Shimano Sustain FJ Review On The Water! - Flats Class

[@michaelyanni4422]

I love this guy he’s just the coolest fisherman

[@artificialslinger9730]

So been using Shimano for 17 years now and counting. I've only have had 1 reel fail on me. That was an old stradic , sent to Shimano , they stopped making the parts for that stradic , the sent me a brand new reel and it was the latest stradic they had out . Which was the FK Anyways I have every new Shimano they have out right now from the nasci to the Stella. The one reel I have always thought it was pointless and never really thought it should have been made was the sustain. Having the sustain Fi and seeing tackle advisor do a complete break down on it it was a stradic fk with few tiny tweaks and basically pointless to spend the extra $100 on the sustain. Well , fast forward to the sustain fj ( 2021 ) I decided to keep the ball rolling with having all the newest Shimanos I decided to give it a try. Well it's now the reel I will recommend to anyone thinking about a stradic , vanford or sustain. I find this new one to finally be able to have a spot in shimanos line up it's like a stradic and vanford had a baby 😂 I took my 3000 sustain and added Stella bearings and added a twin power xd handle knob to it and it's sooooo sick. I also have a stock 2500 sustain. Absolutely amazing and for the price can't beat it

[@flatsclasscharters]

Great share my man… thank you. Appreciate you taking the time to write this piece!

[@FLFlatsmaster]

“If you buy one, you’ll be buying two soon” 13:33 I got a C3000 and loved it so much that when it was time to get a new reel for my medium heavy setup I ended up with the C5000! I am absolutely confident that these will continue to be smooth, workhorse reels for a very very long time.

[@laminenaouri7479]

Thank you for the review. Is the Sustain better than the vanford for sea bass application ?

[@NorthweSteelheadJunkies]

Absolutely the Sustain is a beast... not to take away from the Vanford which is a great finesse reel

[@2003zq8]

That Sustain's spool looks bigger than the Vanford 3000 spool. It looks to hold more braid... how much mono backing are using to level out the spool?

[@flatsclasscharters]

I put 10# mono backing on about 30% of the spool then fill the rest of spool with my bulk line spool… 10# Power Pro V2

[@bi0ticoutdoors102]

I destroyed a 4000 Stradic on big snook around docks and mangroves. Stepped up to a 3000 (yes, 3000) twinpowerxd and exsence about 4 years ago and they are still going strong. I’ve dunked them multiple times and caught everything from 12” trout to 42” snook. Still feel new.

[@flatsclasscharters]

Love hearing this… #fishShimano

[@artificialslinger9730]

I've never destroyed any of my stradics. But I do agree the higher up you go in Shimano the better built they are. I'm like you I prefer 3000 sizes. Got 5 snook of 40 to 44.5" plenty under that 3000 size reels just seem like that perfect reel for everything. Oh I've sunk my 3000 stradic FL chasing snook around docks and just rinsed it off and it's still as smooth as the day I bought it

[@travisperry4515]

I caught a 28" gag grouper on a 4k stradic. still catching fish on it

[@philipfalco7304]

I loved my 17' Exsence C3000MHG that I purchased another. I just love that reel for my Soft plastics for Bass to Inshore. Smooth as silk and a really strong/responsive drag. And it looks cool too. Spooled up with PP Super Slick 10, 15 or even 20LB in the Onyx color.

[@bi0ticoutdoors102]

@@philipfalco7304 the official reel of The Batman

[@aaronhiggs]

Shimano and Daiwa's arms race on smoothness is a major win for the consumer. Shimano is killing it from TOP to Bottom of their product stack.

[@flatsclasscharters]

That they are… #fishShimano

[@aaronhiggs]

@@flatsclasscharters just picked up the new nasci. I’ll tell you what, it’s the best sub 100 dollar reel I’ve ever touched. Holy heck it feel premium. Way better than the BG which was the sub 100 dollar best reel imho.

[@1kingkongkory]

Such a good review, great clips 👌

[@donnastormer9652]

I have recently found your site and I wish that you would put links up to the products you review

[@jacobblades2728]

any thoughts on the Stella 2500?? any reviews coming?

[@artificialslinger9730]

Stella's a great reels. But honestly, the twin power FD and XD are just as good imo but 300 ish less. I personally will never buy another Stella again

[@stripervince1]

Just ordered a sustain 5000 from ebay. Will be used for river/lake giant stripers, paired with a st croix heavy action legend E glass 7 ft rod. Can't wait to get it. Where I live there are monster 60 lb stripers. I'll be fishing for some of those at 3am in the wilderness. UPDATE...caught my first striper on my new Sustain 5000. About a 10 pound little beast. The reel handled him easily. Weighs practically zilch. Drag is amazing smooth. My only complaint is it's rather small for a 5000 size reel. I was hoping it was just a tad larger. Throwing huge swimbaits under dams in swift water and fast current. Well see how it handles 40 and 50 lb. Stripers. The good fall bite is almost here!. Still thinking the saragosa 5000 or the Accurate BV300 might be a better choice for the big boys.....well see

[@mattstringer4966]

I just bought the new expride b 7 foot lite, would you pair it up with a 2500 sustain or a 2500 vanford.

[@flatsclasscharters]

If in the budget, go for the Shimano Sustain

[@artificialslinger9730]

Sustain hands down. It's only about an $80 difference between the 2. I sold 2 of my vanfords for the sustain because it's a more durable reel. Only 1oz difference in weight but the sustain you can put the hammer down on fish if need be. Vanford try to put hammer down you gonna run into frame flex issues and possibly a broken reel

[@max-tx8zb]

@@flatsclasscharters thanks

[@max-tx8zb]

@@artificialslinger9730 thx I went worh the sustain

[@artificialslinger9730]

@@max-tx8zb sweet!!! How you liking it ?

[@jaSONOFGOD888]

Nice reel... what line did you pair that with ? J braid x8?

[@pdoty13]

You’re putting out some great videos lately! Thanks!

[@robbyg.2436]

Good video and a beautiful Sustain. Only problem I have with this spinningreel is that is so good, that it gets too quite with its silent-drive. I mis the loud “ping” in the drag when a fist takes your lure. Do you have any suggestions for a good reel with a nice sounding drag system?

[@jamestakahashi5769]

how do you feel about this Sustain FJ versus the Twin Power FD/XD?

[@artificialslinger9730]

I have all 3. So all 3 are Amazing but also different in their own ways. The Sustain to me is a more over all do all reel for the budget angler. You can use bait or toss arties with it because it's not to heavy but yet still strong enough to land some giants. It's has the Aluminum HAGANE Body so you can put the hammer down if needed and don't have to worry about the frame like you do with the XD , but it also has the mgl rotor like the vanford and XD. The spool unfortunately is a plastic feel to it The Sustain also includes MicroModule II , HAGANE Gear , SilentDrive which gives us smooth reeling performance even during a fight with bigger fish Also comes with cross carbon drag washers Sustain 3000 weighs 7.4oz Sustain gear ratio is 6.0.1 The TP XD is more of a finesse type of reel imo. I believe it's made from the ci4 material which gives it that ultra lightweight feel. Which is awesome for artificial use or finesse type fishing. Micromodule Gear II, Long Stroke Spool , cross carbon washers and mgl rotors are also in this reel just like the sustain. Spool is a plastic type feel to it as well. Tp XD 3000 weighs 7.1 oz Gear ratio 6.4.1 Now the the Twin Power FD to me is a better built reel then the sustain and to XD. The entire reel including spool is made from aluminum. It's the heavier reel out of these 3 coming in at 7.6oz for the 3000 model. The TP FD comes with felt drag washers and not carbon like the other 2. So the drag is also smoother then the to XD and sustain Gear ratio 6.4.1 If I was stuck on an island , I would take the Twin Power FD. Only thing that I have done and will continue to do is place carbonfiber washers in it so the drag is more reliable and dependable.

[@benjones3819]

Anybody have any advice on whether to go for the XG, HG or just 3000 in this model? Im after a decent all rounder for pike fishing and big trout😁

[@daffamaulana6794]

I'd recommend 3000

[@jennhartman578]

Just ordered mine today, can't wait to get to the water for some drag therapy.Thank you for the great information on this piece of art.

[@VanSaukam-j7i]

The drag sounds jerky, and the action of your hand and rod when the drag is jerked against reflects this. I have the new TP C3000XGFE and the prior generation TP C2000SHG and even an older 2013 Certate 2510R-PE, and the drag on all of these reels sound more consistent and smoother even with smaller river smallies and TN hybrids than this Sustain. Also, "Hagane body" is NOT indicative of cold forged metal body, but rather, it means the gears may be cold forged. Based upon what a Shimano rep shared with me, only the Stella hagane body, has cold forged metal body.

[@phillipthure388]

That drag sounds so FAR from silky smooth it's funny. It is jerky and not performing correctly. I don't know what shimano has done to their drags in the new spinning reels but it's disappointing. I been a huge fan for years. My FG sustains are still butter smooth drag. These are not an upgrade. It must be the carbon

[@artificialslinger9730]

The problem with Shimano is their grease. Their grease tends to dry up in the drag stacks Especially on their carbonfiber washers. I always wipe off their grease and / or add a grease called " reel butter ". And I havent had an issue with the " sticky " drag since then. Definitely recommend checking out that grease ( Side Note - felt washers are normally smoother out of box but they are not durable or dependable like the carbon ones are. Down side to carbon without the right grease they will make the drag seem " sticky " )

[@bradenbanfield7047]

So sorry to spark up old conversations but I can attest to this. I bought a new Sustain FJ 3000. Spooled it up, and experienced just this. A sticky, inconsistent drag. I was shocked to say the least. I figured it had to be an issue with the washer. Installed felt washers. Still no avail. Swapped over spools from my TP and issue remained. It was mind boggling. The issue stems from the main body of the reel. I sent in to Shimano for inspection. They sent me a new reel after 3 times sending it back in. The new Sustain still has same issue. Never again will I buy another US market Shimano. Ever.