Super User iabass8 Posted December 1, 2013 Super User Posted December 1, 2013 Anybody have any experience with this reel? how does it compare to reels in the 200$ range? how does this reel compare to a lexa? i ask because they are currently in the same price range. Quote
kschultz76 Posted December 1, 2013 Posted December 1, 2013 Don't mean to hi jack the thread but i was looking at the same thing. Seeing what the T3 and T3 Ballistic are on sale for I was wondering if they're worth the investment. I'm considering them in comparison to reels like the Tatula type r, Chronarch, and Lews Tournament Pro. Quote
GaterB Posted December 1, 2013 Posted December 1, 2013 I was wondering the same thing when I saw the sale at TW today. Hard not to take a chance on one at that price, but the tackletour review kind of made me wonder. Quote
Super User iabass8 Posted December 1, 2013 Author Super User Posted December 1, 2013 no worries. i'm sure a lot of people are going to be wanting reviews vs a comparison to different reels. Quote
DirtyDeuceGoose Posted December 1, 2013 Posted December 1, 2013 I can't compare it to a lexa but my T3B is awesome. Casts a mile, love the braking system, feels sturdy, and palms great. The only thing I would suggest you do and I am doing as well is replace the bushing in the worm drive with a bearing. It's smooth as is but I feel like with that upgrade it'd be darn hard to beat. The original hesitation a lot of people had was the sturdiness of the pop up hood. I have had no problems with it. There's actually less to go wrong with the pop up hood than there is with the rotating level wind of the tatula. Quote
Super User deaknh03 Posted December 1, 2013 Super User Posted December 1, 2013 the t3 can be found on the auction site for 140-150. new. Quote
Super User iabass8 Posted December 1, 2013 Author Super User Posted December 1, 2013 the t3 can be found on the auction site for 140-150. new. the t3 ballistic is 125 at TW right now. Quote
GaterB Posted December 1, 2013 Posted December 1, 2013 I can't compare it to a lexa but my T3B is awesome. Casts a mile, love the braking system, feels sturdy, and palms great. The only thing I would suggest you do and I am doing as well is replace the bushing in the worm drive with a bearing. It's smooth as is but I feel like with that upgrade it'd be darn hard to beat. The original hesitation a lot of people had was the sturdiness of the pop up hood. I have had no problems with it. There's actually less to go wrong with the pop up hood than there is with the rotating level wind of the tatula. Have you used braid with your ballistic? I need a new frogging and flipping reel so that's what I would be using it for and I use braid for both in FL during the summer. I ask because I saw where braid had grooved the reel during TT's testing. Quote
DirtyDeuceGoose Posted December 1, 2013 Posted December 1, 2013 Gater I have not used braid on it for that exact reason. With them being so reduced I may pick up another one just to try fishing braid on. Quote
Super User deaknh03 Posted December 1, 2013 Super User Posted December 1, 2013 the t3 ballistic is 125 at TW right now. its worth 125 all day long. Quote
Super User iabass8 Posted December 1, 2013 Author Super User Posted December 1, 2013 its worth 125 all day long. I can't compare it to a lexa but my T3B is awesome. Casts a mile, love the braking system, feels sturdy, and palms great. The only thing I would suggest you do and I am doing as well is replace the bushing in the worm drive with a bearing. It's smooth as is but I feel like with that upgrade it'd be darn hard to beat. The original hesitation a lot of people had was the sturdiness of the pop up hood. I have had no problems with it. There's actually less to go wrong with the pop up hood than there is with the rotating level wind of the tatula. Thanks guys. What do you feel the reel excels at? pitching or casting /w constant retrieve? the reason i ask is because of the brake switch located directly below where I palm a reel. how does the reel cast light baits vs a 50 size shimano? light as in a 1/4oz swim jig /w trailer not shad rap/trick worm light. I've also read this reel is very comfortable to palm. what is the size in comparison to a 50 size reel or a 200? Quote
GaterB Posted December 1, 2013 Posted December 1, 2013 Gater I have not used braid on it for that exact reason. With them being so reduced I may pick up another one just to try fishing braid on. That's the only reason I haven't already put in an order. I may end up taking the chance. The bait monkey is killing me on this one!! Quote
ncbassfisher1496 Posted December 1, 2013 Posted December 1, 2013 Has anybody tried the 8.1 gear ratio one? Quote
DirtyDeuceGoose Posted December 1, 2013 Posted December 1, 2013 I've heard guys say they love it for pitching but I use mine as a chuck and wind. The lightest I threw was 3/8oz swimjig with no trailer just for testing purposes but I could launch it. I imagine a 1/4oz with a trailer would be just fine. Quote
Super User iabass8 Posted December 1, 2013 Author Super User Posted December 1, 2013 Well I couldn't resist the urge to jump into the Daiwa groupies. Pulled the trigger on the 6:3 LH. should be here Dec 4. 4 Quote
bass1980 Posted December 1, 2013 Posted December 1, 2013 The T3 platform is a hate it or love it reel. I had the T3 Ballistic XS at 8.1:1 ratio. I've been following this platform for a long time and it has some mix reviews, and some issues that has now been fixed, and some false issues that just won't die. I'll give my personal review from an unbias user as I'm not a brand loyalist yet. T3B, if there was a version to get it'll be the XS at 8.1:1. Some have said they believe these models are more like a 2nd generation. Handle is different, some old issues has been resolved. Some likes it, some hates it. I didn't like mine. Wasn't smooth as I had hope, cast just barely further than my Lexa and wasn't the best for light lures. I am not a reel junkie just yet so I haven't been opening up reels and work on them. After a few outings I bought a Chronarch 50 series, fell in love and sold my T3B. The guy I sold the T3B to said he opened up the reel and cleaned the extra grease (I think) and said it's similar to his Zillions in smoothness. He really likes it. So that just shows you the love hate mix reviews on this reel. At $125 it's a killer deal. No braid grooving issues for me, it has been address by Daiwa so have no fear.The 3D brakes are very nice. Plus for this price you can tune it and buy all the typical Daiwa accessories for it. There's a lot of talk on this T3 platform on other forums. The more expensive T3 I would say most people that owns it like it from all my research. A $450 reel selling for $215 is a killer deal. I am going to use it for my light setup for smallies and river fishing. I have not used this reel so I cannot give a review on it. However I just ordered one from TW. Add the promo code and this $450 reel cost me $193.50!!! I am rewarded for being patient on Black Friday lol. 3 Quote
Delaware Valley Tackle Posted December 2, 2013 Posted December 2, 2013 If braid damaged a modern reel or rod I suspect it was largely due to sand/grit on the line. Daiwa makes good reals but are typically a little higher priced than competitor's equiv. offerings. I think this is largely due to the exchange rate of the currency. 1 Quote
Super User new2BC4bass Posted December 2, 2013 Super User Posted December 2, 2013 Well I couldn't resist the urge to jump into the Daiwa groupies. Pulled the trigger on the 6:3 LH. should be here Dec 4. Bout time! Now you need to add a Zillion and Alphas to your colection. :teeth: 1 Quote
Ima Bass Ninja Posted December 2, 2013 Posted December 2, 2013 I have the t3 mx (JDMmodel) I bought while in Japan a while back. It's a great reel. I love the twing system. I think the advantages in distance and accuracy are minimal gains but it palms better than any other reel I own. Probably do to the low pop up hood. The only thing I am on the fence about is the Ziaon carbon frame. It just has a graphite feel to it even though I know it is much stiffer and I will not have any problems with fighting fish. Guess I am just used to and a fan of aluminum framed reels. But At $125 it's a steal of a deal. May have to get one to compare to my mx model. Quote
Super User webertime Posted December 2, 2013 Super User Posted December 2, 2013 Have you used braid with your ballistic? I need a new frogging and flipping reel so that's what I would be using it for and I use braid for both in FL during the summer. I ask because I saw where braid had grooved the reel during TT's testing. The guy from TT doing the test used it on a custom spiral wrapped rod. The combination of the two causes the line to exit the reel at a pretty severe angle (downward). That's where the grooving issue arose. If you have a regular off the shelf rod (90% of us) you will not have an issue. I'm the guy that bought Bass1980's XSL and it's as good if not slightly better caster than my Zillion with orange seals. I also have an HL and it's been just as good. $125 is an AMAZING deal!!!!! (Save a 7:1 for me please). 3 Quote
GaterB Posted December 2, 2013 Posted December 2, 2013 I'm convinced. I'll be trying one out soon! Quote
mjseverson24 Posted December 2, 2013 Posted December 2, 2013 i bought one of the 8:1 today for flipping and pitching, i am probabily going to avoid braid on it, and stick with floro. I think the t-wing system should allow for great pitching with less friction than traditional line guides. Mitch Quote
bass1980 Posted December 2, 2013 Posted December 2, 2013 Trust me you won't have a problem with Braids. I was using some cheap suffix mono and the reel made some weird rubbing noise on retrieve. I switched to braids for pitching 3/8oz jigs and it performed very nice, no rubbing or noise. Just that my hands are not big enough to pitch and use my thumb to close the hood. It would have been nice. Quote
LivewellHero Posted December 2, 2013 Posted December 2, 2013 Anybody use one? What do you think of it? TW has it on sale for only $125 and I'm probably going to buy it, just want some opinions first. Quote
Trey Harpel Posted December 2, 2013 Posted December 2, 2013 well worth the 125$ for that reel.. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.