Van Staal Reels: VR II vs VSX2, Sizes and Prices

A bar chart of four Van Staal reels at the 50 size, all with 25 lb of drag and 360 yd of 20 lb braid: the VR 50 and VR II 50 at $639.95, the VSX2 50 bail-less at $949.95 and the VSX2 50 bailed at $1,059.95 — Chart: fishing.info, from Van Staal's prices and specs and Tackle Warehouse's weights (Nov. 8, 2026)

Our picks at a glance

Best first Van StaalVan Staal VR II 50
A sealed, machined 6061 aluminum body, 25 lb of drag and 360 yd of 20 lb braid at 9.2 oz and $639.95, with a bail and a bail-less kit in the box. The reel for stripers and blues on a light rod.
Best surf valueVan Staal VR II 150
35 lb of drag and 450 yd of 30 lb braid at 4.8:1 for $679.95, about what a VSX2 150 holds for $300 less; a bail on the reel and a bail-less kit in the box.
Best for wading the surfVan Staal VSX2 150 bail-less
The original Van Staal idea at $979.95: no bail, a one-piece sealed body and stem, a titanium main shaft, 30 lb of drag and 440 yd of 30 lb braid. The Saltwater Edge calls it a 9 to 10 ft surf combo.
The all-purpose sizeVan Staal VSX2 200 bail-less
42 lb of drag and 500 yd of 40 lb braid at 4.25:1 for $1,019.95. The Saltwater Edge's all-purpose Van Staal, for everything from tog and bass to schoolie tuna. J&H lists it at 21.2 oz.
Bail-less on a budgetPenn Spinfisher VII 4500 bail-less
Penn's bail-less version of the Spinfisher VII at $229.95, the same price as the bailed one, with 20 lb of drag and 320 yd of 10 lb mono. A way to learn bail-less casting before spending $949.95.

Van Staal sells three spinning reel series in November 2026: the VR, the VR II from $639.95 and the VSX2 from $949.95. The VR, the older model, is on sale at $543.99 to $599.99 in the sizes still in stock. For most surf and inshore anglers, buy the VR II. The VSX2 bail-less is for the angler who wants the reel Van Staal built its name on. Every price and spec here is from Van Staal’s own pages on Nov. 8, 2026. None of the reels was fished for this page.

At the 50 size, the $639.95 VR II and the $949.95 VSX2 bail-less hold the same line and list the same 25 lb of drag. The VSX2 weighs 3.6 oz more.

Which Van Staal should you buy?

Buy the VR II in the size your rod calls for. It’s the cheapest Van Staal with every size in stock, and it’s sealed. It comes with a bail and a bail-less kit, so you can try both ways. Step up to the VSX2 only if you want a reel made bail-less from the start.

Your fishing	Size	First pick	The step up
Boat, inshore, a light 8–9 ft rod	50	VR II 50	VSX2 50
Light surf, 8–9 ft rod	75 or 100	VR II 75	VSX2 100
Surf, 9–10 ft rod, stripers and blues	150	VR II 150	VSX2 150
All-purpose surf and jetty	200	VR II 200	VSX2 200
11 ft rod, the canal, tuna	250 or 300	–	VSX2 250 or 300

The rod lengths and jobs follow The Saltwater Edge’s VSX2 size guide, written by Coby Goodrich for a shop that sells the reels. The VR II matches by capacity, not by name: the two 150s hold within 10 yd of each other. Match the reel to the rod you own. The surf fishing rods page pairs lengths with reel sizes.

VR, VR II or VSX2: what’s the difference?

All three are machined from 6061 aluminum and sealed. What changes is the body, the bail and the price.

Series	Sizes	Price	Max drag	Bail
VR	50–200	$543.99–599.99 sale (50 and 75 sold out)	25–40 lb	Bail, plus bail-less kit
VR II	25–200	$639.95–749.95	25–40 lb	Bail, plus bail-less kit
VSX2 bail-less	50–300	$949.95–1,099.95	25–42 lb	No bail
VSX2 Fast	150–250	$979.95–1,059.95	30–42 lb	No bail
VSX2 bailed	50, 150, 200	$1,059.95–1,129.95	25–42 lb	Bail

The VR is the older one, on sale on Van Staal’s site with several sizes sold out. The VR II is marked new. Van Staal lists a fully sealed body and spool and a waterproof drag, and adds Powergrip handle and drag knobs. The small VR II sizes (25, 50, 75) run 6.3:1. The bigger ones run 4.8:1, slower and with more cranking power.

The VSX2 is the descendant of the original VS. Van Staal calls the VS “the benchmark for durability and reliability for 30 years”. The X2 gets a one-piece body and stem and a titanium main shaft. Its oversized clutch sits on the pinion side, which Van Staal says “results in immediate hook sets”. The Fast version puts a quicker gear in the bigger sizes: 5.4:1 on the 150 against 4.75:1.

What you pay for is in the hero chart above. At the 50 size, all four reels list 25 lb of drag, 240 yd of 10 lb mono and 360 yd of 20 lb braid. Tackle Warehouse weighs the VSX2 bail-less at 12.8 oz against 9.2 oz for the VR II. The VSX2 doesn’t fish more line. It’s a heavier, one-piece build.

What size Van Staal do you need?

Van Staal sizes go 25 to 300, and they don’t line up with Penn’s or Shimano’s numbers. Compare line capacity in yards, not the size number. Here’s the VSX2 bail-less, size by size, from Van Staal’s chart:

VSX2 size	Max drag	Mono	Braid	Price
50 (VS50BX2)	25 lb (11.3 kg)	240 yd of 10 lb	360 yd of 20 lb	$949.95
100 (VS100BX2)	30 lb (13.6 kg)	300 yd of 10 lb	460 yd of 20 lb	$949.95
150 (VS150BX2)	30 lb	360 yd of 12 lb	440 yd of 30 lb	$979.95
200 (VS200BX2)	42 lb (19.1 kg)	400 yd of 15 lb	500 yd of 40 lb	$1,019.95
250 (VS250BX2)	42 lb	350 yd of 20 lb	600 yd of 50 lb	$1,059.95
300 (VS300BX2)	42 lb	470 yd of 25 lb	480 yd of 80 lb	$1,099.95

Goodrich’s guide gives each size a job. The 50 is “a beefcake of a boat reel, but can also hold its own on a 8-9 foot light surf rod.” The 100 is “the best option for a light surf setup.” The 150 is “a great 9 and 10 foot surf combo.” The 200 is “the all purpose size of Van Staal”, for “everything from tog and bass to schoolie tuna.” The 250 “balances best on an 11’ rod.” The 300 is “the reel for canal guys and those that chase tuna often.”

If you can only own one, buy the 150 or 200 for the surf. They also get heavy: J&H Tackle lists the VSX2 200 at 21.2 oz. The how to put line on a reel page covers filling that much line.

What does bail-less mean?

A bail-less reel has no wire arm across the spool. To cast, pick the line off the line roller with the index finger of your rod hand. Cast, turn the handle, and the roller catches the line again. Surf anglers like it for two reasons, Manning Smith of Pawleys Island Outdoors told Carolina Sportsman. A bail can close by itself mid-cast and snap the line. And the bail wire is the most fragile part of the reel.

It takes practice, because your finger does the bail’s job on every cast. That’s why the VR and VR II are the easy way in: they ship with the bail on and a kit in the box. Cope’s article adds a warning about conversion kits in general. They can leave a reel “unbalanced and less smooth and reliable than those specifically designed and made without bails”. The VSX2 is made without one.

A bar chart of bail-less spinning reel prices: Penn Spinfisher VII 4500 at $229.95 and 6500 at $289.95, against the Van Staal VSX2 100 at $949.95, 150 at $979.95 and 200 at $1,019.95

If you want to try bail-less before spending $949.95, Penn sells the Spinfisher VII 4500 bail-less for $229.95, the same price as the bailed one. It’s the same idea in a cheaper build, and the Penn reels page walks through that family.

Is a Van Staal worth it?

For the surf angler who wades and fishes off the rocks, the people who write about them say yes. Field & Stream’s Joe Cermele wrote that “you could bang a Van Staal off jetty rocks, or dunk it in the sand and salt, and it would keep on ticking.” He calls them “the gold standard of diehard surf-casters who put their gear through hell.” On Van Staal’s own site the VR II rates 4.9 out of 5 from 17 owner reviews. That’s a small count, and the reviews shown there mention how light it feels.

Three things to know before you pay. First, the warranty is one year from the first retail purchase, for the original owner, with a dated receipt. It doesn’t cover corrosion or normal wear, and it’s void if damage or corrosion comes from service by anyone but a Van Staal Authorized Service Center. Second, Van Staal gives no IP rating, the lab sealing score Penn prints for its reels. Third, the price has climbed. The Fisherman’s VR50 write-up put the suggested retail at $489, and the VR II 50 lists at $639.95 today.

Here’s the comparison worth making. A VR II 125 costs exactly what a Penn Authority 4500 costs, and both brands belong to Pure Fishing.

Reel	Price	Max drag	10 lb mono	Sealing
Van Staal VR II 125	$649.95	30 lb (13.6 kg)	340 yd (311 m)	“Fully sealed”, no IP rating
Penn Authority 4500	$649.95	30 lb	320 yd (293 m)	IPX8, built to go under
Penn Spinfisher VII 4500	$229.95	20 lb (9.1 kg)	320 yd	IPX5

The Van Staal holds 20 yd more line. The Authority has the tested sealing number. The saltwater spinning reels page explains what those IP numbers mean.

Is a Van Staal better than a Shimano? At the top they cost about the same. Shimano lists the Stella SW C 4000XG at $1,049.99 and the 5000HG at $1,099.99, in the VSX2’s range. But the Stella SW comes with a bail, and bail-less is what Van Staal is known for. Field & Stream names Zeebaas, from 2005, as Van Staal’s first rival at that price.

You don’t need a Van Staal to catch a striper from the beach. A $230 Penn does that. A Van Staal is for the angler whose reel goes in the water often.

The picks in detail

VR II 50

The first Van Staal for most anglers, at $639.95. It weighs 9.2 oz on Tackle Warehouse’s chart and runs 6.3:1, the fastest gear Van Staal sells. The Fisherman called the VR50 a reel for “any light tackle, inshore fishing situation.” For a 10 ft surf rod, buy the 150.

VR II 150

The surf reel at $679.95: 35 lb of drag, 450 yd of 30 lb braid, 4.8:1. It holds about what the VSX2 150 holds for $300 less. Fish it with the bail, then put the kit on when you’re ready.

VSX2 150 bail-less

The Van Staal most surf anglers picture, at $979.95. No bail to snap shut, a one-piece sealed body and a titanium shaft. Want a faster retrieve? The Fast version is 5.4:1 at the same price.

VSX2 200 bail-less

The all-purpose size at $1,019.95: 42 lb of drag, 500 yd of 40 lb braid, and 21.2 oz on J&H’s chart. It’s a heavy reel, so put it on a rod that can carry it.

Penn Spinfisher VII 4500 bail-less

Not a Van Staal, and that’s the point. At $229.95 it lets you learn picking the line with your finger before you buy the real thing.

Buying a used Van Staal, or servicing one?

Used Van Staals sell on eBay. Know what you give up. The warranty covers only the original owner, with a dated receipt, so a used reel has none. It also applies only to reels with serial numbers above #6999, so check the number on an older one.

Think twice before you open one up in year one. Van Staal voids the warranty if damage or corrosion comes from service by anyone but a Van Staal Authorized Service Center. Van Staal posts reel schematics and part lists for the VR and VSX2 series on its site. Those diagrams are what you want on the bench once the year is up. Corrosion and “improper maintenance” are never covered, so rinse the reel in fresh water after a day in the salt.

Who makes Van Staal reels?

Van Staal is a Pure Fishing brand, the same company that owns Penn. TackleTour’s history says Robert Koelewyn, an engineer machining parts for the aircraft industry, founded the company in Fairfield, Connecticut, in 1987. In the 1990s he wanted to build “a more maintenance free, longer lasting fishing reel.” J&H Tackle dates the first reels to 1992, sold with a fixed bail and made in the United States at the start.

Reel Ventures LLC bought the brand in 2001, and W.C. Bradley took over in 2003. Pure Fishing bought Van Staal and Fin-Nor from W.C. Bradley/Zebco Holdings, a deal SGB Media reported on Dec. 3, 2019. Van Staal’s product pages don’t say where the reels are made today, so check the box. The site sells spinning reels, one surf rod series, pliers and hats, with no casting or fly reels listed.

Year	Who owned Van Staal
1987	Robert Koelewyn founds the company in Fairfield, Connecticut
1992	The first reels, with a fixed bail, made in the United States
2001	Reel Ventures LLC buys the brand
2003	W.C. Bradley takes over
2019	Pure Fishing buys Van Staal and Fin-Nor from W.C. Bradley/Zebco Holdings (SGB Media, Dec. 3, 2019)

Is a Van Staal the right reel for your spinning setup? The spinning reel basics and the reels hub cover the rest. Best fishing reels sets the big brands side by side.

How we chose

Every price and spec here comes from Van Staal’s own product pages on Nov. 8, 2026, and Penn’s prices from Penn’s site. Van Staal doesn’t publish weights, so those are from Tackle Warehouse and J&H Tackle, named where used. The size jobs are The Saltwater Edge’s, and the opinions are from the named writers. No reel was bought, fished or tested for this page.

Sources (21)

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