Tywithay

About 82% sure the weight difference is the handle. Haven't actually looked it up. Just an educated guess based on previous Shimano releases.

Fuego LT. I have the Exceler too, but it's not as good as the Fuego. They go for around $80 if you search around.

This is my fear with any of the Lews, Abu, etc., reels. How do the internals differ between the $100 and the $300 models to warrant the price increase? A lot of the platforms are the same, or very similar, so I don't know if they're completely different reels or just use lighter components.

The biggest technological advancement in rod building is probably the quality of the resin. It allows manufacturers to utilize much higher modulus graphite, while maintaining strength. The weight savings alone can add to the perception of more sensitivity. Does it help catch fish? Who knows? I think the most important aspect of any rod is confidence. If you're comfortable using it, you're more inclined to get the most out of it.

D is indeed deep. Shallow spools are labeled with an "S." The 3000 is just a standard depth Daiwa spool that holds 160 of 8lb line. By comparison, a 2500S holds 100 yards of 6lb line and a 2000S holds 100 yards of 4lb line.

Mint Core 50's still fetch near retail price from when they were new. That's a heck of a little reel. Probably the most comfortable platform Shimano ever made too.

The Tatula 3000 has a standard spool option, not shallow. It still holds about 80 more yards than I'd ever want, or need. Not too keen on the T-knob that comes on the 3000 models either.

Closest to the metanium is probably the hypermag. It was very light and performed well enough, I guess. Didn't feel nearly as refined as the msrp would suggest.

I ordered my Tatula LT 2000S-XH and Certate LT 2500S from Japan, solely because I did not want the deep spool. I don't know why Daiwa feels like people need 200 yards of line, but it makes no sense to me. The Daiwa BG has a standard depth spool and it's made for saltwater...headscratcher there. I wish the shallow spool reels were more readily available, especially since a lot of guys use braid nowadays. Oh well, I guess it's easy enough to find a source.

The blank, no. Wraps and epoxy, possibly.

Correct. I think the spool may be slightly shallower, like 10 yards. However, that could just be a difference in labeling between US and Japanese line manufacturers. Aside from that, it's exactly the same frame and hardware. I've never had a reel fail me, but Shimano parts are easy to come by, and there's several places that fix reels if you don't work on them yourself. I worry more about rod warranties than reels, personally.

MGL would be most beneficial, in my opinion. DC is great for casting typical lures with less fuss, but offers no advantages with lighter stuff. If you're already willing to spend the coin, I'd consider ordering a new Metanium from Japan, rather than the Chronarch. I've paid $285-$290 for mine and both arrived in less than a week. It has the newer MGLIII spool and a smaller frame.

For lipless specifically, I like a fast reel. Though, it has little to do with actually reeling fast. Those baits are probably what I cast the furthest of all my lures. I prefer 6 ratio reels, but if you strip off 100 yards of line, your IPT drops drastically. They also offer little resistance, so torque isn't a necessity. Squarebills, I use a 6.2, just because that's what happens to be on my squarebill rod.

The 200 isn't really designed for baits that light. The big dog wants to eat.

Seems he's more interested in a baitcaster.

Easier for me to speed up.

I liked it well enough to sell my Exist that cost almost 2x as much. It's a spinning reel, so there's only so much performance you can squeeze out of it, but it's as good as I've ever used. It's effortlessly smooth, but still feels stable and powerful. I wouldn't say it blows the Stradic FL (don't have a CI4+) out of the water, but all the little refinements are definitely noticeable. I think the biggest surprise for me was just how powerful it feels.

Bout lost my knuckles to a large striped bass while crappie fishing once. Haven't back reeled since. Can only imagine what would happen if something even meaner grabbed it. Back on topic, I would also recommend the Daiwa BG. If you like Penn reels, the BG is squarely in your wheelhouse and more than enough reel to tame a pike.

I find it difficult to get a good knot with extremely thin braid and larger fluoro. It's doable, but I avoid it personally.

Used to be the code "Abandoned" would save a little coin on sportsmans. Don't know if it's still active.

I've seen no mention of made in the USA anywhere and I imagine it would be advertised if they were. I hate those tiny nubs on the butt. Horrible for two handed casting.

I don't know if there's a better value at retail price. Now obviously, if you get a $300 reel for $100 or something, it's a better deal, but I'd put the Fuego up against pretty much anything under $200, save for maybe the Curado and it's not far behind it. As someone else said, it's basically a Tatula without the TWS and Tatula is good enough that Daiwa sold the farm for it.

I only got the SV thinking it would handle the lighter stuff better. The Elite casted the same baits (1/16+crappie tube) further, and with less effort, on the same rods. I found the SV to have zero advantages over the Elite, aside from the thumb bar looking nicer.

The Elite was a pleasant surprise for me when it came to light lures. I bought it and a Tatula SV at the same time and the Elite blew the SV away. It doesn't do anything magical and you aren't going to bomb 100 yard casts or anything, but the ease with which it is able to achieve average to above average distance is pretty incredible. I added Hedgehog ZR bearings to one of mine and it casts as far as anything I own with almost no effort at all.

The Elite casts lightish lures really well, but both of these reels are far from BFS.