Bail Operation: Shimano's Twin Power 2500SHG's bail opens and closes with a very reassuring "click" void of any clunkiness or other rough edges. It takes little effort to close the bail either by hand or turning the reel's handle and the reel does not lock up if the rotor is turned right to the point of re-engagement with bail still open. Just a small amount of pressure on the handle will close the bail. The action is very reliable and refined.

Using a braid to leader strategy on spinning gear helps to mitigate instances of line twist, as well as preserves expensive spools of fluorocarbon

Line Twist: I fished this combo on a couple of trips for a period long enough where line twist usually reveals itself in one form or another, and I had zero issues with the Twin Power. I'm sure this was due, in part, to my choice of running braid as a main line with that leader of fluorocarbon. This strategy has become pretty standard for me now on all my reels, but especially with spinning gear. Though the prep takes more time, I find my time on the water is more enjoyable because I'm not dealing with line twist. This strategy also lengthens the spool life of my expensive fluorocarbon.

Underneath that grease and washer, pressed into the line roller, is a bearing

Design & Ergonomics: Unlike casting reels, your connection to a spinning reel is not nearly as direct. In other words, I don't palm my spinning reels so their shape and size is a little more arbitrary. Where ergonomics do come into play for me on these reels though is their relative weight and the comfort of that handle knob. I found the Twin Power neither heavy or light. It's right in the middle and at a point where I never gave the reel's weight a second thought, and I mean that in a good way.

View from the back side

What I did think about constantly however, was the reel's knob. With all the different configurations and proliferation of that T-Style knob, this model Twin Power came with a somewhat simple I-Style knob with a slight flare at the top - maybe it's more of a lower case t. In any event, I found the knob very comfortable and attached to a handle I found simple yet very elegant. Overall, I found the stealthy new Twin Power to be very refined in both design and ergonomics.

The Twin Power is made in Japan

Price & Applications: JDM price on the Shimano 24 Twin Power is 54,000 JPY with JapanTackle carrying a wide selection of models. The reel is also available domestically as the Twin Power FE for $450 plus or minus $10 depending on the model at retailers like TackleWarehouse.

The JDM model 2500SHG retails for 54,000 JPY, the US Twin Power FE retails for $449

Of course, the USDM models come with full warranty support from Shimano North America where as the JDM models, technically, do not have warranty support outside of Japan. The one thing spinning reels continue to hold over most casting reel platforms is their availability in different sizes to better support a much wider variety of applications.

Conclusion: With my recent experience fishing the Vanquish and now the new Twin Power, I've new faith in Shimano's approach in engineering the spinning reel. The chasm between Stella and her siblings has narrowed evident by the refinement experienced when turning the handle on the Twin Power. Where the start up feel is not quite Stella-like, what you feel, or really, don't feel, after startup is inspiring. Not to sound cliché, but Shimano's Core Solid with the Twin Power platform is, as I mentioned earlier, solid.

If you're in the market for a solid spinning reel, I'd suggest you give Twin Power very careful consideration

I can see why Zander likes this reel so much. It delivers much of the Stella features and characteristics at almost half the price. No, it isn't as refined, or as beautiful as the Stella, but when it comes to a solid workhorse for the money the Twin Power feels like the new sweet spot in the Shimano spinning lineup.

The Twin Power performs smoothly and reliably and is just the right weight not to feel burdensome. If you're in the market for a mid-tier spinning reel that places a premium on power, I'd suggest you give Twin Power very careful consideration.

Looking for a Shimano 24 Twin Power 2500SHG?

Try JapanTackle or, for the Twin Power FE, TackleWarehouse