northern basser Posted March 16, 2011 Posted March 16, 2011 I've been eying these for a while now. Tournament Pro is lightweight, good price point and aesthetically pleasing. Graphite cranking sideplate always makes me think twice about a reel, but I've never had an issue with any of the ones I own and it seems this is becoming the norm.The $200 price point is definitely a competitive area. I would like to see how this stacks up vs the smoke and even the Premier since you can find them on ebay for about that. I may be wrong, but I thought that reel had a all aluminum frame & sideplate. Quote
Super User Bassn Blvd Posted March 16, 2011 Author Super User Posted March 16, 2011 My 2nd tournament Pro arrived today. They are very similar to the Premier but I think they look nicer and also less expensive. I've put my Premier through hell and back over the past year and am very pleased with it's service. Now it's time to put Lews to the test. The Lews T-Pro fits my in my hand probably better than any low profile reel I've held, including my SHIMANO'S. Quote
Super User Hammer 4 Posted March 16, 2011 Super User Posted March 16, 2011 Not much love for us Lefty users, in fact none in the 7:1 reels... : Quote
Mr SwimJig Posted March 16, 2011 Posted March 16, 2011 I've been eying these for a while now. Tournament Pro is lightweight, good price point and aesthetically pleasing. Graphite cranking sideplate always makes me think twice about a reel, but I've never had an issue with any of the ones I own and it seems this is becoming the norm.The $200 price point is definitely a competitive area. I would like to see how this stacks up vs the smoke and even the Premier since you can find them on ebay for about that. I may be wrong, but I thought that reel had a all aluminum frame & sideplate. The Tournament Pro has graphite side plates, the Team Lews Speed Spool has the aluminum side plates with the titanium deposition. The handle on the Tournament Pro is graphite, it is not painted to look like it. It is very very light and I really am liking those knobs. So far the reel has given me no problems on the several outings I have used it on. When comparing it to my Premier, they are pretty even. Except for the fact that the Tournament Pro is roughly $100 cheaper. Time will tell if it will hold up to day in and day out abuse. SJ Quote
atrocity123 Posted March 16, 2011 Posted March 16, 2011 Looks like i'm ordering one tonight, will compare it with my smoke. Thanks for the help Quote
Super User J Francho Posted March 16, 2011 Super User Posted March 16, 2011 No, but these, many BPS, and Pure Fishing brands probably come from the same place. Quote
Stasher1 Posted March 16, 2011 Posted March 16, 2011 No, but these, many BPS, and Pure Fishing brands probably come from the same place. x2 What is it about them that makes them so appealing? :-/ If my suspicions are correct, they're built in the same factory as many of BPS' reels, most likely using many of the same parts...yet people on every forum are talking about them like they're something special. I don't get it. They may actually be nice reels, but I believe they may be no better than any of the BPS reels...at a much higher price. Quote
flippin and pitchin Posted March 16, 2011 Posted March 16, 2011 I picked Doug's (BassnBlvd) brain and did some more research before I bought the T series Lews. I fished it all day Tuesday. This reel casts as well if not better than my Revo Premiers. It is slightly narrower than the premier. I love the paddle grips, but I also fished the original Lews for almost 30 years. The reel held exactly 100 yard of Suffix Seige #14. It was windy and I only applied the mag brake two clicks and had no backlash issues. Distance was exceptional. The reel palms very well. I did order a second T series. Does this reel warrant selling my Premiers ? No, not really. It certainly deserves serious consideration, at least after those of us who chose to take the calculated risk to buy one can see how they hold up. I can't confirm it but I would bet a LC Pointer this reel is manufactured in the same facility Pure fishing products are produced. I wouldn't call this reel " special " but the company is attempting to make a statement and go after a piece of the market share in a very competetive segment of the industry. Quote
atrocity123 Posted March 16, 2011 Posted March 16, 2011 No, but these, many BPS, and Pure Fishing brands probably come from the same place. x2 What is it about them that makes them so appealing? :-/ If my suspicions are correct, they're built in the same factory as many of BPS' reels, most likely using many of the same parts...yet people on every forum are talking about them like they're something special. I don't get it. They may actually be nice reels, but I believe they may be no better than any of the BPS reels...at a much higher price. Well depends what you judge a reel on. It's drag, weight, castability, finish, price, bearing count, etc. I was drawn to this reel mainly due to its weight and bearing count, along with its price. The way I see it is for 179.99 i'm getting a sub 7 oz reel with a carbon handle, carbon drag, and 10 bearings, not to mention the free tackle bag promo ;D Quote
Flywatersmallie Posted March 17, 2011 Posted March 17, 2011 My pair showed up today. I haven't fished them yet but they seem well built and pretty solid. Whether they are, time will tell. I'm not disappointed at all buying them sight unseen. They seem to be built on the same frame as the Revos, going by the profile alone. Whether they are or not, I don't know. They do seem to sit a little lower than any BPS branded reel I have ever held. Will I give up my higher end stuff for these? Not likely but they seem to be one of the better buys for under $200. Again, thats just my initial impression, take that for what it is. I think for the money, one could do worse than these reels. The low end one is really interesting to me. Is there another (non house branded) manufacturer that has a decent aluminum framed reel for $90? Quote
Mr SwimJig Posted March 17, 2011 Posted March 17, 2011 No, but these, many BPS, and Pure Fishing brands probably come from the same place. x2 What is it about them that makes them so appealing? :-/ If my suspicions are correct, they're built in the same factory as many of BPS' reels, most likely using many of the same parts...yet people on every forum are talking about them like they're something special. I don't get it. They may actually be nice reels, but I believe they may be no better than any of the BPS reels...at a much higher price. I have to agree and disagree with you. It more then likely does come out of the same factory but I would be pretty sure it comes off of a completely different production line. Which basically means it is probably getting better grade aluminum, better bearings, better gears etc... It may be similar to all the other reels but we really have no way of knowing. All I know is that a reel under 7oz and at the $180 price point is pretty impressive. Is it any better then a BPS reel, or a Revo or a Patriarch... Only time will tell. I have got to use mine quite a bit so far and it has been very impressive. It will cast just as far as my Premier, it is just as smooth on the retrieve and the drag is just as smooth and as powerful. It is just as smooth as my Fuego and my Sol and the drag is every bit as smooth as the Daiwa drag. The reel is very nice looking, love the matte black finish and the carbon fiber handle and the knobs are very nice and very comfortable. Something I thought they would not be. The braking system works very nicely, I just wonder why they went with 4 centrifugal pins instead of 6? Know the true test begins, it is warming up and these reels are going to get used 3 to 5 times a week and they are going to be the only reels I use this summer and I am going to see how they hold up. SJ Quote
gatogordo Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 For those of you who own the Lews Tp and Curado 50, which would you own for throwing light line. It would be paired witha a Lamiglass 703 ML for 3-5 inch senko, trick worms and such. Quote
Evans Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 It's possible these reels are being made in same factory. The Lew's reels are made in Korea, same as the Revos(besides the S, which is made in China). Anyone know where the BPS are made? All I have are old BPS boxes that say made in China. Quote
Blue Streak Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 The older Lews reels were excellent and ahead of their time. I think a lot of this is based on their good reputation. I guess we will see over time if the new models are as good, but the few people who have them now seemed to be very pleased. Quote
Super User J Francho Posted March 18, 2011 Super User Posted March 18, 2011 It doesn't really matter where they were made, the internal design is the same. Old Lew's reels were made by Shimano, in case anyone was wondering. They were the some of the finest reels of the time. Quote
Mr SwimJig Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 For those of you who own the Lews Tp and Curado 50, which would you own for throwing light line. It would be paired witha a Lamiglass 703 ML for 3-5 inch senko, trick worms and such. Either reel will work fine, I have not really had a chance to throw lighter baits with my Tournament Pro yet but I have used the Curado 50 to throw lighter baits and it is excellent at it. But if the Tournament Pro fishes anything like my Premier it will be just as good as the Curado 50 at it. The lightest I have gone so far is a 1/4oz swim jig and it handled it just fine. SJ Quote
Mr SwimJig Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 It doesn't really matter where they were made, the internal design is the same.Old Lew's reels were made by Shimano, in case anyone was wondering. They were the some of the finest reels of the time. The guy behind the counter at BPS in Independence is trying to tell me that the new BPS reels are now made by Shimano and yes some do come from Korea and some from China. So who really knows...I just want to fish!! SJ Quote
Mr SwimJig Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 Your guy is wrong. Oh there is no doubt, the guy is an idiot an has been since the store opened!lol SJ Quote
21farms Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 The older Lews reels were excellent and ahead of their time. I think a lot of this is based on their good reputation. this would be me. back in the day, i had two of the old speed spools with the steeply-tapered v-spools and loved 'em. and, maybe for nostalgia's sake, i'm gonna get one. it's happened before...i had bought several iterations of abu-garcia's absolutely horrid ultra mag "low"-profile reels before they came out with the revos based strictly on how much i loved my old round abus. these days, all reels are pretty good and the differences between them all are seemingly getting smaller and smaller all the time. Quote
Stasher1 Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 this would be me. back in the day, i had two of the old speed spools with the steeply-tapered v-spools and loved 'em. and, maybe for nostalgia's sake, i'm gonna get one. it's happened before...i had bought several iterations of abu-garcia's absolutely horrid ultra mag "low"-profile reels before they came out with the revos based strictly on how much i loved my old round abus. these days, all reels are pretty good and the differences between them all are seemingly getting smaller and smaller all the time. That's bound to happen when they're making several of them in the same factory. ;D ;D Quote
flippin and pitchin Posted March 19, 2011 Posted March 19, 2011 The older Lews reels were excellent and ahead of their time. I think a lot of this is based on their good reputation. this would be me. back in the day, i had two of the old speed spools with the steeply-tapered v-spools and loved 'em. and, maybe for nostalgia's sake, i'm gonna get one. it's happened before...i had bought several iterations of abu-garcia's absolutely horrid ultra mag "low"-profile reels before they came out with the revos based strictly on how much i loved my old round abus. these days, all reels are pretty good and the differences between them all are seemingly getting smaller and smaller all the time. I still have 5 Speed Spools. Two are pre Browning and three models after Browning took on the Lews brand. I had my first two Lews made by Shimano stolen in 1982. Who would have thought a reel with THREE ball bearings could cast so well. Where is my light blue polyester jumpsuit ? Quote
Super User Bassn Blvd Posted March 19, 2011 Author Super User Posted March 19, 2011 I have both of my T pros spooled with #10 Yozuri and saddled on 7.5' Loomis NRX rods. So far the only thing I have thrown with them are 5" senko's, which cast too far to get an effective hook set. Probably in another 2-4 weeks I'll try throwing the smaller LC pointers with the Lews, which I'm sure will handle lures just fine. Who knows, we might have a new posse forming. ;D Quote
Mr SwimJig Posted March 19, 2011 Posted March 19, 2011 Got to fish my Tournament PRO again tonight and it worked perfect all night. Caught several more nice size bass and everything has held up and worked flawlessly. The reel continues to get smoother and cast farther with more and more use. SJ Quote
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