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Here Comes the Sun
again : Daiwa's TD-Sol Spinning Reel
| Date: |
9/28/05 |
| Tackle type: |
Reels |
| Manufacturer: |
Daiwa |
| Reviewer: |
Cal |
Total Score: 8.58
Introduction: In our July 2005 ICAST coverage, we shared with you, the industry's first glimpse of the Daiwa's new TD-Sol spinning reel. Since that time, we've had the chance to take a closer look at this bright new reel from Daiwa. Is it as well performing as it is attractive? Is Daiwa's Digigear® Digital Gear Design a true innovation? Is the drag system truely "waterproof"? Those were just a sample of the questions we had in mind as we put to the test, our Daiwa TD-Sol 2500 Spinning Reel.
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Daiwa TD-Sol 2500 Specifications
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| Line Capacity (lbs / yds) |
6/219 8/17
10/140 |
| Gear Ratio (actual retrieve) |
4.7:1 (as tested, 26 inches per turn) |
| Measured Weight |
9.2 ounces |
| Measured Max. Drag |
12 lbs+ |
| Bearings |
6 + 1 Roller Bearing |
| Manufacture |
Made in Thailand |
| Features |
Digigear® Engineering, Ti Nitride coated roller guide, Infinite anti-reverse, corrosion resistant bearings |
| MSRP |
$200 |
Impressions: Daiwa has certainly stepped to the forefront in recent years offering anglers new and exciting products that both look appealing and feature a host of innovative features. The TD-Sol spinning reel is no exception to this rule. Sporting the same lustrous paint job as last year's new release, the TD-Sol baitcaster, this new spinning reel truly stands out from a crowd of run of the mill products. Featuring Daiwa's new Digigear® Engineering, we were anxious to see what this reel was all about.
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Presenting the luminous Daiwa TD-Sol 2500 Spinning Reel
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The TD-Sol spinning reel is quite impressive out of the box. From every angle it appears clean, and well designed. We particularly enjoy the bright, orange color of this reel and certainly appreciate the bonus of a free, spare, aluminum spool. But of course, visual cues are not enough to determine whether the actual build quality of a reel is sufficient. For that, you have us, your TackleTour
Editors,
anxious,
once
again,
to
hit
the
water
with
another
bright
and
shiny new product....it's a difficult job but someone has to do it.
Field Test: We took to the California Delta to put our TD-Sol spinning reel to the immediate test of battling some feisty tidal water black bass.
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Complete test rig for Daiwa TD-Sol 2500 Field Tests
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| Rod |
Custom Rogue P703 built by George Roth |
| Line |
50lb Berkley Spiderwire |
| Baits |
5" Yamamoto Senko, Yamamoto Kreature, 1/4 oz Skirted Critterbait Grup Head with Paca BabyCraw trailer |
Setup: To facilitate our adventures, we spooled the TD-Sol with some 50lb Berkley Spiderwire and mounted it on our custom Rogue P703 built by George Roth of George's Custom Fishing Rods. From there, we fished a variety of lures from Senkos and Kreatures to a skirted Critterbait jighead tipped with a Paca BabyCraw trailer.
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Our TD-Sol 2500 mounted on a custom Rogue P703 Spinning Rod built by George Roth
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Casting: The 50lb Berkley Spiderwire fluttered unencumbered off the spool of the TD-Sol spinning reel which was within easy reach of my forefinger so I could feather the spool with each cast for greater line control. The bail features a mechanical trigger for closing and does so easily and quietly with confident turn of the handle. With the combination of our P703 spinning rod and TD-Sol 2500, we were able to cast, on target, quite easily to destinations approximately eighty to one hundred feet away. The TD-Sol is an excellent casting reel.
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The handle detail of the Daiwa TD-Sol 2500 shown with the stock, t-knob, and an aftermarket upgrade (inset)
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Retrieving: Thanks to Daiwa's Digigear® engineering, our TD-Sol felt solid and smooth during the retrieve. One thing I, personally, did not care for was the t-knob at the end of the handle. Though it spins quite easily, despite lacking bearing support, the bulk of the knob was distracting. I much prefer the smaller, baitcasting type knobs to the large, and seemingly out of scale, t-knob that came as standard issue on our TD-Sol 2500. Looking past all that, however, the 55mm handle delivers a consistent and confident connection to the 4.7:1 geared retrieve with no extraneous clicks, slips or wobblling whatsoever. With the combination of the large, cranking handle and a tested 26 inches rate of retrieve, the TD-Sol sports a very multi-purpose spinning reel rate of retrieve. Though we only fished it with plastics and jig heads, we would not hesitate to throw cranks, topwater baits and jerkbaits with this reel.
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The TD-Sol's Drag Assembly. The "sealed" drag was capable of delivering an excess of 12lbs of counter pressure in our tests
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Drag: The TD-Sol 2500 comes with a very stout drag. For reasons of safety, we spooled our stock, extra spool with some 10lb Yozuri Hybrid before hooking the reel up to our drag testing machine. With the drag tightened down as tight as it would
possibly go, we consistently broke the line before the drag on the reel would slip. Backing off the drag a few turns, we gained smooth consistent pulling at readings in excess of 12lbs of pressure.
Next Section: Drag
Continued, Applications
and Ratings
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