Tatula SV TW103 inital thoughts

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cals400ex
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Tatula SV TW103 inital thoughts

Post by cals400ex » Mon May 04, 2020 4:35 pm

I recently purchased a 2020 tatula sv tw103. I have not hit the water with it yet, but I have a few initial thoughts that others may like to know. I have heard that these sometimes come with a lack of grease/oil. I haven't opened anything up, but the worm gear does have grease on it. The compact feel and size of the reel is comfortable in my hands. When reeling, the reel is fairly "geary." I don't have much to compare it to, but I have two bantam curado's (one is ~20 years old and the other is ~10 years old). Both of my curado's are WAY more smooth when reeling. I don't believe anything is wrong with this Tatula reel, I just feel that it is much less smooth than my other reels (which seems odd to me bc I have not opened/oiled/greased either of my curado's since I have owned them - note, I am easy on my reels and they only get used a handful of times per year). Once again, I have not used this Tatula reel yet so I can't comment how it performs on the water. Does this "geary" feel make anyone concerned? I don't want to use this reel if it would be best to return the Diawa and go with another Shimano, etc. Also, I don't mind a reel that is geary feeling if it's going to be an awesome reel. However, when I can go to the store and feel a reel that is smooth as this one for 1/4 of the price, it makes me wonder. :? Any suggestions?

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Re: Tatula SV TW103 inital thoughts

Post by CGrinder » Mon May 04, 2020 4:40 pm

Folks are saying that Daiwa reels are shipping on the dry side. I would check the gears for grease if you haven't. FWIW my Elite and SV TW that I bought last month are real smooth under load.

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Re: Tatula SV TW103 inital thoughts

Post by Carlos Carrapiço » Mon May 04, 2020 4:49 pm

Maybe it would be better for you to clarify what exactly do you mean by geary.
Can you feel the teeth meshing like actually felling each teeth?
Or is it just a white noise sound?
Do you feel the reel vibrating when reeling?

It's normal that the reel has a more connected hard feeling to it. The tolerances should be much better in regard to 20 years old reels and also the gear material is probably much harder.

Also, if you decide the reel is mechanically sound and are planing to keep it, add a proper lube to the gears just to prevent trouble down the road.

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Re: Tatula SV TW103 inital thoughts

Post by cals400ex » Mon May 04, 2020 5:20 pm

Carlos Carrapiço wrote:
Mon May 04, 2020 4:49 pm
Maybe it would be better for you to clarify what exactly do you mean by geary.
Can you feel the teeth meshing like actually felling each teeth?
Or is it just a white noise sound?
Do you feel the reel vibrating when reeling?

It's normal that the reel has a more connected hard feeling to it. The tolerances should be much better in regard to 20 years old reels and also the gear material is probably much harder.

Also, if you decide the reel is mechanically sound and are planing to keep it, add a proper lube to the gears just to prevent trouble down the road.
The easiest way for ME to explain it is comparing bearings on a pair of roller blades. Cheap bearings tend to make a little noise and you can hear them clicking a little bit when the wheel is spun. More expensive bearings essentially make no noise or vibration when you spin the wheel. My curado's are buttery smooth, the Tatula isn't. But, I can't feel teeth meshing together. I know this may not be the most accurate way to describe it, but it just feels like it has cheaper bearings in it.
This noise on the Tatula is by no means bad (there is no screeching or squealing) , but I'm surprised it is less smooth and louder than my old curado's.
There also seems to have more play. Meaning, the handle will turn backwards more than my old curado's do (it isn't an excessive amount by any means, it just feels like the internals are quite a bit cheaper than my old curado's - whether that is the case or not, I don't know).
I do feel like the reel is mechanically sound. However, I also feel that the quality of the components are less than my old curado's or maybe the tolerances are not as tight.

Finally, I don't want this to be a bash on Tatula's or me bragging on the Curado's. I think the Curado's are fine reels but I'm not loyal to a specific brand. My oldest "greenie" Curado CU-200 was $120 at the time and my newest Curado 201E7 was $165 at that time. This Tatula just doesn't feel like a $200 reel. However, it may have awesome casting ability, or great backlash resistance, etc. I just don't know bc I have not used it yet.

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Re: Tatula SV TW103 inital thoughts

Post by Houndfish » Mon May 04, 2020 5:26 pm

If you are hearing a rattle when cranking the reel without a lure on it, it could be the spool. With the tension set to allow side play it can rattle a little bit.

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Re: Tatula SV TW103 inital thoughts

Post by cals400ex » Mon May 04, 2020 5:31 pm

CGrinder wrote:
Mon May 04, 2020 4:40 pm
Folks are saying that Daiwa reels are shipping on the dry side. I would check the gears for grease if you haven't. FWIW my Elite and SV TW that I bought last month are real smooth under load.
I have not used the reel under a load. I have not even put line on it yet. I do believe the reel will feel ok under a load, so I don't think it is malfunctioning. But it definitely isn't buttery smooth when there is no load on it.

Regarding the grease and oil, do you know of a good youtube video that shows exactly what to oil, what to grease, and what to not get oil or grease on?

I do have some quality products (TSI 321 oil, abu garcia grease, and cal's drag grease). However, most of the videos that I have seen all have different recommendations. My plan was to place oil on the spool bearings and grease on the gears/worm gear/frame bearings. However, some video's recommend a little oil or grease on a few other areas, and others don't.
Last edited by cals400ex on Mon May 04, 2020 9:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Tatula SV TW103 inital thoughts

Post by LowRange » Mon May 04, 2020 6:23 pm

Screw that. If t is geary then send it back. If you can't then and it off for repair or attempt the repair yourself. Reels should be smooth and silent when new.

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Re: Tatula SV TW103 inital thoughts

Post by cals400ex » Tue May 05, 2020 7:33 am

ska4fun wrote:
Mon May 04, 2020 9:01 pm
Just one drop of a good quality in the casting bearing and pinions. Try grease the pinion using a insulsin syringe, if you arent confortable over opeoning it.
While I have not lubed it, I'm fairly certain that oil/grease are not going to make this reel buttery smooth. Once again, it isn't bad and I do not believe anything is faulty. It sounds/feels similar to a $30 abu garcia reel that I have (slightly more noisy and tolerances that seem less tight when compared to my old Curado's).

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Re: Tatula SV TW103 inital thoughts

Post by Carlos Carrapiço » Tue May 05, 2020 6:15 pm

cals400ex wrote:
Tue May 05, 2020 7:33 am
ska4fun wrote:
Mon May 04, 2020 9:01 pm
Just one drop of a good quality in the casting bearing and pinions. Try grease the pinion using a insulsin syringe, if you arent confortable over opeoning it.
While I have not lubed it, I'm fairly certain that oil/grease are not going to make this reel buttery smooth. Once again, it isn't bad and I do not believe anything is faulty. It sounds/feels similar to a $30 abu garcia reel that I have (slightly more noisy and tolerances that seem less tight when compared to my old Curado's).
Just spool it and give it an opportunity under real world conditions. If you don't like it, send it back.

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Re: Tatula SV TW103 inital thoughts

Post by LowRange » Tue May 05, 2020 7:25 pm

cals400ex wrote:
Tue May 05, 2020 7:33 am
ska4fun wrote:
Mon May 04, 2020 9:01 pm
Just one drop of a good quality in the casting bearing and pinions. Try grease the pinion using a insulsin syringe, if you arent confortable over opeoning it.
While I have not lubed it, I'm fairly certain that oil/grease are not going to make this reel buttery smooth. Once again, it isn't bad and I do not believe anything is faulty. It sounds/feels similar to a $30 abu garcia reel that I have (slightly more noisy and tolerances that seem less tight when compared to my old Curado's).
If you have no other Tatulas to compare it to then how do you know it is not faulty?

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Re: Tatula SV TW103 inital thoughts

Post by cals400ex » Wed May 06, 2020 4:11 pm

LowRange wrote:
Tue May 05, 2020 7:25 pm
cals400ex wrote:
Tue May 05, 2020 7:33 am
ska4fun wrote:
Mon May 04, 2020 9:01 pm
Just one drop of a good quality in the casting bearing and pinions. Try grease the pinion using a insulsin syringe, if you arent confortable over opeoning it.
While I have not lubed it, I'm fairly certain that oil/grease are not going to make this reel buttery smooth. Once again, it isn't bad and I do not believe anything is faulty. It sounds/feels similar to a $30 abu garcia reel that I have (slightly more noisy and tolerances that seem less tight when compared to my old Curado's).
If you have no other Tatulas to compare it to then how do you know it is not faulty?

I can't say for sure. I have read that the new SV TW103's aren't buttery smooth, and less smooth than the elite's. So, it is just an assumption bc it seems to reel ok, just not what I would expect out of an expensive reel.

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Re: Tatula SV TW103 inital thoughts

Post by LowRange » Wed May 06, 2020 5:27 pm

cals400ex wrote:
Wed May 06, 2020 4:11 pm
LowRange wrote:
Tue May 05, 2020 7:25 pm
cals400ex wrote:
Tue May 05, 2020 7:33 am
ska4fun wrote:
Mon May 04, 2020 9:01 pm
Just one drop of a good quality in the casting bearing and pinions. Try grease the pinion using a insulsin syringe, if you arent confortable over opeoning it.
While I have not lubed it, I'm fairly certain that oil/grease are not going to make this reel buttery smooth. Once again, it isn't bad and I do not believe anything is faulty. It sounds/feels similar to a $30 abu garcia reel that I have (slightly more noisy and tolerances that seem less tight when compared to my old Curado's).
If you have no other Tatulas to compare it to then how do you know it is not faulty?

I can't say for sure. I have read that the new SV TW103's aren't buttery smooth, and less smooth than the elite's. So, it is just an assumption bc it seems to reel ok, just not what I would expect out of an expensive reel.
So return it for another to see if yours is s lemon or if it is normal for the platform.

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Re: Tatula SV TW103 inital thoughts

Post by johnD » Wed May 06, 2020 6:50 pm

I'd exchange it for another one.

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Re: Tatula SV TW103 inital thoughts

Post by spookybaits » Thu May 07, 2020 4:17 pm

Sounds like it’s dry. Open it up and check and add a little grease to the gears.
Don’t be scared, there’s nothing to it.

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Re: Tatula SV TW103 inital thoughts

Post by cals400ex » Thu May 07, 2020 8:35 pm

Here is an update......I opened up the reel and it was clean and well greased. I added a little oil to the bearings and a little grease to the gears. It didn't make any difference with how the reel feels. As I previously mentioned, I don't believe this reel is faulty - I just don't think this model is "buttery" smooth. As a side note, I have read that another person noted that their Elite was nice and smooth, but their SV TW103 isn't. I don't want to over exaggerate things. It doesn't feel bad. But, when there is no load on the reel (no line), it's not as smooth as I'd like to see from a $200 reel.

I used the SV TW103 today. It operated just fine. When reeling in a bait or a fish, you can't tell that it isn't "buttery" smooth. When comparing my 20-year old Bantam Curado CU-200 to the SV TW103 while fishing today, I can feel that the bantam curado is a little smoother. But the SV TW103 is significantly smaller and easier to palm. I'll keep the reel because it works fine. Once again, the SV TW103 is by no means "rough" when reeling in a bait or a fish. I can notice the biggest difference in "smoothness" when reeling with no bait / no load on the reel. If I had to do it over again, I would get the Elite bc I hear it is supposed to be smoother. Who knows if I would like it more or less, but that's the route that I would go if I had to do it over again.

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