Crankinstein

I agree with whoever criticized the one brand guys. You've got to get out and test everyone's products from time to time even if you've been particularly loyal to one for awhile. Afterall the market changes and quality fluctuates among the manufacturers over time just like everything else in the world. As for me personally I have Daiwa, Shimano, Abu Garcia, and Pflueger reels on my deck and I use all of them. There is a lot of great companies making reels and it'd be dumb not to at least stay fresh on what everyone's doing. I recently bought a Daiwa for the first time in 4 years because I was interested in the T wing system and I'm really glad I did, the Tatula type R is now one of my favorite reels. You should always keep an open mind and stay optimistic, tiny tech advances can go a long way in our sport and you don't want to be the guy late to the party. You never know when a company's going to come along and change the game.

I have two Supreme XTs and I really love those reels. I was in a similar debate when I bought them and the determining factor for me personally was the bail. I preferred the XT bail over the Shimano wire style bail. I would also go on record saying its my favorite bail of any spinning reel I have ever used. These reels also stood the test of time and remained smooth over 3 seasons.

Just bought one today, 7' medium mojo bass. Love these Christmas deals

I use LH reels as well and I definitely agree with the original post, having a good feeling knob and handle is important whether it be factory or add on. I would also like to say that having a good star drag is important too. Its got to feel right in my hand whether its plastic or metal and have a smooth feel when adjusting it.

I would also recommend looking at them in person to do a side by side comparison. Holding a Tatula vs the T3 ballistic is what helped me decide. The function of the TWS on the Tatula is a lot different than the open hood design of the T3 and I thought the handle and the knobs were a little different as well. The Tatula has a more rubberized style knob. For me personally I liked the Tatula because I Thought it had a more natural feel overall but I've heard other anglers prefer the T3 because they enjoyed the unique open hood design of its TWS. It just comes down to what you prefer in a reel.

River2Sea junk grenade and Damiki Mamba and Mamba 2 are two of my favorites and they offer a few unique qualities. The jig head on the Mamba is more streamlined shape for use in heavy cover and also has a skirt with very wide strands. The junk grenade is made of tungsten and has a very fine skirt, I especially like how the hook and the weed guard just barely touch offering excellent weedless fishing. Those are my two favorites

After holding both in my hand I decided to go with the Tatula. Personally I thought they both seemed liked really good reels but the choice to me was more about user preference and I just liked the handle and the knobs on the Tatula a little more and I liked how the TWS didn't have the hood style opening. As most people have already mentioned I really don't think there is any disadvantage to the hood but I just liked the new TWS style mechanism better. I feel like its the next step of improvement for the system and just has a more natural feel. Again as mentioned before some people liked the t3 because of that different unique feel. In the end I say hold them side by side and pick the one you like best because their both quality reels.