The Shimano Spheros SW is the newest version of the Spheros model and was first released in 2014. In this review of the Shimano Spheros SW, we will take a look at how it compares to other reels from Shimano such as the Shimano Stella SW and the Shimano Saragosa SW spinning reel.
While Shimano does have an offering in its saltwater lineup that is less expensive, the Shimano Socorro SW it would not be my first choice for a full-sized saltwater spinning reel. You can read the full review on the Shimano Socorro SW here.
The Spheros SW is not an inexpensive reel with street prices starting at just under $199 at the time of this writing (8/17), but it is at the lower end of the price range for a quality saltwater spinning reel that can be used for your larger game fish.
The Spheros SW comes in 5 models ranging from a 5000 up to a 20000 and has a drag rating of between 22 and 41 lbs.
The Bottom Line
- My favorite large saltwater reel for the money
- Very smooth reel with a great drag system
- A fully sealed body that will withstand harsh saltwater conditions
- Shares many of the same parts of other much more expensive Shimano reels
The Shimano Spheros SW is an excellent value and is available HERE.
Built to be a jack of all trades in the saltwater realm, the Shimano 2021 Spheros SW A Spinning Reels have been redesigned to conquer both inshore and offshore waters. Now featuring Shimano's flagship Infinity Drive technology to improve pinion gear support and enhance the overall drive gear design.
Features
Hagane Body – The high-quality Hagane body provides a level of durability and rigidity that is required to withstand the torque of larger fish species. One of the main advantages of a body with more rigidity is that you do not lose any cranking power due to the body flexing.
High-quality materials and engineering like we see here in the Spheros SW are fairly common in your larger more expensive offshore spinning reels like the Shimano Stella Saltwater. I am glad to see that Shimano is applying the same quality to their less expensive models like the Spheros SW and the Saragosa SW.
Hagane cold-forged gearing – As with the majority of Shimano reels these days the Spheros SW is built with Hagane cold-forged gearing which produces an extremely smooth gearing system. This is achieved by a cold-forging process which allows for a more precise gear to be manufactured consistently than a cutting process.
Not only does this process create a smooth gear but it also creates a very strong gear as the gears fit or mesh tightly together which makes it feel more solid and minimizes the wear on the gears.
X-Ship Technology for perfect gear alignment – Shimano uses two bearings, one on each end of the pinion gear to support it, which means that the gears stay in perfect alignment. A typical challenge for many reels is that under a heavy load like a sailfish or large pelagic, the torque that is produced will have a tendency to twist the gears out of alignment.
When this happens, you can feel the reel bogging down or binding when you crank it and the gears are going to wear quicker.
X-Shield – Shimano has incorporated its X-Shield technology that previously has only been available on more expensive reels like the Stella into the Spheros SW reel.
X-Shield consists of placing a number of sealing gaskets and O-rings in critical areas of the reel to eliminate the penetration of water and sand into the reel. This a fully sealed reel and you should feel confident that if you use it for wading, surf casting or from your kayak, that the reel is going to stand up to the harsh saltwater conditions.
As usual, don’t abuse this great design and still follow the rule of proper maintenance of your reels by cleaning thoroughly after each use with fresh water and something like SaltAway.
Cross-Carbon Drag system – Shimano uses a Cross-Carbon Drag washer in the Scorrow SW which provides a smooth drag from the time you get pressure on it – all the way through the fight. The Cross-Carbon Drag is a registered trademark of Shimano.
Basically, the cross-carbon drag has a hatch pattern on it that provides for a strong and smooth drag that is needed when fighting larger pelagic species that love to run fast and hard.
Shielded A-RB® ball bearings – When saltwater fishing, keeping saltwater and sand out of your reel is paramount to a long lifespan. Shimano uses 3 shielded A-RB (anti-rust) bearings that are shielded on both sides with a special coating to minimize damage by saltwater and provide an extremely smooth retrieve.
Cold-forged aluminum spool – The cold-forged aluminum spool is designed for strength and is much stronger than either a die-cast aluminum or graphite spool.
Features at a Glance
- Hagane Body
- Hagane Gearing
- X-Ship
- X-Shield
- Shielded Anti-rust Bearings
- Cold Forged Aluminum Spool
- CFGearing
- Cross Carbon Drag
The handle stem of the Spheros SW is of the same material (machined aluminum) and build quality as that of the more expensive Saragosa SW.
The main difference you will notice is that visually there is a slight bend in the stem which really serves no purpose, however, it is very similar to the more expensive Stella SW design from back in 2008.
Upon inspection, we can see that the pinion/clutch seal which is the most critical area for water intrusion on any saltwater reel uses all of the newest technology and engineering as Shimano’s top reels such as the Stella SW, which means that the water, sand, and dirt should stay out of your beloved reel.
The main shaft seal is the same as that of the Saragosa SW — are you starting to see a pattern here? The continuation of shared parts between the more expensive Saragosa SW and the Spheros SW continues with the graphite rotor.
It should be noted that all of the Spheros SW reels have a graphite rotor where the predecessor Spheros FB had a metal rotor on the 14000 and larger models. While the graphite is a strong material, it is going to be susceptible to flexing particularly in the larger sizes when under a heavy load.
For those of you who want all the details I have provided the chart below.
Model | Line Retrieve (in) | Mono Cap(lbs/yd) | Braid Cap(lbs/yd) | Max Drag (lb) | S-ARB Ball Bearings | Roller Bearings | Gear Ratio | Weight (oz) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SP5000SW | 38.2 | 10/240 12/195 14/165 | 20/245 30/225 40/175 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 4.6:1 | 16 |
SP6000SW | 33 | 12/265 16/170 20/120 | 30/290 50/195 65/140 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 4.6:1 | 16.2 |
SP8000SW | 42.2 | 14/345 16/250 20/185 | 40/340 50/265 65/215 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 4.9:1 | 24.7 |
SP10000SW | 40 | 12/500 16/320 20/220 | 50/360 65/260 80/215 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 4.9:1 | 25.2 |
SP20000SW | 41 | 20/460 25/380 30/320 | 65/490 80/400 100/340 | 41 | 4 | 1 | 4.4:1 | 32.8 |
Overall the Shimano Spheros SW is a well-constructed reel that has many of the exact same components as the more expensive Saragosa SW reel. When it comes to an SW branded reel the thing that is most important is how well sealed it is from the elements.
After looking carefully at the Spheros, it is interesting to see that the waterproofness is on par with that of the Stela SW which is 4x the cost. In fact, if you look at the specifications from Shimano they state that the Spheros is as waterproof as the Stella SW.
One significant upgrade of the new Spheros SW over the previous Spheros FB is the use of the locomotive oscillation system on all models that provides a very even line lay when retrieving.
So as you can tell so far there does not seem to really be any major differences between the Shimano Saragosa SW and the Shimano Spheros SW reels with one major exception, the drag system.
The Spheros SW reel uses a top stack drag system while the bigger and more expensive Saragosa SW uses a drag system that applies drag pressure to both the top and the bottom of the spool. The difference in the drag pressure is minimal and the smoothness and reliability are comparable.
Pros
- Waterproof Design
- Price Point
- Smooth gearing and drag
Cons
- Not a full metal body
Shimano Spheros SW Alternatives
The obvious comparison after this review is the Shimano Saragosa SW but I think that you will conclude as I have that unless you really need the slightly larger drag or the 25000 sized spools then the Spheros SW is a better deal. Read the full Shimano Saragosa SW Spinning Reel review HERE.
The Shimano Saragosa SW Spinning Reel has the versatility, power, and smoothness required to succeed in the toughest saltwater conditions imaginable.
Staying with the Shimano brand but not in the same price category (5 times the price) I would be the Shimano Stella but be prepared to drop a wad of cash. Read the full Shimano Stella SW Spinning Reel review HERE.
Despite its well-earned reputation as the toughest, smoothest, most durable spinning reel in saltwater, the Stella SW now moves even further ahead of the pack.
Staying in the same price range, I would have you take a look at the Penn Slammer III which is a heavier reel but is fully sealed. Read the full review of the Penn Slammer III HERE.
The PENN Slammer III is back by popular demand. Built for heavy duty fishing from either boat or shore, and trusted by charter captains all over the world. The Slammer III reels feature our new IP67 Sealed System which keeps water out of the gear box and drag system.
In Conclusion
The Shimano Spheros SW is a less expensive version of the Shimano Saragosa SW that shares almost all of the same components.
As is so typical these days especially with the larger manufacturers like Shimano, there are several reels that are so close in terms of specs and components that you ask yourself why would they have that reel.
The simple answer is plain old marketing. In the case of the Shimano Saragosa SW vs. the Shimano Spheros SW, I would personally save about 20% and go with the Spheros SW over the Saragosa SW.
The Shimano Spheros SW is one of the lowest priced fully sealed reels on the market today and other than a few features like a full metal body is so similar to the flagship Shimano Stella SW that I think it deserves to be given a solid 4.5 out of 5 possible stars.
For the money, the Shimano Spheros SW is probably the best bang for the buck if you are looking for a great reel for surfcasting or offshore fishing that won’t break the bank.
Retrieve: reversible, gear ratio: 4.6:1
Line capacity lb/yds: 10/240, 12/195, 6/140
Weight: 16.0 ounce
Line retrieve per crank: 38.2 inch
Bearings: 4 s arb, dragforce: 22 lbs
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Oscar
Wednesday 18th of September 2019
Hello, I want to buy a reel and I am analyzing Shimano Biomaster SW 6000PG or 6000XG. What do you think about this Shimano reel?
Salted Angler
Monday 23rd of September 2019
I have not had a chance to review the Biomaster yet so I can not provide any on hands experience with it. I can say from looking at the information I can see that it looks like a good affordable option in this class of reels.
Jigu
Tuesday 23rd of October 2018
What rod is good to pair with the spheros 6k for inshore? What pound and lure ratingand length
Salted Angler
Monday 29th of October 2018
What are you fishing for with a 6000 inshore? I typically use a 4000 for most of my inshore unless I am targeting Tarpon or very large Snook. For a 6000 I would use a 6'6"-7" single piece Medium Heavy rod. The next question is how much do you want to spend. On the cheap side it is hard to go wrong with an Ugly Stik GX2 https://amzn.to/2OdODlg One of my favorite rods is the St. Croix Mojo Inshore, for your 6000 I would go with either a 7' or 7'6" MH or maybe even a Heavy.
Oscar
Wednesday 2nd of May 2018
hello again, I have seen that for the Japanese market has come out a new shimano spheros to the naked eye are equal to your magnificent analysis I only see that changes the handle sten, what do you think of this new reel, a greeting and thanks.
Salted Angler
Monday 7th of May 2018
Oscar,
Shimano has switched the drive gear in their JDM (Japanese domestic market) Spheros SW to a cheaper cast gear. This is the reel that has the split handle and comes in HG and PG versions. The export version of Spheros SW sold in the rest of the world still has the first tier cold forged and coated gear. Personally, I would not buy the JDM version.
kenneth Bryce
Thursday 1st of March 2018
want to buy a new rod for my Spheros 20000. Deep sea, big reds etc. looking at the Venom 350 or the Diawa Saltist 5/6. The Venom is very expensive.
Salted Angler
Friday 2nd of March 2018
Personally, I have never fished with either of those rods so I could not make a recommendation. The bulk of my fishing is inshore with lighter tackle.