This reel is fantastic. Visually attractive with tolerances that appear to be tight. No discernable slop in the gearing or mechanisms commonly manipulated. The spool tension adjustment is fairly touchy, but not in a fashion that I would consider a negative; just a quirk of the reel one needs to feel out for a bit.
I primary purchased this for targeting trout with 1.5 to 6 gram lures in creeks, small rivers and small lakes . Paired with a 4'11 UL fiberglass rod, This reel is much more capable on the low end of those lure weights when compared to the other "BFS" reels I've used. I cannot wait to put it on a high end telescopic rod for use as an ultra packable, quickly deployable backpacking/car rod.
I have a Curado BFS with a RORO spool as my main reel to compare against. When attempting to cast lures 4 grams and under there is no comparison. The A51MC blows it out of the water; it cast farther with less effort. I don't feel the need to overpower the cast to get fishable distances, which means less overruns and backlash and increased accuracy. Where my Curado overruns and backlash fairly easily especially if I am not "trying" to cast properly. If I wanted short distance casts while focused on casting technique id pick up one of my fly rods. Less fussing with line means more focus on fishing; something that has always been a thorn in my side when working with BFS setups compared to my spinning setups. This reel is FAR more forgiving in that respect.
As one other reviewer said, don't expect miracles for pure casting distance. That said, I can say coming from other reels designed for BFS that you can expect a lot out of this one.
When comparing the two, I have come to appreciate is that the entire range of the braking system in the A51MC appears to be relevant. Where on the Curado the brakes had to be set fairly high to maxed out on lures lighter than 6 grams. It isn't until the Curado was used for throwing 1/4oz lures that the lower half of the adjustment range became relevant.
Here, most lures in the 1–4-gram range fall into the middle 50% of the brake strength adjustment range (In other words, most of my lures work best with the dial between 25% and 75). I feel this give a lot of on-the-fly tuning potential in different wind conditions. In fact, when doing cast tests into the wind, the braking system handled overruns exceptionally welled when compared to the ELF Genius and Curado BFS with roro spool.
One knock I will give it is a minor flaw in the anodizing on the edge of the flange of the spool. I chalk this up the very thin and light spool being easy to damage. That said, these flaws appear to have no effect on its operation despite my concern. On that note, the spool is incredibly light. So much so I worry about its durability. Certainly, when removing and reinstalling the spool I felt I had to be quite careful to make sure it was seated properly and not "force" anything. It's not a knock to the reel, as removing and reinstalling was not difficult; I just had to be careful.
I really hope spare spools become available for purchase as I'd love to have a couple extra on hand.
I also find the reel handles do be a bit small for my liking, not enough purchase for my taste. Despite the fluting, they don't inspire confidence. Fishable, to be sure, just a bit small and slippery compared to something like the style found on the Curado.
As for the noise on the spool bearings, I don't really mind it, as it is not the noise of rough or griding bearing. That bearings are a fairly loud when compared to the ELF Genius or roro hybrid bearings. Likely due to their ceramic construction. A small amount of lightweight reel oil helped temper that noise. Though I'm not sure if that will degrade what appear to be the plastic bearing carriers down the line.
Overall, for 180ish dollars I am very impressed by this real when set against reels at the same, or of a significantly higher price point. Though, only having a short time with it leaves me questioning its long-term durability. At any rate, if you have your eye on this reel buy with confidence. Oh, any if a LOONGZE rep reads this and can spare a spare spool or two, please let me know!
- BK
