For Germany, nearly all vendors offer free returns (reels, rods not as common).
Done it couple of times. You instantly get a return label to ship it to a warehouse based within the country. No risk at all.

Are the Excite tips just Shimanos wording for Solid tip, or something different? Their catalog says: EXCITE TOP EXCITE TOP is a special tip that enhances the shake performance of lures and contributes to sensitivity. The tip section is tapered and slightly heavier at the top. This construction expa...

Friend handed me his “just out of curiosity“ buy the other day - the Soloking Acura. I expected hot trash but in the end I was blown away how smooth, non-geary, nothing-weird it performs. Spool is fast, retrieve nothing to complain about. You get a lot for 40 bucks. Just feels like a cheap frame tha...

Looks and reads absolutely identical to the 2020 Alphas Air TW. Same paint job, same anodized red parts. Just a longer handle

Is that a foam ring on the butt end?

Overall weirdly proportioned look to it, especially that bulky locknut assembly. Pass.

That‘s awful! Aren’t there… laws and consumer rights that apply for a US company? In Germany we‘d send them a message saying we know our rights quoting some paragraphs and that does the trick. If the item arrives faulty or broken they have to make things right, cover all the costs or offer a full re...

Maybe they are just very busy doing other things…:

Totally agree, Daiwa stock aluminum handles look cheaper than most Kastking ones. Or let’s say no design-effort. Plain shapes and round edges. No machined shapes like on the Metanium ones. Feels like they hired a design team for the reels and let half blind grandpa do the handles just like he used t...

I ended up ordering AE Hybrids as I was very unhappy with the performance (freespin, feel choked off at the end of the cast throwing 1/4 oz stuff with braid) of the stock Alphas SV TW 800s ones and Hedgehog doesn’t have the right size for the one on the spool. Dry, the AE bearing itself spins foreve...

It’s quite interesting - amongst us there’s a varying ability to recognize patterns and design features. I’ve got a friend who fishes all major JDM hardbait brands, started way before me but to this day can’t tell if it’s a Duo, Lucky Craft or Megabass when he sees a product picture without a logo. ...

Ci4 is also not listed on the German website. However as the drag star is ci4, it would be a correct statement for all current Metanium models?

On all the websites pictures of the 24 Metanium DC, the threads are in the sideplate and the screw heads are on the inside frame. So the fear is legit, on my 16 Aldebaran bfs I’ve also ripped the threads one day. Maybe just one too many HOWEVER I think the said pro-staff got it all wrong and are mis...

I saw the other day there are some speed style models on sale at JDMtackleheaven. Like 80 bucks-ish. Shipping rates are a bit steep though.

Still having a hard time wrapping my head around not having a factory drag clicker in this day and age, I refuse to add a Chinese manufactured part to a JDM masterpiece. Perhaps Sagisi will corner the market with one of his creations. Chinese manufactured indeed but cmon… Metanium + Alphas Version

SSS wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 12, 2024 9:09 am

So the size is identical to the 2020 met?

Yes, only sideplate a bit more bulky

rocketsurgeon wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 12, 2024 12:16 pm

No mention of the exciting drag sound either on Shimano Japan. Kind of a deal breaker for me nowadays.

Since that’s a $10-15 upgrade on AliExpress, I started not minding and not paying attention at all