Tywithay

I must have gotten the two worst spools in the world then. They were coiling right off the filler spool.

Just pay with PayPal. If they send you junk, send it back and get a refund.

If the drag is set properly and you're using the right rod to protect the line, there's little chance of breaking off. If you're throwing 6lb line on a MH rod with the drag tightened, you get what you got coming.

I've used it and found it to be lacking in performance. It doesn't have great abrasion resistance, has a lot of memory, and a lot of stretch. I'm sure it will catch fish just fine, but I wouldn't risk expensive swimbaits by skimping on cheap line.

Have several Shimano and Daiwa. I like centrifugal, but get better performance from MagZ. Don't really have a real preference. Guess I'd say DC is my favorite.

Edge, Kistler, Megabass, and ALX.

Those SV spools are exactly as advertised, stress free and versatile. The 103 is ok for pitching, but it's basically trash for most casting applications. If someone wants to upgrade a Steez, the RCS1016 is easily the best overall spool.

I have a few rods that have no weight, and still balance right under the nose of the reel, even with 5.5oz reels. The blanks taper has a lot to do with it, as do lightweight components, and a proper grip length. I do not like split grips, because they don't often balance well and have no real benefit otherwise.

That's far too much weight to add, in my opinion. If I need to add more than a 1/2oz to the butt to balance it, with a reel attached, then I wouldn't bother purchasing the rod.

A "good" rod is one that's dependable and enjoyable to fish with.

The reel does not have a clicking drag. It has a clicking drag star.

Excellent reels, especially at the clearance prices. Have free floating spool and magZ, which is a huge upgrade over the newest version. They are heavy, but they're rock solid.

Reeling it through a rag isn't a bad idea, as it will wipe away anything on it from the factory. Don't know if I'd recommend holding it up against the rod while doing it though.

I would lise the big game and go with 8lb XL. It's much softer and still breaks at over 10lb. 12lb Big Game is closer to 17lb test.

7'1" L ***. Unmatched at $100.

That line is too thick, with too much memory, to be used on a spinning reel.

It's sold as a combo with a rod at BPS for about $85. I'm guessing the reel is worth between $30-$45 of that price.

You can buy the combo for roughly $800.

The Tatula is priced very aggressively. They expected to sell a lot of them. You put MagZ on those other reels, you're adding additional cost, and potentially cutting into sales on your other product, lose-lose.

Cost. Machining spools is not cheap.

Dimensionally, the Tatula is actually smaller than the Lexa. Seems it's always that front end portion that gives people fits though.

There's nothing internally about the Tatula that makes the design difficult to service. Been a while since I tore mine down, but as I recall, there was just one extra part for the clutch mechanism, compared to a typical Daiwa baitcaster.

I don't believe it's backlash towards an anti Shimano thing. The hard time is because of posts on a forum that a $40 Chinese knock off reel is superior, better engineered, and more durable than time tested reels simply because "it has more bearings." To me, it's an obvious troll post just to stir things up. There's yet to be any valid review and not a single real life photo on this or any other forum. Just blanket statements about how great the reel is and how it's better than anything else because it has bearings. If someone provided real life evidence that the reel is a great value, it'd be worth looking at; as of right now, there's nothing to support that claim.

The clutch is solid, the retrieve is very smooth. All in all it feels much more solid than the Tatula. I'm going to tear it down and look at the internals soon, that will give a little more insight.

The Lexa is a fine reel, but it's not on the same level as a Tatula. I'd pay an extra $30 just for the MagZ.