The
Nautilus FWX is the little brother to the much-loved NVG. The so-called 'FeatherWeight eXtreme' is deigned to be lighter weight, but still heavy on performance. It's also more geared towards the freshwater market, so we expect it to be a hit in this test. Read on to see how it does.
5-Weight Challenge Full Results
WEIGHT
4.5 ounces - one of the lighter reels in the test, but
no where near as light as Nautilus claims (3.75 oz).
DRAG
At
4.5 lbs, the FWX doesn't turn any heads, but is plenty for the trout angler to get excited about. As with all Nautilus drags the FWX is EXTREMELY smooth and exhibits
virtually no startup inertia.
SEALED?
Yup.
DRAG TEST GRAPH
SOUND
While the FWX is an upgrade over the NVG in terms of sound, it's still way too muted for our tastes.
SPOOL & RETRIEVAL RATE
The FWX doesn't quite have the same specs as the NVG, but they are pretty close. It's about average in terms of spool design and retrieval rate. It picks up line at
7.3 inches per turn - a little slower than the NVG - but it's also a little narrower.
LOOK & FEEL
Nautilus makes a great looking reel. It's very well machined and we like the ability to choose between custom colors and parts. They've also added some great features like a fully ported spool so your backing dries extra fast. Nautilus didn't cut any corners with the FWX.
ERGONIMICS
Handle: The handle is excellent, just like the NVG. It's long enough to be comfortable and has a curve in just the right place.
Drag Knob: The drag knob was a little too small to be easy to grasp. Definitely a slip up in the design.
Spool Change: The spool is very easy to change.
THE DROP
Average. Though this Nautilus was black, it fought off scratches quite well. It didn't do so well in the divot category, with some fairly large gashes. No Damage.
WARRANTY
Lifetime to the original owner + $20 fee.
Price: $275
CONCLUSION
Third Place!
The FWX is an excellent reel. Smooth Nautilus drag combined with a light weight design check two of the three key design points. That makes for a very good reel. Further, the Nautilus FWX combines that with good looks and great Nautilus build quality at half the price of the NVG. Highly recommended.
Keep us reviewing. Buy yours
here.
PROS
- Silky smooth drag
- Solid erognomics
- Supurb Nautilus craftsmenship
CONS
- Drag knob should be bigger
There is a special spot in hell for a company that lies about the weight of its reels. You note in the review that the reel weight of this Nautilus is 4.5 ounces; not 3.75 ounces as Nautilus claims.
The new rods are all light ( A reel needs to be light so as to not have a tip heavy set up.
Plus, all reels go up in weight when you add in the backing and fly line.
So for those who fish for hours (and who doesn't), get yourself a light reel and enjoy your time on the river.
Thank you so much for this review!!!
Real data and a fabulous explanation on why startup inertia is so important for us dry fly and midge anglers using 6x and 7x.
For those that thought a trout a fly reel was just a line holder, here is the evidence that so many of your breakoffs were due to a reel with lousy startup inertia.
If you don't have a reel with low startup inertia, get one and enjoy getting a lot more fish into your net!
(On the other hand, if you enjoy breakoffs, keep fishing with your current reel.)