I was flicking through Sea Angler magazine the other day when my eye caught an advert for a beautiful looking reel in the shape of the Daiwa Millionaire 7HT MAG ST. However, once I’d stopped drooling over the picture, I was completely blown away by the price – nearly £400! There was nothing else in the advert, apart from the tag line, “Super tuned to up your game”.
Now, don’t get me wrong, this is a genuine question to anyone lucky enough to own such a reel; what makes it worth that much money?
I’m not one to knock expensive fishing gear, and I certainly don’t resent anyone who has more money than me. Good luck to you, I say. And, whilst I’ve always maintained that cheap fishing gear gets the job done (and we’ve never had it cheaper than we have it these days), I still reckon good quality expensive gear usually gets it done better.
I grew up with the cheapest beach fishing gear imaginable, in the shape of a pair of hollow glass rods with wire rings and a variety of £10 reels. It wasn’t until I met up with Dave Barham, currently editor of Boat Fishing Monthly, that I first managed to get my hands on a half-decent beachcaster. I was round his house one day and liberated one for a prolonged review. That was about five years ago!
The difference was immense. I’m not a great caster, but this made life so much easier and my distances improved immediately.
A couple of years ago, I did something that I’d always wanted to do, which was to buy a pair of top-end Abu reels. I got the 6500 CT3 Hi-Speed Mags I’d always dreamt of. They weren’t cheap, but they were special to me. My late father had used older versions of this iconic reel and it was almost like I was meant to buy them one day.
Again, the difference was amazing. I remember visiting a beach, tying on a lead and thinking I’d cracked off. The lead flew so much further than I thought it would! I was on the phone in seconds, a fact that a few of my friends probably still remember.
I realised instantly that although these reels cost me over £100 each, they were worth it and I’d gladly recommend them to anyone who could afford to part with that money.
But coming back to my original question, I’m struggling to comprehend how a reel three times as expensive could be THAT much better.
So, if you own a Daiwa Mag Super Tuned, or have played with one, please let me know. You can post below this article, on our forums or even on the ‘AnglersNet on Facebook‘ page. I can only dream of owning such a reel (especially as I’d have to explain to the misses that I need two!), but would love to know what a treat I’d be in for if my six number ever came in!
In the meantime, I’ll keep drooling over the picture. Anyone want a slightly soggy copy of Sea Angler?
Elton
