stratos21xl
Active member
<font size="2">I recently got my hands on two of these to try out. One 8.1:1 and one 7.3:1.</font></p>
<font size="2">I put25 lb Seaguar Tatsu on the 8.1 and mountedit on a 7 ft 6 flipping stick and was I ever surprised at how well this reel performed. I was pitching anything from a 3/16 ounce texas rigged creature to a 1 ounce jig and it handled them all with ease. The drag is extremely smooth and has zero loss or slop in it.</font></p>
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<font size="2">I put 15 lb Seaguar Tatsu on the 7.3:1 and mounted it on a Megabass Orochi XX Tour Versatile rod and threw several jigs from 1/2 to 3/4 ounce. I also tried several texas rigged plastics from 3/16 ounce all the way up 5/8 of an ounce and the reel needed nothing more than small cast control adjustments.Just like the other reel, this one performed flawlessly. </font></p>
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<font size="2">I would easily say this reel wouldmeasure up to the higher end small profileCore or even the Metanium for about 1/3 of the price. It is very simple to adjust the variable brakes as it has a dial under the side plate rather than pins that have to be flipped on or off to turn on or off. I also like the fact that the side plate pops off rather than being mounted on a swing system like the Shimano's. The only thing I am unsure of is the durability or longevity of the reels but time will certainly tell that.</font></p>
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<font size="2">My only two dislikes, neither would be a show stopper, are the low line capacity which is 100 yards of 12 lb test and the cork knobs on the handle will take a little getting used to. If you want a really small profile, palmable reel that won't break the bank then I would suggest you take a look at thesereels.</font></p>
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<font size="2">I put25 lb Seaguar Tatsu on the 8.1 and mountedit on a 7 ft 6 flipping stick and was I ever surprised at how well this reel performed. I was pitching anything from a 3/16 ounce texas rigged creature to a 1 ounce jig and it handled them all with ease. The drag is extremely smooth and has zero loss or slop in it.</font></p>
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<font size="2">I put 15 lb Seaguar Tatsu on the 7.3:1 and mounted it on a Megabass Orochi XX Tour Versatile rod and threw several jigs from 1/2 to 3/4 ounce. I also tried several texas rigged plastics from 3/16 ounce all the way up 5/8 of an ounce and the reel needed nothing more than small cast control adjustments.Just like the other reel, this one performed flawlessly. </font></p>
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<font size="2">I would easily say this reel wouldmeasure up to the higher end small profileCore or even the Metanium for about 1/3 of the price. It is very simple to adjust the variable brakes as it has a dial under the side plate rather than pins that have to be flipped on or off to turn on or off. I also like the fact that the side plate pops off rather than being mounted on a swing system like the Shimano's. The only thing I am unsure of is the durability or longevity of the reels but time will certainly tell that.</font></p>
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<font size="2">My only two dislikes, neither would be a show stopper, are the low line capacity which is 100 yards of 12 lb test and the cork knobs on the handle will take a little getting used to. If you want a really small profile, palmable reel that won't break the bank then I would suggest you take a look at thesereels.</font></p>
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