Another review, another new reel brand! It’s super cool that we get to see so many new companies and are flattered to test their products. 3-Tand is new to the fly game, but has TONS of experience in fishing. From big names like ZeeBaas and Van Staal comes 3-Tand and as you might expect from that heritage, there’s some serious performance in these reels.
With a name that sounds a little too much like a Hatch, the little brother to the Invictus is the Einarsson 8Plus. It’s lighter. It’s cheaper. But how does it perform?
Einar-who? They are made where? You may not know them yet, but you certainly shouldn’t overlook them. Einarsson is a relatively new (to the US) brand that’s made in Iceland. With some very serious anglers there, it should come as no surprise that Einarsson is making some serious fly reels.
Another newcomer to our shootouts is Bauer. You might be asking yourself, “Hey, where did you get one of those?” Yes, it’s true – Bauer’s have been a little hard to come by of late, but we have it on good authority that you can now get *at least some* of the models. The RX isn’t the newest model Bauer has released, but it is the newest model without the knuckle-busting drag knob on the same side as the handle, so it’s a reel that feel like it was designed by someone who had actually been fly fishing before. So, how does it stack up against the best reels in the business?
Next up in our shootout is the Loop Opti Speedrunner. There are 3 reels in this test that stand out from the pack in one way or another. The Speedrunner is one of them. It takes only a moment to see why. It’s gigantic. Loop has taken the concept of ‘large arbor’ to the next level. Despite its massive size, the Speedrunner actually shares a lot with both the Evotec and the Opti Strike, so rather than re-write big chunks of that review, I’m going to recommend that you read it, here.
Another newcomer to our shootouts is Loop. But they are definitely not new to the reel game. They’ve been trailblazers in the reel game since the beginning – even inventing the large arbor reel! The Evotec, now in its fourth generation, takes its place between the Multi and the Opti in the Loop lineup. Let’s see if it’s the workhorse it’s supposed to be.
The 2200 series has been around for a while now. We already know that this is one of the best values in the industry – but how has it stood up to the test of time? How will it stand up against today’s top reels? Find out.
Rounding out the trio of reels from Taylor is the Array. The Array sits between the Enigma and the Revolution in terms of price and performance. But it’s really more like the performance of the Enigma and the looks of the Revolution. I wish it were reversed… here’s why:
There are those out there who believe that we don’t like reels made overseas (from smaller brands) with a good value proposition. I’m talking of course about Taylor, Cheeky, Allen, and other similar brands. It couldn’t be farther from the truth! We test each and every reel exactly the same way, and the Taylor Revolution is a great example of a well-made reel that offers some serious saltwater performance.
