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The Smooth Operator : Daiwa's Real Four Engineered Certate 2000
| Date: |
4/27/05 |
| Tackle type: |
Reels |
| Manufacturer: |
Daiwa Japan |
| Reviewer: |
Cal |
Total Score: 8.83
Introduction: Despite the plethora of quality, affordable spinning reel choices available today, the high end market is still hotly contested. In the middle of last year, Daiwa upped the ante with the introduction of the Certate, built within their new, Real Four concept : Real Engine, Real Endurance, Real Control, Real Custom. Marketing hype aside, Daiwa's goal in this new line of spinning reels was to reduce unnecessary friction and vibration to smoothly and efficiently translate every bit of mechanical energy provided by the angler in turning the handle to the purpose at hand of winding line onto the spool.
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Certate 2000 Specifications
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| Line Capacity (lbs / yds) |
8/110 |
| Gear Ratio (actual retrieve) |
4.8:1 (as tested, 26 inches per turn) |
| Measured Weight |
8.2 ounces |
| Measured Max. Drag |
7 lbs |
| Bearings |
9 + 1 Roller Bearing |
| Features |
Real Four Engineering, Ti coated spool lip and roller guide, foldaway handle, instant anti-reverse, corrosion resistant bearings |
| MSRP |
~$350 (import price) |
Impressions: Out of the box, the Daiwa Certate has the appearance of your run of the mill spinning reel. With a dark blue to black finish, chrome highlights, and titanium lipped spool, the reel looks nice enough, but certainly nothing in its modest appearance speaks to a $350 reel. Take the reel out into the sun and what's revealed is a deep, metallic blue finish that suddenly makes the reel come alive. Spin the handle of the reel for a test run and the Real Four engineering is quite apparent: not a degree of wobble is felt anywhere in the reel, just ultra smooth gearing and a nice, moderate oscillation of the spool. Very impressive indeed.
Note the deep, metallic blue finish of the Daiwa Certate witnessed only in bright sunlight.
Field Test: We took to our local lakes and reservoirs for an extended tour of duty with this reel. Our target species during these trials included rainbow trout, catfish, smallmouth, largemouth, and spotted bass. We even took it out into the California Delta to see how it would fare in heavy cover situations.
Setup: For our tests, we spooled the Certate up with everything from 14lb Berkley Fireline to 4, 8 and 10lb Yozuri Hybrid and mounted it on a number of different spinning rods over the course of several months to get a sense of its characteristics.
Daiwa introduces their Real Four Concept of spinning reel
engineering with the Daiwa Certate.
Casting: Casting with the Certate is consistent and trouble free. The bail easily clicks over into the open position and snaps closed confidently with a turn of the handle. Some spinning reels make a very loud and abrupt motion when closing the bail. This is not the case with the Certate. As for distance on each cast, we had no troubles reaching our intended targets throwing everything from sliding sinker rigs to splitshot rigs to 1/8th ounce cranks and 5" weightless Senko's.
The drag assembly of the Daiwa Certate sporting an impressively stout pressure applying spring.
Retrieving: By far the most outstanding characteristic of this reel is its smooth retrieve. Daiwa's Real Four engineering is a welcome introduction to the spinning reel world. The absence of distracting noises, friction, or other resistance translates into supreme feel for the angler. Pressure bites while finesse fishing are all that more easily detected thanks to this advent and speedy retrieves for lures like crankbaits or spinners are incredibly effective thanks to the no wobble retrieve. The Certate is a deadly smooth spinning reel.
Much like other spinning reels, the Certate is easily switched from right to left hand retrieve (note the cork knob is not standard)
Drag: One thing we like about front drag spinning reels is the ease by which one can adjust the drag pressure. The Certate is no different and sports a confidence inspiring, baitcaster-like, micro-click adjustable drag - super crisp and solid. Of all the fish we caught with this reel, we had most fun battling the feisty spotted bass of Folsom Lake, California. Those who are familiar with this species know they love to run and a two and a half pound spot will fight like a five pound largemouth. We had little difficulty subduing our spotted bass prey thanks to the smooth running drag of our Daiwa Certate.
The drag assembly of the
Certate itself sports a
surprisingly stout
spring in the locknut
that is used to apply
consistent pressure to
the spool as you crank
down to tighten the
drag. The drag washers
are located on both
sides of the spool for
actual resistance which
we again found smooth
and consistent.
Features and details of our Daiwa Certate 2000
Durability: The Certate sports an internally tripped, spring loaded bail. Though not believed to be the most long lasting bail design in the market, we experienced absolutely no issues with its performance. The finish of this reel is surprisingly durable as well, no doubt thanks to the strategically placed metal highlights. A nice surprise in our package was the discovery of three spare drag washers none of which we found necessary to employ during our field tests.
This hefty four and a half pound largemouth was coaxed out of hiding thanks to the smooth performing drag of our Daiwa Certate
Applications:
With a very
respectable 26" of
line retrieve per
turn of the handle
we found the Certate
to be an amazingly
versatile reel for
fresh and brackish
water applications.
We, ourselves, used
it for everything
from very slow,
finesse
presentations like
drop shotting and
split shotting to
fishing fast moving
shallow cranks and
trout spinners. Line
capacity of our 2000
model was never an
issue and it handled
both the copolymer
Yozuri Hybrid and
fused Berkley
Fireline equally
well.
Ratings:
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Daiwa Certate Ratings (?/10)
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| Construction/Quality |
A very solid reel that inspires confidence right out of the box |
9.5 |
| Performance |
The smoothest spinning reel this editor has ever turned |
10 |
| Price |
Simply
put...the Certate is an expensive reel |
7 |
| Features |
Top notch features though bearing supported knobs would take this reel over the top |
8.5 |
| Design
(Ergonomics) |
Understated elegance and very comfortable to fish with for an entire day |
9 |
| Application |
As versatile as a 2000 size spinning reel can be |
9 |
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Total Score
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8.83 |
Pluses and Minuses:
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Plus
Minus
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| J Unbelievably smooth operation during retrieve |
L
Cost to Acquire is High |
| J
Metallic blue finish is very unique and very elegant |
L
Bearing supported knobs would make the Certate unreal |
| J
Strong, consistent, drag |
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| J
Now available domestically in the United States too!! |
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Conclusion: The good news to those interested in import quality reels but that have, up until this point,
shied away due to service and warranty concerns, is the Daiwa Certate, introduced last year in Japan only, is now available domestically in the United States. Though our model is a Japan Market import, judging from the previews we've seen of early domestic models, the US version of the Daiwa Certate is a direct import and not a watered down version for sale abroad. Could this be the precursor of more to come? Only time will tell. For now, what this editor can say is the Daiwa Certate is a confidence inspiring reel that draws you out onto the water so you can experience again and again its unbelievably smooth operation. We've had this reel for over eight months and it still amazes us each time we turn the handle. In fact, we found this reel so inspiring, we're putting it into our TackleTour
"Shootout Ring" for a follow up article against... Well, you'll just have to wait and see. Until next time. Keep collecting!
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