I’ve been using this reel for a few months now and so far I don’t have a bad word to say about it! It may be an acquired taste – the fact it is clear plastic but it looks much better in the flesh than it does on the internet!
The main attraction for me was the weight, it comes in at only 100g and is marketed as being incredibly robust. It’s certainly had a few impacts so far and not a scratch of bent spool as seems to happen all too often with die cast reels. I also managed to get it in a sale at £51 – great value for money IMO.
The spool itself is a wide arbor, not the largest arbor but very wide. It holds a lot of backing and a WF5F line, it would definitely comfortably take a #6 with a lot of backing too. The reel foot is made out of metal to ensure a stronger connection to the rod, a plastic reel foot would possibly be a bit weaker? The drag system on this reel is another strong selling point, it is very good! Very wide adjustment range and it stays on the setting selected, the adjustment knob doesn’t spin if knocked – a pet peeve of mine! The reel has an audible click both on winding and when the drag is used, the drag being the louder of the two. It comes preset left or right hand wind from the factory, so make sure to specify what you are after! The spool locking mechanism is very solid, a screw down cap with retainers – whilst it is very solid is leads to being a wee bit slower to change spools than other quick release designs.
All in all a great wee reel, super light and at a great price. I don’t see how you could go wrong with one of these!
