Shimano tranx

[Anjoemara]

A big reel

[alantani]

Shimano Tranx

i dunno, guys .....  this reel is rated up to 25 pounds of drag.  think of buttoning down the star, then hooking a 2 year old by the belt loop and hoisting him up!  hold that thought, and hold that kid off the floor.  up a little higher.  ok, now keep him off the floor and let's talk......

the levelwind - a disengaging levelwind means that the line and the leveler could get out of sync.  it will cast great, but you could be 180 degrees out of phase.  after a spectacular cast, you could click the reel into gear, then get hooked and watch the line on the spool try to go one way and the leveler try to go the other.  that could get ugly.   a nylon idler gear between the spool and the levelwind assembly is required to prevent personal injury.   under a heavy drag setting or a sticky drag system, the nylon idler gear and could easily shred.  a big fish or a rock on the bottom of the ocean is not going to care about a $3 idler gear.  and whatever you do, keep your fingers away from the leveler.  

the retrive rate - look specifically at 1 minute 11 seconds and 1 minute 20 seconds into the video, he's caught off guard and the poor guy can't turn the handle. on tackle tour (http://www.tackletour.net/TTForums/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=36699) i read that the gear ratio is 6.6 to 1 and this retrive rate of delivers a 43 inchs per crank.  that means a large diameter main gear and a large diameter drag washer.  it also means you have no torque.  you have to pump the rod to gain line.  look at 1 minute and 35 seconds into the video.  lift, crank, lift, crank.  honestly not a problem per se.  on a straight crank, the high gear ratio could limit this reel to catching only smaller fish like the ones seen in the video.  you can obviously catch bigger fish with high speed reels, though.  my classic series progears have a 6:1 gear ratio.  my big halibut is 150 pounds and my big yellowfin is 70 pounds on these reels.  i, um, trashed the reels but landed them.  both fish needed 15 pounds of drag and both times i damaged the main and pinion gears cranking these fish.  15 pounds puts ALOT of pressure on these gear teeth.

the drag system - this reel uses a "dartanium 2" drag washer and delivers 25 pounds of drag.  i have no idea what "dartanium 2" is, but i hope that it's woven carbon fiber with teflon grease.  if you are going to say that a reel can deliver 25 pounds of drag, you should be able to set the drag to 25 pounds, tie the spectra off to a trailer hitch, hit the gas and watch the line peel off the spool as the truck heads off into the sunset.  all of this should be accomplished with no subsequent damage to the gear teeth or any other parts of the reel.  watch the reel chatter at 1 minute 28 seconds into the video.  these drag washers are probably NOT greased carbon fiber.  shimano pioneered the use of woven carbon fiber drag washers and teflon grease.  they have in the past, however, reserved these more expensive greased carbon fiber drag washers systems for their best reels, including the tiagra and the trinidad dc's.  remember the chatter in the plain trinidads and toriums that used less expensive dartanium drag washers?  that's what the chatter of the tranx reminds me of.  this guy is only using, what, maybe 10 pounds of drag?  i'm guessing that because of the way he is holding the reel.  and it's still chattering.  imagine what it would look like if it was buttoned down to 25 pounds.  

the anti-reverse system - i heard no click of a spring loaded dog throughout the video.  that means that the anti-reverse system is probably an anti-reverse roller bearing, with or without a silent ambassaduer-style dog.  this system seems to have not yet fallen out of favor with shimano engineers, but we have all seen failures in the trinidads and toriums.  i hope they did not do the same thing in this reel, but they probably did.  

the line capacity - the spool size looks like it's about the same as my progear classic series 550.  that means 400 yards of 65# solid spectra.  a 25 percent drag setting means 16 pounds of drag.  the way i like to see a reel set up, i would like to see a reel hold 400 yards of a given weight spectra, say 65 pound in this case.  the reel should be able to deliver a drag setting as high as 30% of that line weight, meaning 20 pounds with no risk of structural damage to the reel

the final verdict - guys, i see the potential for trouble, but i'm just guessing based on watching a video and seeing a few stats on the reel, plus cracking open a few (hundred) shimanos.   actually, i'd love to get a reel to crack open!  if anyone could find one for me, that would be very cool.  

[Anjoemara]

Wow, Mr Alantani, that is a nice review. Thanks for posting.

[alantani]

more quotes from the tackle tour post.

1. Disengaging levelwind in Shimano differs from the Abu morrum one. In Shimano when the drag is paying out and when you disengaging the thumb bar the levelwind is fixed at one spot. In these days and age Shimano low profile reels have long 'nose' to lessen the angle to lessen the load when the fish is taking drag. Also in the case of Aldebaran the levelwind is shaped like a funnel to further reduce the angle stress. In the case of Abu Morrum it disengages on a cast but when you have a fish taking drag the levelwind actually moves along. This pose a problem which you mentioned; when you have a fish on as soon as the lure hits the water after a cast. Speaking of extreme angle stress heavy duty spinning reels have the worst angle and stress on the bail arm and roller when the drag is paying out. Through years of R & D this problem is being reduced to almost none. I think the Tranx is on the right direction.

2. From the reels I owned Shimano seems to have the better torque among the rest. I remember the Trinidad and A******* challenge years ago on a long range forum where anglers tied on to the same bowling ball to test the power of each reel. A******** can't even managed a crank. I also think Daiwa is not far behind Shimano with its hardened gear material. The Z2020 is basically indestructible on the gear department. Back to Tranx interestingly the 25lb drag coincides with the newer Trinidad A size 16. I compared the older Trinidad 12 and the new A series JDM equivalent (1500HG), it has thicker and slightly larger gear than the older one. I have good feeling about the 6.6:1. my only complain is that they are using 'normal' material and 'normal' cutting technology compare to Daiwa digigear.

3. If the drag material is similar to the new Ocea Jigger 1500 I can assure you it is woven carbon fiber.

4. Anti-reverse is likely the Ambassadeur type like the Ocea Jigger 1500.

5. Line cap is very technique and fish specific. Remember that more line (and thin) means easier to backlash. As Tranx is more of a casting reel I think 200-250yd of whatever it can takes is just about right for casting poppers to GT but I would wish for 30lb max drag though. For 25lb max drag the safer bet would be to match at least 65lb 8 carrier braided line. One could of course double the Tranx as a baiting or jigging reel, just that we might have to use thinner line for more capacity. It is a trade off.

I would like to receive one too! But I bet internally it is exactly like the newer trinidad A series but with a stronger clutch system to prevent the heavy handle from engaging the spool during the cast.

[alantani]

and another!

Something to consider about the 25 lb drag. I've owned and fished many Trinidads (the original style). I've fished the 20/30 with up to 100 lb braid and captured an estimated 70 lb Amberjack in 300 feet of water. It bit on the first few feet after hitting bottom. I've landed a 40 lb (weighted) Cubera in 180 feet of water some 100 yards from the boat. I've landed several 20 lb Muttons and several Black Groupers from 15-25 lbs in shallow water where stopping them was priority one. All this on Trinidad 20's. The maximum drag on the original style is 13 lbs with a full spool. The only service I've done to them over the years is an annual break down for cleaning and re-greasing/re-oiling. Not once have I had to replace a single part or been told anything has worn out or about to fail.

I think 25 lb on anything other then an International/Tiagra 50 or bigger is unnecessary and purely marketing hype. Another thing to consider is the fact drag increases as line spool capacity diameter reduces with line out. For example, I'm sure when I hooked the Amberjack in 300 feet of water there was much more drag then 13. Based on how it pulled at the beginning versus 45 minutes later, there was deffinately more drag to start (Amberjack don't get tired and fight until caught). Had I had 25 lbs at full, even 100 lb braid may be over stressed at 300 feet and I would have lost that fish. Another thing, because of the low stretch of braid, I prefer to max my drag at 25% at the maximum expected versus 30% with mono. If you subscribe to the theory that a drag could double when the spool is at half capacity then one's drag should be set accordingly for the amount of line expected out when the initial bite is expected to occur to avoid break offs.

Having never fished for GT, I don't know what is required but I doubt they are much more ferocious at the end of a line then an Amberjack and based on that, I think that 25 lbs on such a small reel is ludicrous. With 100 lb braid and the possibility of being at half spool on the bite, 13 lbs of drag is more then adequate. The way I look at it, the drag has nothing to do with the fish being targeted and everything to do with the gear being used. Besides, I doubt many of us can hold 25 lbs of drag without a harness. To think so is having never done it. Not trying to be rude and just trying to debunk some of these crazy notions based on manufacturers pleasing the buyer by over inflating what the buyer thinks they need. Do we really need 24lbs to go bass fishing?

[alantani]

for those of you that have never taken a look, check out tackle tour.  it's a great board!

http://www.tackletour.net/TTForums/

[wallacewt]

im with garriga

[redsetta]

x2 on Wallace/Garriga's post.

I doubt many of us can hold 25 lbs of drag without a harness...

So true. It's an arms race.
Still like seeing the technology progressing, though.
Righto, Justin

[alantani]

SPECS:
Target Weight 20.2oz for both reels
Spool Material - Type A6063 Deep
Spool Dia: 52mm
Spool Center Dia 16mm
Min Line Dia 20lb mono - 100lb Braid
Super Free
Brake 6 VBS
Drag Dartainum 2
Drag 25lbs
Frame Die Cast Alum.
Left side plate Carbon Plastic
Right Side Plate Alum.
Gears - 6.6:14 and 4.6:1
Crank 43" and 30"
Line 100lbs Braid 180 yds
Mono 30 - 160yds
Handle single type NO counter balance
Handle Length 65mm
7 Ball Bearings
1 Roller Bearing

[alantani]

Considering the Calcutta 400TE is less then 13 oz. Does it really make sense to target Muskies with a 20 oz reel? I've spent time chucking 3 oz jigs with the Trinidad 20 which is close in weight and loaded with 100 lb braid and that was brutal on my thumb and just about every body joint. Couldn't see myself spending 8 hours doing that. It's tiring enough to make speed jigs dance and that involves zero casting. Surf casting does require using heavier reels but that's still not an 8 hour affair. There's major breaks between tide changes or bait movement. Is the use of such a heavy reel with the required drag for the big baits an all day thing or for specific times of the day? if Musky guys hurl this type of gear all day long then they have earned a new level of respect from me cause I couldn't.

I fish for Muskies over 100 days a year and my Reels that I use are 2 Toro reels 2 ConQuests 1 Trinidad 16NA, and a Calcutta 700TE. U Bass guys have no idea what it takes to burn DCG10-13 all day long with a Trinidad 16NA or cast as far as U can with Pounder Bulldawgs ripping them all day. My rods are 9'6" xh, xxh, and xxxh which weigh about 9oz -12oz and they are customs.  I have 2 of the Tranx reels on order, I hope they will replace my 16NA and 700TE. As far as Saltwater goes I don't fish it much so I will not comment on that side. The Tranx will be one of hottest selling reels for Muskie fishing in 2012. Most days I will fish 12-14 hours from sun rise to moon rise and set, U bass have not a clue. I also take alot of pain meds in a year, thank god we only fish for them 5-6 months out of the year. As far as a Z200 reel goes it would not last a day muskies fishing, most baits are over 4oz and U have to rip them very very hard, or the size 10 -13 Double blade colorado bucktails would burn them out in hours.

[Bucktail]

[budget angler]

Greeting from Malaysia S.E.A..

Hi Alan,

Thanks for posting about Shimano Tranx..i'm about want to order that reel almost..but still i'm havin a headache and thinking about it which one i should get ..i even can't sleep well this past few weeks just to thinking which one ..all i need to know is about the advantages and disadvantages for this two reels,anyway i'm using it for light jigging and inchiku,maybe ummm play a bit WaxWing for Sailfishing

1. Abu Garcia Revo Toro Nacl 60 5.4:1-affordable,easy to maintainance and take care of
2. Shimano TranX TRX500PG/HG 6/4  -expensives!!lack of feedback (scared to get one)
3. Shimano Tranx price can buy 2 Revo =Nacl 50 and 60

If any of you guys and Mr Alan can give me an advice or which reel that i should choose,i'll be appreciate all your kind and positive opinion..thanks to all the Pro and Old Timer Angler (the master of knowledgable about the tackle products) in this forum

NEEDED HELP JUNIOR ANGLER

[alantani]

i think a narrow torium with upgraded drags and the spring loaded dogs would be best.......   

[dwntwnall4u]

Would anyone have a tutorial to replace the level wind mechanism? My friends was ruined by the shop spooling the reel with spectra.

thanks.

[Bunnlevel Sharker]

I don't see a point in em, the ratio is to high, and no need for a level wind on a reel like that. Some guys have torn them up cobia fishing on this coast