Is Shimano Playing us?

[DavidSA]

Have you noticed the line ratings on JDM boxes vs. US boxes???? It was brought to my attention that the JDM Met MGL box appears to have same/similar line capacity to the US version yet one is called a 100 and the other is 150. When I saw this I went and pulled 4 boxes which were a mix of Shimano 13 product, very old product, and JDM product. Based on the ratings of the box, none had any material difference in line capacity yet we online tend to believe differences exist.

Hell, I fish the reels and think a difference exists yet the box does not say that it is true in any material way.

What shocked me the most is the JDM Met MGL lists more line capacity on the box then a US 13Me

I noticed some inconsistencies as I researched online some time ago but appears this could be a perception hoax.

[Farnorth]

Is it possible that the ratings were listed for lines in lb test? US lines are generally thicker for a given rating but break at higher strength. Are the ratings different where listed for PE by tenkara number or are the us ones listed for "power pro"?

[DavidSA]

hmm, yes, this may be a good theory. If we are assuming different line diameters for something we call a 10lbs line in Japan and 10lbs in the US, this could explain the confusion.

[LgMouthGambler]

It is the theory. They go by a different measurement and scale on their lines over there.

[maxpowers]

The other explanation is a simple one.

Shimano USA = Line capacity is listed in yards

Shimano Japan = Line capacity is listed in meters.

Usually these line up to be about equal. Sometimes Shimano and Daiwa produce slightly different domestic (Japan) models vs what they ship over to the USA. This has to do with the market and customizing the product to it. In the USA we typically use heavier lines and have slightly different needs, so sometimes we get a exclusive model (faster gear ratio, more line cap or something like that) and vice versa.

Hope that helps!

[Nytron]

There is no standard for rating line diameter to a given # rating even within the US, let alone other countries. Thus, the line capacity numbers specified by reel manufacturers is just an guesstimate.

When you cook a dish, you usually salt it to taste. Do the same thing when spooling line on your reels. Depending on what type of line, the breaking strength, the stiffness, you will spool it more or less.

[IAY]

The USDM Met MGL is 150 size, and JDM MGL is 70 sized spool.

[DavidSA]

The USDM Met MGL is 150 size, and JDM MGL is 70 sized spool.

yes, sounds right. but trying to figure out what that equates to in terms of difference in actual line is a slippery slope.

[drift123]

Just buy the jdm version exclusively and not even worry about the differences