The only gripe I have with this reel is the weight, but that goes with the size of the reel ru-vid.comUgkxM68VkfsQhHaabDce1IwOCXuvumcpbZ_k . I brought this salmon fishing up in Oswego, NY. I coupled it with a Cabela's Whuppin Stick. I had no problem pulling in a 14lb salmon. I will probably use this for surf fishing this summer and downgrade to a 3500 series Battle II next salmon season to save my wrists. All of the operations are butter smooth and the bail is nice and thick and has a solid flip to it. Everything about this reel is sturdy and strong. The drag system held up to the salmon and was also super smooth. I did use a scale to set the drag properly before going out to the river and this worked out tremendously. A bunch of other guys on the river would hook up and snap almost immediately. Just because you have a good drag system doesn't do anything if you don't set it correctly.
I’m a testament to the Speedmaster 20. I caught a 100+ lb tuna and the damn thing performed beautifully, my only complaint was that egg shaped handle. I wish it had a full handle for that fight. But we got that damn tuna on the deck and that’s what matters. Regardless for the price, can’t beat it. Tight lines 🤙🏼
Great explanation guys. I’ve personally beat up the shimano at all sizes and IMO are a great choice. However rod choice will definitely make for a easier crank as well . Appreciate your input Captain 🫡 . 🎣🐠
Tried all those reels and sold all those reels but kept my Avets. Will not use another kind. Caught 10, 80+/- lbs yellowfin tuna last year back to back trips on the HX rapture, Blackhole spirel wrapped rod and not had a problem, can’t say the same for my Penn and Shimono at all. The Avets HX-EXW 50/2 for tuna are great for my small hand and for women. They are lite, carries so much line, affordable, can be used every day if you want to and without problems, they are a beast, they are jsut as good as those two exspensive reels and have been used on many a long range fishing trips. I can’t ask for a better reel. Allways switch out the handles for speed, big game handles. Half the fight is in the rod as well, with out a good rod doesnt matter what reel you use. all my rods are custom made now. No store bought for my conventional reels. My spinning reels are all three brands, D, S and Penns.
Thank you for the video guys, it was very helpful on deciding which reel to purchase. I just ordered a Speedmaster 20 👍🏽. Now I’m going to watch your railrod video.
After fishing big game, I only use 50 size reel for knife jig. I prefer the visx 50 or TRX 50 topless. Both I have set up to 30lbs of drag at strike and over 40 at full Both have amazing torque.
You don't say much on the HXW ? When you speak about sinker rig Witch is the best method? Rubber band or drop shot and what is the best way to fish the drop shot? Thanks great fishing from Utah
A lot of these reel/rod videos are sponsored by D&S, like that other channel where the guy talks about the how too of Tuna fishing but only shows Penn reels and rods. So of course you’re going to be loyal to the sponsors. Still great information that you can learn from.
@@dojo1249 this video is not sponsored. We have said in several comments that we only used what H&M landing had available in the store for this video. We have not been paid to push this specific products and do not receive a commission on anything purchased because of this video. It’s purely a showcase of what we had available on hand to use vs purchasing the gear with our own money to do a video.
Everyone has their preference, this is our opinion after fishing everyday during the fishing season and seeing what holds up and what doesn’t. For a few times a year fisherman, totally fine
You guys know your stuff. Saw the vid, and went with the Shimano Speed Master 20, and the Daiwa Proteus rod. Question, should I go buy an after market power handle for the Speed Master? And do you guys sell them? And how much would it cost? Thanks...
It’s all personal preference. I personally like the stock handles on the speed master and I don’t believe H&M sells handles. You can always call into the landing’s tackle shop and ask as well! So glad the video helped you choose some gear!
Any of these reels will handle local night time fishing (which can get up to 300lb fish). The problem with bigger/wider reels is that they can be bulky for people to handle and aren’t really necessary unless you’re kite fishing, for example.
We used what was available to us and had to limit the amount of reels showcased. Accurate makes great quality reels and may be featured in a future video!
Exactly, how do americans leave out torques. I use the 12, 25N and just got the 15NLD2spd after 8 years of perfect service from the others. Can not recommend top of the range penn reels enough, they are awesome
If I’m going on a 2 day trip, can I get by with an LX Raptor 6/3 spooled with 80lb Maxcuatro? Any reason why I would need to step up to a HXW? I fish with a left handed reel so options are pretty limited to Avet, Accurate, or Penn. Thank you!
At a certain point you have to cut it off. There are a lot of options out there for reels and we were glad H&M could provide what we were able to show. I know for me personally i own a couple of Makaira’s and i would put them in the middle if the pack, they are a great overall reel but the two speed mechanism feels a little cheap and the high speed is slow in my opinion.
@@FishTheLegend What about Penn VISX reels? Less cost than a Talica and super solid. You showed two Shimanos, a high price and lower priced model. Couldn't you do the same with a VISX/Fathom? You would be hard pressed to go on a big fish trip and not see a ton of VISXs. Internationals have been the standard since before all these others were invented,
@@Changeyourbait A cal sheeted 50 is a tank of a reel. Less comfortable to fish all day but highly capable. However, the speedmaster 25 is probably going to be more comfortable fishing & can handle it no problem as well.
Donto whatbi can afford and maybe taking 2 to 5 trips a year for blue fin trips would younsuggest me getring a Fathom 60 or 80? If so what should i spool the 60 or the 80 fathom...?
100lb braid to 60 or 80lb. I would however recommend the speedmaster or talica and I have a bunch of the first gen penn fathoms. Plus handle them before you buy is my recommend
This was already addressed in a different comment, but they stopped around the same time when they were placed on the table, however and the saltiga was spun first.
The lower end reels are cast aluminum, not as many bearings and are lower quality, looser tolerances, and probably lower quality drag material as well. Should have featured Maikara and Penn International. Mostly, I am somewhat surprised that you did not feature Penn and Avet at the top of the list as both Avet and Penn are Made in USA and are as good or better than Daiwa and Shimano. Avet is produced in Chatsworth, CA and 2.5 hour drive from you location in San Diego, so why isn't Avet at the top of your list ? Particularly considering that Avet produces a line up of reels that goes from Flounder (SX) to Giant Tuna (T-Rex). I am not affiliated with Avet -- but I believe in USA. Thanks !
Why compare higher end Daiwa & Shitmano to only HX Not Avet HXW ? 2 Daiwa but No Okuma Makaira, or Accurate, 😮 ? Leaning Heavily Towards Biased Opinions 😂
As we have stated in previous comments, this is what H&M had to display. If we were going to compare every reel ever made, it would be an hours long video. Planning on doing more of these with more options, but this is what we have for now.
We were going to do a 12 hour video going over every reel ever made but we decided to limit this video…also the reels we highlighted are all basically medium frame while the makaira would be considered heavy frame and we may do a heavy frame reel comparison soon.
