the new Shimano Stradic fi all the way!!!
I own at least 10 stradic some very old and some newer love them all from 6000 to 1000 series but have never tried the daiwa fuego..

Fishing 4 Tails

I have a couple of new Diawa reels, I got them as gifts, and knowing what I know now, I am very glad that I did not buy them. These reels work great for friends and family that visit as long as they don't know much about fishing which most of them don't. They go fishing 2, sometimes 3 times a year and they just don't know what real quality is so they get along fine with Diawa reels that I let them use. I have one in-law and 2 friends that are very good fisherman and when they come to visit, I would not think if putting a Diawa in their hands, it would be an insult to them. Some where through the years, Diawa fell behind the technology curve although they have made an attempt to redeem themselves with the Steez. I had a friend that bought one recently and the quality of that reel compared to the other reels they sale are like night and day. The Steez is an extremely good reel which is something that can not be said for the others they sale.

When it comes to spinning reels, I use only Shimano although I have friends that use Okuma and when they allowed me to try them, I was very pleased and have considered buying a couple of them myself. The Okuma is very well built and technological equal to the Shimano but at a lower price.

When it comes to baitcasters Shimano and Pflueger is the direction I go. Both are very well built and on the for front when it comes to quality.

When it comes to reel technology, you can never go wrong with a Shimano. From the very bigining when Shimano was introduced to North America in the early 80s, that company has been on the forefront of technology and quality. They went through a slight slump when they redirected efforts into plastic reel housings but it did not take long for them to rectify the problem and move toward extremely light metal alloys that not only increased strength but also decreased bulk. Internally, Shimano has also changed the alloys used to build the gears which further enhanced strength and decreased weight.

You can not go wrong with Shimano but if you want another option, the Okuma would be the direction I would go.

Trace

The spinning reels I'm running nowadays are the Daiwa TD Sol and Certates - they're awesome spinning reels, and I've tried pretty much every kind there is.
Cheers,
LK

Hi, i'm new round here. i just had this dilema after smashing my favorite reel into the mud flats. (fall down do boom). i don't like the diawa. i looked at the shimano but wasn't impressed with the cheaper reels. kinda hurtin for cash right now. i got my first abu garcia. so far i like it. i like some of the maint features a lot. only 50 bucks. couldn't find a shimmano in that price range that looked like it would hold up to my kind of abuse. we'll see if i still feel the same way about it by next spring. LOL.

Live to fish, Fish to live!

Shimano!!! dude all the way best reels out there.

*(I Whisper to the fishes)*

I have daiwa and shimano spin reels. they are both good but i like the drag better on the daiwa. i dont recommend Okuma baitcasters (alumina series) after casting, the reel remained in free-spool as i was cranking the handle. damn thing wouldnt engage. And to boot i had to pay for shipping both ways to get it repaired and it was still under warranty!
Abu garcia and pinnacle baitcasters are what i use right now and they are solid. The revo is my fave.

Always fish like its the last day of your life...

I just bought a diawa rod/reel combo at the local baitshop for $30.00 and I'm unimpressed.

Dont know much about the Fuego but I did just recently purchase the Megaforce..I dont see anything wrong with this reel at all...It's a matter of opinion, and I actually like the "Twitchin Bar" feature...I also use a Shimano Spinning reel, Abu Garcia, Quantum, and so on.......What one person likes or dislikes is up to that individual. I love fishing and probably go about 3 times a week ( would go more, but work kind of cuts into my fishing time) and I just recently bought a new home, so I CANT justify to the wife spending $200 plus dollars on a reel...

Drag it...Swim it ... Pitch it.. " Just Jig It " Happy Fishing

stradic is a good and solid bet, you will defenately get the best bang for your buck, but before you count out the fuego maybe look at the advantage they are a solid reel. I have both stradics and advantages, it basically comes down to paying $150 and 180