Steel has an excellent strength-to-weight ratio. When used in the gauges tailored to specific applications, as with Shane Reel components, steel is incredibly durable, and provides long-lasting performance without a significant weight penalty, unlike more expensive, fragile materials.

Steel can be finished in a wide variety of platings, coatings, and surface treatments to support almost any usage requirement. With steel having a natural surface finish that is ideal for paint adhesion and good appearance, many plastics and composites encounter paint adhesion problems, and few can be plated reliably and economically. Shane Reels offer military-grade CARC paint for ease of decontamination after exposure to NBC agents.  They can also be specified with many different surface treatments to suit unique customer application requirements.

Steel has a very long fatigue life, making it the perfect material for abusive duty and long-term use. Shane Reels can function well for decades in harsh outdoor environments, even with frequent abuse. Steel is extremely abrasion-resistant and the surface hardness can be easily and economically tailored to the intended use. For Shane Reels, this means that unintentional dragging and other misuse will not compromise functionality.

Steel is malleable, and sheet metal will bend under overload conditions before cracking or shattering, making it inherently user friendly. This is a significant safety advantage over materials like plastic or wood which can shatter or splinter when overloaded, causing injury.