H20 Xpress Mettle Or Daiwa Laguna Baitcaster?

[MediumHeavy]

Looking to get a reel right around this price at some point this year for a decent cheap all-purpose setup I can let someone use or try out or just leave in my car. Got it narrowed down to these two. Really curious about the Mettle. Does it feel solid? The specs are pretty good for the price. Free shipping is probably worth checking it out anyway. Reviews seem to be pretty good on it. Any opinions from folks with fair use of either of these reels?

[Blues19]

Same thoughts here. I want a backup just in case something happens to a favorite. Those are the two I am lookin at as well!

[Blues19]

the Mettle has a Lifetime warranty, which is a nice little bonus, if you were unaware. Ive read good things. I think I will head to an academy pretty soon to pick one up

[Fishwhittler]

The Mettle has an aluminum frame and the Laguna does not.  End of story.  Between those two reels I'd take the Mettle any day of the week and twice on sundays for that reason alone.

 

I have two Mettles, one stock and the other that I tuned for comparison.  I haven't been able to use them much yet, so all I can say is that they feel very good right now.  The profile is a little higher than that of a Citica E but by no means uncomfortable.

 

A while back I took one of my Mettles apart and did a write-up of what I found.  Here it is, with plenty of pics:

 

I've heard a lot of good things about the Mettle and finally decided to get a couple to try out.  They arrived the other day, and the first thing I did with one of them was start tearing it down to see what's inside.  Paying $50 ($30 on sale) for a baitcast reel just doesn't seem like it would end well, but a while back Pro Reel posted that he serviced one of the Mettle reels and was pleasantly surprised by the build quality of the reel.  Since then I've been wanting to see the insides for myself, and I figured I'd post them here while I'm at it.

 

First pic is just after I got both side covers off

 

A closer look at the clutch

 

Handle-side cover

 

Palm-side cover

 

Clutch bar

 

Clutch bar - another view

 

Drag stack

 

Drag stack disassembled

 

As you can see, there was a lot of grease on the drag stack when I opened it up.  The rest of the reel was well-lubricated with a trifle much grease in places, but other than the drag stack nothing was drenched in lube.  That's as it should be, since too much lube can collect dirt and grime and cause premature wear on the reel.

 

The clutch is very simple and looks to be bombproof.  The clutch bar is cast and so isn't as smooth as a machined bar, but that doesn't appear to be a problem.  The clutch feels smooth and solid when you depress the thumb bar.  As an added bonus, pushing up on the thumb bar reengages the reel.  I like that in my reels, and it's something not every reel manufacturer does.

 

I'll note here that the only plastic parts inside this reel's gearbox are the pinion yoke, which is made of thick plastic, and the level-wind gears.  The pins the pinion yoke rides on are cast as part of the reel frame, and that design is one of the simplest and toughest I've seen.

 

The drag stack is simple as you might expect, but the jury is still out for me on that one.  I'm not sure I like the little orange drag washer, but the drags on both of my Mettle's are smooth though somewhat lacking in power at lock-down.  I'd estimate they can generate 6-8 pounds of maximum pressure which is plenty for most bass fishing situations.  I'm going to see if I can find some carbontex washers to replace the stock ones.  Edited to add:  The Mettle's drag does tend to stick slightly on the startup if the reel is left to sit for a while.

 

The bearings, now, I was very impressed with the bearings in this reel.  The spool free-spun for ten seconds without line on it, and when I spooled up the second one of my reels and tried casting it, the Mettle is a keeper.  The bearings are smooth and quiet and the braking system is dead-simple to use.  The only thing I wish they'd change would be to use bearings with removable shields on the spool shaft.  Bearings with irremovable shields are much trickier to clean, but that's not a make-or-break issue.

 

The two ball bearings mounted on the crankshaft do have removable shields, and I flushed them though they didn't really seem to need it.

 

Cosmetics - the Mettle is fairly plain-jane.  The handle and drag star are a little clunky though the handle at least looks to be indestructible.  The plastic drag star feels a little flimsy, but it can be easily replaced with another drag star if necessary.  There are also a few places where the machining/casting process left some rough spots, but there's nothing that affects how the reel functions.  The cosmetics of the Mettle don't bother me in the least considering the price.

 

I'm going to super-tune this reel and will report back after it's finished.  Based on what I've seen so far the Mettle is a keeper all the way, and there's no way you'll find a better reel at the price point.  The Mettle has an aluminum frame, operates smoothly, and is built like a tank.  The aluminum frame alone puts the Mettle way ahead of other $50 reels.  If you're considering getting a Mettle, I say go for it.

 

Tight lines!

 

Ben

 

I hope this helps.

 

Ben

 

 

[OkeechobeeAngler]

The Menace is on clearance at Academy for 30.00.

[MediumHeavy]

The Menace is on clearance at Academy for 30.00.

 

Online or in-store? Just looked on their site and it's $89.99. I'm not near a store, unfortunately.

[MediumHeavy]

Fishwhittler, thanks for the info and pics, definitely helpful. Looks pretty decent. The reel feels solid in your hand when it's all together? I don't mind that it's an 8oz. reel as long as it feels solid and sturdy.

[Fishwhittler]

Fishwhittler, thanks for the info and pics, definitely helpful. Looks pretty decent. The reel feels solid in your hand when it's all together? I don't mind that it's an 8oz. reel as long as it feels solid and sturdy.

 

Yes, it feels as solid as any reel I've tried except my Ambassadeur C3.  I do believe you could pit the C3 against an M1A1 tank and the tank would lose.  

 

BTW, the Menace you see on the Academy website is a new model.  If someone is seeing the Menace for sale in stores for $30, it's the old model.  The new one was just released along with the Mystic, which is a 5.8 ounce reel.  Looks interesting.

[MediumHeavy]

I may very well check out the Mettle. Unless I can find a link to order one of the old Menace series that I can look at.

 

Thanks for all the info!

[Deleted account]

Any reel with an old school 6 pin centrifugal spool that I can slide into one of my Metal Matrix IIs is OK by  me...

[MediumHeavy]

Pretty sold picking up one these Academy reels. The higher you go up the chain they seem pretty good for the price as well. But I'll most likely start with the Mettle. I might be interested in changing the handle or at least the knobs at some point. Anybody know of aftermarket fit like the Revo or Bass Pro handles? I'd just throw the Revo EVA knobs on it, if possible.

 

I don't even have one yet and I'm already thinking of how I'd want to upgrade it. That's pretty bad

But out of commission for a few weeks with a bad back and have way too much spare time, so this is what I'm doing. I really can't wait to fish!

[PondBoss]

All of the H2O reels I own are very solid, that includes 10 Mettle, 1 Menace, 1 Mystic.  If you can find the Menace for $30 pick up as many as you can afford.

[down4ttown]

Someone let me know if the Menace is available online. 

[MediumHeavy]

I can't find the clearance Menace reels online. If I could, I'd certainly order one. I live in PA, and the nearest Academy is in North Carolina.

[Basseditor]

I bought 10 Mettles on Black Friday sale 3 yrs ago. For only $25 each. I use them all the time, from 12-lb flouro to 65-lb braid. No problems. I can't fine tune the cast control as much as a STX, but I still cast a lot of weightless 5" senkos on 20-lb Invisx with no issues on the Mettles.

[down4ttown]

I use a mettle as my frog reel. Mainly because it is dispensable as I have several just sitting on the shelf if need be. I can throw a frog further than most my friends with 65lb braid on it! 

[Fishwhittler]

All of the H2O reels I own are very solid, that includes 10 Mettle, 1 Menace, 1 Mystic.  If you can find the Menace for $30 pick up as many as you can afford.

 

Have you opened up the Mystic at all to see what's inside?

 

I'm looking at getting a Mystic down the road, or possibly one of the new Menace reels.  However, after seeing firsthand how light the Revo MGX is I'd love to have a reel close to that weight, and if the Mystic is a solid reel I might have to scrape up the extra $$ over the Menace.

[PondBoss]

I have not pulled it apart, it's not something I do. lol When I put things back together I tend to get extra parts.  It's great for shaving weight but probably not so good for stability.  Aluminum frame carbon side plates, 10 bearing, 7.3:1 gear ratio, EVA foam knobs, and carbon fiber handle.  The light weight definitely helps, even on a glass cranking rod.

[Fishwhittler]

I have not pulled it apart, it's not something I do. lol When I put things back together I tend to get extra parts.  It's great for shaving weight but probably not so good for stability.  Aluminum frame carbon side plates, 10 bearing, 7.3:1 gear ratio, EVA foam knobs, and carbon fiber handle.  The light weight definitely helps, even on a glass cranking rod.

 

Just think, the extra parts are probably not necessary since they didn't fit back inside…

 

Cranking is exactly what this reel would be used for, both lipless and shallow cranks as well as blade baits.  That 7.3:1 ratio would be nice for burning lipless baits.  

 

Durn it, I'm almost convinced.

[PondBoss]

I use 7.3:1 on all of my shallow cranking reels.  If you get this reel, you won't be disappointed.

[MNfrogger10]

From personal experience I have found that the cheaper Diawas such as the Laguna or Exelier are not the highest quality reels. Which is true for most reels that are below $90. I had thrown away a couple of Diawas because of mechanical failure and so began my thoughts of cheap Diawas suck lol. But I decided to buy another Exelier just to give it another try and found that if I cleaned and added a little lube once a week that it was reliable enough for me to go fish my club tourneys! Although I have a solid cheap Diawa reel now I still prefer the Abu Garcia Max family of reels. They can go almost the whole summer without maintenance. They are also very light and super smooth. If you are looking for cheap reels expect the quality you have payed for if you aren't willing to go the extra mile and keep them clean! Hope this helps anybody in the low end reel market:)

[MNfrogger10]

From personal experience I have found that the cheaper Diawas such as the Laguna or Exelier are not the highest quality reels. Which is true for most reels that are below $90. I had thrown away a couple of Diawas because of mechanical failure and so began my thoughts of cheap Diawas suck lol. But I decided to buy another Exelier just to give it another try and found that if I cleaned and added a little lube once a week that it was reliable enough for me to go fish my club tourneys! Although I have a solid cheap Diawa reel now I still prefer the Abu Garcia Max family of reels. They can go almost the whole summer without maintenance. They are also very light and super smooth. If you are looking for cheap reels expect the quality you have payed for if you aren't willing to go the extra mile and keep them clean! Hope this helps anybody in the low end reel market:)

[PondBoss]

From personal experience I have found that the cheaper Diawas such as the Laguna or Exelier are not the highest quality reels. Which is true for most reels that are below $90. I had thrown away a couple of Diawas because of mechanical failure and so began my thoughts of cheap Diawas suck lol. But I decided to buy another Exelier just to give it another try and found that if I cleaned and added a little lube once a week that it was reliable enough for me to go fish my club tourneys! Although I have a solid cheap Diawa reel now I still prefer the Abu Garcia Max family of reels. They can go almost the whole summer without maintenance. They are also very light and super smooth. If you are looking for cheap reels expect the quality you have payed for if you aren't willing to go the extra mile and keep them clean! Hope this helps anybody in the low end reel market:)

If you get a "cheap" reel, yes expect a bad product..  If you get a H2O Mettle you are buying an "inexpensive" reel not cheap.  I have fished mine hard (3-5 times a week) for over a year and they are still rock solid and as smooth as the day I got them.