Smallmouth Hunter

Not sure what makes you think the scorpion is a better caster than the chronarch.. Last time I checked, they were the almost identical aside from the paint job and a minor detail or two.. The spools are identical. Statistically, the tatula is more durable since it has an aluminum gear side side-plate and the Chronarch's gear side is graphite. I have held and used both reels, and the tatula feels more solid and durable in my hands. I would go with the 50e because of what quakenshake said: the spool is heavy (18g or 19g) on the tatula and holds a lot of line. Line weighs a good bit so with a full spool of line you're lookin at about 23+ grams for the spool itself (estimate, I have no idea HM it would weigh exactly). The 50e spool is lighter to begin with (13 or so grams if I remember correctly) and hold less line so it would weigh in around 15-16 or maybe a bit more with line on. The tatula is excellent for lures in the 3/8+ range, but average for weights below that. It is not bad at casting 3/16 oz or 1/4, but it does not excel either.

A daiwa rep said that a user would notice extreme wear and tear on the zaion material after a year of fishing or so. I believe he was talking about fishing heavy cover though.

Also, even daiwa admitted that the frame was vulnerable to flexing after a year or so of use and that it is rather common.. The zaion is just not as strong as aluminum.

There were more cases of grooving outside of the tt review, and I realize he was using spiral guides in the tt review.. Grooving is user error (explained below), but it is easier to make a groove on this reel that others. Grooving only occurs when the user backlashes (or something else that causes there to be a lot of slack line) then reels in the slack with the line going through his fingers at a steep angle to the bar that is in the front of the reel, which causes grooving. It also can happen with spiral guides (or possibly other rods where the first line guide is too close) causing the line to rub against the front bar (don't know what else to call it) and groove.

Ballistic will not be a long term reel, no matter what anyone tells you. Zaion is not as strong as aluminum, and it is as simple as that. Also, the hood mechanism is more vulnerable to damage compared to the rotating levelwind/worm gear of the tatula. Ballistic Pros: 7.5 oz 3D magforce more ergonomic Free floating spool (spool is still heavy, not sure of exact weight) clicking CC knob Cons Zaion frame and gear side side-plate (not as durable as aluminum) Riveted knobs = cheapy feeling, especially for a reel that retails $250 Vulnerable hood Grooving problems have been common on this reel Tatula Pros Aluminum frame and gear side side-plate = more durable air rotation (extra bearing on drive shaft, more precisely machined gears, bearing supported pinion gear) which is VERY noticable. Single bearing (upgradable) knobs on handle (2 bearings in the handle total) more clicks on magforce dial Better TWS longer handle Cons 7.9 oz (though doesn't feel this heavy) Magforce z is not quite as good as 3D, but it is one of the best braking systems and there's no doubt about that. Plastic star drag non-clicking cc knob Has a shimano-like spool with extended shaft (not a big deal at all, just no aftermarket spools). Is about equal with the t3b spool in weight. Less ergonomic, but is not hard to palm at all IMO. I can wrap my whole hand around it easily.

TT review of the tatula is supposed to be up soon. Looks like a promising rod to me and is under $150

If you don't mind saying, how much did you get it for?

Lews = Abu = Pflueger They are all Pure fishing and are all make rehashed versions of eachothers reels. For example, the $199 retail reel in the Abu line up is the STX, which has dual braking, a carbon fiber handle, 11 or so bearings. Lew's tournament pro is the $199 retail reel for Lew's, which has dual braking, a carbon fiber handle, and 11 or so bearings. Seeing a pattern yet? The $199 retail reel in the Pflueger line up is the patriarch, which like the two above, has dual braking, a CF handle, and 11 or so bearings. I personally will not buy lew's or abu or Pflueger because I feel they are cheapy, and the reels from the big 2 companies (daiwa, shimano) are much better. What is the price range you have?

The g series curado isn't a bad reel by any means, but it is below average for the price. The main reason it didn't live up to the hype is that people thought the reel was going to be better than the E series curado, and also cost less at the same time. It does cost less, but it is not as nicely made as the curado e. Comparing the E series curado to the G series curado is like comparing a citica to a curado. Similar build, but not made as nicely and not as much quality materials.

I am going to have to politely disagree about the Lew's, but it is purely personal preference. I find Lew's to be very finicky, and the Shimano's are all "set and forget". I do agree with your last statement though. A lot of people use 1 brand (most of the time it is quantum because quantum reels seem to be designed to catch fisherman rather than fish) and never branch off to other brands. I have seen this a lot with shimano as well. I personally like to have a bit of variety..

I agree with you on the fact that there is a lot of hype about Shimano reels, but the curado is not just an OK reel. At least not the B, D, and E series! The G is below average quality for its price range.. Shimano is NOT my favorite reel maker, and I am not a shimano "fanboy", but I will stand behind the curado. I would consider it one of the best series of reels ever made. Very durable, priced fairly, reliable, very solid feeling are all terms that fit the curado perfectly. Also, If shimano reels were just hype, people would not continue to use them. They'd buy it and say it is below expectations and sell it off. Shimano didn't grow such a huge fanbase by making shoddy reels.

How does the power of the MH composite cranker ethos compare to say St. Croix rod powers? I am more familiar with that make of rods.

I am thinking about getting one... Would you say the power/action of this medium heavy composite cranker relates to other manufacturers medium power or medium heavy power (graphite rods, not composite)? I have heard they are rated to high and are actually more medium than medium heavy, but then again these are composite cranker rods with a more parabolic type of bend.. Thanks

That is definitely not the problem. If the gear was missing teeth than instead of getting rough while turning the handle, the spool would not turn at all and it would probably be less rough since the load is taken of the gear momentarily while not teeth are engaging each other. My guess is it is the worm gear, or the pawl like mentioned above.

Does anyone here have the 7' mh cranking composite?

Shhhh.

That is all that matters..

If you are having trouble finding the brakes on the Calcutta d, this should help. Here is the calcutta with gear box (handle sideplate part) taken off: From this point take out the spool. Your reel will look like this when the spool is out. Next to the bearing on the far side of the inside of the reel, there is a ring of metal. This ring of metal is what the brake blocks rub against when you cast and the centrifugal force drives the brakes into this ring to slow down the spool. Sorry if this is put in babyish steps, but I just wanted to be clear cause the Calcutta d is a bit different from other round reels..

Do you think the tatula will gradually raise in price in the next few years like the zillion and steez?

Abu reels do NOT get the 20+ lbs of drag that they claim. TT did a review on a few Revo's, and the max drag they got was around 13. The least I think was 10. Pretty pathetic if you ask me since they claim 20+ lbs. Most reels get 1-2 pounds less drag then they are advertised to get (on box and whatnot).

^^ From the guy who has never used a b/c reel.. LOL Not saying Daiwa reels are bad though!!!

The line guide does not impact the accuracy at ALL. Accuracy has to do with the rod, the person casting, and the spool tension knob (if it is too tight the angle that the lure goes in is effected because the spool is delayed for a very small amount of time).. Also, the reel doesn't open up. The line guide flips over to a different angle when the thumb bar is pressed. This reel is not really meant for light lures either. It has a rather large line capacity at 120 yards of 14 lb. Definitely not a finesse reel. A pixy will outcast this reel with a 1/8 - 1/4 oz by a mile.

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I have never heard of Spartacus before. Looks good from the reviews and trailer i just watched. I'll give it a try!