The Double Whammy is Here!
For the past week or so I asked you to be here to read this soon after I post it, in an attempt to subvert the massive ecosystem of scavengers out there; these are hundreds of "experts" who wait for me to post something, then immediately take the information and present it to their unwitting audience as if it was their own knowledge, particularly in non-English speaking countries, in order to raise their profile and gain followers who earn them money per view/affiliate-click or buy their members-first subscriptions on the promise of more "exclusive insights". It's not illegal as long as they don't reproduce or translate complete sentences or copy the overall structure of the work, still scammy nevertheless. Everything I give you here is for free and I don't want a bunch of frauds to repackage it and sell it to you. So, if you're here soon after posting that's brilliant, and if you see this later you might realise as you read that you've been hearing stuff taken from here for a while.
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Something just happened, which has not happened in 24 years....
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Shimano and Daiwa simultaneously released their new flagship saltwater spinning reels, something that last occurred in 2001, and an event whose magnitude is simply unmatched by anything else in the world of fishing tackle. It's true that these two industry-shaping brands have flagship freshwater reels, currently the 2022 Stella and Exist respectively, as well as somehow fluid categories of flagship inshore reels, currently the Exsence for Shimano and the 2023 Saltiga for Daiwa succeeding the Saltiga BJ, yet the release of the big game offshore reels dwarfs them all in significance and will always do that;
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It is owed to the fact that in addition to goals chased by all the three categories of flagship reels, such as refinement and longevity, the offshore saltwater category uniquely targets the additional goal of maximum capability. It represents every brand's best effort to achieve highest degrees of stopping power and sheer strength, and pretty much all innovation originates in them then later on gets scaled down for other flagship categories when appropriate. It's analogous to admiring MMA champions of various weight classes, yet watching the open weight class inspires a different level of awe knowing that these are the people who can defeat any other human on earth including all the champions of lighter classes. Additionally, the release of these two big game reels together for the first time in almost a quarter of a century provides us a rare opportunity to see Shimano and Daiwa go head to head on a level playing field, where no brand gets to observe the other brand's reel then take clues to improve its own reel when it comes a year or two later. 2025 is therefore as special a year as it gets, and for someone like me it's going to be the most fun I'll have testing reels for a long time, or maybe ever since I'm pretty sure in 24 years the nice folks out there would've declared fishing an act of settler colonialism that disproportionately affects the marginalised transfish community and banned it.
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Anyhow, this quick blog entry is mainly an attempt to publicly answer the most frequent questions I've been receiving in many messages since Daiwa announced its reel on December 2nd, which almost tripled since Shimano added its own announcement on January 10th. Yep, tripled and not just doubled, because the Stella SW still fascinates more fishermen globally, particularly in the US, Southeast Asia, and North Africa. Saltiga's loyal following on the other hand comes primarily from Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand, and to a lesser degree Gulf states and mainland Western Europe, Germany in particular. The Brits couldn't care less about either! Maybe one day I should write an article about the regional trends I've identified from readers' mail over the 14 years of this site's existence. I digress though....
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Before we get to it, I'd like first to assure everyone out there that I was not hiding something when in the months leading up to the announcements you asked and I answered that I have no idea whether or not new Saltigas/Stellas were coming. I genuinely had not a single a clue and was completely blindsided by the news. In the past I, indeed, used to know most of the time that these naughty big spinners were coming;
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Like, for instance, last time around when I learned about the Stella SW as early as September 2018, then a month before the official announcement when I felt that it's ethically permissible I showed it to you to share my excitement.
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I also saw the breathtaking 2020 Saltiga as early as June 2019, although this time I couldn't keep my big mouth shut because of how utterly sexy that thing looked to me, evident by the crude language I used to describe it which confused some decent fishos who quoted me wondering what "wood" I was talking about. Sorry about my immature past self, I'm more restrained and less vulgar now.
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Point is, things did often leak tio me, but this time both companies apparently erected a firewall of secrecy around the reels, so impenetrable I was completely gobsmacked by the announcements. Well, the first announcement that is, since after Daiwa dropped their bombshell I shock the debris off and went snooping and hunting for clues, and found two indicators;
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One was an interesting name of a video from a major Japanese retailer, and the other was patents, one of which I posted after typing remarks on it which I could easily obtain from drawing discerning metal from plastic and fibres owing to my background and field of study. At that point, despite having already received two reliable verbal confirmations, as stated in that December 20th update, I still wouldn't make an official call because I have insane standards of verification before I tell you anything as a fact. Well, I almost reached that high threshold needed for an official call when I consulted artificial intelligence and asked it to show me the upcoming Shimano Stella SW spinning reel, and it gave me this perfectly credible photo
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Yet as I prepared to show it to you and break the big news, I noticed that it was actually marked "STOIER SW", which cast some doubt in my head and made me decide to instead wait with everyone for 21 more days until we finally saw Shimano's mischievous little lady.
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Tipping my hat off to Shimano and Daiwa for running a leak proof operation, and please next time be less secretive so I could stick my big nose through the window and see what you're cooking.
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Now let's get to your questions which I, of course, combined and paraphrased considering the many ways any single question is often asked, along with my answers which I'll expand and elaborate on here in a way I can't possibly do in a quick email reply;
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Q : What do you think about the new Saltiga or Stella SW? Is it any better than the previous one?
A : It would be highly irresponsible of me to even try to answer that at this stage. Regular readers know that I don't form an opinion or pass a judgement of any sort until I get to test the reels thoroughly and push them to their advertised limits against the appropriate fish, all under conditions and in environments that put every claim about the reels to the real life test.
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Q : Did you get to play with pre-production reels?
A : Not this time. Even if I did, this can never be grounds for any opinion. I purchase the reels retail when they reach the market, so that I'd be getting exactly what you would get, then I start the slow process of evaluation as I spend more time with them on the water. Sometimes I source additional reels of various origins to measure things and compare certain claims and capabilities, but the core of the testing and what the whole review process is built upon are normal production reels that I buy new.
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Q : Do you know if any more models are coming and when?
A : I have no insider information, but since Shimano so far only announced Stella SW in 10000PG, 10000HG, and 14000XG, there is definitely no doubt that more reels will be coming, which I guess should begin happening later this year or at latest during the two major Japanese shows at the beginning of 2026. The Saltiga lineup is more complete, and if they add new reels they'll most likely be one or two additional gear ratios to an existing model.
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Q : How do you expect the new metal roller drag system in big Saltigas to perform?
A : Anyone making expectations at this point, or even after brief use, is being borderline reckless. This is the sort of radical change that requires careful and sober analysis after extended and unrelenting bouts against big fish over a long period. Only time and methodical work will tell, supposing one remains disciplined without either being a zealot or a cynic, something that's becoming a rarity in our clown world where people are either heaping praise to avoid confrontation or finding problems where there aren't to create a splash and make a name.
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The principle of braking via rolling elements is actually not novel or new to reels. An engineering genius named Ken Matsuura has been building a series of conventional reels called Tuna & Marlin on this concept for decades, but the practical implementation is quite different here so we can't draw any significant conclusions about the Saltiga based on that. (Now watch the scavengers parroting this bit without referencing the source to wow their audiences, as if they've ever heard of those reels let alone had the faintest idea what kind of drag they have. Ha!).
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Q : I can't afford a Stella SW or a Saltiga, but I'm waiting for lower priced reels to come out. Do you think they'll update those?
A : If historical precedent is followed, then there should be a Twin Power SW once the Stella SW (SW-D) release completes or nears completion, followed by a Saragosa SW-B, then later a Spheros SW-B. Daiwa's side is less firm historically as the secondary reel changed from Tournament-S to Saltiga Blast to Catalina + Isla to now Certate SW, and even down the range there hasn't been a clear third or a fourth reel. We shall see what they'll do this time.
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Nothing really. Just saw that I wrote chunks of text without images, so decided to break it with a random image for easier reading. Did you know that Saltiga's predecessor, the Team Daiwa X, had two clutches in size 6000 to function as a backup stop? And did you know that this exact Japanese made NSK supplied clutch has been used in all Saltigas to date? That reel was essentially my earliest review, lost to the crash of one of the free hosts of those ancient dial-up modem days. Maybe I should buy the reel again and recreate that review some day. Would be an immense nostalgic joy
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Back to Q&A....
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Q : I really need to decide soon because I have a trip planned on X date and that's a lot of money for me. At least give me your initial impressions.
A : Actually it's for this exact reason, it being a lot of money for you, that I can't say anything that would send you down one path or another. How would you feel if after spending such a large sum based on my "impressions" you got disappointed in your purchase and regretted not waiting for a full proper evaluation? I'm sure that soon you'll be buried in impressions coming left and right, but not from me though. That's not how I do things.
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Q : Okay, take all the time you need, can you at least give an estimation of how long it would be until you're done and the review X or Y is ready?
A : Unfortunately no, because no matter how hard I work a fact remains that fishing is the most unpredictable activity I do. If I reviewed fine pens I could've sat for three days doing nothing but filling, writing, and cleaning then given you a thorough review on the fourth day, and had I been reviewing guns I'd literally camp at the range to fire a thousand rounds over a week then publish a full review of a perfectly tested gun on the weekend after quickly sticking my scope into the barrel and copying my range notes on cold/hot harmonics. With fishing though there is only so much that I can do then it's up to whether or not the right fish will be biting, if any does at all. We've all tasted the bitter frustrations of going home without hooking anything meaningful despite doing everything right to the best of our abilities.
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Q : Hope the reviews won't come 3 years later like the BG MQ and Penn Battle 3 reviews.
A : Don't hold these against me. They were victims of the pandemic disruptions.
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Q : (Any sort of question referring to the Saltiga or the Stella SW as "high end" reels).
A : Neither is yet a "high end" reel, instead for now they remain only the "flagship" reels of their brands. I myself am guilty of using the two terms interchangeably in the past, but now I draw a clear distinction; a flagship is whatever a tackle company puts forward and calls their top product, while a high end product is one that meets objective standards of performance, capabilities, and build quality. The high end designation is therefore given by the fishing community if they believe that a reel meets the criteria, not by its manufacturer regardless of how high a price they stick on it. So for example, at the moment of writing Quantum only makes two spinning reels priced between $100 and $190, and it's perfectly correct to call that $190 one their flagship reel but it certainly isn't a high end spinner.
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People who've been around for some time know the deal, but newcomers need to shake off all feelings of awe towards the Saltiga and the Stella, not to become another victim of marketing and sensationalist hype. Despite their reputation and history of innovation, they're ultimately objects built by humans who in my opinion occasionally get things wrong, sometimes quite horrifically so; to recap a few such instances for those who never saw any, just scroll through the photos of my review of the previous 2019 Stella SW (HERE) without even reading, to see misplaced drillings, mangled and misassembled seals, sharp edges, and worst of all an essential washer that slips and falls out of place, a matter that I warned about and elaborated on in a sperate article HERE.
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You'd also see how in that same 2019 Stella SW a ridiculous sleeved screw sticks out of the bail arm, thanks to what in my opinion is the extreme sloppiness of using parts from the older 2013 model without noticing that the new bail arm has been slimmed down leaving the sleeved screw protruding
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And for anyone who saw the silly claims that my reels were doctored, here is one final red pill before that reel goes into the history books and we turn the page on it;
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Forget my reels, and ignore all the ones with visibly sticking screws that you can find with a simple image search, and just look at the 2019 Stella SW as it's featured on Shimano's own official website.
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Not just the SW version. Check out the 2018 freshwater Stella (FJ) whose bail wires didn't clear the spool, my warning about which initiated what I personally consider an embarrassing "silent recall" where they redesigned the bails and quietly swapped the original short ones for them as shown HERE.
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The Saltiga does not have a clean record either. Check the review of the 2010 generation, where among the issues I found were flaky plating on the knob's clicker
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as well as the recently introduced mag-seal squirting its magnetic fluid
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And when later on that mag-seal caused widespread problems and I informed you that Daiwa Japan was recalling it, the company's Australian division attacked me with statements that I proved to be untrue in this article. And yes, it was that same mag-seal I warned about. The upgraded next generation of 2014 was still 4 months away from retail shelves at the time of these events.
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Not trying to be negative, rather keeping things grounded in reality so no one walks into this blinded by the glitzy ads and promotional hysterics thinking these reels are forged by Japanese masters alongside Samurai katana swords in a mystical forest at the edges of Mount Fuji. They are instead expensive pieces of plastic and metal that sometimes they put together right and make me happy, and other times they don't put them together quite as right then spend the following 5 years calling me names.
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Q : The Stella doesn't seem to have changed much. Do you think it's worth buying?
A : The part about whether or not it's worth buying remains to be seen after it's put through its paces, but the part about it not changing much is the standard internet blabber that you should ignore. In my book the 2025 Stella SW has changed more from the 2019 model than any previous generation has changed from its direct predecessor, going back as far as 1998 only because prior to that the reels were too different to be properly compared. Wait and see, it's going to be quite interesting.
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Q : The promos for both reels are all about casting with barely any jigging action. Are Stella SW and Saltiga moving away from jigging?
A : The promotional films indeed show them jigging for Japanese amberjacks for mere seconds while the rest is casting, but that's because casting is more captivating as I personally expressed in the "behind the scenes" article posted recently. Also casting allows some stunning overhead drone shots, while if you film someone jigging from above he'd appear as if he's frantically masturbating into the ocean. Despite the promos, a look at the actual reels on offer reveals a step towards a better embrace of jigging in reels geared for it. Will discuss this further in due time.
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Speaking of the Saltiga and Stella SW promotional films, I am calling for a total and complete shutdown of filming fishing promos in Japan until we can figure out what on earth is going on! I mean seriously, what was that all about??
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Why does everyone in Shimano's promo look this intense? They're heading out to fish, not to try to kill Godzilla or something.
And what's up with the grey filter?
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They greyed the film to create a sense of dread and tension, which transformed the ambience from a sporty one fit for a reel promo to a one of utter horror. I mean while watching I kept expecting Sadako to climb out of the screen and rip my head off!
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In all seriousness, I suspect that whomever created that promo really wanted to be in Hollywood instead. Why else would a fishing reel advertisement contain a scene where the sea goes wild and tosses the ship around? Well, since my readers are so special to me, I obtained an exclusive clip of the whole scene Shimano filmed before they trimmed it down for the Stella SW film. Here it is;
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Rumour has it that Naomi refused to continue filming the Stella promo unless she does a love scene with me, but since Shimano was allegedly intent on creating a cheesy film instead of a romantic one they refused and had her scene removed. I can neither confirm nor deny this rumour.
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How cheesy did they want it to be? Check out this script
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What? Sounds like something a convicted underwear thief concocts to tell the parole board, thinking that he'd sound deep and reflective.
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Nah, my game starts when I take a massive dump early morning before boarding because I can't poop on a rocking boat with other dudes talking and fishing a few feet from the toilet door, even if I had to hold it for the 48/72 hours duration of the trip. Happy to know your start is less smelly though.
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Oh, I thought unforgivable mistakes were things like committing assault in a fit of rage or driving drunk and taking innocent lives. But now, thanks to Shimano, I know that I should add to that life-altering list lifting my casting finger a bit too late causing the lure to go "BLOB" next to the boat.
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Apparently Shimano designed the new Stella to separate from the rod and fly into the water if you ever cast wrong. I better buy 140 Stellas then since I only get "one chance" per reel then it's gone. Should mortgage my house now as it appears this review is going to cost considerably more than I expected.
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I'm begging you to calm down, Shimano. We're talking about catching fish here, not getting tortured in a Nicaraguan prison for failing to pay protection.
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Hmm... My family? My friends? My local community? The institutions of the state that gulps my tax money?
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Why? What have I done? Did I commit genocide and escaped punishment on a technicality or something? Even Sammy the bull, allegedly the most prolific hitman of the Gambino family, still has people around him. Am I that abhorrent?
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Yes, in my mind I'm certain that whoever wrote this script was binge-watching a mixture of documentaries on war atrocities, Rotherham and Rochdale, and serial killer stories.
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No, I'm pretty sure the Stella will be in the garage with the rest of the reels, while I drown in my misery having been shunned by everyone for reasons that only Shimano knows.
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Yep, like that time in a Pattaya bar in 2014, when that chick "Rose" demanded an 8th beer to keep sitting on my lap after I had run out of cash and wouldn't let my card be swiped (and possibly cloned) in such a dodgy place. But how did you know about that night Shimano?
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Nah, what would've really unlocked my potential that night is an extra 100 baht for that 8th beer, which I'm pretty sure would've got me to second base at the very least. Anyhow, if you ever read this "Rose", you owe me 700 baht you useless scoundrel.
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Really? Would Rose have unbuttoned her top if I had the reel? But tell me again Shimano, how exactly do you know about all of this?
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Well, certainly something else was an "extension of me" the whole time that floozy was on my lap, but no need to relive those hedonistic times. I found my way back to God and I'm happily living a purposeful life now. Really
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Don't be alarmed, your logic boy here didn't convert due to subjective personal experiences or tough times he couldn't face. Rather it's a conclusion of a decades long process of questioning and reasoning ending with acknowledging that there is no path from hydrogen and carbon to consciousness and awareness, that universe couldn't have sprung out without a cause and assuming an unknown cause and a cause for that cause gets us into a philosophically impossible infinite regression only averted by accepting an uncaused cause, plus morality and things such as sacrificing one's life for an unrelated child couldn't possibly be explained by evolutionary self preservation since it goes squarely against it. But I digress. Just wanted to share this meaningful event in my life since I've always shared the most frivolous ones.
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Yes, a Pre-1999 Penn Spinfisher SS. Why are you asking though?
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Let's check on Daiwa and see if their Saltiga promotional film is any better....
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I think I owe Shimano an apology, because if their crew looked as if they were going to fight Godzilla, Daiwa's folks look like they just watched Godzilla eat the Shimano crew. Why is everyone so intense and somber in these promos? Is fishing a matter of national honour in Japan or something?
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But honestly, I'd rather watch Shimano's foggy horror all day than briefly glance at this scene in Daiwa's, which makes me grimace every time
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Who on earth uses a reel whose rotor brake is malfunctioning in an official promo that introduces the reel to millions of experienced fishermen? And no one noticed it as it went through the various production and editing and approval stages? I know that these test reels are sometimes assembled without certain parts that weren't yet available, or even have some parts removed to test certain failsafe mechanisms, but you never put a reel whose rotor spins freely during a cast in a promotional film and scare us fishos for any reason whatsoever you silly silly human beings.
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Well, come on now Shimano & Daiwa, don't hate me. Just having a bit of fun with your ads, but after all I named Daiwa's previous Saltiga my "holy grail", and I'm pretty sure I've sold more than a few Spheros SW-As since I've been telling everyone and their aunt that it's the greatest value for money of all time for the past 4 years or so. Are we friends again?
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Q : What do you think about the new reels' looks and/or their new colours?
A : Now that's something I'm happy to give my initial impressions on, since appearance is an inconsequential fun side subject. They certainly played it safe with the colour schemes of both reels and did not want to risk trying something radical, and I'm fine with that although I miss the variety of colours we used to get in the past particularly silver and lighter blue. These reels are known to have tricky colour hues that in real life look different to photos and videos, so I'll make my mind up once I see them in the flesh in sunlight.
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As for the overall looks, they give me certain vibes that correlate to particular cars, something that's easier for me to illustrate than describe, throwing in a couple of other recent designs for context.
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Some compelling stuff right there.
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Q : The Japanese Yen's exchange rate makes prices more attractive over there. Should I order from Japan?
.A : Three things to consider;
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First, does your country charge customs duties and add VAT to the value of mailed packages? If yes, find out how much then see if overall the savings are still attractive.
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Second, find out whether or not your payment processor will make a profit off the currency exchange and/or add a fee for that exchange. For example some of my cards sell me the Japanese Yen for around the price I'd see when I type "USD to JPY" or "GBP to JPY" in a search engine, and they add no fee whatsoever, while other cards would sell me the Japanese Yen at a higher rate than what the average search engine price is then on top of it they add a 3% fee for foreign exchange. I believe Paypal sells foreign currency at a higher rate too. Check with your payment processor and read all relevant information first, otherwise you might buy from Japan thinking you got a deal only to find that it's as or even more expensive than buying locally after adding all the extras.
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Third consideration is service & warranty, and whether or not your local Shimano & Daiwa would honour the warranty of a reel bought from abroad and service it. I care for my own reel so I have zero experience with brands' service centres, but judging by readers' feedback I'd say it's a hit and miss based on where you are and the person who picks the phone when you call. Service centres in some areas are more easy going than others, and some representatives are more cooperative than others. Heard cases where the fisherman would get one answer from a representative then when he calls a second time he's told a completely different thing. Ask first and check then double and triple check before you make that decision not to find yourself stuck with a void warranty or/and a reel that your local centre wouldn't even work on for money. Be nice because both companies have every right to protect their local network of dealers and distributors as well as their stocks of spare parts assigned to serve local customers, and you're the one asking for a favour when you want them to care for a reel you bought from abroad.
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Q : Heard that the JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) version of X reel is better (or worse) than the one sold in my country
A : No, the reels are all of the same build quality. There are minor differences, for instance more golden highlights on the JDM Saltigas or paperwork being in Japanese, but the build quality is the same.
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Q : Where do I buy from Japan?
A : Plat is excellent, so is Digitaka, then if you're trying to save every last $ you can sometimes find lower prices by Japanese ebay sellers. If you go that route, do your due diligence and make sure your seller has a long history of good service and see what kind of complaints they have in their feedback if any; a previous customer complaining about delayed shipping is not a huge deal, but one saying they received a reel with usage marks instead of a new one is a dealbreaker. As always, if you come across a shop and have doubts about its legitimacy, don't hesitate to ask me to examine it for you, and of course keep checking the list of fraud shops which I keep updating and expanding.
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Q : Hope the reviews will focus on fishing,I enjoyed the style of the 2020 Saltiga review. or Q : I hope the reviews will be technical, I want to see how every part of the reels works.
A : Both teams will be happy. The reviews will showcase the minute details of each reel's build and explain the engineering behind them including what's real and what's hype, as well as whatever fishing adventures they will be taking me on.
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Q : I am a former Miss.Australia pageant winner, and I'm looking for a place to stay when I visit the town next week to see my family. Hope you have an extra room that I can rent, and that you don't mind that I like to walk around the house naked and that instead of hand shakes I greet people with French kisses.
A : Yep, the contact form is working and the test message I sent to myself came through. I need to quit injecting my daydreams into work.
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There you go fellow fishoes. Hope I've answered the main questions you have on the subject, and now it's time for you to answer a question for me; go to the contact form, and tell me which size and ratio of the Saltiga and Stella SW would you want to see featured in their respective reviews? I've already reserved my Saltigas, but changing the order to include your pick if it's not one of them is pretty simple, and I still haven't reserved any Stella SWs. I know it seems like I only ever feature the big reels, and it's true that I've often tested different sizes then defaulted to the big ones for the review, but I actually featured a medium Saltiga and a medium Stella SW once before and it was every bit as much fun for me, so pick whatever you want
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That's all for now. I'll finish up and publish a review that I've been working on sometime before the first deliveries of the Stellas and Saltigas this Spring, then these Japanese hotties will be getting every bit of energy and resource I have until their reviews go live.
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Cheers
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Alan Hawk
January, 17th, 2025
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