Hardy has been building fly reels for nearly a century. Reels like the Hardy Perfect defined what a fly reel should be for generations. Over the years Hardy has changed ownership a few times and they've come out with some great new products, like the Hardy Zenith. Certainly Hardy's most talked about trout reel release in many years is the Hardy Ultralite DD. It's got a sleek modern design, and has won many awards. Dive in and see if its performance stands up.

 

5-Wt Challenge Full Results

WEIGHT

4.8 ounces. Heavier than we'd like, but not bad.

DRAG

 

We expected the Hardy to be a top contender in this shootout, so it was very surprising to find out that its drag wasn't up to par. It starts with substandard strength of only 1.8 lbs. While that number isn't impressing anyone, it's not enough to dismiss the reel all together. The true issue is its startup inertia, which we measured at a massive .8lbs - almost 50% of the reel's drag!

DRAG TEST GRAPH

SOUND

Sounds is definitely one part that Hardy gets right. The DD, like all Hardy reels, sounds great with a nice click on both the incoming and outgoing.

SPOOL & RETRIEVAL RATE

Best in the test! If there's one thing that we really like about the DD, it's the spool. It retrieve is a lightning fast 8.3 inches per turn. It's also fairly narrow so your line won't be piling up. The Hardy doubles down with a fairly large volume, so you could easily fit a 6-weight line on it.

LOOK & FEEL

The DD is a really good looking reel. It's modern and very well designed. There's just something that reels made in Korea lack in terms of feel that leaves us wishing for an English or US-made reel, but maybe that's just us.

Ergonimics

Handle: The handle is comfortable - one of the best!

 

Drag Knob: It's not our favorite, but not bad, either.

 

Spool Change: Quick change spool with a screw knob. It's really easy to use and works great!

THE DROP

Average. Major divoting, but little to no scratching. Having fished with the black version, I can tell you that you'll see every scratch, but we didn't test the black one. No Damage.

WARRANTY

Lifetime to the original owner + $25 fee.

 

Price: $225

CONCLUSION

 

There's a lot to like about the DD 4000. It's got the best spool design in the test. It looks great. It's even affordably priced. All of which seems like a winning combination - and it would be if it came equipped with virtually any other drag in this test. Unfortunately, you're better off with a click pawl reel than the DD's drag, so we can't recommend it even though it scored in the middle of the pack.

 

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PROS

  • Great spool design
  • Handsome appearance

CONS

  • One of the worst drags we tested
  • Why not make it in England?