Battle II vs. Spinfisher V vs. Fin-Nor Lethal 100

[floating doc]

I'm looking at some options for a reel to fish 30 pound mono, freelining bait from a party boat for snapper, cobia, kingfish, etc.  A secondary application for the reel may be occasional beach, pier or jetty fishing.

I like the features of the new series of Battle II reels that are coming out next month, but my concern is that it looks to me like the only antireverse is going to be the bearing. The SF V reels (in the larger sizes, I'm thinking of an 8000) have a back up dog system.

Do I need to go with the SS V to get the antireverse dogs?

[Three se7ens]

I doubt you will have any issues with the battle II.  The battle is very similar to my fin nor Sportfisher 60, and I use braid, and run 17-20 lbs of drag fishing for the same species. It's performed flawlessly.

[handi2]

I haven't looked but the back up anti-reverse is built into the spool. There is a spring actuated back up dog that will push the back up dog out to catch the teeth molded into the spool itself if the reel goes backwards. I haven't looked at the Battle 11 series.

The current Battle and Conflict reels have that type of backup system. I really like the Conflict reels.

[floating doc]

I haven't looked but the back up anti-reverse is built into the spool. There is a spring actuated back up dog that will push the back up dog out to catch the teeth molded into the spool itself if the reel goes backwards. I haven't looked at the Battle 11 series.

The current Battle and Conflict reels have that type of backup system. I really like the Conflict reels.

That sounds good. I think the new Battle II reels have a lot of the same features as the Conflict reels. I haven't bought a new spinning reel for my own use since 1989.

[johndtuttle]

I really think you can't go wrong with either. The Battle II is going to be a little easier spinning (no handle seal) for fishing artificials, the Spinfisher V a little nicer drag and more sealed.

Both reels have an exposed pinion assembly that will have to be regreased after a dunk (very easy).

Both reels are all metal and will handle a knock well.

In a spinning reel fishing 30lb mono I would not be concerned about the AR bearing. It will require maintenance but will be more than strong enough to handle the load. The same AR bearings are used in conventionals but are in the handle and are subjected to the multiplying of forces by the gear train. A spinning reel only experiences 1/4 the loads as it is mounted directly on the pinion and doesn't have that 4.9:1 multiplying of force etc.

Needless to say, if you get it salty and neglect it then it would fail, but if kept in proper order it should work very well for years.

The key to them both is not abusing the gears (ie trying to wind against load). All of the "price point" spinners use inexpensive gears that have to be babied to some degree by lifting and winding on the drop.

[floating doc]

Thanks for the replies. I've got a "can't refuse" option to buy a Conquest 8000. Now I have to decide what rod to build. 

[floating doc]

Change of plans. The Conquest ended up with a better home (no joke; it's going to get used a whole lot more than if I bought it).

I went to Alan Hawk's site and read about the Fin-Nor Lethal 100. Seems like a good value, but they're not in stock with most of the vendors. I found one on Amazon and pulled the trigger tonight.

Next to choose a blank and start building a rod. I added the Fin-Nor to the title of this discussion.

[maxpowers]

Doc,

You will definitely like the Fin nor Lethal 100.  Keep in mind that it is quite large.  Approximately the size of a penn 750ss or 850ss.  Are you fishing straight mono?

[handi2]

I have every Penn AR bearing on hand for all the Penn Spinners and have never had to change one in the last 2 years. If you look at the cost it wasn't cheap to purchase so many.

I just received my Lethal 100 from Amazon that was ordered in April of this year. They are heavy for sure but look and feel super strong. The internals are high quality with a back up dog taken from the Daiwa Saltist reels. The LT100 has a 7 stack of Carbon washers.

I also have the Conflict 8000, Battle 7000, Quantum PTS 80, Van Stall's, Penn Torque 7,  etc. I like the Quantum PTS 80 the best. It's a beast and isn't too heavy. The Conflict is light, super smooth, and cast's like a dream. The internals on the conflict are the same as the Battle. The Conflict has line large line roller bearings and an excellent drag system.

[Three se7ens]

You will like the lethal 100. I've got one and it's a tank. It's quite a large reel though, I've got almost 400 yds if 80 lb braid on mine.

[floating doc]

I'll be using mono; braid isn't allowed on the party boats here. I'm okay with the size, it's what I was expecting.

[foakes]

I picked  a couple of Lethal 100s a few months back.  Haven't had an opportunity to use one yet -- but hope to sometime soon.

Like Handi said, upon inspection and pre-fish servicing -- the reel appears to be sound and strong, with some features found only in reels costing many hundreds of dollars more.  There may be a few imperfections in finish -- so far, I have not discovered any.  But overall it is a very good value & seems a very capable piece of machinery -- we'll see...

The question sometimes comes up about the low price point -- implying the more one pays, the better the product.  While I used to agree with this statement generally -- the world has changed when it comes to manufacturing, marketing, product placement, and establishment of a particular brand.

The question I might ask is not: How could a reel so inexpensive be any good?

But, rather: Why couldn't a manufacturer build a quality product like this for $129 -- instead of $1000 plus?

I'm just a guy who wears a Casio watch costing $60 on sale, instead of a Rolex, coating $6K to $10K -- Uses Craftsman tools instead of Snap-On...and while there is nothing wrong with more expensive equipment, it is not always necessary or worth the extra $$$, in my opinion.

And, a Stella or a L100 will get the same type of treatment when fishing over the side in rough water with a hot bite going on -- but I would prefer not having any worries about a $1000 reel on the South end of my rod.  If the L100 doesn't cut it -- the Stella probably wouldn't either -- but I would feel better stressing the less expensive reel -- just to see how well it might perform.

[johndtuttle]

The one thing I have to add to the Lethal 100 story at this time is "tincture of time is required" to see if the price can be held and if quality is up to snuff.

I hate to come across as a Naysayer or fit the bill of one of the detractors that our friend Alan Hawk said would come out of the wood work etc...

But the quality of finish issues he found (anodizing and molding  the frame and crosswind block) would be issues that would/should never leave a Daiwa/Penn/Shimano Factory and would lead to immediate replacement by the company as not representative of their brand quality.

I am a believer in all of the design intent we see in the reel and have asked that others incorporate these many wonderful features in their own reels. I think however, before we criticize others, we should wait and see if this can be truly and reliably executed for the introductory price and service issues be handled professionally over time and then the true tale will be told.

I strongly suspect that what we have seen so far will evolve over time to something we find more familiar in the price to value relationship. Just because someone is selling a reel at a given price does not mean that is sustainable over time when the money has to be there to pay for customer service and the inevitable warranty repairs/replacements. That is, unless Fin Nor wants to just buy market share with a reel that loses money for them.

Sorry, there is just no way to say this without coming across as negative Nelly. 

I will say categorically that the design intent of the LT100 pretty much satisfies my every wish list in a simple modern work horse. This is the opportunity that has been left wide open now that Shimano has vacated the niche the old Saragosa/Spheros ably filled and have gone over board thinking that seals are the answer.

The answer is a modern reel with a strong drive train that just refuses to break.

[Kyle K]

I got a Lethal 100 from Amazon back in April, before all the hoopla and feeding frenzy made them unavailable.  I paid $134 back then.  Current price on Amazon is less than $130, so it appears that Fin-Nor has held the line on price, at least for now.  And they are available from Amazon again after months of being out-of-stock.  Current production ships with spool washers of various thicknesses to address the line lay issues that Alan and others have reported.  Nice to see a manufacturer paying attention.

My unit has a small blemish in the spool anodizing (underside - just slapped some grease on it), but it runs pretty quiet and smooth.  Frankly, I've seen worse cases of quality control from the likes of Shimano, Daiwa and Penn, at least in their mid-priced stuff.  And isn't that what we're comparing here?  We're talking about a $130 reel that overall seems to kill the competition at that price point and quite a bit higher in my opinion.

[handi2]

I agree with all on the Lethal 100. Mine did have 2 tiny flaws in the machining on the body close to the "butt" end of the reel. Its obvious the dents were there before the finish was put on. I'll post a picture when I can.

Other than that everything else was good and it did come with line lay washers.

I'll definitely take this reel over an overpriced, over engineered Stella.


I just finished servicing the Battle 7000, SpinfisherV 7500, and SpinfisherV 3500. The Battle has the common stack of carbon washers in the top of the spool only and upon testing the drag it took many turns to get the drag to start getting tight. The other reels have the "Slammer" drag and it is so much better. More drag and tightens easily.