Daiwa's New Workhorse Has Thoroughbred Tendencies : Tatula

[cjtoad]

TT's reviews rock, if you think something shady is going on this probably isn't the right review site or forum for you.

[Jayce]

"My take....It is entirely possible that Daiwa provided a super-tuned reel to be tested. They would certainly provide a reel that was nearly perfect. I would be more inclined to accept a product review if the product was purchased in the open market"

Well this is considered normal in almost all businesses. In my line of work these are called Golden or pilot models.
They will hand pick the cream of the crop from an initial build lot based on torerances, test results and Quality Control Inspection.
These will be sent to potential customers/retailers in order to make a deal on future units.
But they are still from the normal massproduction builds so basically you will see the same on future models if the manufacturer can maintain the build quality and weed out all the defects.

[takrat 67]

Call me naïve, but I'd be very surprised to find TT did anything that was not completely on the level. After they pull the reel apart in the lab then evaluate it over a period of time I would not be at all surprised to find that they purched one themselves for a camparo. The fertilizer would hit the spinning blades if there were found to be anomalies between the two reels. After all, they have nothing to gain and everything to lose if there's a sniff of impropriety.
JD

[Quillback]

I read the TT reviews and appreciate the effort they put into them. However, I will also query other users to get their opinions.

[bassinmaumee]

Please take no offense at what I am gonna say. It seems like a guy who wears a tinfoil hat statement. These guys have a good rep and wouldnt want to tarnish that. Same with Daiwa, with the internet the old bait and switch shinnanigans can create a lot of negative publicity and hurt you very quickly. I doubt either would do that, its not a successful way of doing things and in the long run would only hurt you. I read the tt reviews and understand they seem to like Daiwa a lot, not everybody does. I use some of their reviews for a "baseline" if you will. No matter what I will still form my own opinion on the stuff i use.

[Bronzeye]

The result? Spooled with the afore mentioned 16lb Sunline Supernatural Monofilament and mounted on the Zillion TDZL691MHXB casting rod, I was able to comfortably cast and pitch lures down to one quarter of an ounce in weight. This is not a threshold I'd expect to reach with a reel in this class. Instead, three eighths (3/8) of an ounce is the usual norm. I was truly surprised.

My take....It is entirely possible that Daiwa provided a super-tuned reel to be tested. They would certainly provide a reel that was nearly perfect. I would be more inclined to accept a product review if the product was purchased in the open market.

Cal reported that the Tatula has an 18-gram spool. That is 50% heavier than the spool on a Gen 1 Premier, a Scorpion 1000XT, an MG50, or a CU50E. To be able to comfortably pitch lures with a total weight of 1/4 oz. with such a heavy spool is indeed unusual, so I understand both Cal's surprise and the original poster's skepticism. Add in the fact that Daiwa put an unusually high emphasis on pre-release promotion of this reel (ten teaser videos) in a major effort to capture greater market share at the price points of the regular and type-R versions of this reel, and one need not wear a tinfoil hat in order to wonder whether Daiwa might have done other things it doesn't normally do in order to increase the pre-release buzz about this reel--like doing some extra polishing of contact points before sending a sample. (See http://forums.tackletour.com/viewtopic. ... ns#p403499.)

I didn't take the OP to be chastising the TackleTour staff about reporting on the reel provided directly by the manufacturer, but just expressing his reservations about expecting off-the-shelf Tatulas to perform as well as the sample one. I have to admit that I would want to read confirmation of the reel's light-lure pitching ease from other buyers, with some distance figures and comparisons to other reels' pitching performance, before buying one for such a purpose. It would also be nice to see a TackleTour review of an off-the-shelf purchase of the Type-R version of this reel.

Like many of the responding posters, I recognize that there was nothing collusive or improper about Cal's reporting on his pre-release testing of this reel, especially since he acknowledged the circumstances under which it was acquired. The interest level of board members about this reel has obviously been exceptionally high, and had the reel displayed serious design deficiencies, Cal would have identified them. Members will be watching the board for early purchasers' reports on their own experiences with the reel.

[Tokugawa]

Cal reported that the Tatula has an 18-gram spool. That is 50% heavier than the spool on a Gen 1 Premier, a Scorpion 1000XT, an MG50, or a CU50E. To be able to comfortably pitch lures with a total weight of 1/4 oz. with such a heavy spool is indeed unusual, so I understand both Cal's surprise and the original poster's skepticism.

Zillion spool 22g
Fuego spool 23g
Alphas 103/Sol spool 16g
Steez 100 16g

The Tatula spool is closer to the Alphas spool than the Zillion spools. With a TWS line guide allegedly reducing friction, pitching performance really does not seem that surprising or seem unusual.

[Bronzeye]

I don't know the line capacity of an Alphas 103 or Sol spool, but it must be considerably less than the Tatula's 120 yds of 14 lb. test. That much monofilament would add about 10 grams to the weight of the loaded Tatula spool, increasing the weight difference vs. the smaller reels' loaded spools.

The Steez is a closer comparison, but it holds a little less line (120/12) and it's three times as expensive as the Tatula.

I can't pitch 1/4 oz. total weight far or comfortably with a Zillion or Fuego; I've tried both. The Zillion, again, is in a whole 'nuther price range.

I agree that the TWS line guide should reduce friction, but I have no experience with one. I think the Tatula's performance--as reported by Cal--is unusual, especially in its price range. Cal reported surprise, and I--with narrower experience than he has with a variety of reels--am surprised, too. Others are no doubt more adept at pitching light weights than I am.

[Tokugawa]

10/105, 12/90 for the Sol
14/120, 16/100 for a Zillion

Same capacity as a Zillion...4g lighter with an improved line guide...not too big of a surprise once you look at the numbers. The real surprise is that Daiwa made a spool that capable in that price range.

The Curado E was a stellar pitching reel with 1/4oz baits and was in the price range of the Tatula.

[Bronzeye]

CU200E7 spool wt. 13.8 oz.

Thank you for the comparative line capacities on the other reels, Tokugawa!

[21farms]

the tatula spool looks wider than all of those others mentioned. as stated in the review, line comes off the top of the spool easier...i think that's why the pitching performance of the shimano E-series was so good.

[JWR075]

Can we get some clarification on the Tatula pinion bearings. Is it one or two, seems to be some confusion on this issue based on the review.

Also is the spool capacity 120 of 16lb per the review or 120 of 14lb per the Daiwa website.

Is the dragstar on the regular Tatula zaion or only the Type R?

[tywithay]

Also is the spool capacity 120 of 16lb per the review or 120 of 14lb per the Daiwa website.

It's likely rated for "American" 14lb line, such as Trilene XL, which generally has roughly a .330 diameter; though the breaking strength is usually 16-17lbs. The 16lb Super Natural is a "true" rated line, which means it breaks at 16lb, even though it appears to have a thiner diameter compared to the US 16lb stuff.

[IlliniDawg01]

the tatula spool looks wider than all of those others mentioned. as stated in the review, line comes off the top of the spool easier...i think that's why the pitching performance of the shimano E-series was so good.

Exactly. How the weight is distributed makes a big deal. A shallow spool will behave differently than a deep one even if they are the same weight. The Tatula spool has a full axle as well which add to the total weight compared to a cut off Zillion spool but should not affect casting performance in a negative manner.

It would be sweet if Daiwa released a Tatula MG SV in the future if the base models are well received. MG frame to decrease weight. Tuned SV spool for ultimate casting performance. Maybe try to cram MagForce 3D in it as well. Throw on a CF handle and sell it for $400. Wishful thinking...

DaveJ

[cndbasshunter]

Tatula instock? anyone see the tatula and tatula in stores yet?

http://tackletrap.com/index.php?main_pa ... ts_id=4682