T3 ballistic vs other t3's? wut's the diff?

Reels are the hottest topic for TackleTour. Everyone wants to know what the latest and greatest is and how they compare to the old guard. What's the best for light stuff, or what's your suggestion for heavy cover. Do we really need different retrieve ratios? It's all in here.
daiwa_fan_91
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T3 ballistic vs other t3's? wut's the diff?

Post by daiwa_fan_91 » Mon Jul 29, 2013 11:38 pm

So whats the difference in the T3's? I know the ballitic has a cheap handle, lower ball bearings and probably the worst looking paint job out of them all. So what makes say the T3 MX cost so much more money? Are the spool's that much different?

I want to get a t3....was going to wait for tatula but thats months away and I want another reel asap. I can get a ballaitic for 160-180$ which isn't a bad deal IMO but I see the T3 MX being 299$...does the higher end T3's perform much better then the ballistic?

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Re: T3 ballistic vs other t3's? wut's the diff?

Post by beezy » Tue Jul 30, 2013 10:31 am

daiwa_fan_91 wrote:So whats the difference in the T3's? I know the ballitic has a cheap handle, lower ball bearings and probably the worst looking paint job out of them all. So what makes say the T3 MX cost so much more money? Are the spool's that much different?

I want to get a t3....was going to wait for tatula but thats months away and I want another reel asap. I can get a ballaitic for 160-180$ which isn't a bad deal IMO but I see the T3 MX being 299$...does the higher end T3's perform much better then the ballistic?
Actually, I bought the ballistic because I got a deal on it. If I know correctly, it's not nearly as refined as the more expensive T3. As of right now I believe you can buy the T3 MX for the same price as the ballistic so it's a no-brainer if you're looking to spend $250 for the t3, then go for the T3 MX. That being said, I'm going to upgrade my T3 ballistic and see how much improvements I can get from it. One thing you cannot complain about with this reel is its ability to cast your baits quite far. I'm very surprised at how much fun it is to launch baits with less effort on this reel. That t-wing system definitely works. I will post up a better review once I get to fish the reel more but this reel is a win-win in my book initally.

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Re: T3 ballistic vs other t3's? wut's the diff?

Post by daiwa_fan_91 » Tue Jul 30, 2013 11:46 am

Would you say that the ballistic casts the lighter stuff well? The more I look the more I just wanna get the T3 MX and be done with it...i like how the MX is all black and slat water safe....i found it 240$ with under 20$ shipping at this store http://jpangler.com/ but I haven't seen anyone talk about that store so i dont know how legit it is? But yeah I think im just going to get the T3 MX with gold accents so i can upgrade the spool to the gold SV spool later down the road if i feel i need better spool.

Or should I just get the T3 ballistic brand new for 170$....thats like 100$ saved if i buy the ballistic, thats a lot of cash I can use on upgrades. :/

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Re: T3 ballistic vs other t3's? wut's the diff?

Post by beezy » Tue Jul 30, 2013 12:46 pm

daiwa_fan_91 wrote:Would you say that the ballistic casts the lighter stuff well? The more I look the more I just wanna get the T3 MX and be done with it...i like how the MX is all black and slat water safe....i found it 240$ with under 20$ shipping at this store http://jpangler.com/ but I haven't seen anyone talk about that store so i dont know how legit it is? But yeah I think im just going to get the T3 MX with gold accents so i can upgrade the spool to the gold SV spool later down the road if i feel i need better spool.

Or should I just get the T3 ballistic brand new for 170$....thats like 100$ saved if i buy the ballistic, thats a lot of cash I can use on upgrades. :/
I would recommend you go with the T3 MX reel. I think there was a post on the forum here that described the differences between the T3 models with the ballistic being at the bottom obviously. As far as the limits of casting with the ballistic, I didn't throw anything lighter than a 1/4oz bass patrol jig with a baby rage craw trailer so I don't know how light you can cast with this reel. I would say don't go lighter than 1/4oz with this reel.

What are you planning to throw on the reel? For anything lighter than 1/4oz, my pixy excels at that. I bought the ballistic for jig fishing duties, but it's quite versatile. Hopefully with a aftermarket handle and some bearings in key places like the drive shaft, the reel will be smoother.

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Re: T3 ballistic vs other t3's? wut's the diff?

Post by tywithay » Tue Jul 30, 2013 2:56 pm

The MX is an ounce lighter, with a lighter spool. It also looks better, in my opinion. The only performance gain you would see would be with lighter lures, probably. But the MX is going to be slightly more refined. The T3 1016 is even another step up in refinement, but at s cost. Honestly, for the money, I'd get an SV over the 1016. The MX is the best overall value performance-wise. The Ballistic is ok, but lacks refinement. You can find an MX for $260ish through digitaka.com, or even cheaper if you look around. The 1016 and SV can be found around$350

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Re: T3 ballistic vs other t3's? wut's the diff?

Post by africanbass » Tue Jul 30, 2013 3:10 pm

Go the Digitaka route with free ems shipping.You will have your MX reel within a week.
The MX is every bit as refined as the JDM 1016,great reel :D
I would not pay more than $150 for a Ballistic,at that price it is still a great reel.
http://forums.tackletour.com/viewtopic. ... es#p392216

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Re: T3 ballistic vs other t3's? wut's the diff?

Post by Hogsticker2 » Tue Jul 30, 2013 10:13 pm

http://www.japantackle.com/Daiwa/Daiwa_T3_MX.htm
Just in case you haven't seen this page. If main purpose is bottom contact the 8:1:1 has a 90 mm handle. Huge bonus IMO, plus you can remove the handle knobs and install 4 bearings :D . I debated your same situation for a while. I think the MX is going to be a better reel than the Tatula. It's lighter and smaller which is what made my choice at the end of the day. I would have preferred the new T Wing system on the T3, but we can't have it all!

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Re: T3 ballistic vs other t3's? wut's the diff?

Post by daiwa_fan_91 » Wed Jul 31, 2013 5:54 am

africanbass wrote:Go the Digitaka route with free ems shipping.You will have your MX reel within a week.
The MX is every bit as refined as the JDM 1016,great reel :D
I would not pay more than $150 for a Ballistic,at that price it is still a great reel.
http://forums.tackletour.com/viewtopic. ... es#p392216
Thank you, I looked for a thread like this but couldn't find it lol,.....perfect info. I guess I am going to just get the T3 MX, I just like the mate black finish and I think the MX with the orange/gold accents would look really great with the orange/gold SV spool which looks like I can nab for under 100$ if I did decide to get new spool.

Has anyone bought from http://jpangler.com/ ? I can get the T3 MX cheaper from them even though im still buying EMS/UPS shipping. Or will Digitaka price match, they say they have the lowest prices but the don't actually have lowest on the T3 MX lol.

Thank you all for the info, its much appreciated!

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Re: T3 ballistic vs other t3's? wut's the diff?

Post by daiwa_fan_91 » Wed Jul 31, 2013 5:59 am

beezy wrote:
daiwa_fan_91 wrote:Would you say that the ballistic casts the lighter stuff well? The more I look the more I just wanna get the T3 MX and be done with it...i like how the MX is all black and slat water safe....i found it 240$ with under 20$ shipping at this store http://jpangler.com/ but I haven't seen anyone talk about that store so i dont know how legit it is? But yeah I think im just going to get the T3 MX with gold accents so i can upgrade the spool to the gold SV spool later down the road if i feel i need better spool.

Or should I just get the T3 ballistic brand new for 170$....thats like 100$ saved if i buy the ballistic, thats a lot of cash I can use on upgrades. :/
I would recommend you go with the T3 MX reel. I think there was a post on the forum here that described the differences between the T3 models with the ballistic being at the bottom obviously. As far as the limits of casting with the ballistic, I didn't throw anything lighter than a 1/4oz bass patrol jig with a baby rage craw trailer so I don't know how light you can cast with this reel. I would say don't go lighter than 1/4oz with this reel.

What are you planning to throw on the reel? For anything lighter than 1/4oz, my pixy excels at that. I bought the ballistic for jig fishing duties, but it's quite versatile. Hopefully with a aftermarket handle and some bearings in key places like the drive shaft, the reel will be smoother.
I want it to throw some jigs and spinner baits, I think 1/4oz would be lowest I fish.

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Re: T3 ballistic vs other t3's? wut's the diff?

Post by beezy » Wed Jul 31, 2013 10:32 am

daiwa_fan_91 wrote:
beezy wrote:
daiwa_fan_91 wrote:Would you say that the ballistic casts the lighter stuff well? The more I look the more I just wanna get the T3 MX and be done with it...i like how the MX is all black and slat water safe....i found it 240$ with under 20$ shipping at this store http://jpangler.com/ but I haven't seen anyone talk about that store so i dont know how legit it is? But yeah I think im just going to get the T3 MX with gold accents so i can upgrade the spool to the gold SV spool later down the road if i feel i need better spool.

Or should I just get the T3 ballistic brand new for 170$....thats like 100$ saved if i buy the ballistic, thats a lot of cash I can use on upgrades. :/
I would recommend you go with the T3 MX reel. I think there was a post on the forum here that described the differences between the T3 models with the ballistic being at the bottom obviously. As far as the limits of casting with the ballistic, I didn't throw anything lighter than a 1/4oz bass patrol jig with a baby rage craw trailer so I don't know how light you can cast with this reel. I would say don't go lighter than 1/4oz with this reel.

What are you planning to throw on the reel? For anything lighter than 1/4oz, my pixy excels at that. I bought the ballistic for jig fishing duties, but it's quite versatile. Hopefully with a aftermarket handle and some bearings in key places like the drive shaft, the reel will be smoother.
I want it to throw some jigs and spinner baits, I think 1/4oz would be lowest I fish.
Definitely go with the T3 MX then. I haven't used purchased one yet, but I think I might just buy the SV model eventually since I'm really liking my ballistic right now even though you can feel that it's not as refined.

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Re: T3 ballistic vs other t3's? wut's the diff?

Post by daiwa_fan_91 » Sat Aug 10, 2013 7:27 pm

I went ahead and bought the T3 MX at http://jpangler.com/ I am excited to get it! I just hope customs is nice lol....does the T3 MX have the guard on the front to prevent line from digging in? Thanks for all the help :)

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Re: T3 ballistic vs other t3's? wut's the diff?

Post by Hobie-Wan Kenobi » Tue Apr 08, 2014 1:45 pm

I know this is an old thread but TW has a great deal on both the T3B and T3 1016. I have the T3Bxs (8.1). I get 10% off at TW so I got it around $98. I can get the T3 1016 for like $180.

I have a few things concerning which one to get. (I will only have one or the other) I can sell the T3B if need be to a willing friend (he is willing to trade me the 8.1 gear for either the 6.3 or 7.1 from the 1016).

1. I like the fast gear ratio in the 8.1. Is it possible to put the 8.1 gear in the 1016? (Worth the weight IMO)

2. I plan on replacing the bushings with bearings no matter what. Are they close to the same reel with all bushings replaced?

I probably have other things I cant think of at the moment but those are the biggies. I think it would have been more cost-effective to upgrade a T3B because of the $180 stock difference compared to the 1016 before they went on sale. With the difference being around $80, should I just jump up to the 1016 and upgrade that?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

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Re: T3 ballistic vs other t3's? wut's the diff?

Post by IlliniDawg01 » Tue Apr 08, 2014 4:21 pm

The biggest negative on the t3b is that the knobs aren't removable so you are stuck with bushings under the knobs unless you replace the handle and all. IIRC there is also a bushing under the main crank and worm drive. The benefits of upgrading the worm drive bushing to a bearing are negligible and make the reel noisier to boot. For $100 it is a heck of a reel bone stock.

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Re: T3 ballistic vs other t3's? wut's the diff?

Post by Hobie-Wan Kenobi » Wed Apr 09, 2014 1:50 am

So, from your experience, you are saying it isn't worth the $90 dollar upgrade (T3B to T31016)? After I bought a handle, a couple bearing for the knobs, there's $40 right there. I hate making changes to a stock reel before I get to fish it. (Still have ice on the water).

I do have a couple of nice handles that will fit on there (PX-R and Revo Rocket) to test out vs stock.

Will putting say $90 bucks into the T3B make it perform better that the stock 1016? I like making informed desicions and without having both with me on the water, I can't tell Mary-Kate from Ashley performance wise.

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Re: T3 ballistic vs other t3's? wut's the diff?

Post by africanbass » Wed Apr 09, 2014 4:37 am

The 1016 spool alone would clinch the deal for me(RCS and supposedly made in Japan).
The 1016 also has a lighter composite drive shaft that account for a significant weight reduction.
Lastly the 1016 was also rumored to contain a Japanese made gear set.

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