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yeah, there is that I guess. But if it requires that much maintenance I'd just send them off. I've never had a problem with the fiddly parts that raise the little hood, Everything else is OK. I've done stuff like adding level wind bearings and replacing the level-wind screw and noticed no difference at all. For what it's worth, I've never even heard of anyone having trouble with the moving hood part. But I'm sure it happens from time to time.

The amount of back play in the handle should be 100% a function of how many needle bearings are used in the ARB and as a result of that how far apart they are spaced. the only way that the drag would affect this would be if they used an AB bearing with 6 rollers as is common on cheaper reels. With those reels a bit of back play is normal as the rollers are spaced farther apart and are coarser so the shaft might have to go back just a little to lock on to one.. Clamping down the drag will only stop the shaft from moving due to friction and has nothing to do with the ARB. Once the drag friction has been overcome there will still be a little play before the ARB takes hold. The back play isn't significant of much except the maker skimping a bit on parts to keep the price down, and should not affect the anti-reverse ability of the reel.

Most of my Daiwa reels are pre-T-wing, but I do have a Tat sv Tw and a Tat ct-R that have it. I don't see much advantage to it, but I was kind of surprised that I didn't really notice any downside either. The one and only issue I've ever had was once when I was trolling an 8' Crank bait and had tied a 1/4 oz lead head jig and curly tail about 3' up the line from it. (fishing white bass). I ended up with a whole lot of line twist and it seems that the T-wing was much easier for the line to loop around. But that mess was so bad that it was tangling on everything, the rod, the tip-top, every guide and the T-wing, so I'm not sure that was really much to do with the T-wing. I've heard a few people say that the T-wing can be a problem with leader knots, but then I've heard about as many say it isn't. I don't usually use leader so I can't really say. Sort of depends on the budget doesn't it?

Let's see....Casting reels, 19 Daiwa, 4 KK, 3 Abu, 1 Pflueger....so I'd have to say Daiwa. I like Shimano too, it's just that when I need a reel, it seems like there is a Daiwa just right for the need so it's easier to stay in the comfort zone. Spinning reels...9 Pflueger, 1 Daiwa, 1 KK...Here I have no doubt that I prefer Daiwa and Shimano, but yet have mostly Pfueger which is more of an indication of my lack of priority for spinning gear in general. The Pfueger stuff has served me well in spite of it all being the cheaper stuff like President and Trion. Going forward, now that I have my casting stuff well situated, I plan on upgrading some of my spinning gear and will be buying Shimano and Daiwa I think.

I have better luck throwing 1/8 oz stuff with ML/XF rods. Of course that is casting rods. I have some light and Ultra Light spinning rods that are like noodles and they will throw a dry fly if that is what you wanted to do. But I assume that you are looking for lightweight stuff more in the terms of fishing for Bass.It would be a pretty good feat to pull in an 8lb bass on an 8ft UL rod and 4lb line. It's do-able but you'd probably spend an hour wondering if you would get it in or not..

I don't have any experience with the Tatula rods, and in the store, the Sierra seemed a little on the dead side to me, but as you know, wiggling one around for a couple of minutes in a shop isn't really a great way to judge a rod so...? I do have some other Daiwa rods though and the one thing that I have noticed about them is that Daiwa tends to be a bit optimistic on the lower end of their lure weight ratings. 1/8 oz is what most ML/F rods claim. I have a Daiwa Black Label ML/R that is rated at 1/8oz and even then it doesn't really do 1/8 very well. I guess I'm just saying that if I were you, I'd take that lower rating on the Tatula with a grain of salt.

Yeah, clowns are annoying.

WHY do people want it? WHY has Shimano come out with it. What does it do that the Stradic doesn't? If it's just another iteration of the same old same old released to coax the excitable into buying it (like the multitudinous models of Tatula), that is cool too I guess..I just wouldn't figure grown men would get so excited if there wasn't something special about it.

I'm not negative. As a mature adult I do not usually get all that exited about new product introductions. I was simply interested. But you've managed to kill that. I was asking why this reel should have us exited. It wasn't presented the way most new reels (or trucks, or boats or etc) are. Usually somebody posts and says something like, " Ajax is coming out with a new reel, I've heard this and that, does anybody have more details, I wonder if it's going to take the place of the old model...yada,yada,yada". This one was presented with all the level of drama normally reserved for announcing the Homecoming Queen on Prom night. You all made out like this is something special and I wondered why. I'm over caring about it now thanks.

Why are we so excited?

I have 2 of the 5 rod versions and can also highly recommend them.

Like I said, I can't say I've never had one. I was referring to most of the Daiwa rods that I have had. None of them were awful, just not my style.

If it were me, I'd be looking at Falcon Bucoo, HD, and Jason Christie, or the Fenwick Eagle in the Med. range. (1/4-1/2oz). All of these rods, particularly the Falcons fish well above their price point and all are around $100 or less. I'm sure the regular budget rod crew will be shortly to recommend the Daiwa Aird-X as well. I can't because I never had one or used one. I really don't care that much for most of the Daiwa rods I've had so far (Insensitive and stiff), with the exception of the OG Black Labels. But the people that like that kind of rod seem to think highly of the Aird-X.

No, but I did lose my engineering job to someone from India on an H1B visa. Yeah, it sucks to lose your job overseas, but it sucks just as bad to lose your job in the US to someone imported in for the sole purpose of taking your job for a third of the money. I cannot now afford to pay double just to buy US made stuff. But I do prefer to buy US made stuff when I see close to an equal value. Good points. I have been looking at the ALX rods this last year, so maybe I'll try one at some point.

LOL...OR just imagine how over fished all of our favorite spots are going to be if all these newer fishing folks decide that they like it as much as we do.

Yes, Rod Geeks is the one outlet that I referred to. Those companies you named make some decent rods. As far as I know ST.Croix and Loomis are the only ones making SOME of their own blanks. The others are outsourcing blanks from one of the very few other companies that are making blanks and some of them sell only one or two models with US made blanks. And as far as I can see they are having a difficult time sourcing those in a way that allows unimpeded production. I can't say much about Impulse as I know nothing about them. NFC us for one reason or another not keeping up with orders and like I said, St. Croix has stopped OEM sales.. Let's all watch as some of these other makers also reluctantly go more and more toward Chinese and Vietnamese made blanks as their blank supply dries up and their prices rise. All being said, this is not fault of people who are buying fishing rods. The country is full of people who are trying to raise a family on less than $50k a year and to expect them to pay $300 every time they buy a fishing rod just to buy American is asking too much. I have several St. Croix rods and just don't like them all that much. I won't spend the money that Loomis wants for its rods when I can buy a rod just as good for much less. Loomis has simply priced themselves out of the range that the vast majority of people can or will pay. If that is just what it costs to sell US made rods, then it goes a long way towards explaining what happened to the US rod makers.

Yes, that is if you can figure out how to get NFC to actually ship you a blank. I don't know anything at all about why Falcon has changed, but I do know that most all of the companies that have depended on American blanks are in a world of hurt as they are pretty much unobtainable in production quantity. It makes it tough when your big selling point has been "Made in the USA" and now, to stay in business they have to go to Chinese Blanks. Heck, even Daiwa, Shimano, and Megabass are using Chinese blanks. It's almost to the point that if you want a fishing rod, it will have to be a Chines rod. St Croix still makes some blanks in the US, but will no longer sell them OEM. Your builder can still get them from one specific outlet, but the price of the blank is almost as much as the cost of the finished rod. Batson makes some blanks, but I'm not sure if they are all made in the US or if they are any good even if they are.

The latest issue of BassMaster magazine has an editorial about this. They say that according to the data from the states, fishing license sales are up massively. Iowa-55%, NY-30%, VT-50+%, MN-60%, GA-21%, LA-53%, TX-39%, AL 37%. No wonder there is nothing left to buy.

I think that what you have now is something like a 6'7" MH Mod. Should still be decent for short range crank baits and jigs?

I buy from US makers when it is to my advantage. Their job is to make sure that buying their product IS to my advantage. I buy grapes from Chile because I can buy them in April. When an American company can sell me a rod made in the USA that I like better than Megabass, then I will buy it. It's complicated economy. What do we do about cars? Do we put money in the US maker's pockets by buying domestic cars or into US auto workers pockets by buying Japanese and German makers who have outsourced their assembly here? Unless you have found some way to avoid buying everything else that you buy from China, why pick on Falcon? They are also an American company with American employees and were in fact one of the companies that held out the longest for American made blanks. So now you want to punish them because they can't get an American blank at a competitive price? (That is, if they can get any American blanks at all)

I try to buy USA made stuff too. But you have to realize that the Global economy is not just a random thing that happened. It is designed that way. The powers that be pretty much insist that you buy from overseas makers. It is designed to be the modern version of Mutually Assured Destruction. At this point, where you buy is almost irrelevant. It is how you vote that MIGHT be able to turn it around. Our specialty is software, grain, and making autos for the Japanese and German companies.

I understand the sentiment but what will you buy? There are so few rods made in the USA. I know that there is NFC and Batson making blanks here. And St. Croix. I believe that they are assembled in the US from Chinese and Japanese parts.

Aren't most saltwater reels sealed?

The one I have isn't even spined properly. Looks like the spin is down the left side of the rod. It is way too mushy and indistinct feeling. It feels like a slightly different rod every time I cast it, probably from the misaligned spine. As you said it is not sensitive in the least. I have a couple of old cheap graphite Johnson Century Combo rods from 30 years ago that actually feel better. I'm not an ABU hater at all. I have 4 Volatile rods and 4 Villains that I like quite a bit. Also 2 Veritas that are much better than the Vengeance, but I don't care for them either. They are pretty bad for a $100 rod. If you like them that's good enough for me. But from my experience I am curious as to some of the other rods you use that you are comparing them to. Or, maybe I just got a lemon?