting pressure on the clips, easily bent the clips with pliers (not much spring in the steel) and I'm very careful about bail arm position when opening.
There has been some water intrusion, a few drops, when I open it up for a service.
No corrosion, smooth powerful drag, still liking it.

Cheers
Pedro


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