Why do you prefer one or the other?

Can't go wrong with either one.....I have both...actually the only 2 brand of reels in my boat. Great reels with great breaking systems....legendary quality.

Once you go SV, it's reaaaalllyy hard to go back.

My last Shimano's I had were the Curado G series and they just were not the best reels they had put out. To me the Daiwa reels are the most user friendly baitcaster I have ever used. I now use a mix of Daiwa and Lews.

Can't really go wrong with either, Ford or Chevy type subject for most.

I use Shimano and have used them since I was a kid. Overall they perform well, you get what you pay for and I understand their line-up well. Some brands just have too many names and variants that make it harder to follow.

I personally have found that the metal body shimano reels can be serviced, and work just as good or better as they were when they were new. (Made in Japan) models. They really use good bearings, much better back in the day than today from the reels I have serviced. My fishing mentor let me service his reels, about 6 models I have never seen before. Truly amazing reels once they were cleaned, and bearings were de-shielded. I could spool many of them.

I am sure diawa makes a good reel, my first real baitcaster was a diawa back in 1990 and I was amazed that I could cast a worm with a hook only and not have an eagle's nest. But it wore out, and i didn't know how to service it. It was a plastic body, and never worked the same as it did the first 6 months that i owned it.

Personally, i have lost many fish from issues with a reel. And I rotate them out and service them as problems come up.

Dad's Ol Tackle has the goods to make an old reel like new. And if you have any old Shimano reels made in japan. Shoot me an IM, i might be interested. There are many of the older reels that were made around the same time the scorpion was made that I wouldn't mind picking up.

Daiwa. I purchase reels in the $100-$150 price point.
In that price range, Daiwa makes higher quality reels

+1

I have a half dozen Steez reels and I love them. However, if you need a part for them get ready to wait 6 mos to a year. SW Parts stopped selling Daiwa due to their jacked up supply chain.

Something to consider.

You left out Lews reels in your title description. All three brands are good.

When Shimano got in to making the bantam reels I got some of those and loved them and stayed a Shimano fan until the Shimano G series. Those were duds. That is when I started looking at Lews and Daiwa. I now mostly use Daiwas and Lews reels depending on what technique I am using. I do still have several older Shimano reels (E series) that I will never part with. One of the current Shimano's that I like is the SLX. Very good reel for the price.

I prefer shimano becuase i've used them since i was a kid. I recently did some research on new reels and one of the main things that kept me with shimano was multiple sources said it is much easier to get parts for them than other brands if needed.

Shimano. After waiting over a year for a couple of small parts for Daiwa reels....and that was pre-covid....not interested if Daiwa will not support their product.

Agree. I was a fan of the old curados and then bought my first Tatula Ct. I sold all my shimano and replaced them with tatula’s. I have one tatula elite but honestly can’t tell the difference between it and CT’s. For the price I don’t think they can be beat.

I have several Shimano SLX XTs and Daiwa Tatula CTs. Both brands have served me well, and I consider them almost comparable in quality and performance. However, I prefer the Shimano reels slightly for smoother operation and better grips. The reported Daiwa parts availability problem is troubling.

Diawa....have tried both and found that Shimano you need to get into the higher ranking reels ($$$) before they compare to the mid-level Diawas. Also many Shimanos I had would start to become noisy and I found I had to constantly clean / lube them. Not sure why, but I attributed it more to the way they were built that allowed dust / gunk build up quicker.

I made the switch in early 2010....I started fishing with the JM specials, then started buying Shimano due to the "Greenie" Curado. Once they changed those designs I gave Diawa a shot. Been using them since.