Daiwa Tournament SS Reel

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Smead
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Daiwa Tournament SS Reel

Post by Smead » Thu Sep 24, 2015 12:34 am

I got one...Made In Japan...though in the 1300 size rather than a 700. Could not pass it up give the great condition. I figured that if I liked it I could begin a hunt for a Japan made 700.

I really like it...I have an Avid ML rod that it will be going on. The external trip doesn't matter to me since I close bails by hand. I actually prefer the pawl style A/R over the roller bearing type. I like the side fold handle.

I did order a bearing to replace the bushing on the end of the worm shaft...an easy drop in replacement.

The drag stack looks impressive.

Any necessary repair parts seem to be available if needed.

No sign of the wobble that some people report, even when cranked fast while not attached to a rod.

In short, Kudos to Daiwa for keeping this reel in production...I will be getting a 700 when a good one comes up. Comparing spool capacity, the 700 seems close to a Shimano 1000 size.

There is a debate amoungst the users of theses reels over which is better, japan or Thailand made. Maybe I'll eventually get a Thai reel to compare. I have read allegations that reels made in Thailand destined for the US market get upgrades that the reels meant for Asia don't get. That all might be urban legend.

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Re: Daiwa Tournament SS Reel

Post by karirick » Fri Sep 25, 2015 8:50 pm

Source of supply? Are they current models still overseas? Thanks.

Rick

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Re: Daiwa Tournament SS Reel

Post by Smead » Fri Sep 25, 2015 11:41 pm

It's made in Thailand currently; the Made in Japan reels are older EB and flea market finds.

I've read that it's very popular in the Asian market too.

Reels like the Mitchell 308 were in production for 30 years, the Mitchell 300 for over 40 years...so it's longevity is quite an achievement.

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Re: Daiwa Tournament SS Reel

Post by gillchaser » Sat Sep 26, 2015 6:39 am

Smead wrote:It's made in Thailand currently; the Made in Japan reels are older EB and flea market finds.

I've read that it's very popular in the Asian market too.

Reels like the Mitchell 308 were in production for 30 years, the Mitchell 300 for over 40 years...so it's longevity is quite an achievement.
I have a 408 , high speed UL , that I bought years ago . Nice reel , my favorite for years . Gillchaser

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Re: Daiwa Tournament SS Reel

Post by Smead » Sat Sep 26, 2015 9:44 am

The 408 was the high speed version of the 308 until they combined them into the 308A.

I have a number of 308's and 308A's...I like them a lot.

What's nice about them is that if you have the older 1 pc line guide style bail you can easily upgrade into a 1 pc bail with a line roller...or even use the very late style multi-piece bails where the roller has a Teflon bushing. Late bails do require using the late bail arm screws, but the rotor itself hardly changed in decades.

The small and large spools, or later large spool with insertable arbor, allows the use of a wide range of line tests.

They also field strip as easy as a military rifle, making cleaning/lubing and repairing quite easy.

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Re: Daiwa Tournament SS Reel

Post by uljersey » Sun Sep 27, 2015 4:49 am

I've never handled a Japanese made SS, so I can only rely on what I've read for what that's worth.

The consensus seems split as to the quality - some say they were inferior to the Taiwanese made ones, some swear they were superior. For reasons unknown they had a relatively short production run in Japan. My guess would be economics, since the reel itself debuted in the mid 80's when Japan had already established itself as a manufacturer of high quality goods. Certainly given it's simple design it would have been a no brainer to turn out a quality unit. Interesting point brought up at the beginning of the third tutorial linked below - the writer is of the opinion that the best of the entire series gets shipped to the US. I personally don't buy into that, but maybe he knows something we don't.

My Taiwan 1300 never had a wobble, but did have a barely noticeable rough spot in the rotor rotation. A new rotor bearing took care of that. On both my 1300 and 700, I replaced the nylon worm shaft rear support bushing with a bearing and used a dremel to polish internal parts to smooth them out even more.

Here's a few tutorials dedicated to maintenance & upgrades of the SS ...

http://www.fishingkaki.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=143647

http://www.fishingkaki.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=115667

http://www.fishingkaki.com/forum/viewto ... ae10b928d9

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Re: Daiwa Tournament SS Reel

Post by Smead » Sun Sep 27, 2015 9:14 am

I have those Kaki threads saved...my bushing replacement bearing is enroute.

I also saw how the Author claimed that JDM SS's were inferior and that USDM got the better made reels...from Thailand he said...maybe they were once made in Taiwan previous to the present.

Reel anecdotes always seem to conflict though. Sometimes if the details are known, it can be an expectation that was unrealistic, misuse of gear; sometimes it is jus bad stuff. It can go the other way too...something is great at first, but soon degrades.

High speed production techniques do have a certain % of part defects. These bad parts should be caught in the assembly process and/or when whatever post assembly check is done.

I drug myself out to the parking lot and actually did some test casting with the SS 1300...old line, and a ho-hum short shop rod yielded decent results. Better with new line and a good rod.

I almost caught a cat though...a tabby saw the yellow practice weight (hookless) land and went on point, about to pounce, then realized in the dusk that a suspicious chimpanzee was probably up to no good!! :D

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Re: Daiwa Tournament SS Reel

Post by Smead » Sun Sep 27, 2015 9:54 am

BTW

Saw a SS 700 "Made in Japan" listed and nailed it. Will see how it goes, you never know the reel's true condition until it arrives in hand. Seems to not be as cosmetically pristine as the 1300 was, but looks more like closet/drawer dust/grime than hard use...some small bit fading of the printing on the spool, so it was used.

a couple of reels to play with...relatively small investment.

Some other details that I like:

Bail arms...pins secured with c-clips rather than with a screw biting into plastic.

A screw holds the crank on, not a plastic cap with a threaded rod molded in it.

Able to do a quick field lube by taking off the reap cap. Great also if you dunk a real...you can do a quick check to see if any water got in, get it out if need be and blow lube in there if so. The first Fuego reels had this set up too, the original magnesium body ones, not the "A" models.

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Re: Daiwa Tournament SS Reel

Post by zodiak311 » Sun Sep 27, 2015 4:41 pm

I have tried so hard not to pull the trigger on this reel, since the last thing I need is another reel... I might just have to break down and get one, for my "old school" spinning set up. 8-)

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Re: Daiwa Tournament SS Reel

Post by Smead » Mon Sep 28, 2015 2:24 am

It's nice to get a real where all the rather common features have goofy names with trademarks and copyrights; while you wonder whether you are getting snow-jobbed or not.

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Re: Daiwa Tournament SS Reel

Post by uljersey » Mon Sep 28, 2015 7:05 am

zodiak311 wrote:I have tried so hard not to pull the trigger on this reel, since the last thing I need is another reel... I might just have to break down and get one, for my "old school" spinning set up. 8-)
Be forewarned ... the reel foot on the 700 is very short and may not be compatible with some modern reel seats. Here's my workaround - rubber non adhesive splicing tape made by 3M. Less than $5.00 a roll a Home Depot. Pull it very tight while wrapping being sure to overlap the wraps. The reel will not shift or flex, it will stay put. It adheres to itself but will not leave residue of any kind behind when removed. It has the perfect tackiness and retains that quality when wet, but will not leave anything on your hands. I replaced the vinyl grips on my kayak paddle with it. It will last most of not all of the season. It has to removed by gently scoring it with a fresh razor blade as it more or less forms into a single unit of rubber. Unwrapping it is not gonna happen.

I don't mind it at all, kind of a nod to the Tennessee handle 8-)

Image

Image

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Re: Daiwa Tournament SS Reel

Post by zodiak311 » Mon Sep 28, 2015 8:08 am

uljersey wrote:
zodiak311 wrote:I have tried so hard not to pull the trigger on this reel, since the last thing I need is another reel... I might just have to break down and get one, for my "old school" spinning set up. 8-)
Be forewarned ... the reel foot on the 700 is very short and may not be compatible with some modern reel seats. Here's my workaround - rubber non adhesive splicing tape made by 3M. Less than $5.00 a roll a Home Depot. Pull it very tight while wrapping being sure to overlap the wraps. The reel will not shift or flex, it will stay put. It adheres to itself but will not leave residue of any kind behind when removed. It has the perfect tackiness and retains that quality when wet, but will not leave anything on your hands. I replaced the vinyl grips on my kayak paddle with it. It will last most of not all of the season. It has to removed by gently scoring it with a fresh razor blade as it more or less forms into a single unit of rubber. Unwrapping it is not gonna happen.

I don't mind it at all, kind of a nod to the Tennessee handle 8-)

Image

Image
Thanks for the tip, definitely have to get some of that 3M tape.

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Re: Daiwa Tournament SS Reel

Post by Smead » Mon Sep 28, 2015 8:33 am

Some vintage Italian UL reels, like early Cargem Mignons, have short feet. IIRC, all my St Croix rods would hold them, my Daiwa rods would not. I read that Cargem eventually realized that they were too short and increased their length. It could be that they were initially thinking that the reels would be used only on rods with the Tenn style seat.

It works both ways too. Mitchell 308's were made for rod seats with unpadded clamps, they don't fit modern padded seat clamps very well without a bit of grinding. Mitchell made the 308A reels with a foot that was thinner.

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Re: Daiwa Tournament SS Reel

Post by Bronzeye » Mon Sep 28, 2015 9:47 am

zodiak311, thanks for the tip on the Temflex. I've been looking for tape to do just that.

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Re: Daiwa Tournament SS Reel

Post by zodiak311 » Mon Sep 28, 2015 11:33 am

Bronzeye wrote:zodiak311, thanks for the tip on the Temflex. I've been looking for tape to do just that.
You can thank uljersey!

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