Tom Nakashima wrote:
Does anyone here fish with a Galvan reel? I would like to know what they
like and dislike about the reel.
The one I had in mind is the open back ob-2 or the standard 2.75
http://www.galvanflyreels.com/
I need to purchase a reel in a 4 wt.line capacity.
-tom


Briansfly writes:
Tom,
I don't own one, but I have considered purchasing one. I've heard a lot of
good things about the reels.....I don't think i've ever heard anything
negative. They have a strong following in Ca., and I assume the out of
state sales are good too. I've heard the customer service was excellent.
The one feature I do not care for, is the silent out going line. I like
the clicker sounds of a reel. brians

John Hightower writes:
Tom, I have two of the OB series reels- one on my 4 wt and one on my 6 wt.
I love them- slightly heavier than some other reels in their class- but I
think they are more durable. For some reason, I am more taken with the 4wt
reel than I am on the 6wt. Drag adjustment is good-some reels a very small
turn on the drag makes big differences in the drag- the Galvans seem to
have a little more forgiveness- if you need to tighten or loosen the drag
you can- without worrying that you overcorrected.
my only bitch is that I don't use them enough:-(
jh

Charlie Wilson writes:
They are great reels, especially for the price. They are a small, family
run business, and you can bet a member of the Galvan family assembled each
and every one.
Several years ago a friend slammed the tail gate of my truck on my Galvan
reel, heavily damaging the frame. I called them and asked if they would
replace just the frame (I had several spools) and Bonifacio Galvan told me
to send it with the spool, so that they could be sure to fit it right.
They replaced the whole thing, including the spool, and even put my fly
line on the new spool (I hadn't removed the line, thinking I would get the
old spool back). The reel was several years old at the time, and I had
explained the boneheaded accident to them, but they still replaced it for
free.

pmfpa writes:
I had a similar experience with my 3 weight. A fine reel, nothing too
fancy.
I think that a truck ran over it in the parking lot. Somehow I thought
they
could repair it, sent it in, and they sent back a new one with no questions
asked as to how I mangled it so badly.

Gosh, all great reviews on the Galvan reels. I am definitely sold!
I've heard the Galvan reels perform well, and are machined to close
tolerances for fit, and the workmanship is outstanding.
I also enjoyed reading about the customer service from Galvan. I didn't
know they are a family owned small company.
This newsgroup is very useful.
thanks again,
-tom