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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.

 

8-Weight Shootout Full Results

 

Weight

6.4 ounces. Nearly perfect! We wish that more reels were this light.

 

Drag

 

 

Like all of Sage’s reels, the 2280 doesn’t have the most powerful drag. But, it does have a lot of other things going for it. For one, it’s got a hard stop on both the top and bottom end of the drag. This allows all of its 3.6 lbs to be useable. Further, at half drag, the 2200 still retains about 34% of its power. That’s some good adjustability! In fact, it earned more drag points than any other Sage reel.

 

Drag Test Graph

 

 

Sound

Like so many reels in the test, the 2280 doesn’t have the most satisfying sound. It’s just a little too soft to give you that Tibor-esque hum that we’re looking for.

 

Spool & Retrieval Rate

The 2280 shows its age here. What was one of the top spools a few years ago has fallen to the bottom of the pack. One might even say that it’s nudging ever closer to what might be considered a mid-arbor these days…

 

Looks & Ergonomics

While Sage has really done the best they can with the 2280, like adding some fun colors, it just doesn’t look anywhere near as nice as a Hatch. Sorry, but sometimes you do get what you pay for. However, Sage delivers on ergonomics. It’s got a great drag knob and a solid handle. And those are way more important than what your reel looks like.

 

Finish and durability

 

 

If you’ve read up to this point and are asking yourself: why does the 2280 cost only $150? It comes down to finish and durability. The 2280 is one of the few reels in our test that is cast and painted. This means that it just isn’t going to stand up to rough use. The metal is softer and you can see that even a bit of pavement has ground it down considerably. We’ve also seen that same softer metal bend in drop tests, and while this particular reel didn’t bend much, it’s going to be a problem if you’re a klutz.

 

Warranty

Lifetime to the original owner + $40 fee.

 

Price: $149

 

Conclusion

Like we’ve seen in the past, price and quality are not necessarily correlated when it comes to Sage reels. The 2280 has the best drag of the bunch, and scored as highly as the much more expensive Spectrum Max. Still, if you can spare the extra $90, the Orvis Hydros SL is a FAR superior reel.

 

Buy it with Free Shipping here.

 

Pros

  • A nice drag knob
  • A better drag overall than other Sage reels

 

Cons

  • We would have liked more drag
  • Typical problems with cast and painted reels