We spotted Seigler Reels at the 2017 ICAST fishing tackle trade show, and immediately liked them. Why? Number one, Siegler offers a lifetime (lifetime!) warranty on all their reels. Number two, even with the lifetime warranty, they aren't ridiculously expensive. Number three, they're manufactured right down the road in Burgess, VA. (That's near Smith Point, just over the Maryland/Virginia line, for you folks who live... pretty much anywhere except Burgess, VA). Let's take a quick peek at 'em, in this video preview.
Wait a sec - we forgot to mention another reason why we liked 'em: the guys making these reels clearly have a sense of humor. Go to the web site, click on the "Where it's Made" tab, and you get a message saying "NOT IN CHINA That is the damn truth!!" Now, any red-blooded 'merican angler has just gotta love that.
Back to the important stuff - they make mostly conventional reels, lever and star drags, plus a couple of fly reels, crafted from machined-aluminum and stainless-steel. The latest intro is a fly reel - Wes Seigler is an avowed fly fisherman - and rumor has it that a spinning reel is in the works. So, just how much do these reels cost, considering that they're made in America, out of actual metal, by a small company, and carry a lifetime warranty? The Seigler OS lever drag, to use as an example, holds 725 yards of 80 pound braid and weighs 25.8 ounces, has multiple drag lever detents, and has a gear ratio of 5.2:1. The price tag is $500, which seems more than reasonable considering all of the above factors.
We should note that these reels have relatively simple designs, eschewing things some other manufacturers tout like multiple speeds with quick-shift mechanisms and dual drags. Then again, the more complex a reel is the more prone it is to potential failure, and none of the others come with lifetime warranties. So while these may not the top pick for tech-heads, those of us who want a reel that works all the time might be willing to sacrifice a few bells and whistles. If that sounds like something you're looking for, check out Seigler Fishing Reels.