A whale is a whale because of Steem Power, not Reputation. It take a billion vests to be a whale:
https://steemit.com/minnowsunite/@preparedwombat/so-you-ll-never-be-a-whale-meh
https://steemit.com/whales/@preparedwombat/yes-whales-are-big-here-but-do-you-realize-just-how-big