upnorthbassin

5 minute epoxy does work but it is pretty brittle compared to other methods (not saying it doesn't work....it will do the job). A slower curing epoxy is better than the quick as far as impact resistance goes. That's why the hot melt is good. It's trickier to apply perfectly but I think it holds up better to accidental impacts, etc.

2 less bearings and they are no longer the same AR bearings I beleive (this also changed the description of the bearings on their website too). Plastic drag star too which is less expensive than aluminum. Some people have said there is differences in the fit and finish but I don't have any evidence of that and I'm no reel expert anyways. Sure the reel is $20 less but it also has at least $20 less in parts. It's not a lesser value overall than the E, it's just a different reel for a different amount of money. You get what you pay for. And as far as the $150 price point...there are more contenders than there used to be. You can get a Lew's Tourney Pro for that price, a Pinnacle Optimus XLT, a Revo STX, and many others. If they are better or worse...that is subjective...but they are competition that wasn't there in the past and they are gaining in popularity. Not many other companies are taking features out of one of their flagship reels and selling it for a few bucks less. Shimano did and people are complaining. I bet they'll listen and change things up on their next go.

When you pick up a reel for the first time and you get that initial impression, that sort of sticks with you. Some reels you pick up and you're amazed at how light they are. Some you're amazed at how smooth they are. Some you might pick up and they feel built like a brick outhouse. Some might just look flashy or have a cool looking finish to them. The curado line seems like it was a solid choice because of the name. You remember when you had one years ago or you've read a million other people online say how great their curado is. I know the name and I trust the reel. I would be happy with one...even the G series. But one thing about them is that I've tried out the G series and it didn't really impress me I guess you could say. I don't think there's anything wrong with it but it didn't blow me away either. For $160, I can think of other reels that have at least 1 or 2 more impressive features. I'm not bashing Shimano by any means....I like the Curado well enough, it just doesn't have any of that wow factor to it. I still almost bought one a few times anyways though.

I can't speak for the regular speed spool but the TP casts really well. I think for the $99 I would pay the extra $20 and get a BB1 off ebay. The anti-reverse might be a dealbreaker for some but that seems to be the only complaint about that reel. I'm impressed with Lews reels.....especially being able to easily find them for well under msrp.

I am curious to see pictures of catastrophic reel failures due to voids, etc. Voids in a very high stress part is obviously a bad thing...I certainly wouldn't want one in the frame of a .500 magnum revolver for instance. But how does that compare to a reel? Since this is the internet and I can go and see pictures of almost every single defect in anything imaginable, there should be at least a few hundred (if not thousands) pics of broken reels due to this too. If I had a $200+ reel snap in half under little stress I'd probably be pretty ticked off. But seriously...how does this relate to actual use? Where is the patterned failure of parts made with one specific method or material? The proof is in the pudding. I'm not on any "side" here....I own plenty of reels made by Shimano and Pure and others too. I could care less who makes the next reel I buy as long as I like it. I just want to see some actual evidence instead of he said she said.

Use the glue stick. You can very lightly and carefully sand the tip a little bit with a fine grit paper to get the glue to adhere better. Don't overheat anything though. It doesn't take much heat to melt it and it will damage the blank if you overheat it. The better glue sticks aren't the same sticks that is in your typical craft project hot melt....they are a bit different and seem to not be as brittle once dried. You can use an alcohol burner to melt it or a fine tip butane torch....just keep them at a distance. I'm no expert at all but the rods I've built and repaired have no problems doing it that way. I have also used the easton hot glue that I used to attach arrow target points and inserts and that works great too.

If you like Daiwa you could probably find an Exceler for that price. A lot of people really seem to think the H20 Mettle is a good value and those are only $50 (sometimes less on sale). I almost want to buy a mettle just to see how good they are since some fairly knowledgeable people have said they are pretty darn good for the $.

Is it more manageable than Invizx? Because Invizx is pretty darn manageable.

I won't say sensitivity is overrated but there is certainly a point of dimishing return. The difference between a $25 rod and a $150 rod is night and day but the difference between a $150 rod and a $300 rod isn't exactly as dramatic. Even some of the cheaper rods these days are much more sensitive than they used to be. My dobyns champion is pretty sensitive....and so is my st croix avid. I have only fished it a couple of times but my legend xtreme seems very sensitive. I don't know if I "need" that...but it can't hurt. I honestly don't think I'm a good enough angler where a minor change in equipment would mean the difference between making it or breaking it. The thing about having nice equipment is that you only have yourself to blame if something doesn't go your way. You can't blame a botched hookset on a rod that isn't sensitive if you're fishing an NRX or a Legend Xtreme, etc.

Just came back from Kittery trading post in Kittery, Maine. They had lots of samples for some good prices. I almost walked out with a Compre for $53....but I put it back because I already bought enough rods this month (which may cause my wife to kill me in my sleep). They had Crucials for 90-100, cumaras for $130, Compres were $50-$60, Clarus for around $40 and sellus for $25. They had about 8-9 racks full of them to choose from. For Loomis they had some GLXs left but mostly GL3 and GL2, some salmon rods...the loomis selection was more picked over but the prices were about 35-45% off MSRP on them depending on the model. They had about 9 or so racks full of sample rods and maybe 1 1/2 of saltwater models.The reels are all 30%-50% off and they have maybe 100 or so to choose from but almost all spinning reels except the lower end baitcasters and saltwater models. While I was in there people were calling in orders over the phone and the clerk was picking rods and taking credit card #s to ship them out. I had to fight the bait monkey off with everything I had today. I won this battle....but he is winning the war.

I agree. Remember a few decades ago when everyone thought if it said "made in japan" on it, it was junk? Just look at what people think of all the japanese tackle these days...they'll pay double for it or more! Chinese manufacturing is not what it was before.....now they basically do what you pay them to do. If you want a bc reel to retail for $25....they can make it happen. If you want one made from the highest quality parts known to man, they can do that for you too. The reason they are known to be cheaper is because companies are generally looking to save money and have them make a product for the lowest possible dollar. You'd have a tough time making a bc reel that retails for $25 in the US. There's less of a reason to outsource when it's a top dollar niche product (well...even VS did it on their reels too so maybe I'm wrong). As long as you get a good product for a good price....in the end that's what matters most as a consumer.

Guess what? The springfields are all made overseas. SA isn't even the same company as the one from MA. Their XD was designed by Croations and made there and even their top of the line custom 1911s have all the parts built overseas and are just assembled here. All their non-customs are 100% imported. That's how it goes these days.

Good stuff. All the ones I really want to try I'm going to have to order online though (space monkey especially). The stores around here only seem to stock a few of them. Great product though....and the best packaging on the market too.

Back in the day it was a lot easier to bring stuff home with you while on deployment. Guys in WWII brought home all sorts of neat stuff.....and we're still finding it in attics and at the bottom of ponds, etc. I remember a few years back they were hauling crates full of machine guns and explosives out of the water somewhere. Not to mention any other type of more recent smuggling that comes to an abrupt end. If you want stuff to vanish in a hurry, throwing it in a body of water can make that happen pretty quick. Unfortunately most of the stuff is destroyed. Even some of the rare stuff they recover gets destroyed instead of going to a museum or a collection. I'm pretty sure that grenade was a nam era pineapple. Pretty crazy to pull one up but I guess it's going to happen to someone somewhere eventually.

I got mine a few weeks after I ordered. It's very slick and has a type of coating or casing on/in it. I haven't used it much but it's worth trying. It is thicker in diameter than a lot of braided line so take that into consideration.

I have to say.....I've struck up conversations with people (and vice versa) wearing clothes that advertise a product I like....not really about the specific product but maybe about the sport/game/etc in general. That might be more of a reason to wear something like that than the advertising end of it.

I think a lot of people want to immitate the pros they see on TV. They dress like them, use their sayings, etc. I think the name/logo put on almost everything I can think of is the Bone Collector series. I swear you could probably find Bone Collector toilet paper if you looked hard enough.

Oh, I should add that I tried some Tuf-Line supercast through the recoil guides and it pretty darn quiet (if anyone's wondering).

It's always good to get a second opinion from someone with the same gear. Let me know if you find something where this rod really shines and I'll give it a try myself. BTW - One of my favorite (of many) Mencken quotes.

Mine came packed well too. I have to say that most places have figured out how to pack them right. TW does a good job...even cabelas does alright. I actually got one from walmart that was packed well too. St Croix packs them in the sleeve first which makes it easier to pack well.

Live Target? If so, those look unreal..lots of attention to detail. I bought a few of them to try out too.

I took mine out today and gave it a try. I had a Lews tourney pro on it spooled with 12# invizx. I also tried it with some lighter mono too. Casting 1/4oz seems near the sweet spot but heavier weight seems like it won't be a problem either. A 3/16 jig is beginning to approach the upper limit and with a small rage tail grub on it.....that's definitely the absolute max I would feel comfortable casting with this. A 4" senko is just about perfect (1/4oz + hook) and a 5" senko doesn't feel like it's out of range but maybe on the verge of it. I also tried tossing a small 1/8oz fluke with it and it was definitely a bit light. The lews tp isn't an ideal setup to throw such light weight so that may play a part in it too. I'm sure your alphas would do better. I think this rod is slightly underrated in power but not nearly as much as any of the other St. Croix medium power rods I've had. It seems to work best for me with 1/4 to 1/3oz max. I'll have to try it with a 1/8oz jig with a little grub trailer....that might be just the ticket for jigs for this. I'm still not sure what I'm going to use it for because I haven't fished it...but that seems to settle the weight thing for me anyways.

I have an XLT. Seems like a pretty decent reel for the money (I haven't used it much yet). The spool size is pretty different on the 50 size reels if that plays a factor.

I have heard the bearings are not the same. Any truth to that?

These days that doesn't mean much at all. There are factories in China that are making everything from the top of the line product to the worst quality product available. A lot of store brand products are made by these same companies but you don't hear them compared as much....because they are different. The way Chinese production is....this is a VERY common occurance. They build what they are being paid to build. If I had enough money I could probably have that same factory make me a reel that retails for $25. That doesn't mean it's going to be good because it's made in the same factory as a Revo. It also doesn't mean a Lews is a Abu either with a different tag on it either.