When you consider what quality fly reels cost, which feature none of the complexity of baitcasters or spinning reels (but amazing machining and sometimes incredible drags but trout reels often with no drag at all...) you come to appreciate what we pay for reels. Obviously, the market for baitcasters...

It sucks being old and blind. For years I wore contacts mainly so I could wear sunglasses. During that time I wore Oakleys, Costas, Mauis, but I think the best lenses I ever had were in Revo sunglasses. I've always had dry eyes, and as I've gotten older that problem has only gotten worse. in additio...

I admit I haven't fished InvizX, so I can't speak with absolute certainty on it. I know it's stretchier than many fluoros, but it still must be denser than mono/copoly. If you don't find it sensitive enough to warrant the cost and other disadvantages of fluoro, that's enough reason not to use it. I'...

I see the models with US counterparts like the Zillion TWS, Tatula, and Steez; I see they've got a couple of limited edition Steez and also some with the SV braking, which I think is supposed to combine a lighter spool and different rotor to give longer casts with even less effort and thumb control ...

Yes, fluoro cuts into itself badly on backlashes if you're not careful--it's part of the same property that makes the knots such an issue. It's almost like an extruded glass: nick it and it is prone to shattering. Many/most fluoros, as the TT tests have shown, don't recover when stretched to the lim...

I've been hearing a number of people talking about using braided line for backing on casting reels for lighter weight and other advantages (please feel free to share your reasons). I'm curious, though, are all of you using old/inexpensive PE braids (with a little mono or whatever to prevent slip at ...

There is no comparison, and I'm surprised you've gotten so few straight answers: any fluoro I've ever fished is far more sensitive than any mono/copoly, etc. It's much denser, and it stretches less under light loads (in other words, it's not going to stretch at all when you're dragging your football...

How are they different? Is one lower stretch? More abrasion resistant? Better handling? I'm looking at line for topwater, shallow cranking, rattlebaits and spinnerbaits primarily. I've had a stock of old Sunline Bass Special that I've used successfully for topwater for a long time. I liked it so muc...

+1 on the Ultimate Line Winding System. It's the only manual home system I've ever seen that results in no line twist with spinning reels. Prior to that, I'd take line off the bottom of the spool through one or more rod guides: when you think about it, it's the same thing you do when you reel line i...

Thanks for your input. It appears I don't really have much to worry about at all, which is pretty much what I suspected.

With the exchange rate being so favorable, I'm tempted to order a number of JDM reels (Aldeberan BFS, Metanium, Calcutta Conquest to begin with), but unlike many of you, I've never done this before. Other than the loss of warranty, are there any other catches I need to be aware of before I pull the ...