Diawa vs lews 2024
Wyatt Richardson reply :
Lews vs diawa. The company in general. Performance and durability. What are your thoughts?
Delaware Valley Tackle reply :
The company or the brand? Both are reputable companies with good customer service. On paper, the Daiwa reels have better features. On the water, whether or not those features benefit you is preference. Longevity wise both are acceptable if cared for. I’d expect the Daiwa’s to have better life due to the bearing supported pinion gear.
LionHeart reply :
Both make decent gear. I've used customer service from both numerous times and Lews I have found to be much better. Not to say that Diawa was bad, but I have called with multiple technical questions and the person who answers the phone at Diawa (I swear I get the same lady every single time) clearly has no clue how to answer product related questions, but is always courteous and friendly.
Every time I have called Lews with questions, I hang up with answers.
None of this would sway my decision on which company to buy a reel, or rod from. They both make great stuff, and have gotten a ton of my $.
CrankFate reply :
My thoughts are get what you like. Don’t worry about it.
Justbass11 reply :
I like Lews just a little more...just saying
Stephen B reply :
Diawa IMO is far superior. Shimano and Diawa are by far the 2 best reel manufacturers.
CountryboyinDC reply :
Lews, just need to get something in their line like the DC or SV spool. I still like the BB1 and Tournamnet MB better than anything if the bait is 3/8 ounce or more. Definitely better customer service with Lews. Both are better than Shimano, Abu, and 13.
new2BC4bass reply :
On 5/14/2019 at 9:48 AM, CountryboyinDC said:Lews, just need to get something in their line like the DC or SV spool. I still like the BB1 and Tournamnet MB better than anything if the bait is 3/8 ounce or more. Definitely better customer service with Lews. Both are better than Shimano, Abu, and 13.
Whoa! Trying to start a war, are we? 
CountryboyinDC reply :
On 5/14/2019 at 10:30 AM, new2BC4bass said:
Whoa! Trying to start a war, are we?
No, I probably should have said that a little better. I'm just talking customer service. I hope that doesn't start a war.
new2BC4bass reply :
Gotcha. I took it the other way. I knew you would be in trouble with the Shimano guys if you meant that Daiwa and Lew's were better reels than Shimano. 
If I'm not careful, I will be starting a war. 
QUAKEnSHAKE reply :
On 5/14/2019 at 9:48 AM, CountryboyinDC said:Lews, just need to get something in their line like the DC or SV spool. I still like the BB1 and Tournamnet MB better than anything if the bait is 3/8 ounce or more. Definitely better customer service with Lews. Both are better than Shimano, Abu, and 13.
I agree, great customer service is needed for brands that have many issues guess thats why Shimano CS is rather poor.
bhoff reply :
I have nothing against Lew's but they certainly don't have the engineering experience that companies like Shimano or Daiwa have. Lew's and a handful of other companies have their reels made by third party manufacturers but to their specifications. Oftentimes components can be interchangeable between brands. Whereas you aren't going to see a Steez or an Antares in a manufacturers catalogue. You can look at YT channels like TackleAdvisor if you want to see reels broken down and discussed in detail.
BadBassWV reply :
If your looking to keep your reels for years of use. I don't know about Lew's but I've had parts ordered for 2 of my Tatula reels for a month now, Daiwa can't keep up.
Allaroundfishing reply :
On 5/14/2019 at 9:55 PM, bhoff said:I have nothing against Lew's but they certainly don't have the engineering experience that companies like Shimano or Daiwa have. Lew's and a handful of other companies have their reels made by third party manufacturers but to their specifications. Oftentimes components can be interchangeable between brands. Whereas you aren't going to see a Steez or an Antares in a manufacturers catalogue. You can look at YT channels like TackleAdvisor if you want to see reels broken down and discussed in detail.
I heard that the engineers who designed the "speed spool" series used to work at shimano, i just looked this up to verify and i cant find anything online abt it but another member on this forum brought it up in some long forgotten thread. So im not sure how true his statement was.
On 5/14/2019 at 10:04 PM, BadBassWV said:If your looking to keep your reels for years of use. I don't know about Lew's but I've had parts ordered for 2 of my Tatula reels for a month now, Daiwa can't keep up.
i got a replacement spool and reel handle from lews in 4 days.... 12 dollars in total not under warranty either just called up and told them what i needed.
Tennessee Boy reply :
Correct me if I'm wrong.
Diawa makes great reels.
Lew's sells great reels made in China by someone else.
Stephen B reply :
Shimano and Daiwa both manufacture their own reels and are phenomenal. As said by Bhoff, if you want to have a reel to last you for years Shimano and Diawa are they way to go. Abu use to make great reels but not quite sure the same quality is there. Lews at one time was actually using Shimano to build their reels. I believe they are made by DOYO now.
Ultimately, buy what you want you like. But always buy quality.
LonnieP reply :
On 5/14/2019 at 10:57 PM, Tennessee Boy said:Correct me if I'm wrong.
Diawa makes great reels.
Lew's sells great reels made in China by someone else.
Korea
greentrout reply :
a little dated still a good read ...
ww2farmer reply :
On 5/14/2019 at 9:47 AM, Stephen B said:Diawa IMO is far superior. Shimano and Diawa are by far the 2 best reel manufacturers.
This ^^^^
Been there, done that with everything else. They just don't hold a candle to Daiwa and Shimano. Even high-end Abu, Lews, Quantum, etc...stuff rarely lasts as long and performs as well as the middle of the road working man's grade Daiwa and Shimano reels. Sweedish made Abu's might be the exception, but those are rarely desirable for bass fishing anymore.
Boomstick reply :
On 5/14/2019 at 10:04 PM, BadBassWV said:If your looking to keep your reels for years of use. I don't know about Lew's but I've had parts ordered for 2 of my Tatula reels for a month now, Daiwa can't keep up.
I had to get a rod tip from Daiwa once and it took them several months to send it.
NYWayfarer reply :
Love my Daiwa and Lew's reels. I expect to have my reels from both companies for many years to come as they are well built and sturdy reels.
Daiwa Vs Lew's = both winners in my book.
ratherbfishin1 reply :
Both great brands, I like lews because of personal preference and they feel better to me. I don't believe either brand is significantly better than the other. You're gonna get different things from each.
Jrob78 reply :
Other than a couple of gen 2 Revo Winches and a gen 1 Pflueger Patriarch XT I am strictly Daiwa and Shimano. The other companies make good products and I am not knocking them, I just prefer the quality and innovation of Daiwa and Shimano.
BaitFinesse reply :
On 5/14/2019 at 10:31 PM, Allaroundfishing said:I heard that the engineers who designed the "speed spool" series used to work at shimano, i just looked this up to verify and i cant find anything online abt it but another member on this forum brought it up in some long forgotten thread. So im not sure how true his statement was.
i got a replacement spool and reel handle from lews in 4 days.... 12 dollars in total not under warranty either just called up and told them what i needed.
Lews doesn't design reels. They order their reels from Doyo Korea from Doyo product lines. They are built and badged as Lews in both Korean and Chinease Doyo plants then sold in the US.
http://doyofishing.co.kr/main/index?setMode=pc
GReb reply :
At the entry level price point I don’t think there’s a dimes worth of difference between most aluminum body reels from any of the major manufacturers. Shimano and daiwa separate from the pack once you start moving towards higher end equipment.
Yumeya reply :
Hands down Daiwa.
Gorris317 reply :
I'm a huge Daiwa guy. Just ordered a couple parts from Daiwa because my son dropped my Tatula CT and cracked the side plate and scuffed up the brake dial. Total cost was $18 including shipping, but they are both backordered and won't be here for 2-6 months.
I'm in the market for a new reel as we speak and tried a couple different Lews reels. They just don't feel as nice as other reels especially for the price. The Custom (white model, forget the name exactly) felt rather cheap for a reel that sells for $180.
rangerjockey reply :
Lew Childre was the designer of the original BB1's back in the early 70's. The company never did manufacture the rods or reels. They were farmed out to Shimano and Ryobi and I believe there may have been a third. They were about the only competition Abu had at the time.
Mr .Childre was killed in the late 70's in a plane crash.
Today they are Lew's in name only . I will say they do a great job of marketing but I've never been overly impressed with them.
I would buy a Daiwa or Shimano personally.
TOXIC reply :
I'll be fishing with the product development manager for Lews next week and I'll ask him if you want but I think I know what his answer will be. 
YoTone reply :
On 5/15/2019 at 8:10 PM, TOXIC said:I'll be fishing with the product development manager for Lews next week and I'll ask him if you want but I think I know what his answer will be.
Im just not clear on what Lews does. From what ive read here on this forum is that they just re brand reels but in reviews like the one ive read on ***, they write that their Pro Ti was a reel to show off what they can do in design. so that has made me a little unclear in how much input besides cosmetics they have.
what about Lews rods? who makes or designs them?
TOXIC reply :
Normally, how they source their products (that goes for anyone in the fishing industry) is a secret held close to the vest. You will never get anyone with any real knowledge to reveal those type of details. There's so many that claim to have the inside scoop that you get 100 different stories. I would never ask anyone in the manufacturing business to disclose that type of info. It would be bad form. 
Tennessee Boy reply :
On 5/15/2019 at 9:08 PM, TOXIC said:Normally, how they source their products (that goes for anyone in the fishing industry) is a secret held close to the vest. You will never get anyone with any real knowledge to reveal those type of details. There's so many that claim to have the inside scoop that you get 100 different stories. I would never ask anyone in the manufacturing business to disclose that type of info. It would be bad form.
I’m just one potential customer but this issue is the primary driver in my purchasing decisions. There are too many companies in this industry that do nothing but market the same Asian made stuff as everyone else. In most cases it’s almost impossible to know the story on who designed and who manufactured a product. My thinking is if you don’t want me to know the story it’s because you have something to hide. It’s pretty clear with companies like St Croix that they are very proud of where their products come from. Go to their website and you can see the names and pictures of the people that made your rod. That’s why I’m a loyal St. Croix customer.
Allaroundfishing reply :
On 5/15/2019 at 5:49 AM, BaitFinesse said:Lews doesn't design reels. They order their reels from Doyo Korea from Doyo product lines. They are built and badged as Lews in both Korean and Chinease Doyo plants then sold in the US.
http://doyofishing.co.kr/main/index?setMode=pc
ahh okay, i was under the understanding that they did but had outsourced the building.
TOXIC reply :
On 5/15/2019 at 9:31 PM, Tennessee Boy said:I’m just one potential customer but this issue is the primary driver in my purchasing decisions. There are too many companies in this industry that do nothing but market the same Asian made stuff as everyone else. In most cases it’s almost impossible to know the story on who designed and who manufactured a product. My thinking is if you don’t want me to know the story it’s because you have something to hide. It’s pretty clear with companies like St Croix that they are very proud of where their products come from. Go to their website and you can see the names and pictures of the people that made your rod. That’s why I’m a loyal St. Croix customer.
Oh, I don't have a problem with people knowing. I have a problem with people spreading innuendo and untrue information about a product. My question to someone who supposedly knows the information would be "And you know this how?"
Tennessee Boy reply :
On 5/15/2019 at 11:20 PM, TOXIC said:Oh, I don't have a problem with people knowing. I have a problem with people spreading innuendo and untrue information about a product. My question to someone who supposedly knows the information would be "And you know this how?"
Let me clarify in case you miss understood me. When I used the word “you” I was referring to anyone in the industry that does not want to reveal the source of their products. I was not referring to you specifically. I agree there’s a lot of misinformation out there and it’s impossible to know the truth in most cases. Designed in house might mean they picked the color of the reel they ordered on madeinchina.com.
J Francho reply :
My buddy owns a fly fishing company. He is an engineer. He actually designed the jets for the fuel injection for the truck I drive. He designs the fly reels, and sends the specs/schematics/CAD-CAM or whatever he uses to a Chinese manufacturer. Several, actually. They provide samples of their work. He picks a company that he thinks is capable of the QC he desires, and negotiates a deal on a large run. He's definitely NOT just rebranding reels that already exist. It's roughly the same process for rods, but a little different. Much of the product gets sent to Amazon fulfillment centers, while some of the more specialized tackle is either made in house, like hand made furled leaders or actual flies, and warehoused in house. He's been doing this for around a decade. I'm not saying this is how EVERYONE does business, but this is his model.
Tennessee Boy reply :
On 5/15/2019 at 11:48 PM, J Francho said:My buddy owns a fly fishing company. He is an engineer. He actually designed the jets for the fuel injection for the truck I drive. He designs the fly reels, and sends the specs/schematics/CAD-CAM or whatever he uses to a Chinese manufacturer. Several, actually. They provide samples of their work. He picks a company that he thinks is capable of the QC he desires, and negotiates a deal on a large run. He's definitely NOT just rebranding reels that already exist. It's roughly the same process for rods, but a little different. Much of the product gets sent to Amazon fulfillment centers, while some of the more specialized tackle is either made in house, like hand made furled leaders or actual flies, and warehoused in house. He's been doing this for around a decade. I'm not saying this is how EVERYONE does business, but this is his model.
It sounds like your buddy’s expertise is his engineering skills and his love/knowledge of fly fishing. He farms out the manufacturing to Asia and fulfillment to Amazon. That’s the type of people I want to buy from. An understanding of what anglers need and the ability to engineer a product to meet those needs translates into a product that improves my fishing experience. Someone who’s expertise is marketing might sell you a lot of product but won’t do anything to improve your fishing. No company can survive without marketing but there is a difference between fishing companies that farm out the marketing and marketing companies that farm out the fishing stuff. I want to do all I can to support the fishing industry not the marketing industry.
WRB reply :
Both Daiwa and Shimano are brick and mortar American Corps located in SoCal, Cypress and Irvine, the parent Corps are in Japan. Lew's is a brand not a Corporation.
What does that mean? You can always contact employee's and know spare parts are available along with repairs services from both Daiwa and Shimano.
Lew's has been sold several times the past decade and still remains a good product but lacks the quality product support available from Daiwa or Shimano.
Tom
Glaucus reply :
Daiwa by far. Their only competition is Shimano, and I still prefer Daiwa to them. I'd sooner be an Abu fanboy than purposefully buy Lews.
J Francho reply :
On 5/16/2019 at 12:10 AM, Tennessee Boy said:It sounds like your buddy’s expertise is his engineering skills and his love/knowledge of fly fishing. He farms out the manufacturing to Asia and fulfillment to Amazon. That’s the type of people I want to buy from. An understanding of what anglers need and the ability to engineer a product to meet those needs translates into a product that improves my fishing experience. Someone who’s expertise is marketing might sell you a lot of product but won’t do anything to improve your fishing. No company can survive without marketing but there is a difference between fishing companies that farm out the marketing and marketing companies that farm out the fishing stuff. I want to do all I can to support the fishing industry not the marketing industry.
Funny story. We were Boy Scouts together. His mom was the den mother. We hosted all the kids at our cottage for a fishing badge. I gave Eric an old tackle box and some lures. We were probably only 8 years old, but he was hooked. Later he found he had a great grandfather that was a noted fly fisherman, and got interested in that aspect. I just ran into him after dinner on Mother's day. Seems like Mexican is a popular choice, lol. If you're interested in it, here's the Amazon Store front:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/7E6CD6D2-3B02-4355-8458-F94075821D1E?ingress=2&visitId=91aa58d9-0abf-4465-972d-0eef68f79c96&ref_=bl_dp_s_web_13180987011
And the website:
https://www.wildwaterflyfishing.com/
Sorry for the off topic stuff. Just throwing in what I know about off shore sourced tackle.
NYWayfarer reply :
On 5/16/2019 at 12:11 AM, WRB said:Lew's has been sold several times the past decade and still remains a good product but lacks the quality product support available from Daiwa or Shimano.
Tom
The Lew’s brand is under the ownership of Peak Rock Capital (A middle market private equity firm) and longtime Childre family friend Lynn Reeves serves as the CEO.
I agree the product is good. Their marketing is good as well as customer service. As far as product support, my experience has been great for getting spare spools. For those that want to keep their reels going for decades only time will tell if the parts will be available. I recall reading threads on these forums that some people were having problems finding parts for Shimano reels that were no longer in production. I assume the same would be true for most brands.
GReb reply :
I dont care where it’s made, the Lews LFS is a dang good reel for around $80. But that’s about where I draw the line in the sand.
J Francho reply :
On 5/16/2019 at 1:39 AM, NYWayfarer said:I recall reading threads on these forums that some people were having problems finding parts for Shimano reels that were no longer in production.
This is because Shimano USA has to buy the parts in advance from Shimano Japan. This means they simply cannot keep ordering parts for reels that are aged out. You can usually get parts for a few years after a model has been discontinued. At that point, you're other option is to buy used, donor reels. I've done this to restore several older reels. Sometimes I buy a broken reel if the part I need is good, or if it's a notable reel. Old Abus, Shimanos, Diawas often have parts that are useful for old reels still in action.
WRB reply :
If you need Shimano reel parts that Shimano doesn't have Reel Ex carries parts dating back 30 years. I am not aware of a tech service for Daiwa similar to Reel Ex. Randy my local tech passed away last year. I know Randy had a net work of contacts for most reel parts he serviced in lieu of scavenging parts from other reels. There is always after market parts for higher quality reels.
I own a vintage Lew's Speed Spool BB1 made by Shimano, haven't used it in decades.
Tom
Wyatt Richardson reply :
Thanks for your advice gentlemen. I'm a high school angler and just started fishing a year ago.I wanted to know your opinion on these brands. I wish I could buy and feel to build my own preference but I dont have that kind of money. I hear diawa is good and same for lews and vice versa. Still not sure what I want to get. Thanks for your help!!!
dodgeguy reply :
On 5/15/2019 at 8:10 PM, TOXIC said:I'll be fishing with the product development manager for Lews next week and I'll ask him if you want but I think I know what his answer will be.
Please do ask and post it in a separate post . Thank you. I'd buy Lew's over any other reel.
gilkeybr reply :
Best way to know is to try as many as you can.
After owning lots of brands of reels, if it were my money, I would buy Daiwa over Lew's. I had a couple Lew's reels and they both had qualities that really annoyed me. Have several Daiwa reels and I'll buy more in the future.
ClintIsKING reply :
Have a Daiwa Tatula CT and love it. Smooth as butter.
MN Fisher reply :
Got out yesterday for my first chance at using my Diawa Fuego. Easy to 'tune in', smooth casts, only one birdsnest when I changed lures and forgot to adjust the brake for the lighter lure. I'd buy one again.
J Francho reply :
On 5/17/2019 at 8:23 AM, MN Fisher said:Got out yesterday for my first chance at using my Diawa Fuego. Easy to 'tune in', smooth casts, only one birdsnest when I changed lures and forgot to adjust the brake for the lighter lure. I'd buy one again.
Branching out into casting gear? How do you like it so far?
MN Fisher reply :
On 5/17/2019 at 9:12 PM, J Francho said:Branching out into casting gear? How do you like it so far?
Not exactly branching out...for years I had an Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 500R low profile. Retired that this winter and replaced it with a President. The Fuego was purchased for new (to me) techniques. I'm enjoying both BC's actually...and if I purchased another BC, it'd be either another Fuego or another Pflueger - President, Pres-XT or Supreme.
500R pics - not my old one, but the one on the right is identical to my old one.
J Francho reply :
I remember those reels, worked on a few back in the day. Good luck on the new stuff.
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