grassbasswrangler Posted June 30, 2020 Posted June 30, 2020 I am purchasing two reels and plan on getting a Diawa Tatula CT for one of them. I’m deciding between either getting two Tatulas, or getting one Tatula and an SLX XT. Which option would you go for? Also, is one or the other better at casting lighter baits? I’m curious to hear from someone who has both or anybody with an opinion. Quote
garroyo130 Posted June 30, 2020 Posted June 30, 2020 Im sure youll get a ton of different opinions here but my experience has been that lately Shimano quality (at least in the sub $200 reels) has gone downhill. I say this based on the fact that after purchasing a Citica I, Curado K, and several Fuego CTs, if I had to do it all over again I would probably go Fuego CT all the way. My evaluation is very subjective and quite frankly simply based on how the reels feel to me. As far as light baits the Tat CT is a Fuego CT + T Wing and I feel like a comfortable minimum weight for me with that reel is about a 1/4 oz. I can go lighter but at about a 1/4 oz I'm happy with the distance I can get. With that said there have been several reports of the regular SLXs getting rough feeling but Ive heard good things about the XT. The only complaint with the XT that people seem to have is the SVS Infinity system which can take some getting used to. Quote
grassbasswrangler Posted July 1, 2020 Author Posted July 1, 2020 Good info, thank you. I plan to pair one reel on a heavy rated rod but it fishes more like mh IMO (Dobyns Champion 734 ) so I’m not so worried about casting lighter baits on that specific rod. But I am also purchasing a 733 and will be using it as a lightweight jig rod (Strike King Bitsy Jigs in 1/4oz) so that’s the rod id like to pair the reel that is best at casting lighter baits with. Quote
LCG Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 Both brands are good. I have a Shimano Curado K and a Daiwa Fuego CT. I had an original Tatula but it was a bit too wide for me. Daiwa wins for simplicity and casting light baits. Shimano wins in every other category for me. The Curado K is able to throw a weightless trick worm on a medium heavy rod about as far as you could reasonably expect. It's smoother and better built in my opinion. I did look at the Tatula 100 quite hard but not a fan of the t wing. The fuego is solid and will last quite awhile and still used in my rotation. I played with the SLX XT a bit but the Curado K felt better. Quote
grassbasswrangler Posted July 1, 2020 Author Posted July 1, 2020 LCG, May I ask, why aren’t you a fan of the T-Wing? Have you had bad experiences with it? Quote
GReb Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 The most noticeable difference between the two is size. The CT has a larger frame and the SLX is tiny. The Tatula 100 is about the same size as the SLX. Quote
grassbasswrangler Posted July 1, 2020 Author Posted July 1, 2020 I think I am leaning towards the two tatulas as my brother has one and he loves it+ garroyo103 mentioned that he feels comfortable casting 1/4oz baits. I also emailed Gary Dobyns and asked him what rod would be best with my jigs and he recommended the 733 and said he had a guy come into his shop looking for a casting rod that could cast a weightless trickworm the farthest and the 733 won. So my thinking is that if it can do that, I think these two paired together should be able to sling my jigs plenty far. Quote
Shimano_1 Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 I've owned both and preferred the daiwa myself. Other than the slx being smaller I preferred everything else the daiwa offered. I haven't been too impressed by shimanos under 200 dollar reels myself either. My cousin has a ton of tatula ct and fuego ct reels that hes beat to death for 3 years with zero maintenance and they all still feel great. I'm sure others will have different opinions tho so its still gonna be personal preference. I don't think the t wing helps or hurts anything its just different. Daiwas braking system is the best on the market in my opinion Quote
garroyo130 Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 10 minutes ago, Shimano_1 said: I've owned both and preferred the daiwa myself. Other than the slx being smaller I preferred everything else the daiwa offered. I haven't been too impressed by shimanos under 200 dollar reels myself either. My cousin has a ton of tatula ct and fuego ct reels that hes beat to death for 3 years with zero maintenance and they all still feel great. I'm sure others will have different opinions tho so its still gonna be personal preference. I don't think the t wing helps or hurts anything its just different. Daiwas braking system is the best on the market in my opinion but your name ... 3 Quote
Shimano_1 Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 3 minutes ago, garroyo130 said: but your name ... Lol times change. Back in the e7 days I was shimano all the way. Ventured into other brands and opinions have changed. The k is a fine reel but probably still prefer the tatula ct. The daiwas just seem more free for lack of a better wording. Shimano still makes fine reels but I no longer fish any. Quote
DomQ Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 My slx xt reels feel awesome, super easy to palm, they have a good size handle for the size of the reel that it is, also you cant been shimanos knobs. I sold my 2 tat ct reels after getting the 2 slx xt reels. Just a more solid and smooth feeling reel frame wise and performance wise as well. Quote
Manifestgtr Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 What’s your line setup? If you’re going all mono, fluoro or braid, t-wing Daiwas are fine. If you’re braid to leader or have plans on doing so, some guys have reported that the t-wing system doesn’t play well with connection knots. I haven’t thrown a t-wing reel on the regular since going braid to leader so I can’t report from my own experience...it’s just something I’ve heard around from a few different sources. Quote
grassbasswrangler Posted July 1, 2020 Author Posted July 1, 2020 Manifestgtr, I have also heard that but I tie my leaders so when I reel my bait all the way to the top of my rod the leader knot is as close to the spool I can but where it’s still out of my spool so I do not believe it will be a problem. I will be using 50lb braid on these with 12-15 pound fluro leaders. 20 minutes ago, Manifestgtr said: What’s your line setup? If you’re going all mono, fluoro or braid, t-wing Daiwas are fine. If you’re braid to leader or have plans on doing so, some guys have reported that the t-wing system doesn’t play well with connection knots. I haven’t thrown a t-wing reel on the regular since going braid to leader so I can’t report from my own experience...it’s just something I’ve heard around from a few different sources. Oops Im gonna send that again as I didn’t quote what you said ( sorry Im new to this site so I have just now figured that out) I do not reel my leader knots up into my spool so I don’t think that should be a problem. As for my setup, I will use 50lb braid on em with 12-15 lb fluro leaders as I fish mostly clear water. 1 Quote
Manifestgtr Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 9 minutes ago, grassbasswrangler said: Oops Im gonna send that again as I didn’t quote what you said ( sorry Im new to this site so I have just now figured that out) Lol no worries, man...welcome... Always takes a minute to get settled in. I know how that goes, trust me... 1 Quote
Super User Bankc Posted July 1, 2020 Super User Posted July 1, 2020 14 hours ago, Manifestgtr said: What’s your line setup? If you’re going all mono, fluoro or braid, t-wing Daiwas are fine. If you’re braid to leader or have plans on doing so, some guys have reported that the t-wing system doesn’t play well with connection knots. I haven’t thrown a t-wing reel on the regular since going braid to leader so I can’t report from my own experience...it’s just something I’ve heard around from a few different sources. Probably depends on the knot used. I use 30lb braid with a 10 foot 10lb mono leader on my Tatula, and I've never experienced any issues other than sometimes the knot rubbing my thumb on casts (which would happen on any baitcaster). I use an FG knot, and it slides through the t-wing, on both the cast and retrieve, with nary a hiccup. Quote
ghost Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 I need to chime in. I have Tatula CT and Type R. Great reels, but I have found a flaw with Daiwa's magnetic braking. When you side cast and you side cast multiple times, the external brake dial moves to lower setting cuz of the momentum of the side cast. I've backlashed a few times not realizing the brake dial moved and I did not accidentally move it on the cast with my hand. The older Daiwa's pre Tatula never had this issue. Quote
garroyo130 Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 1 minute ago, ghost said: I need to chime in. I have Tatula CT and Type R. Great reels, but I have found a flaw with Daiwa's magnetic braking. When you side cast wnd you side cast multiple times, the external brake dial moves to lower setting cuz of the momentum of the side cast. I've backlashes a few times not realizing the brake dial moved and I did not accidentally move it. The older Daiwa's pre Tatula never had this issue. How are you holding the reel? Most of my casting is side casts and ive never had this issue. I can see accidentally moving it but its hard to believe momentum alone would move the brake dial. Are you hearing it click when it moves? Quote
ghost Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 No, I don't hear it click when it moves. I've made regular over hand casts also and after a while the dial has moved with no interaction from me. I'm glad I vae a few older Daiwa's like Zillions and others. No issue of the magnetic dial moving. Quote
Super User Hammer 4 Posted July 1, 2020 Super User Posted July 1, 2020 4 hours ago, ghost said: I need to chime in. I have Tatula CT and Type R. Great reels, but I have found a flaw with Daiwa's magnetic braking. When you side cast and you side cast multiple times, the external brake dial moves to lower setting cuz of the momentum of the side cast. I've backlashed a few times not realizing the brake dial moved and I did not accidentally move it on the cast with my hand. The older Daiwa's pre Tatula never had this issue. I have both the CT and Type R..never experienced that. Just to note, I cast righty, but use a lefty reel. Quote
AmmoGuy Posted July 2, 2020 Posted July 2, 2020 All my Diawa dials are pretty darn stout. There’s zero chance the dial on my CT is going to move from inertia during a cast. Quote
zell_pop1 Posted July 2, 2020 Posted July 2, 2020 I have both a Fuego CT and a Tatula CT and never had the brakes move on me. As far as the original question I do not have a SLX XT, but do have 2 SLX reels and i feel it is better with light line/lures, but other than that I would save some bucks and get the Fuego. I have the Tat because the Fuego is not offered with a cranking gear. Quote
Basseditor Posted July 2, 2020 Posted July 2, 2020 A new Tatula CT was announced today. It looks nice, but delivery is estimated late August. Quote
grassbasswrangler Posted July 2, 2020 Author Posted July 2, 2020 Thank you all for sharing. I was originally planning on getting the diawa fuego but the place I was getting them from were sold out so that’s why I asked about the Tatula and the SLX XT, but the Fuegos just got back in stock so I ordered two diawa Fuegos (both 7:3:1) ? Once again thanks for all the help Quote
AmmoGuy Posted July 2, 2020 Posted July 2, 2020 1 hour ago, basseditor said: A new Tatula CT was announced today. It looks nice, but delivery is estimated late August. Unfortunately, there’s not much “new” about it, other than a less attractive braking system. Quote
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