Afternoon all, curious, is the T-Wing system worthwhile or just a gimmick. Has anyone who owns both systems seen a marked difference?

I have 2 Fuego's and might be adding another reel in November and was thinking about the Tatula CT Type R. 

The T Wing system makes casting heavier, thicker lines a lot easier. On smaller diameter lines you probably won't notice much difference.

In my experience the T-wing adds 10-20 ft. to a cast by allowing your line more freedom. That "freedom" comes from less restriction at the line guide being much wider on the cast. This is a good thing. On the negative side, you can't reel with your finger on the line because it can cause the line to ride up into the T and let your spool pile up on one end. If you're casting lighter baits the T-wing helps. If you're using leader on heavier line you could possibly have an issue with your connection knot fouling in the T. 

 

All in all, the T-wing is a desirable attribute to a reel as long as you use it in the parameters set for it. 

 

A good thing? Sure, I guess so.  Would I take it into account when trying to decide on a reel?  Not at all.  I wouldn't put it into the gimmick category and I do like to see a company that makes a true effort to innovate, but on the water, I Don't see an appreciable difference.

 

Although my only experience with it thus far is using braid, so with stiffer line it may be more beneficial.

It works fine but Daiwa's cast well to begin with. I don't attribute any casting difference to the t wing plus they make service unnecessarily complicated. 

Can’t honestly say that a fuego ct and tatula ct are direct comparisons as far as spool design or other internals but I feel I get more distance with less effort with the T-Wing.   I’ve never actually measured it, just my gut feeling. 

 

Probably similar to upgrading spool bearings.  

While I do believe the T wing does improve casting. The casting distance improvement is minimal. 

I don’t see any difference casting but it does seem to flip very well. Could be the twing or not. I really couldn’t say

Less friction when the casting so I think it’s totally worth it. 

I notice the most difference while pitching.

On 9/22/2018 at 10:23 PM, jbrew73 said:

Can’t honestly say that a fuego ct and tatula ct are direct comparisons as far as spool design or other internals but I feel I get more distance with less effort with the T-Wing.   I’ve never actually measured it, just my gut feeling. 

 

Probably similar to upgrading spool bearings.  

I've found that even identical reels will each have their own personality and quirks. Without the ability to swap levelwind systems on an individual reel and test both ways you're at the mercy of marketing claims and anecdotal evidence. I don't advocate disposing of any t wing reels but it wouldn't be a deciding factor either. 

Gimmick. Just bought my son a Fuego CT and see no casting difference compared to a Tatula sv TWS I have laying around that I don't use. 

I have a Tatula SV TW that I can compare to my other reels that don't have the TWS and IMO, I think it works. No doubt most Daiwa's cast well regardless of whether or not they have the TWS. 

I find the TWS is more forgiving than the line guide on my Curado DC when casting, but with both, my casting distance is limited to my abilities not the reels.

On 9/22/2018 at 7:39 PM, Big Rick said:

On the negative side, you can't reel with your finger on the line because it can cause the line to ride up into the T and let your spool pile up on one end.

My experience has been the exact opposite. My Tatula SVs with the T-Wing spool up straighter than my son's Curado K, hands down with my fingers on or off the line.

 

I am not sure if it really casts further or not. My oldest son's Curado K casts further, and my younger son's Pflueger President XT casts further than both. Of course if I had a Tatula CT not a SV with less braking that may play into effect here too. Regardless, I'm not overly concerned with it, the Tatulas are fantastic reels.

8 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

My experience has been the exact opposite. My Tatula SVs with the T-Wing spool up straighter than my son's Curado K, hands down with my fingers on or off the line.

 

I am not sure if it really casts further or not. My oldest son's Curado K casts further, and my younger son's Pflueger President XT casts further than both. Of course if I had a Tatula CT not a SV with less braking that may play into effect here too. Regardless, I'm not overly concerned with it, the Tatulas are fantastic reels.

Some fish soft plastics and jigs with their index finger UNDER the line. That can cause the line to ride up into the wider portion of the T and make your line lay uneven on the spool. That's all I was stating. It's something to consider when you're looking to purchase a reel. HOW you use your reel is the most important factor when choosing it. 

So, with what I'm reading and correct me if I'm wrong, I would see no appreciable performance upgrade by going to a Tatula CT Type R? 

Dont really need one but I sure do like the looks of them.

BAIT MONKEY IS BITING ME AGAIN!

Sorry forgot to say I have a couple of the Fuego CT's now.

14 minutes ago, Buffdaddy54 said:

So, with what I'm reading and correct me if I'm wrong, I would see no appreciable performance upgrade by going to a Tatula CT Type R? 

Dont really need one but I sure do like the looks of them.

BAIT MONKEY IS BITING ME AGAIN!

Sorry forgot to say I have a couple of the Fuego CT's now.

Marginal performance upgrade at best imo. But hey, it's a want more than a need like most everything else in fishing. So if you have the funds to buy it why not, you only live once right?

You all think Daiwa put the T wing into thier flag ship Steez reels because it was a sales gimmick?  Less line drag comming off the spool equal longer casts. The reason the low profile reel was invented was to extend the level wind further away from the spool to reduce line drag. 

Tom

50 minutes ago, WRB said:

You all think Daiwa put the T wing into thier flag ship Steez reels because it was a sales gimmick?  Less line drag comming off the spool equal longer casts. The reason the low profile reel was invented was to extend the level wind further away from the spool to reduce line drag. 

Tom

Why would that be so hard to believe? It's been done for as long as I can remember in all aspects of sales not just the fishing industry. Real-world tests don't lie. Marginal performance difference at best. 

53 minutes ago, WRB said:

You all think Daiwa put the T wing into thier flag ship Steez reels because it was a sales gimmick?

Well, they would call it "market differentiation" rather then "sales gimmick". 

 

I own/have owned maybe a half-dozen different models of Daiwa reels, two of which had a T-wing.  The closest two were a Steez TW SV and a Steez LDT sv105xh and with literally the same spool and line they preformed about the same.  I don't like the t-wing because I feel that it forces reels to be wider in the front then they would otherwise have to be and as a guy who wears a size Medium glove, I don't like anything that makes reels bigger in size.  

5 hours ago, Big Rick said:

Some fish soft plastics and jigs with their index finger UNDER the line. That can cause the line to ride up into the wider portion of the T and make your line lay uneven on the spool. That's all I was stating. It's something to consider when you're looking to purchase a reel. HOW you use your reel is the most important factor when choosing it. 

I could see how that could potentially be a problem, as I don't do that.

I have a love/hate relationship with the t-wing system on my Tatula CT. I really like that I don’t feel like I need to pay as much attention to where the line is before I cast, if I’m really trying to bomb a lure. That being said, I hate that the line pops out of the groove so easily when running the line over my finger to feel for lighter bites. I’ve been eyeing the Fuego CT as my next reel purchase for that very reason. People I’ve talked to say they really like the reel, and that the only major difference between it and the Tatula CT is the t-wing system. 

2 hours ago, Boomstick said:

I could see how that could potentially be a problem, as I don't do that.

When the T wing is engaged in the upright retreive live position the line guide performs like any other line guide and lifting the line out of the guide isn't an issue.

Tom

5 hours ago, DINK WHISPERER said:

Why would that be so hard to believe? It's been done for as long as I can remember in all aspects of sales not just the fishing industry. Real-world tests don't lie. Marginal performance difference at best. 

Shimano touts x ship, a dual bearing supported pinion, something Daiwa had been doing for years. You could go on and on. They're all legit changes for the most part but not the game changer the sales guys make it out to be. It's not a knock on anyone, just the way of the world. R&D gets worked over to provide something marketing can work with to give accounting numbers for management....

All I really want from Daiwa is a better naming system for their reels.  Reels that don't share the same frame have similar names, other are just a string of alphanumeric gibberish that is still super similar to other reels in their lineup.   I wish they would just start using proper names, maybe name them after famous sumo wrestlers or something, anything other then the current system.